Fall for easy entertaining!

Entertaining does not have to be hard.  When I am looking for easy appetizers I usually choose a charcuterie board. Simple and no cooking!   Just go to the grocery find an assortment of meats, cheeses, nuts, fruits, chutneys, mustard, pickles, olives or anything you like and display them on a cutting board.  Remember to search your pantry first as you probably have some of these ingredients already.  I also like to have some desserts already made and in the freezer so all I have to do is thaw them out.

For ease, I knew I would be serving wine and beer, but wanted to make it a little more special.  A quick look at Pintrest and I found these simple recipes for cider wine sangria and cider beer shanty.  Just mix cider into beer or wine.  Can it get any easier than that?  Instead of making a batch of either, I decided to simply fill a pitcher with cider and garnished it with slices of granny smith apples (for the green color) and honeycrisp apples (for the red color).  I tossed in some cranberries just to give it a more fall festive look.

Cider Sangria or Cider Shanty

Mix 1/3 cup apple cider with beer or wine.
For the wine, use Riesling or a dryer wine as the cider is naturally sweet.

MY TIP:  Instead of ice cubes, freeze the main liquid of your drink so it doesn't become diluted as it sits out.  In this recipe, I just froze the cider in my ice cube trays.