At the Pumpkin Patch!

He keeps asking to go back "to the farm".

I don't blame him, it was kind of a dreamy experience. October at its absolute finest.

First of all, it was cold. The temperature was 45 degrees when we arrived at Wargo's Pumpkin Patch last weekend, and we did all the things that you do in October at a Pumpkin Patch. We drank muscadine cider, took a brisk hayride, fed the rowdy goats, and let Everett pick out a zillion pumpkins because they were like $1 each. Oh, and that doesn't include the 15 minutes that I sat in reverent silence and relished the glory of my Styrofoam cup of hot boiled peanuts. Now if you aren't from the south, I forgive you for not knowing what on earth that is. But I wish for you to know. It has been years since I tasted the steamy, salty glorious treat that is the hot boiled peanut, and oh heavens. I already want more. Correction, need more.

To be honest, just a little over a month ago, I didn't think our little family would make it to the pumpkin patch this year. I was having trouble at the end of our New York stint, and with all the contractions and pressure I was feeling, just walking was a real challenge. And I remember thinking, "I won't even be able to accompany my son to do something special like the pumpkin patch!" I know that sounds a little pathetic and morbid, but I've really been making it my mission to do special things with Everett and Stevie while we are still a family of 3. And the thought of not being able to do something like this just seemed so sad and ridiculous, because I am a healthy person! I shouldn't be having so much trouble just being pregnant! Anyway thankfully, I am feeling much more rested and, you know, able to walk (ha!), so making it to the pumpkin patch actually felt like a real victory for me. And for us. And for fall.

Of course, the joke is sort of on all of us here in Georgia, because suddenly the temperatures have jumped back up into the 80's and we are all wearing sandals again. Why, Georgia - why?!!

Have you made it out to a pumpkin patch this fall? What's your favorite part of the whole experience? xox

Outfit Details:
Blanket Scarf (borrowed from my sis, similar here and here), Free People hat (past season, similar here), Gap Maternity Shirt, Gap Maternity Jeans, Anthropologie Sweater (past season, similar here), Frye Boots (on sale here!)

ASOS Oversize Scarf

ALDO Felt Hat

Gap Maternity Top

Gap Maternity Jeans

Anthropologie Cardigan

Frye Harness Boots

P.S. - Many, many thanks to Julianne who Instagram direct messaged me about this particular farm - such an awesome recommendation! You guys, please reach out on Instagram - I would love to connect with you!

Falling for Fringe.

Outfit Details:
Forever 21 Floral Fringe Kimono, Kate Spade Charlotte Street Alek Crossbody Bag, Isabella Oliver Helston Maternity Top c/o, BDG Skinny Jeans (past season, similar here), Coach Lace Up Wedge Booties (past season, linked to a similar below)

Floral Fringe Kimono

Kate Spade Charlotte Street Alek Bag

Isabella Oliver Helston Top

American Rag Wedge Booties

I wore this lovely little fringe number last week on our date night. The date night where we toured the local hospital, formulated a birth plan, and ate Thai food. We know how to plan a wild night, right?

We are delivering at a different hospital this time around and we wanted to get the lay of the land, and honestly, hear about how much the hospital tends to intervene in birthing situations. It was really good to get the tour and ask questions (Stevie and I asked the most in the group, we are such dweebs), but then it was even better to drive away from the hospital and process everything that's coming up.

All the feelings that have been lying stealthily in wait from the last time I gave birth. All the hopes bubbling up in my heart. All the unanswered questions about how it's going to be this time around. We talked through the things we loved about Everett's birth, and the things that were different than we expected. The things we didn't like. The things that scared us. All the birth planning in the world can't really prepare anyone for actual birth, and we relived all the emotions involved with meeting our little boy for the first time.

And that was all before the dim sum arrived.

Have you guys had dim sum? I can't get enough in my life.

