fall foods

After I wrote last week about loving the October weather... the temperatures fell below average and I broke out my winter coat. I'm so lucky I get to travel to California for work frequently (it will make this winter much more bearable for me!).

It is obligatory to start eating more comfort foods as the temperatures drop. I'm excited that soup is now appropriate for dinner and squash is practically free at the farmer's market. I have so many recipes for these things that have to be put on hold during the spring and summer. Caramel apples have also been abundant in my diet. Thank you, Whole Foods, for the build your own caramel apple bar.

Below are some great fall meals that are relatively healthy and very comforting. The crockpot chili is the easiest thing here, but these are all worth the effort!

Vegan Shepherd's Pie - I love shepherd's pie mainly because of the mashed potato topping. This is a great vegan version. The parsnip/potato topping is great, but we've also made it with sweet potatoes and purple potatoes.

The Best Stuffed Acorn Squash - If you are thinking about making stuffed acorn squash this is definitely the recipe to use. We normally use quinoa instead of wheat berries.

Chili and Cornbread - Aaron is the cornbread lover, I like the chili, this recipe has both!

Sweet potato and peanut stew - There are so many great ways to eat sweet potatoes, this is just one example with peanut butter and kale.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese - I rarely buy cheese at the grocery store anymore (it is expensive and despite what those dairy commercials say it is not exactly a health food), but if you are in the mood for a really creamy, fall themed macaroni and cheese you should try this.

Fall

Aaron is at work (on a Sunday!) and the baby dog is napping in the kitchen, so I finally have a little alone time to drink tea and catch up on food blogs. Which reminded me of my blog! We have been out of sorts the last few weeks- I've been in California for work and Aaron has been really sick (bronchitis, ear infections, and a sinus infection all at once). On top of that we had a trip to Michigan for Aaron's friends wedding. The weather has been beautiful. It makes me wish it was always October! 

Enjoy some pictures of what we have been up to. They mostly involve playing with our puppy!

 

 

Breakfast at the Crow's Nest in Kalamazoo.

 

Pumpkin and apple picking and caramel apples- my favorite.

 

A cortado from Victory Coffee and our favorite pizza: caramelized onions, gorgonzola, and pears.

He had a floppy ear for one week and it was precious.

Moses.

We finally got our German Shepherd puppy! Moses is from Select K9s near Menomonie, WI and came home Wednesday night. He has quickly become attached to Aaron and his little squirrel toy. He is only 8 weeks old as of yesterday and is definitely very much a baby. He loves to cuddle, especially if he can be touching both of us at the same time or lay on our feet.

He had a little bit of a rough first day and had to go to the vet and get antibiotics for an inflamed intestine, which is apparently a symptom of the stress of leaving his mom and siblings. We got him some canned food to start easing him into hard food because he wasn't eating much of the hard food alone. He has been crying at night, but we drown it out with a fan and some closed doors. We have been trying to wear him out by keeping him awake and making him run after us and use up all of his puppy energy. He already follows commands to sit and come, now we just need to train him to not chew on everything he finds on the floor!

We live near a bar with outdoor seating and people often bring their dogs, so we took him there the past two nights. It is a couple of blocks away, so we carried him, but decided last night that it was time for his first walk. He is getting more curious about things around him, but still follows along nicely (with a few treats involved).

Enjoy some adorable pictures and if you are friends with me on Facebook you'll be seeing fun videos!

Sometimes we hold him like a baby... and he falls asleep.

He crawled in there himself. 

Sleepy puppy.

He isn't as big as he looks in some pictures.

Keeping my lap warm at the Malthouse!

8 weeks old.

labor day

Happy Labor Day! It so great to have a three day weekend after traveling for three weeks in a row. We got some things done that we have been putting off, but admittedly not everything. Instead we hung out with friends, had a bonfire, and got to pick cherry tomatoes at our CSA farm.

We get our CSA from JenEhr Farm in Sun Prairie, WI (about 25 minutes from our house). Normally they have CSA members come pick strawberries in the summer, but the past two years the strawberry crop hasn't been great. We got some delicious strawberries in our CSA, but they didn't have enough to host a strawberry picking event. Instead, they invited everyone to come pick cherry tomatoes this weekend. We were really excited to get to see the farm and do something new. Picking cherry tomatoes reminded me of picking blueberries, and in case you ever do it, the best ones are at the top. 

We got red, yellow, orange, and chocolate tomatoes to take home. JenEhr is certified organic, so the bugs were plentiful and there was pollen everywhere. They also let us take home some basil and I couldn't resist taking pictures of the kale plants. So much kale! We know we will be getting kale in our CSA for weeks to come.

 

We had to taste the product before taking it home!

Last night we made basil pesto because we have a ton of fresh basil in our yard already and a delicious pear, onion, and gorgonzola pizza with pears from the Farmer's Market.

We rounded out the weekend with some trips to neighborhood establishments, including a new brewery that just opened a couple block from our place. I hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend!

Cortado with almond milk at Victory Cafe

Mom's Wedding

Aaron and I went home to Michigan last weekend for a very special occasion: my mom's wedding. I wasn't able to take any time off work, so it was a short trip but very much worth it. It is always a treat to spend time with my extended family members who we only see once or twice a year.

The pictures are kind-of dark, mostly taken by Aaron (and yes Ruth and I are wearing matching dresses). My mom and Jack had their wedding at St. John's in Jackson, followed by a lunch reception at  Cascade Manor House. Afterwards they had us over at their newly remodeled house. When everyone but their kids had gone home we forced them to open up their cards and gifts. We had to open ours in front of other people so it was only fair.

Making it official.

It was an absolutely beautiful weekend weather wise, perfect for hanging out. Sunday morning we had a baby shower for my cousin Julie, who is due at the end of September. We are all grateful to her and Patrick for finally giving Grandma a grand-child and giving us a break for a few years!

Camping in Baraboo

Aaron and I spent last weekend in Baraboo, WI camping near Devil's Lake State Park. Aaron has been to Baraboo many times because his company worked on the hospital there, but I have never been in the town/city/not sure what it is. It is actually much bigger than I thought and there were quite a few cute restaurants that made me wish we didn't bring so much food with us!



This was our first time camping with our new air mattresses that tuck inside of our sleeping bags. They were actually pretty comfortable and it was the first time I've slept on an air mattress and didn't end up laying on the ground in the morning.


The weather was perfect for campfires. When we were driving there we had a conversation that went something like this:

Aaron: I love camping. I get to build a fire while you sit and watch.

Me: And put up the tent while I watch. And make dinner...

Aaron: While you sit and watch.

Which is all totally true, I am a very lazy camper, but this time I actually built one of our fires myself. I was very proud.

 


We stayed at a private campground since we are last minute planners and all of the state park spots were booked long ago (it is cheaper to camp there). Still, we got to go hiking at Devil's Lake and did some great people watching with our friend Kelsey. Before heading there we went on a bike ride to get coffee. Baraboo is super hilly, FYI. We went to this cute coffee place where all of the people knew each other. They clearly thought we were strange for walking in with spandex and biking shoes on but that made the whole thing more entertaining.

Aaron tried to make a cobbler but we forgot some important things like a can opener and tongs for the coals, so instead we made it when we got home on Sunday.


 

Oh and we bought some plants for our house! We got this large tree-ish plant that I walked home for a mile in a wagon and is now sitting in our dining room. But realistically Aaron will have to keep it alive because I