Fall Entertaining in the Kitchen (Inspired by Charm)

Turn on your oven, pile up those pumpkins, bust out the cider, and gather up some apples and pears. It’s time for fall entertaining in the kitchen!

Today I’m so excited to be back for another fun, festive, and fall-inspired blogger collaboration: Seasons of Home. (Everyone will be linked at the end of this post.) My fellow bloggers and I will be showing you how we decorated our kitchens for the new season. We also decided to tie on our aprons and throw a recipe into the mix. If you’re looking for ideas for fall home decor, seasonal entertaining, and culinary creativity, you’ve come to the right place. So, be sure to check out the full line up of inspiration at the end of this post.

As you may know (or in case you’re new, “Welcome!”), I recently moved from my home in the country to a new space in the city. While I certainly miss the charm and character of my 1917 house, it’s been a fun challenge to decorate a more modern apartment. Starting with a clean slate, I’ve made a lot of progress in just a few months, and Pittsburgh is truly starting to feel like home.

A couple weeks ago I gave you a tour of my kitchen. In this post, I’m excited to welcome you back to see a few seasonal touches and a delicious spread of “pumpkin” cheeseballs … and a cocktail because “why not?”

As you can tell, the bulk of my fall decor is this festive display of tasty treats on my island. (We’ll get to that in a minute.) Living in a smaller space, I try to avoid excess stuff. Because I love to be in the kitchen, having it be functional is a top priority. (Of course, you know I can’t resist a pumpkin or two.)

Wildflowers and a bowl of fresh apples from the farmers market add a touch of color to my countertops. The white ceramic pumpkin keeps things clean but gives the space a touch of autumn. Other pieces like cutting board and salt and pepper shakers serve a purpose and look stylish. I’ve also upgrade my soap dispensers.

Over against the sliding door to my balcony (which I’ll be showing you soon) is this butcher block stand that I found. It adds much-needed display, storage, and warmth to this area.

Today, I decided to set up this space as a drink station. I’m serving Spiced Pear Moscow Mules and boy are they delicious. (The recipe will be posted on Thursday. Stay tuned for that.)

Aren’t those copper mugs so fun? You can find them here.

The bottom shelf of the stand offers storage for my Staub pumpkin casserole dish, mixer, and canisters.

The little stand that’s next to it is purely a decorative touch. (I needed places for all my plants after going plant crazy this summer.) However, things could be rearranged to make it functional if needed.

I’m also slowly starting to hang artwork around my apartment, which, by the way, is a great way to make a place feel more like home. I found these rustic trays at a local thrift store. They are the perfect backdrop for a fun and seasonal sign I picked up at HomeGoods.

You may have also noticed I started a collection of white vases and serveware on top of my upper cabinets. While I’m not typically a fan of displaying things above cabinets, I think a collection of like items (that I actually use) makes it feel more intentional, rather than “just a space that needs to be decorated.”

And finally, the piece de resistance, the “pumpkin” cheeseball spread on my island.

I get that a cheeseball is kind of basic. However, when done in the right way, I think it can be a fun appetizer. (Remember my “apple” cheeseballs from a few years ago? They are still one of my favorites.) Plus, who doesn’t like a big ball of cheese?

For this presentation. I made two: an Everything Bagel Cheeseball and a Sun-Dried Tomato Cheeseball. (You can grab the recipes and read more about them here.) To make them a bit more seasonal. I broke off two stems from pie pumpkins and popped the stems on the cheeseballs. I also used a little trick to create some grooves in them. It’s little details like this that create the illusion of pumpkins.

And because two cheese balls weren’t enough to make a grand display, I doubled one of the recipes and split it into three parts to make three additional balls. While the base of the cheeseball was the same, I wanted to get a bright orange looking pumpkin so I crushed up a secret ingredient, and rolled them in that. I’d say the color was perfect. Wouldn’t you?

Again, for full recipes and details on the cheeseballs (and that secret ingredient), click here.

With the cheeseballs made, I assembled the display, starting with a cutting board and cake stand I picked up at HomeGoods. I used colorful ceramic berry baskets I had along with jars to hold crackers and breadsticks for dipping. Then I filled in the display with goodies from the farmers market: mini pumpkins, gourds, grapes, and these adorable baby eggplants.

Voila! Boring cheeseballs? I think not.

And with that, fall entertaining in the kitchen can commence.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my kitchen with a few seasonal touches, “snacking” on “pumpkin” cheeseballs, and “drinking” Spiced Pear Moscow Mules.

And because I got a little carried away (as you can see), I ended up setting my dining table and giving my bar cabinet a sprinkle of the season. Since this post is long enough, I’m inviting you back here tomorrow so I can show you those fall touches as well. I’d love it if you’d join me.

Until then, have fun touring the beautiful spaces (complete with recipes) below. If you weren’t quite ready for fall, I think you will be after this tour. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!