Fall is in the Air!!

Ah, my favorite, favorite, favorite time of year is almost here! Words can barely express how much I love Fall, but I'll try to do my feelings justice within the confines of the English language. It is August 18th, and I realize that the official start of Fall is September 21st. However, I consider the beginning of the Fall semester to be the real start. This weekend is the second to last weekend before school begins again and it was a wonderful ode to Fall. :)

Reasons I love Fall:

1. My birthday (end of August)

2. Football, football, and more football (college and NFL)

3. All things pumpkin (lattes, pies, bread, scented candles, decorations)

4. Cooler weather

5. Light sweaters, scarves, and boots

6. When Fall ends, we get Christmas!! 

Like I said, this weekend was filled with wonderful odes to Fall that have really put me in the mood for the season! 

1. Making game-day wreaths with friends

A friend of mine suggested we make game-day wreaths to hang on our front doors during football season. Pinterest offered the inspiration, and while I'm not the craftiest person, I wanted to enjoy the company. We met up on Saturday morning, enjoyed some shopping, perused the craft shops for our supplies, came home, made wine smoothies, and set to work. Nearly 4 hours later, we had works in progress. Let me just say, the Pinterest directions were not very specific or helpful and we had to figure things out on our own. Luckily, we managed and came up with some cool designs. Each unique. Each fitting our house-style and personalities. 

My work in progress...excuse the little details I still have to perfect...

I'm so happy with how this turned out! It is a simple wreath frame weaved with burlap. I painted the T maroon, my friend painted my A&M and '09 off-white, and I glued the letters on. The bottom corner has maroon fabric weaved into the wreath frame, and I attached the the sunflower and two maroon flowers for an edge that is very unique to me. I haven't attached the white fabric but like the detailing, and haven't secured the letter in the center yet. Once I'm finished, I plan to scotch-guard the entire thing for protection against the elements, and will hang it on my door for game-weekends! So fun. :) 

2. Enjoying my freezer cooking!

Last weekend was all about testing out recipes for freezer cooking, which was a success! This week, I tested three of the recipes for flavor and all were magnificent! The Sour Cream Bake was so yummy and easy to heat and bake. On Thursday night, I tried the Shrimp Scami-Fredo, and I think it tasted even better after having been frozen than it did on the day I cooked it. Today's lunch was the Cauliflower Soup and it was to die for! Soup also makes me think of Fall...mmm...cold weather, a blanket, and football! 

3. More prepping for Aggie Football

Game-day wreath making was a great way to kick-off football season, but I had to get Jack ready as well...

Ready to watch the Ags Beat the Hell Outta...hopefully everyone! :)

4. Daddy's Baked Cinnamon Apples

It's clear that I have been trying to expand my cooking arsenal. I've been sampling lots of new recipes, but today I decided to put a twist on an old family favorite. I was in my kitchen this morning and saw that I still had quite a few apples from my last grocery trip, so the wheels in my head started turning...When I was growing up, Daddy would make Bake Cinnamon Apples and a few years ago, he shared the really easy recipe with me. Today, I brought this recipe back, but mad a minor adjustment!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Core and cut apples into slices (skin is optional, I love it, Daddy hates it)

3. Melt one stick of butter in the microwave

4. Toss the apple slices into a Pyrex dish (any glass dish works great for this treat)

5. Take the melted butter out of the microwave, add 1/4 cup of sugar and about a tablespoon of cinnamon.

6. Here's my adjustment: add a dash (half a tablespoon) of vanilla extract (gosh, I love this stuff!)

7. Mix the butter, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla mixture

8. Pour over the apples

9. Mix the apples and mixture until all of the apples are coated then sprinkle with more cinnamon

10. Bake in oven for 30ish minutes (this will give you soft but still crunchy apples; if you want crunchier apples, bake for less time and if you want softer apples, bake longer)

11. Eat 'em up!

The BEST thing about this recipe (besides the deliciousness it creates) is how it makes the house smell - the mix of vanilla and cinnamon is a glorious scent! Yum. 

The Fall semester begins in a week, football starts in 13 days, and all the things I love are fast-approaching. I can't wait to enjoy all of these things with the people I love just as much.