My Crazy Fall Obsessions

Like I have said before, I am nowhere close to being anything like a Martha Stewart but I still like do make DIY projects, decorate for the seasons and cook. What I love about making things is you really don't have to be a domestic goddess at all to do it. It doesn't have to look professional. It just has to look festive.  Festive will always look cute and if someone tries to tell you differently then don't listen to them. If it makes you happy that's all that matters. As you can see I am nowhere close to being a professional florist but hey, I tried. These marigolds were from the farmers market and decided to get them in two different colors. i am not a big fan of greenery in my arrangements and refuse to buy any premade ones filled with baby's breath and eucalyptus branches. It just really isn't my thing. 

We just got this end table for the corner in between the couches and got the lamp at Ikea even though we really don't need the lighting. It's more to set the mood for a quiet night in than for anything else. We had also just bought some cinnamon scented pine cones which have filled up the room with the scent. I love coming home to the smell and find it relaxing. as for the little pumpkins, they took two weeks to die and they really aren't pumpkins but an eggplant. Most people don't eat them because they are supposed to be really bitter. 

I really love to make soups and have loved making them since I was younger. They're just so easy and filling and make a wonderful meal on a cold night. This one here was loaded baked potato soup with cheddar and  was requested from my boyfriend and made it because I love it too. There's some yummy bacon, a bunch of potatoes and cheese and it paired lovely with the Chardonnay we got from a winery we went to over the summer. 

I had Instagramed this cuppa spiced wine awhile back and I really feel proud of how this one turned out. I really loved the slices of pear and apple and the whole thing gave me the warm fuzzies. Oh the joys of cinnamon and wine! I did add half a shot of spiced rum to it even though most recipes will recommend adding Brandy but we didn't have any so rum did the trick. 

This is my version of a healthy lasagna, all veggie and no noodles at all. the only bad this I used was the cheese. All I did was layer zucchini, eggplant, olives, tomato sauce and herb boiled potatoes. Adding the potatoes was a stroke of genius because they just added something different to what I'm used to seeing with vegetable lasagnas. 

We have access to a persimmon tree and with the overflow of persimmons combined with my urge to make things a bit different I made a persimmon pie. Last year I only made cookies and bread out of them but this time I kicked off the season with this beauty. I had looked up recipes all over the internet but with so many polarizing reviews on them I took the risk and just used a regular old pumpkin pie recipe instead and just used the persimmons pulp. This thing was all gone by the next day it was so good. I do think what I would do differently is add a little orange zest to help out and bring some brightness to the overall flavor profile. 

So there you have it! I have been soooo busy trying to bake everything and anything and just get it all out of me because I can and because it makes me feel awesome to start with nothing and end up with something awesome. To me Fall is all about rebirth and at least where I live it's like getting a second Spring but more festive. I think those who don't like Fall are those who don't go out of the way to make things warm and cozy where you spend the most time. We all are going to be spending more time cooped up so we might as well like our surroundings, right? So I hope you all get inspired by this and maybe make a nice bowl of hearty soup or make your own flower arrangement or find a new recipe to bake. Hope to hear from you all and hop you drop in next time as the seasons will change and I will definitely be changing it up for Christmas time. 

XOX