October Stuff

Fall is here!

// I recently made these vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies with Ada. We frosted them with chocolate frosting and covered in a thick layer of sprinkle leaves.

// I also made yet another batch of the Apple + Butternut Squash Soup in my slow cooker last night. It's just waiting in the fridge to be blended for tonight's dinner.

// After a month of consistent workouts, long runs, etc., I took three days completely off from exercise. I've been burning the candle at both ends with Eloise's poor sleep lately, so it felt good to rest. Back at it today with some Barre3 and HIIT stuff. I would also like to go for a 3-4 mile jog in the crisp afternoon breeze.

// Despite not having a lot of family time, we've been kicking activities off our bucket list.

• Visit a pumpkin farm
• Visit the cider mill
• Visit the country farm store
• Go apple picking
• Make a fire in the fire pit
• Jump in a leaf pile
• Go to a Halloween celebration
• Make autumn cookies
• Make pumpkin pancakes
• Watch a Halloween movie 
• Decorate with pumpkins and mums
• Cook with squash 
• Carve Jack-o-Lanterns

// I wrote up my Country Store Essentials post, I decided I really do need to get a good, deep skillet for our kitchen. And then I need to make all these 25 vegetarian dinners in it.

// Do you guys watch Shark Tank? It's one of our favorites. Anyway, those Night Runner 270 lights! Have any of you runners or walkers tried them? I may take the plunge because it's getting super dark in the morning, which is my only time to run these days.

// What are your kids going to be for Halloween? Ada is going to be a witch. Eloise, a strawberry. If I could dress up, I'd want to be El from Stranger Things. Heck, I can dress up, right? I mean, I'd love an excuse to eat lots of waffles.

// I may or may not have binge-watched the latest-released season of Portlandia last week.

// And speaking of TV and internet, we finally got the courage to quit Time Warner Cable. Well, we ARE quitting as soon as we can get Earthlink to hook us up. Our bill had been $110 for internet and the extreme basic cable channels (because it is somehow cheaper with television added on).

Not cool. They didn't budge and give us any sort of better deal. Earthlink is going to be $29.99 for six months and then $42 after that. Score. And the REAL irony? They said on the phone that our service will be through Time Warner Cable at that price. It's criminal, really. We'll save nearly $800 this year.

That's all for today! 

I'll be back with some thoughts on working from home and our budget tomorrow.

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Back Pocket Biscuits

Happy Friday, friends! Thanks for all your insightful comments on the Garbage Bowl post -- part II about our composting process will be coming next week. On another homesteading note: I had no idea so many of you have backyard chickens. I'm not sure what the rules + regulations are in our new area, but I'd love to learn more about your process and experiences raising and caring for chickens in more urban and suburban settings.

Onto today's post. I'd like to s art giving some of my fall meal tips as the summer -- sadly -- draws to a close. This way, you'll be armed with all my secrets when school is back in session, vacations are only memories, and the weather starts getting nippy. First on that list? Having some quick and easy "back pocket" biscuit recipes in your memory bank.

// BACK POCKET BISCUITS

• Biscuits go with a wide variety of meals. Most notably soups and stews benefit from a little side bread action. In fact, one of my most frequently cooked meals involved Pumpkin Chili and basic "buttermilk" biscuits. I write that in quotes because I make ours with Earth Balance or olive oil and usually (homemade) almond milk.
• They're also incredibly versatile and can be made sweet or savory, cheesy or veggie, etc. Baking powder is what gives them a quick and powerful rise, which is why there's no need to wait long hours from mixing to baking.
• As for tools of the trade, it's quite simple. I use a bowl, a spatula, some dusting flour, and -- the KEY -- a standard Ball jar lid ring to do the cutting. If you'd like to make jumbo biscuits, the larger rings work well, too. But of all my tools, it's the most important.
• As for toppings, I often go with standard butter or Earth Balance. For breakfast I sometimes toast biscuits and top with peanut butter or broil with cheese. Biscuits are so adaptable, they can turn into anything you want them to be pretty quickly.

// RECIPES

What you see in the photos are the Yogurt Drop Biscuits. I'd say I make those most often with the Whole Wheat "Buttermilk" being a close second. Whatever you do, feel free to explore these recipes. Add in your own ingredients from cheeses to different purees (for example, the Applesauce Biscuits could easily be made savory by substituting the applesauce with sweet potato or other veggie puree).

• Whole Wheat "Buttermilk" Biscuits
• Vegan Chocolate Biscuits
• Black Pepper + Basil Biscuits
• Yogurt Drop Biscuits
• Cornmeal Drop Biscuits
• Cheesy Beer Biscuits
• Cheesy Old Bay Biscuits
• Spiced Applesauce Biscuits

And today on Writing Chapter Three, I'm telling you guys all about turning 31 (plus how my first year in the 30s went). I have fewer friends these days, my baby fever has reached new heights, and all sorts of other things are running around in this mind of mine. If you're in the same boat, be sure to check it out!

Speaking of boats, this is our last day at the shore! Ahhh!

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