Surroundings Market Blog

Potlucks can happen any time of year, which is why we’d like to share our list of easy sandwich recipe ideas. When you’re looking for something quick and easy that won’t pinch the purse, sandwiches can always be a good go-to. Not to mention, you can make a lot and only spend a little. Keep reading to see our list of sandwiches you can throw together for your next potluck gathering. Are sandwiches appropriate for potlucks? If you’ve asked yourself this question, don’t worry. You’re not the only one. In fact, it’s a great question to ask. It’s not that sandwiches aren’t appropriate for potlucks. The answer actually relies on the style or theme of the gathering. If there is a particular theme that calls for dips only or a dessert bar, then you may want to skip making sandwiches. However, sandwiches can go with just about anything. Think soup and sandwiches… dips, chips, and sandwiches. See! Sandwiches have a way of complimenting a variety of foods while offering a filling meal at the same time. If ever in doubt, always ask the potluck host. If that’s you, then consider having a sandwich themed potluck! Plan Ahead for Your Next Potluck Cooking and/or preparing food for a crowd can quickly become overwhelming without a plan. Before buying one single ingredient, make sure you decide on the types of sandwiches you want to prepare. There are quite a few kinds to choose from. Do you want to go the slider route? Smaller sandwiches with the capability to make more. Do you want full slice size sandwiches? They can be cut in triangles, halves, or even squares.  Regardless of what you choose, make sure you gather all necessary details down to the type of bread you want to use. To help with budgeting, look for bread that is on sale or in the last buy section. Go for a meat or veggie that you can get a lot of but for a decent price. Also, don’t forget to consider side items like slaw, salad, or chips. Easy Sandwich Recipe Ideas for a Potluck Now that we’ve gotten the particulars out of the way, let’s look at a few irresistible sandwich recipe ideas for your next potluck get together. Sloppy Joe Sub Sandwiches You’ve had sloppy joes, but how about on a sub sandwich? When feeding a large crowd, you can make sloppy joe subs and cut them into smaller sandwich slices about 3” inches in width. This will get you about 4 sandwiches per foot long sub! Also, consider switching things up a bit and adding an Italian flare to the meat mixture and making strombolis. Mini Slider Melts Using the sandwich meat and cheese of your choice, place a nice helping of meat and cheese inside the mini sliders (like Hawaiian rolls) and bake until the cheese is melted. Don’t worry, they don’t have to stay warm to still be good. In fact, these are also good cold so if you have some left over, pop them in the fridge and have them the next day. Pulled Beef Sandwiches You can never go wrong with a bbq style pulled beef sandwich. You can also substitute the beef for another meat of your choice, but the overall idea is to get that bbq flavor. If it’s too cold outside, skip the grill and go with baking the meat until well done and tender. Then place it in a bowl and use two forks to begin pulling the meat apart. Apply a generous helping of bbq sauce and you’re set to go. Bring a bowl of slaw just in case someone wants to top their sandwich with it. Chicken Salad Sandwich Nothing is easier than a store-bought salad and yummy bread. If you don’t have time for the cook it from scratch method, purchase some chicken salad from the deli of your local grocery. Stop by the bread basket and see if they have any loaves on sale and assemble your sandwiches at home. Place them on a platter for an overall homemade look. Mini Burgers Instead of cooking full-sized burgers, opt in for mini burgers that can fit on a slider roll. This size is perfect for a little slice of a roma tomato, one pickle, and small dollop of mayo, mustard, and ketchup. These are sure to be a big hit especially if the potluck will have children in attendance. Final Thoughts These five easy sandwich recipe ideas are sure to be crowd pleasers at your next potluck. Remember to plan ahead and save yourself the stress of feeding a large crowd. If you have leftovers, don’t hesitate to put them in the fridge and enjoy them at home the next day (or two)! Psst... looking for something to easily transport your sandwiches in and make them look cute? Try our disposable pan holder!

