What's For Dinner?

I haven't posted a menu in a while and I've been spending quite a bit of time menu planning now that Fall is here and I can start using the oven again!  There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to bust out my pumpkin candles and make some chili!

Tuesday: Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Salad
Wednesday: Portobello, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing
Friday: Ravioli, Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread
Saturday: Vegetable Beef Soup and Homemade Bread
Sunday: Chicken Divan with White Rice
Monday: Homemade Pizza with Green Salad

You'll notice that I'm mixing in some Summery recipes with my go-to Fall/Winter dishes.  Since we're kind of in the South we're officially at that awkward time of year when I really desperately want it to be Fall but we are still seeing temps solidly in the eighties everyday.  My solution to this dichotomy is to just start making hearty meals and wearing Uggs and scarves in the house.  Then when I have to go outside, I switch back to my shorts & flip flops.

I'm also planning on making Pumpkin bread and I officially added Apple Cider to my grocery list for next week.  I know that many of us in blog-land love Autumn, and I'm right there with you!  I have to do anything and everything I can to get myself into the spirit of Fall.

What are you planning for dinner this week?

Longing For Fall...

Lately, with the temperatures and humidity we've been having in my neck of the woods (and the rest of the country) I've found myself dreaming of Fall. I love Fall. There's something about cool, crisp weather and football that makes my heart happy.

I think I've been struggling with the realization that since we live in the south now, Fall will most likely be short lived. I'm a Midwestern girl at heart, so I'm used to cool temperatures and changing leaves from about September until November. I have a feeling that we're not going to get much relief from the heat until at least September, and more likely October. Boo. Oh well, a girl can dream, right?

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Who wouldn't love to be strolling (or running) along this path right now? I know I would!

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Oh, football! I love me some college football. Brings me right back to the Saturday mornings I spent tailgating and then screaming my head off for my team!

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I don't think I need to explain how wonderful the seasonal coffee drinks are at everyone's favorite coffee shop.

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To me, there is nothing better than a cool Fall night to have a big bonfire. In the south you almost can't even enjoy a bonfire until the weather cools off at night, and that isn't usually until at least September.

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I love a nice, hot apple cider come October. Yummmmm.

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We carved pumpkins the past two years, but this year I think I want to try something like this for the front porch. We do live in the south now, and southerners love their monograms, right?

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Lastly, I can't wait for Thanksgiving to roll around so I have many excuses to indulge in some of my favorite thing ever, pumpkin pie.

So, what about you? Are you counting down the days until Fall and cooler weather get here? Or maybe you're trying to soak up the final days of summer and sunshine?

Steilacoom Apple Squeeze

Yesterday D and I ventured on over to the Steilacoom Apple Squeeze for a little Fall fun! The premise of the fair is you can squeeze your own apple cider, taste apple butter, eat apple fritters and caramel apples and just enjoy Fall! They also had a booth set up where you could bring an apple of "unknown" origins and the experts would try to classify it.

Of course they had the regular fair food there as well, you could buy hot dogs and the like, but it looked like most people were going for the apples. We hit up the hot apple butter line and enjoyed that while we waiting in line to buy pasteurized apple cider. They were selling already bottled (pasteurized) cider in gallon jugs, and they also had a large station set up for fair-goers to purchase a gallon-sized jug and squeeze their own cider fresh.

The fair itself took up about one block in the downtown area of Steilacoom and it was the perfect size. It was fairly busy, but the weather was nice (a little windy, but we were right on the water) and there were several booths in which vendors showcased their wares such as handmade soaps, quilted everything and art.

All in all, it was a fun, Fall afternoon and we were glad we went. Steilacoom is a very pretty town, situated right on the Sound, and well kept, which many parts of the South Sound area have problems with. We enjoyed it and my only wish is that I would have thought to bring my camera along to get some pictures of the Sound with the Olympic Mountains in the background.