For everything there is a season…
Sure I could mean the crisp air, the bold leaves, the pending snow, but I don’t!
In my early 20’s it was bridal showers, bachelorette’s and weddings.
In my mid-20’s it was baby showers…baby showers…baby showers. (welcome to the Mid-West)
In my 30’s it’s been Friendsgiving, girls getaways and now housewarmings.
It seems a great deal of our friends are moving to new places or new homes and it’s a ton of fun to celebrate! While I might not be the world’s most proper hostess and I definitely have issues with people RSVPing then no showing, call me Mrs. Manners.
I LOVE getting people together.
It’s an odd trait for an introvert, but organizing a get together makes me look like that totally high smiling emoji.
With the leaves disappearing from our yard, I decided to bring Fall inside…but not in the traditional way. I don’t have tons of seasonal decor, maybe I will someday….maybe not, I don’t really like collecting things. But what I do love is sugar, Pinterest and pretty things.
Thus the idea of the “orange bar” sounded like a no-brainer! Plus if I could distract them with sugar they might not notice the lack of any hanging photos in the house! (P.S. what did we do before Pinterest?!)
I thought this close to Halloween and Thanksgiving, orange foods would be in abundance! Sweet potato chips and Goldfish crackers were a piece of cake, but after that I actually hit up 4 other stores trying to find the orange things I envisioned!
- Orange M and M’s
- Orange Jelly Beans
- Sweet potato chips
- Clemintines
- Orange slices (the candy)
- Orange soda
- Orange flowers from my mom
- Orange food in the crockpot
David was concerned about the lack of dips and such, so the peanuts and pretzels were added along with some sugar cookies. But I knew with the crockpot we’d be swimming in leftovers…and we were.
Orange slices always make me thing of childhood sports!! I don’t know why we didn’t eat real oranges, but we didn’t. It was always that sugary little slice of fun to keep us going.
Slow Cooker Harvest Chicken
I decided that beyond my little orange bar, I wanted to have some hot food available and I wanted NOT to be in the kitchen all morning or during the event. Thus nothing works better than a crockpot meal!
You can adjust the ingredients below based on your desired flavors. Boost the pumpkin for a sweeter flavor or the tomatoes for a more zesty flavor.
Slow Cooker Harvest Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs organic chicken breast
- 1 head of cauliflower or bag of florets
- 1/2 butternut squash cubed or buy pre-cut
- 4 TBSP pumpkin butter or 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, honey and lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 white onion
- 1 cup canned tomatoes with chilies
- Sea salt to taste
- 1/3 cup water may be needed to keep moist
- Optional add in some diced red bell peppers or serve with diced apples I'm all about more veggies
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of the crockpot to get the most heat
- Layer in veggies
- Top with spices
- Turn on low for 6-8 hours
- Let the smells wash over you
- Dish it up over greens or with sweet potato chips, however you like!
So my housewarming hostesses hacks: use the crockpot, use what you have to create decor, remember it’s about the people anyways, lighten up and enjoy.
It’s never going to be perfect, but honestly every imperfect thing I’ve ever done has become so memorable I wouldn’t change it for the world (cough, cough wedding disaster, cancelled marathon).
Do you love organize things or prefer to just enjoy the invite?
Do you love cooking for others?
Other ways to connect with Amanda
Twitter: @runtothefinish
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Facebook: RunToTheFinish
Why the Last Finisher Matters Equally: Ironman Kona
Thanks so much for having me over – I had a great time!!! And very well done on the hostessing/food – much more Pinteresty than my creations :)
You do the best parties! Everyone always feels comfortable and relaxed which is more important than anything else!!! Plus you attempt to think about my weird foods :)
Slow cooker meals never let us down!
That looks amazing, bet it makes your house smell amazing!
Love the orange bar and this recipe looks delicious!
How fun! I love the orange foods theme :)
That look super comforting :-)
Love the orange bar idea!
Such a fun party and this recipe looks so yummy. I like to host as well… although I can get way too ocd and wrapped up in theme that I inadvertently have the tendency to drive myself crazy over it. I have trouble doing stuff half way! haha. And I can hardly remember life before Pinterest! How did we ever host?
I love the idea of an orange bar! This dish looks like the perfect fall meal for anytime though – and I really do need to bust out my slow cooker!
My baby loves orange, she would be thrilled if we had a dinner like this!
That looks wonderful and I love the orange bar idea. This is perfect. Thanks for sharing