If you’re planning a fun fall gathering with friends, be sure to have all the right foods ready to serve to your loved ones. While there are many foods worth preparing when the weather starts to get a bit chillier and the leaves begin to change from green to colors of red and brown, these are some of the five best fall-inspired foods to have at your next gathering. You can easily prepare them and have them ready, allowing party guests to grab what they’d like to eat and add it to their plates or bowls. 5 Fall Inspired Foods to Have at Your Next Gathering 1. Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Nothing says fall quite like the taste of roasted butternut squash soup, the kind of soup you can make in your slow cooker with simple ingredients. It doesn’t take much effort or time to prepare the soup using a few ingredients, including butternut squash, coconut milk, butter, vegetable broth, and other seasonings and spices. It’s a warm treat that you can serve as a quick and delightful appetizer for guests to enjoy. 2. Pull-Apart Pumpkin Bread How can you go wrong with a pull-apart pumpkin bread? Pumpkin is the flavor of the season, and you can transform it into a flavorful bread that your guests can pull apart when they’re in the mood for a piece. It’s a sweet treat that you can eat before or after a meal as a quick and delicious dessert.  Of course, you’ll need several vital ingredients to make the bread, including pumpkin pie mix, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, heavy cream, and biscuit dough. But, it’s not hard to assemble the bread, bake it, and have it ready for everyone to enjoy at the next gathering. 3. Roasted Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are the perfect fall side dish. You can roast them to perfection in the oven before serving them with butter, mini marshmallows, and a bit of brown sugar. Who doesn’t love a loaded sweet potato because of its incredible taste?  Give your guests the option to have their sweet potatoes loaded or not. If they don’t want them loaded, they may want to keep it simple with a bit of butter added on top. The butter melts perfectly over these roasted potatoes, enhancing their taste. Use our disposable pan holder to help decorate the table and hide the looks of those aluminum pans. 4. Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops When serving the main course for your gathering, cinnamon apple pork chops are an excellent choice. It’s something about the sweet taste of apples that pairs well with the savory flavor of the pork chops.  You can use boneless pork loin chops with sliced red apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and a few other ingredients to create a sweet and savory meal that tastes great as the main course. Then, serve it with a side of roasted sweet potatoes to complete the meal, leaving you with the perfect fall-inspired food to have for everyone. 5. French Apple Cake You can’t forget to serve some dessert at the end of the night (or in the middle of the day). After enjoying the appetizers and the main course with its fresh and flavorful side dish, be sure to have a fall-inspired dessert available for your guests to enjoy, such as the French Apple Cake or a homemade apple pie. The taste of apples reminds everyone of the fall season and the cooler weather. Prepare the cake, slice it, and serve! Final Thoughts These are five fall-inspired foods we recommend to have at your next fall-inspired gathering. Of course, you can also serve these wonderful foods with some delicious apple cider. Whether hot or cold, apple cider is a genuinely flavorful and enjoyable beverage worth having with the French apple cake at the end of the night before everyone goes home. One last idea we'd like to share is to consider adding a potluck style feel to your next Fall gathering. Open the invitation for guests to bring their favorite fall-inspired dish. And don't forget to set up the entertainment. Let us know your favorite fall-themed food that you plan to have at your next gathering!

Are you planning a fun, outdoor fall party this year? Maybe you have a few ideas but aren’t sure how to pull them together or maybe you’re starting with a completely clean slate. We’ve gathered 7 great tips to help make sure your fall party is amazing! 7 Tips for an Outdoor Fall Party Choose the perfect location for your fall party. This could be the easiest (or hardest!) aspect of party planning. If you already know where your party will be, skip ahead! If you’re still deciding then you may want to keep these tips in mind. Fall weather can be unpredictable so look for a location that has indoor and outdoor seating and standing options. This will help should the weather turn bad. You can create “indoor/outdoor” space by using a tent or portable shelter as a backup. Other things you may want to look for include the general atmosphere. Hosting a party in a park or natural area will help with decorations (hello nature!) whereas a more industrial or basic location means you’ll need to do a bit of work to get the fall theme to be present. Create a fall atmosphere. As mentioned above, if your party is held in a more natural area you won’t have to do as much work to create a fall atmosphere. To bring more fall feel to your party, one simple trick would be to hold your party later in the day. As the sun goes down, dusk provides a very nice ambiance. The use of candles and lights are one way to easily transition from day to night.   Don’t forget seating! Even if your party is outdoors your guests will want somewhere to sit and place their food and drinks. Keep it rustic with items like hay bales or go a bit more chic with covered chairs and tables. A few fall flowers tied to the back of a chair can easily double both as seating and decorations!  Use Fall-inspired decorations. Some of the best decorations for fall are natural items found nearby. Think of things like leaves, twigs, pumpkins, and flowers to make a natural arrangement. You can also use things like candles and a variety of different textiles - think burlap or gingham - to add interesting color and texture to your tables and sitting areas. Gather a bunch of fall flowers in a couple of grass rope baskets. Use a singular color palette to keep the visual appeal of your party space. Dark jewel tones, rustic fall colors or stark black, whites, and reds are all interesting fall color choices.  Decide on the perfect Fall party foods. Let’s face it, food is one of the most important parts of a party. You could do a few things with food. Go with an all finger food or all appetizer party with a mixture of different fall favorites. Things like pigs in a blanket or corn dogs are a fun treat for all ages. Pulled pork or chicken sandwiches are easy to prepare in advance and serve a crowd.  For a more formal dinner, think warm, inviting flavors with a cozy feel. Soups, roast vegetables or meats and tart pops of flavor all evoke a sense of fall. This type of meal lends itself better to a family style serving which is perfect for a welcoming fall meal! Don’t forget the dessert (and drinks)! There is no shortage of great desserts that are perfect for a fall party. Pies and tarts are some of the first things that come to mind. No matter what you choose for your main meal, make sure there’s a few sweet items too.  You could even host an all desserts party! Pick several favorites or have each guest bring their own dessert and let guests vote on which was the best. All for fun of course! A great thing about fall is that you can serve cold or warm drinks and it works. If you’ll be having a party that goes from day to night, have colder items available during the and then a few warmer options as the sun goes down. Drinks like hot apple cider and hot cocoa can be made both as an all around beverage and in adult version.  Have a backup plan. A final tip to keep in mind is to have a backup plan. Sure, we all want to have a fun time outside but what happens if it rains or is extra cold the day of your party? Do you have a tent or a barn available that guests could move into? A garage could also serve this purpose. The last thing anyone wants to do is cancel their party but this may also be inevitable. Have a plan ready in advance so you’re not scrambling the day of. Final Thoughts While planning your outdoor party, don't forget to grab the best cups, use a cute cup holder, and get decor that can be reused for another gathering. These tips are sure to help you host the most amazing fall-inspired gathering. Don't forget to tell us your best tips in the comments below.

