happy fall!

I love fall.  Everything is crisp and pretty, and I can wear comfy sweaters.  Plus I can bake as much as I want without heating up the kitchen.  Yay!

Renaissance Faire!

Yeah, I'm a huge nerd.  Like you didn't already know.  Recently a bunch of us went to the Renaissance Faire, which has become an annual tradition.  Yay!  Its so much fun.  This year we added the babies to our group, and of course they had to have costumes.  I made Liam's to be his Halloween costume as well.  I think it turned out pretty well, but because he is so wiggly I couldn't really get many good pictures of him in it.  Of course, the lighting was bad so none of our group shots came out, but whatever.  A good time was had by all.

he was actually pretty comfy in there

Liam's been obsessed with drinking out of cups lately

rare photo of Jeff actually smiling

see? obsessed with cups

every time he sat down he would try to eat his shoe, I don't think you can really see it here, put the toe of his left shoe is dripping with slobber

his eyelashes are longer than mine. no joke.

this is Broon.  He's our favorite performer.  His finale is juggling a bowling ball, a flaming torch and an apple.  While eating said apple.  Plus, he's hilarious.

tomato love

If ever you want to plant tomatoes, plant sun golds.  I have harvested soo many this season.  I love tomatoes and literally have not had to purchase any this season.  This is our harvest after not picking any for three days prior.

I've used them in a million different recipes, but my all time favorite is tomato soup.  I got this recipe from Food Network.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 small yellow onions, sliced
• Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.
Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later). Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.
Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with 3 or 4 roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.

I made a few changes to my soup.  I know its optional, but I didn't add the cream.  I did add the fresh basil (from the garden too.  Yum!), and Jeff likes super thick soup, so I added a little cornstarch.  If you use sun gold tomatoes the soup tastes a little sweet, which I like, and turns the soup a pretty orange color.  Umm, I just caught myself drooling...awkward.

the best. ever.

homemade pumpkin spice latte + sweatpants + yummy scented ikea candles = best day ever.

I love fall.  Like completely love fall. The cooler weather means comfy snuggly clothes, awesome smells, and yummy comfort food.  Anyway, here's a healthy recipe for pumpkin spice lattes, of which I've already drank waaaaay too many of today.

1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup milk
2 tbsp sugar (any kind)
cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, etc. to taste

I blended my mixture in my vitamix to make it extra smooth. 

My advice to you is to make at least a double batch because you WILL want more.  I made mine the night before and put it in the fridge.  This morning I just heated it in the microwave for a few seconds and added my coffee.  You can do the ratios however you'd like.  I did 1/3 pumpkin 2/3 coffee.