After a busy summer the routines of Fall always make me want to host friends. Enjoying drinks around the firepit on a crisp evening, sitting with friends around a table filled with my favorite Autumn dishes, and chatting the night away with glasses of port. However, despite the routines, Fall is just as busy if not moreso! So, that is where I pull out my Fall Dinner Party Hacks. Turn grocery store purchases into restaurant-quality dishes.

The below hacks were featured on KATU’s Afternoon Live, watch below to see the video!

Three Fall Dinner Party Menu Hacks

There is no shame in grabbing favorite pre-made items from a grocery store, deli, or restaurant to make your evening a touch easier when entertaining. While I enjoy cooking for others and crafting recipes from scratch, I also know my time is limited and will take necessary shortcuts when they don’t decrease the overall quality of my meal. If the day is busy and you want to have friends over in the evening, go to the grocery store and grab a few of the below items to create a Fall-themed dinner that will look and taste like you spent the day in the kitchen.

Mac & Cheese Stuffed Acorn Squash

What do you need from the grocery store for this beautiful Fall side or main course dish? Grab enough acorn squash for 1/2 squash per person (if serving as a side) and approximately 1 squash per person (if serving for main) and your favorite boxed mac and cheese (use the published servings to make sure you have enough to serve the guests that you have on hand). Make it extra special by topping it with a garnish that will go with the dish, but give it color and flavor. For example, I did shaved aged Gouda on this Gouda mac & cheese along with some smoked paprika.

Squash Soup (or dress up your favorite soup!)

Dress up your favorite Fall store-bought (or homemade) soup with a few garnishes right before you serve them. Not only will this add extra flavor to your dish, but it will make it look stunning and special. Add some pesto and heavy cream with pepita seeds and paprika to really make the squash soup sing!

Tip: To make sure the heavy cream doesn’t just sink to the bottom, whip the cream to nearly soft peak state. Add into a squeeze bottle to drizzle onto the soup or spoon it into the soup for a nice dollop.

Apple Cake Parfaits

Parfaits are one of my go-to easy, yet impressive desserts to serve. These are simple to create. You need pound cake or a good spiced cake cut into small bite sized cubes, apple pie filling, and homemade (or your favorite store bought) whipped cream. layer each ingredient in a clear glass bowl or glass for two layers. Start with cake, apple pie filling, then whipped cream and repeat. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and garnish with an apple slice and cinnamon stick.

These simple grocery store hacks make for easy, but tasty Fall treats.