Fall Bucket List

Sure, I'm a little late in the game on this one, but better late than never - right? Since the temperatures have still been sporadically making it into the 70s, I feel like I still have plenty of fall left to accomplish the below list. While apple picking is normally on the list, I'm not sure it's going to happen this year - the stupid drought has made for less than stellar picking options (bummer). But that won't stop me from baking up and apple pie with store bought apples :) 

Here's what else I'm looking forward to in the coming months:

1. bake the above pumpkin pie bars - along with pumpkin donuts, pumpkin bread, pumpkin mini muffins, pumpkin pancakes and/or waffles, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin soup, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin chili. yes, thats 10 pumpkin recipes :)

2. make an apple pie and caramel apples - sorry, the apple list is looking a lame compared to my pumpkin list, but i just love pumpkin so very much.

3. carve a pumpkin and roast some seeds - sorry we're back to pumpkins again.

4. make mulled wine or hot apple cider at home.

5. make a big pot of chili, homemade corn bread, and have alongside a fall seasonal beer {preferably on game day}.

6. take advantage of the fall weather {before winter comes along} and go for a run 5 days a week.

7. implement movie night/date night with yt - work and football are taking over our lives. and plan something fun for our 5 year dating anniversary in november.

8. make homemade granola bars {this isnt really fall specific, but i've been dying to try this}

9. buy a crock pot {nope, don't own one} and make 5 recipes in it before december!

10. talk to my siblings at least once a day - we just started a text group and with the 4 of us living in 4 different states, it makes me feel a ton closer to them :)


what's on your to do list this fall?

dinner is served.

I seriously love entertaining. I love having all my friends around. I love sipping {a little too much} wine. I love laughing over good stories and memories. I love cooking {lots of} yummy food. I would do it once a week if I could {and I try to as much as possible}. It's absolutely one of my favorite ways to spend an evening. 

Menu planning is such a fun part of the process. I peruse new recipes, pick a general theme, and put all the pieces of the evening {decor, food, drink, dessert, presentation} together like a little puzzle. While entertaining can be made into a bit of a process, a simple menu and a little planning can make it easy peasy! Here's how I did it this past weekend:

I threw some burlap table runners {leftovers from a wedding = awesome work perks} on the table, topped it with a fall scented candle, a pumpkin tree from Trader Joe's and served dinner on simple white dishes. I promised my friends that at some point I will have a dining room table with proper seating, but for now we're stuck eating around the coffee table... oh well! 

Do you have a favorite go-to dinner menu or do you like to switch it up every time?

Tonight I'm hosting book club and tackling lots of "homemade" chinese food takeout :) 

recipes: Roast Chicken and Creamy White Beans, Green Beans with Gorgonzola and Basil Vinaigrette,  Honey Whiskey Carrots, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

September Inspiration

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I started a new job just about three months ago as a marketing and event coordinator. One of my favorite undertakings has been the Ivy Room blog. I have yet to share some of my posts here because not all of the content is relevant across the board but I am loving the below post and hope you all will too! Here's some apple inspired ideas for September {and October and November!} entertaining. 

Find the recipe links for apple cider donuts and salted caramel apple hand pies over at the Ivy Room blog! I'm craving a trip to the apple orchard and hope to make it happen next weekend. 

Creamy Minestrone Soup

Fall is finally here! Well, not technically, but Chicago barely made it to 60 degrees yesterday. The air had that cool crisp feeling that comes with this season. I welcomed the cooler temperatures with a comforting soup, some crusty bread for dipping, and an evening spent on the couch in leggings and a cozy sweater ... because they go hand in hand, don't they?

While I would love to take full credit for this recipe, it was adapted from the kitchen of Mrs. Constance Gangadharan - one of my friend's mothers. This lady obviously knows what she's doing. We had it twice for dinner (yes, Mr. and Mrs.  Wenevereatleftovers had this soup twice for dinner) and it was honestly one of the best soups I've ever made. I suggest you all give this one a try! 

... and put on some leggings and a cozy sweater while you're at it. 

Here's what you'll need:

4 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1/3 cup carrots 

3/4 cup onion

1 chopped zucchini 

1 quart chicken stock

20 oz can white kidney beans

8 oz package frozen chopped spinach 

(2) 14 oz cans stewed tomatoes 

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 potatoes peeled and cut up into bite size pieces 

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried basil 

1 cup chick peas 

2/3 cup small macaroni uncooked 

1 cup half and half 

Here's what to do... 

Sautee first four ingredients in a large pot over medium heat until vegetables have softened (about 5 minutes). Add all ingredients through chick peas to pot and bring to simmer. Cook over low heat for 2 hours. Ladle 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree and then return to pot (or use an immersion blender directly in the pot and pulse to puree some of the soup). Add macaroni and half and half and cook additional 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread, crackers, or alone! It's hearty and delicious. 

new etsy find.

meet, sucre shop. a new favorite on etsy. 

i stumbled across the etsy shop and fell in love. i'm always looking for cute {and inexpensive} ways to add little extra touches when i'm entertaining, and these would be perfect for just that! plus you can throw them out when you're done {less dishes = more happiness in life}. they come in all sorts of patterns and colors, and there's plenty of options to personalize these for weddings, showers, bachelorette parties, etc. i'm pretty sure i'll be adding a few batches of these. 

head over heels {and booties and flats, too}.