We ate our Thai food and laughed about the wonder of it all. This burgeoning season of Fall. The fact that we are going to have two boys by Christmas. The fact that we still really love each other (and like each other!) after 9+ years of marriage. The really cute kimono that I was wearing that my sisters gave me for my birthday (okay, it was just me going ga-ga over that one).

Life is so beautiful, friends. It's so beautiful and so fleeting and it's slipping away as quickly as it's brimming forth. Happiest weekend to you :)

The 6 Vegetables in Our Autumn Garden.

On my 29th birthday, I lounged in the back yard with my feet propped up on a chair and sipped my lemon water. 

And watched.

Watched Stevie work in our garden.

Watched Everett pound some snacks.

Watched my flowers and vegetables and herbs come together in a green-thumbs-up autumnal harmony.

My sister thought this was a very strange way to willingly spend a birthday, but it was actually really very perfect to me.

I'll admit, it was difficult just to sit there, watching him do the work, because I have grown to love the therapeutic activity of gardening. I feel like God speaks so clearly to me while my hands are deep in the soil and I'm planting seeds, watering flowers, and troubleshooting with the dratted caterpillars that try to infest. It all feels like a metaphor for life, and there is something about the quiet of the garden that makes me feel very, very close to my creator.

That being said, I didn't have that same euphoric experience for our fall garden installation this season. Because I am trying to take is extra easy until this baby makes his arrival, I had to let Stevie do everything for our fall garden overhaul. And my friends, it was an overhaul! Since we had been gone for the previous 5 weeks traveling, our garden had become a jungle-y mess of weeds, overgrown zinnias, and sun-scorched herbs. He pulled out every single weed from the root, freshened up the beds with soil and fertilizer, and planted my carefully-chosen fall plants.

Oh, and we decided to go ahead and plant some blueberry bushes, too. And some knockout roses. And move some hostas to a shadier location.

He's my knight in shining armor.

Or my farm boy. Actually yeah, that's more accurate. "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher?" (what movie?!)

So as I sipped my water (I'm trying to reach a daily quota of 100 oz. and it's hard) and took endless videos of Everett jumping and playing in the yard, Stevie bucketed sweat while he slaved in my beloved patch of Earth. That man is such, such a keeper :)

Even though the installation was a ton of work for him, we decided to go easy on ourselves this year by only planting a few things that would hopefully do well and not require much maintenance (thanks to Pike's Nursery, who answer my endless supply of questions every time I'm in there, they are just the nicest):

Plants:
8 Purple Cabbage
8 Brussels Sprouts
8 Red Lettuce
8 Swiss Chard

Seeds: (because I already had them and it's fun to intersperse veggies for heartier soil)
Carrots
Kale (okay, I planted two types of kale... I had the seeds already and couldn't resist)
Cilantro

We lined the front of the beds with a variety of colorful pansies, which should keep things colorful until the weather truly turns to frost. I've actually never planted pansies before, so I am curious to see if the rumors are true about how weather-resistant they are.

I also couldn't help but plant a few violas and mums in some pots on my porch, along with a transfer of chives from the garden to some pots. They (supposedly) should keep doing their thing for a while longer, and chives are just soooo tasty in mashed potatoes. I wish I could lend all of you my herbs. It's so much fun to garden and cook with your own goods.

Oh, and did you see those pumpkins? I got some dreamy pumpkins for the porch this year.

Thankfully, we got our watering system to work over the summer, so I don't have to hand-water all these plants this fall! I can just sit on my back porch and enjoy the beauty of my fall garden, and friends, even though all this sitting gets a little infuriating (I have so many things I want to do!), it's actually making me realize that I need the rest. Although I wish I could deposit the rest into a sleep bank and make a withdrawal later, when I have a newborn. Wouldn't that be a treat?

There you have it, friends! Our fall garden situation. I absolutely love it and I can already tell that the purple cabbage is going to be gorgeous as it grows. Do you garden? What did you plant for the fall?

