Braving the chilly elements or late autumn makes for a bracing afternoon of family fun featuring a bonfire, the essential fall apples, as well as delicious food.
The Beauty of Dining at an Outdoor Table
Before the weather turns, while the wide-armed outdoors can still satisfy the energy of a full-family gathering of friends, city dwellers return to suburban roots for a seasonal soiree and some good old-fashioned pumpkin-carving.
Winter is close enough at hand, but autumn’s lingering warmth and faded backdrop allows a colorful feast of mix and match grilled cheeses and charcuterie – dark purple grapes, burnt orange persimmons, bonfire-roasted sausages and cauliflower, large bowls of bright white popped corn – to take center stage.
Just fifteen miles outside of Pittsburgh city limits, the feast cascades over a large marble slab sitting atop a makeshift sawhorse table on a rustic stone patio. A haphazard sky-blue gauze table linen catches stray morsels dropped from excited hands as well as the occasional subtle breeze.
How to Prepare a Dinner Outdoors
To suit the tastes of kids and adults alike and the appetite of a crowd, anything table-top goes for assembling grilled sandwiches. Tonight, a few standout combinations steal the show thanks to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co’s diverse assortment of cheeses. Gouda, bacon, and caramelized onion makes for welcome contrasts between sweet and savory, creamy, and also crunch. Rich hard cheddar plays well against sweet apple and peppery arugula. And a nutty comte with roasted cauliflower feels especially fresh and sophisticated for its easy assembly.
Hosts Cynthia and Mark share bounty from a stationary rusted wheelbarrow that once made trips to the compost -now planted with herbs and still producing for a meal’s quick garnish. The vessel is a work of art itself, fresh green magically sprouting from aged metal. White gourds are tucked like Easter Eggs amongst the parsley, chives, and sage.
Just a popcorn-toss beyond the outdoor table, a wire gate stands open to a fenced-in raised-bed garden armed against clever groundhogs. Today, between spent onion blooms and berrying asparagus ferns, it houses a rolling bar cart topped with fixings for smoky cocktails, a cast iron pot of warm apple cider, as well as an ice bucket of cool, seasonal beers. Friends tour the garden with a drink in hand and get curious about the summer’s plantings. Evidence of strawberry patches, zinnia and dahlia beds, and green bean spreads all play to the senses and to curious kids.
A Balance of Energy and Peace
With her youngest tied firmly to her front, guest Chelsea Barber props a smoked old-fashioned on a fence post and surveys the scene. While the food and drinks are picturesque, the hill is buzzing with activity. On the grounds, a covered play “fort” on stilts sits mid-hill. It provides a convenient “messes welcome” spot for a group of young friends gutting overgrown pumpkins. A zip line mounted to the fort runs down to a large Black Locust tree where grilled-cheese hands slip from the rolling rope and brace against the ground.
In this moment, parents and kids alike are content. There are leaf piles to jump in, a quiet colorful honeybee house to examine, a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins to be carved, a web swing to hold multiple friends, and also a roaring fire to cozy up to as light fades. It feels remarkable to enjoy each other’s company without the distractions of screens and schedules. Around the bonfire, brothers toast sausages for sandwich-making and the large wooden bowl of popped corn makes its way hand to hand around a circle of friends.
By the end of the evening wax candles have poured over their simple wooden holders leaving sculptures on the table. Dirty knees, and a face-full of freckles remind us of summer’s stories. Before bed, there will be hands to scrub and a tick check to complete(!), but full bellies and exhausted bodies will dream happy dreams.
Story and Styling by Leah Hohman Esse
Production by Meg Van Dyke
Photography by Katie Long
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