Every once in a while there is a line of clothing, shoes, or accessories that is absolute perfection. Every single item makes my wish list, and I have a hard time narrowing down my favorites. It's a dangerous thing to stumble upon a line like this {especially when you're supposed to be watching your spending, can easily convince yourself that something you "want" is something you "need" and have a somewhat obsessive personality} 

anyway ... 

here's a lot of gorgeousness for your feet from Madewell. They hit the mark with this one. 

booties   //  1, 2, 3

flats       //   1, 2, 3

heels     //   1, 2, 3

snip, snip.

That is the sound I'll be hearing a week from today at around 3PM. I'm getting a real hair cut. I've had short hair before, but it's been a while. It always takes a lot of courage to go from long to short, and in the past, I've done it a bit more gradually. This time I'm ready to commit to the cut and chop off all the inches at once. Recently I've been wearing my hair in a bun every day, and I'm bored. With cooler temps coming our way, it will be easier to incorporate a blow dry into my morning routine and put a bit more effort into styling my locks.

Here is my inspiration ...

here's to hoping i love it as much as i think i will ... and that there are no tears in the chair {i won't say it's never happened}. lucky for me, yt is a huge advocate of shorter hair ... i know not all men feel the same - so i feel confident that i won't come home to a "wtf did you do to your hair" situation... i hope.

Save/Spend/Spurge: Leather Pants

I'm really not the leather pants wearin' type of gal, but I think this is a trend I might be willing to try this fall. Paired with a simple button down and some pumps, it's a look I think I could manage {maybe I'll have enough courage to throw on some dark red lipstick, too}. While I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone, I'm not sure I'm ready to make these an invest piece - so I'll be shopping on the "save" end of this spectrum. Maybe if I fall in love with this statement piece, I'll ditch the faux fabric and consider buying the real deal. 

SAVE // SPEND // SPLURGE

SAVE // Blank Denim

SPEND // M Missoni

SPLURGE // Alice + Olivia

is this a trend you're going to try? it kind of reminds me of the last scene of grease ... where sandy comes out in a full leather getup and danny is drooling over her cigarette smokin', hair spray usin', and tight pants wearin'. that's the second time i've referenced that movie on this blog in a week ... anyway friends, - save, spend or splurge? 

thank you.

Yesterday marked my 300th post on this blog and seeing this number displayed on my dashboard stopped and made me think. 300 is a lot of posts. Posts about food, fashion, and decor... Posts about wedding planning, and vacations, and just about life. I want to thank you all for following along, reading when you can, commenting when something strikes your fancy, and for befriending me. I look forward to many many more posts on this little blog :)

In addition to this little milestone here are a few more things I'm thankful for today:

1. getting to see the sunrise every morning while I'm up early walking the pup
2. seeing her whole entire body shake of excitement when I get home
3. the return of michigan football & reading a million "go blue" status updates on saturday mornings
4. the chicago cta card - wishing i made this discovery a long time ago. no more searching for quarters!
5. not having to get root canal this week

it's the little things, right?!

FIVE SOUPS TO TRY

One of my favorite things about the coming season is the food that comes with it (of course). There is something about cooking comforting foods that just makes our home feel that much more cozy. I like to stock up on pumpkin puree, chicken stock, lots of root veggies, and get to work in the kitchen. 

During the cooler months, I try to spend part of my Sunday cooking up a big pot of soup and enjoying it throughout the week. Paired with a crusty piece of bread, it's a perfect meal. Of course I have my tried and true favorites, but here are five new to me soups that I'd love to try this year. 

1. Carrot & Ginger Soup 2. Creamy Cauliflower Soup  

3.Lasagna Soup 4. Minestrone Soup 5.Tuscan White Bean Soup

Fall Lust Item #1

Every fall there are a few items that catch my eye, and as hard as I try, I cannot get out of my head. This fall, the below oxfords are my first must have item. I love the textured tweed, the contrast of colors, and the boyish look of these fall flats. And since they are only $98, they won't break the bank. 

Now the question is, which color should I go with ... I'm leaning toward the more neutral pair, but the pink sure is fun! 

summer bucket list review

at the end of june, i put together a list of a few things i wanted to accomplish in these summer months. i honestly cannot believe how fast this summer went. i know that we all say that at the end of every summer, but this one seriously flew by. after the wedding, we spent some time unpacking, gearing up for new jobs, and getting back into a routine. then there was some traveling, some relaxing, and a lot of working. so let's review the list and see how i did... 

1. make a batch of fresh lemonade 

i'm going to have to do this tomorrow - i refuse to let this one slip by

2. run on the lake at least once a week {and once in the rain}

3. dine al fresco at three {new} outdoor patios 

4. make a big batch of sangria to be enjoyed on date night

5. attend an outdoor concert

6. make a fresh pie with berries from the farmers market {or better yet fresh picked berries}

i made blueberry scones, muffins, and pancakes - that counts, right!?

7. devote one night's dinner to burgers and hotdogs on the grill

8. pack a picnic

9. throw a little roof top get together
10. go to a baseball game
11. make s'mores12. start an herb garden for the kitchen

i bought a basil plant, and then killed it. whoops. 
13. read a {few} books
14. explore a new neighborhood on our {new} bikes
15. convince yt that we need a dog :)

did you get around to everything on your bucket list this summer?!

are you sad it's over or ready for fall ...