How to Make Your Own Roasted Pumpkin & Apple Butter.

Happy Wednesday, friends! I promised you last week that I would share my roasted pumpkin & apple butter recipe with you, because I love you, and you're worth it, and because you need this butter in your life. Every single fall day. And actually, it's not butter at all, it's just that consistency and it's perfectly used like butter. Only better. It's BETTER BUTTER. It's so easy to make, you guys. This recipe just kills me, because it's SO easy and the outcome tastes like something out of Martha's kitchen. I truly feel like a little southern belle, keeping a stockpile of this in my fridge during the cooler autumn/winter months. It's delicious on anything - spread on toast, mixed into oatmeal, dolloped on yogurt, eaten with ice cream, smeared on baked chicken - the possibilities are literally endless. Literally. Just grab a few mason jars (I love these and these for canning), your crockpot and let's do this thing!

Roasted Pumpkin & Apple Butter.
Ingredients:
- 1 Sugar Pumpkin
- 5-6 apples, different varieties
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/5 tsp. Nutmeg

Method:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Now throw your pumpkin in there. Just kidding! You have to wait for it to heat up - silly rabbit. But in all seriousness, don't bother attempting to slice that pumpkin - just put in on a baking sheet and roast it whole in the oven! It's seriously so much easier than almost hacking off your arm in an attempt to pre-slice it. There's no need. Once it's good and roasty, we can easily slice it and scoop out the seeds. So once the oven is preheated, place the pumpkin in the oven and roast it for 45 minutes. This is when you watch Netflix and chuckle to yourself about how domestic you are, ROASTING A PUMPKIN. Maybe Instagram it. It's that good.

Don't look too closely. I desperately need some new baking sheets. I have my eye on these.

2. After 45 minutes, remove the pumpkin from the oven. It should be incredibly easy to slice open, which is exactly what you want to do. I first cut off the stem, then sliced the whole pumpkin down the center. Allow it to sit on a cutting board and cool a bit.

I shared this photo on Instagram last week because I loved it so much. My little kitchen helper and his little apple-stealing paws :)

3. Once the pumpkin has cooled and is easy to work with, go ahead and scoop out the seeds and inner stringy meat. Put those aside in a bowl - you might want to do something with that mixture later! Roasted pumpkin seeds perhaps?

4. Then go ahead and scoop out the "good stuff" - all that inner pumpkin which is so creamy and sweet and earthy. You should sneak a taste; it's so good.

5. Place all the scooped out pumpkin into a crockpot. Set the crockpot over low heat.

6. Wash and dice up all your apples. I personally leave the skins on, because it's just extra work removing them. It doesn't make a difference when the butter is finished buttering - the skin will get all roasty and melty just like the rest of the apples. So only remove the skins if you have a thing about it. You don't need to. I did mention that this is the easiest recipe ever, right? Just making sure. This is where you chuckle to yourself again.

7. Toss the diced apples into the crockpot, along with the rest of the ingredients - maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. You will already be able to smell the goodness. Now close up the crockpot top and leave it alone!

8. Let the mixture cook forever. Like, at least 6-8 hours. I prefer cooking it on low for a long time, because it just gets that good, simmered situation going. I'm sure you could cook it on high for a shorter period of time, if you're in a hurry. I didn't mind taking longer with it, because it made my house smell like an autumnal haven of pumpkin glory. BONUS.

9. Once the mixture has completely broken up and reaches an even consistency, go ahead and load the mixture into your mixer or blender. You might have to do this in batches, depending on how big your blender is. I use a Vitamix (because God is good to me, and gave me loving parents who Christmas-gifted me a Vita, which I consider my child) but that's not necessary - any blender, stand mixer or hand mixer will work perfectly. Pulse the mixture on high for just a few moments, whipping it into a buttery consistency. Do not overmix.

