I'm still in vacation recovery mode, but I thought I'd drop in to share some additional fall entertaining opportunities:

• The tailgating party:  If you aren't going to an actual game, serve tailgate food at home while watching college or pro football.  Think finger foods, barbecue, or the sorts of foods you can eat from mugs or bread bowls (soups, stews, chowders, chili).
• Oktoberfest: Put on your best polka music and serve brats, sauerkraut, German potato salad, pork tenderloin, apple strudel, and beer and spiced cider. 
• Cooking party:  Invite friends to come over and work together to make large quantities of chili, soup, applesauce, lasagna, and other dishes that can be frozen to use on busy nights.  Now that days are cooler, it's not bad to spend a day in the kitchen and having a few people involved means you can create an assembly line and share the cost, work, and clean up. Plus working together can be fun.  Preparing fresh ingredients and cooking from scratch is fun when you do it with friends.  Make sure you have plenty of freezer containers and a Sharpie to label everything.