There's nothing more beautiful than a fall-themed party. There's something special about the weather, the scenery, and when it comes to planning a fall party, there are so many directions you can go. Of course, your overall theme and feel may also have something to do with the area you live, but it's still doable. For example, it’s hard to have a party with changing leaves if you live in the desert. But, even with limitations it doesn’t mean you can’t have the most amazing party!  Here are 7 different party ideas that you can start planning now.  7 Best Fall-Themed Party Ideas Old Fashioned Fall Fun You can’t go wrong if you decide to throw an old fashioned fall harvest party. Prepare drinks like hot apple cider and have your party decorated with leaves, hay and pumpkins. Snacks are always good and you can always stick to classics like hot dogs to keep things simple. Candied apples or funnel cakes are also a fun, sweet treat. For games, bobbing for apples, a three legged race, and the toilet paper mummy wrap are simple to put together and fun to play. Bonfires and Baubles This isn’t your normal tea party but that doesn’t mean your guests can’t dress up. Encourage everyone to come with their favorite over the top dress-up style and then treat them to an outdoor bonfire party! It’s a different, and fun way to do a typical fall activity. Have finger foods available and plenty of cold drinks for this fall themed party.  All the Pie! Who doesn’t love pie and who wouldn’t love a fall pie themed party!? For this celebration you can make use of the bounty of fall produce to either have all pie based foods or get the group involved to see who can bake the best pie to share. Hand pies or pies on a stick are also ideas if you don’t want to bake the whole thing. A pie eating contest is sure to be a fun activity for the party or a pie throwing game! A Corny Party  Head to a local corn maze for this fun-filled party theme. After getting lost (and found) in the maze, guests can head to the buffet table for a popcorn buffet! Have plenty of popcorn ready to go and any and everything you can think of for toppings. A blow up projection screen and some comfy chairs or hay bales serve as the seating area for fall film. Other corn themed games like cornhole and a “guess how many kernels” jar guessing game could also be included. Apple of my Eye If you have access to an apple orchard you could either visit or host your party at the location with this apple theme. Enjoy traditional orchard activities like a hayride and set up stations so your guests could either dip their own caramel apples with all types of toppings available for coating. Or, go with apple nachos where the apples are pre-sliced and can be drizzled and topped. For games try an apple race where players have to get all the apples in one basket, passed through everyone in line to fill up the basket on the other end the fastest! Or, try the classic - bobbing for apples! Pumpkin Painting Is it really a fall party if there are no pumpkins involved? Pottery and picture painting parties are all the rage lately so why not extend that theme to pumpkins? You can either host this at a pumpkin patch where people can choose their own pumpkin or have them ready for your guests on arrival. Set out plenty of supplies so that the painting can begin. This is also a good party idea for any age group.  Costume Ball This suggestion is a bit less traditional but why not throw a glamorous fall party? Keeping in line with the idea of fall costumes, invite your guests to dress up in their favorite elegant attire. You might even specify a specific historical period or theme. Rent a space that can be used for dancing and of course taking beautiful pictures. For food and drinks stick to seasonal finger foods and classy cocktails. Final Thoughts Putting together a Fall-themed party can be super fun and really beautiful. Don't forget to add unique touches with our wooden cup holder and sea grass rope baskets. Let us know what you're planning for your next Fall-themed gathering!