10. Voila! Your butter is complete! Now load it into your canning jars and dole those things out like candy. If you can stand to give it away, this makes an amazing gift. I normally end up standing in the kitchen, eating the hot butter for like ten minutes before I can even bear to begin canning it. This recipe should make 4 16-oz. jars of butter. Unless one of those jars "suddenly disappears."

Eat and eat and eat and eat. This butter is shown with my Pumpkin Beer Bread recipe. Which is just a really good direction to go with it :) Let me know how this roasted pumpkin & apple butter goes for you friends! Happy buttering to you!

My Favorite Fall Recipes Roundup.

Eyes aren't even open. But that scent. An early morning waft of warm cinnamon, meandering with hints of tart apple and dancing in aroma land with roasty pumpkin. So roasty. That steamy earthy bid, "Good morning, Kristen! You made me!" That's what I woke up to this morning.

That.

It's my pumpkin apple butter, crockpotting happily for me.

SO HAPPY.

Truth be told, cooking and baking in Autumn is my favorite. It's just the best time of year to create something warm and hearty and savory. Something to be shared. Something to bite into and experience that sense of, "yessssss." I mean, Christmas cookies are fun to bake, don't get me wrong. But don't you always feel so busy at Christmastime? I don't like being rushed when I create. Which is why I love cooking and baking in the fall. You sort of just lazily slide into it. I like that.

I love that.

I love that pumpkin apple butter. It's kind of making me swoon.

My new kitchen has been hard at work lately. I've been making bread, stew, tangine, BUTTER, and a whole bunch of other odds and ends. I like to test things really well before I share them here on the blog. I don't want to share the "okay", I want to share the things that I would earnestly go back and make over and over again. Things that I would consider seasonal staples. So here you are, my friends! Only my very favorite - the fall recipes I make over and over again.

My Grandma Soup - Literally, my grandmother's recipe. I never knew her, but when I make this soup, I feel more connected to who she was. I know that sounds soooooo weird and cheesy. But I don't care. Make a pot of this soup and you will immediately feel all heirloom-y and laced with some kind of kitchen legacy. I promise it.

Goat Cheese & Pistachio-Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Dates - Run, don't walk, to the nearest store and pick up these EASY four ingredients. And you will be the appetizer queen of whatever fall festival party you're attending this weekend.

Lemon & Olive Chicken - Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow's recipe in It's All Good (which I whole-heartedly recommend), we literally make this recipe at least once a month. It's so delicious and a super clean, healthy meal.

Turkey & Kale Chili - My new strategy with Everett is tell him that everything is Chili. Because once he ate this chili, he never wanted anything else. And again, super healthy and hearty! Great for when a zillion guys are coming over to your house for a football game. Or when you live with a zillion guys who EAT.

Pumpkin & Cream Tartlets - I have made these everything Thanksgiving for about 8 years now. They're my non-pie contribution to the Thanksgiving dessert table and they. Are. BAD. So bad, in fact, that you can just pass the tray to me. The whole tray. K thanks.

Pumpkin Beer Bread - Ate a loaf of this last night. Can't even talk about it. SO GOOD I COULD CRY. Wait, is it weird to talk about your own cooking like this? Am I inappropriate? Don't got time to care. MUST MAKE MORE BREAD.

Banana Oat & Date Muffins - Again, a healthy take on a warm morning muffin. Make ahead and freeze, then take out when you want them and heat up in the toaster oven. Instant, healthy, hot breakfast!

Maple Glazed Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies - These are like cookie pie. Or pie cookies. Or something. I created this cookie in partnership with Epicurious last year and I am still so proud of this one. I MADE THIS TASTE. Try it! You are sure to love it.

I bet you're wondering where that a fore-mentioned pumpkin butter recipe is, huh? Muahahhahaa. Check back here next week friends. I've got a wedding to attend this weekend. MY SISTER'S!!!!!!!

Happy Friday to you! And happy Halloween weekend! xox.