You can say a lot with a loaf of bread.

Thank you…I love you…I’m so sorry…congratulations…the list goes on.

My favorite way to send someone love is to bake for them or give them a gift. I recently made this bread for my brother-in-law and his family after he tore his Achilles (ouch!) and couldn’t stop making more loaves after. It is so quick and easy to make and it smells and tastes amazing. Your house will smell soooooo good your neighbors may invite themselves over.

I love to bake for people because it is my way of giving them a hug and letting them know I care. Plus, I know that (for me at least) baked goods are comforting in times of sadness and celebration!

This pumpkin bread has found a place in my heart and is now a fall season STAPLE. I can’t stand the sight of anything pumpkin scented or flavored until the month of October and then all of a sudden…I love it. Then after Nov/Dec I start hating it again. It’s a weird thing.

I haven’t made a ton of pumpkin recipes but the few that I have are absolutely amazing! There is this Pumpkin Cake with Caramel Walnut Topping.

Then there are the worlds greatest Ginger Spice Cookies with Pumpkin Dip…you need to make them. Or at least the dip and then buy some gingersnap cookies…too good.

I also made some Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins that were pretty great too…

I think that line up has something for everyone (unless you don’t like pumpkin). So go ahead and add a can of pureed pumpkin to your grocery list so you can spend some time in the kitchen this weekend!

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I am so glad that soup season is here! Soup is definitely one of my favorite foods and although I eat it all year long it just tastes better in the fall! This Chicken Chile Verde is more like a stew than a soup…but I don’t know what exactly to categorize it as so I’ll stick with soup. The recipe I adapted this from is for a crock-pot (so easy!) but I made mine on the stove. You can do whatever is easiest for you!

 

This chile verde was actually my first time using tomatillos and I am now obsessed! It was so easy to make and now I want to try all different kinds of tomatillo recipes and salsas!

Mikey and I just got back from an amazing weekend in Denver where I was inspired by some delicious foods and drinks we tried! I can’t wait to try some fun new recipes this weekend and share them with you!

I hope you are looking as forward to the weekend as I am! Mikey and I plan to get some work done around the house and I hope to make a big pot of chili as well as some delicious baked goods. The cool weather inspires me so much in the kitchen and I can’t wait to bake some delicious, butter-filled treats. I also plan to get some pumpkins and Mum’s to decorate the house with as well as some fall scented candles. I have been racking my brain to try and figure out a Halloween costume for this year and so far my ideas are less than stellar. Do you have any suggestions for me? I’m desperate!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tis’ that time of year when folks bundle up in their sweaters and head out to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard to sip hot drinks and take pictures next to pumpkins.

Here is (yet another) reason to gather some friends and make a trek to the nearest pumpkin patch/apple orchard/hay maze to get your hands on some delicious, seasonal apples.

I never knew you could go to one place and experience so many fall festivities at once (we didn’t have these in Northern WI). A place where you can pick your own apples, corn or pumpkins. Drink hot cider, pose with animals/cut-outs of farmers, run through hay mazes, feed the animals in a petting zoo…the list goes on!

In my small town, you went over to your friends farm to pick apples.

We bought our pumpkins and corn stalks from local farmer friends and occasionally bought pumpkins from the stores in town.

I’ve been to two pumpkin patches since moving to Chicago. One was small and had the most AMAZING apple cider donuts I’ve ever tasted. I’m pretty sure I ate 6 all by myself. The Second was a giant place called Goebbert’s Family Pumpkin Patch…it was crazy.

There was a real giraffe. There were about 4,000 wagons and strollers that were abandoned by kids that were climbing all over everything for as far as the eye could see.

I thought we would have a relaxing time wandering around looking for the perfect pumpkin…I waswrong. There were police directing traffic and Mom’s who literally pushed us out of the way so their kids could see the giant pig feeding it’s babies (those piglets were adorable and I wasn’t done looking). BUT, despite all the craziness we still had an amazing time. Plus, who can complain about a place that had spiked cider, pumpkin and apple donuts, caramel apples and apple cobbler. Not this Gal.

And one more thing. This reminds me of an amazing post from Buzzfeed that I need to share with you.

I’m going to assume you’ve heard the term “basic” used to describe someone. If not, just google “basic girl” and you will be entertained for hours. Here is an example of how the term is used…

“She is so basic. Does she wear anything other than Lululemon?!??”.

OR

“That girl just took another selfie with her pumpkin spice latte. She’s so basic”.

You get the idea.

As much as I want to fight it…I at times probably fall into the basic category. Don’t we all?? Here is the AMAZING Buzzfeed list that is now MY FAVORITE THING EVER! It is so unbelievably accurate. Please take a minute to read it, laugh at it…and stop judging.

Lets talk about galettes real quick.

They are super easy to make and so pretty to eat/take pictures of.

Any fruit would work and you could drizzle any sauce or top with any flavor of ice cream. It is like an apple pie, but easier! I highly recommend you make these for your next dinner party! A large size or these individuals, I promise your friends will thank you!

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Growing up, I thought living in the northwoods of Wisconsin was the worst thing in the whole world. I was jealous of my cousins in Chicago with their houses all in a row. The sound of airplanes and trains at night, the lightning bugs and the fact that it never really got dark outside.

[at home, last fall]

My dream was to move to a big city somewhere and escape the small town gossip, vast starry skies and eery silence that was occasionally disrupted by the sound of woodland creatures.

That childhood dream DID come true. I met the man of my dreams and moved to the big city that I love so much. But wow do I miss those cold mornings when steam would pour off the lakes and everything was covered in a thin layer of mist.

I took so much of it for granted and now I count down the days to when I get to be at home, wrapped in a blanket drinking coffee with my family. It is my favorite place on earth now. The things I hated, like the zero traffic lights and knowing literally every face at the grocery store are the things I miss and love about that town so much. Sometimes it takes something missing from your life to realize how much you love it and how much it has shaped the person you are.

I used to be embarrassed to admit that I was a cheese head who loved the Packers and could name over 30 cheeses…but now those are the things I’m most proud of. Maybe it’s the season, maybe it’s the crisp weather or the fact that I had an amazing trip last weekend…but I can’t stop sharing my love for the great state of WI! So here are the WI things I am loving on lately!

Obviously beer and cheddar are two major food groups in Wisco. Therefore, these garlic knots with beer cheddar sauce need to happen for the next Packer game! 

Look how cute this little print from 1canoe2 is!

My favorite WI cocktail (a bloody mary isn’t a cocktail, right?) is the Old Fashioned. Whiskey or brandy, sweet or sour, I love them all if made correctly!

Then there is this perfection. For which I have no words.

And one of the most haunting, beautiful things I’ve ever seen. The Northern Lights. I remember my parents waking us up to go up in our field and watch them or my Dad turning off the headlights on our car so the vivid lights could guide us home. They are so breathtaking.