The Annual Schlep

I'll admit to being a total stereotypical girl who loves errrrrything fall. The decor, the sweaters, the scented candles, the pumpkin! YOU KNOW IT!

Go ahead and spit out that wee bit of barf that just came up...

...'cause here comes more cliche!

This past Saturday we took the four kids to the farm/orchard/pumpkin patch. I love this place (Knapton's, for Minnesotans) because it's so small-time. No hordes of people, no overcrowded rustic-y barn full of jams, no straw bale maze. That's right kids- you're here to WORK for your apples.

But first, an out-of-the-norm-breakfast of homemade cider donuts.

A whole fridge shelf full of Haralsons for us. Honeycrisps are for wimps. Crunchy tangy Haralsons are my fave (and they make the BEST applesauce).

Come Sunday afternoon, in addition to watching the Vikings fail to show up at the game, I dug out my garden tomatoes for a marinara partaaaaaay. You can see I'm not one to plant just one variety of tiny tomatoes- I have cherry, grape, gold, and chocolate all mixed in there.

Have you ever canned your own marinara? Canning sounds super scary because of the whole if-done-improperly-you-could-die thing, but why let that scare you?

Spit out that second round of teeny mouth barf. 

To ease your mind about the whole thing, here are some helpful recipes/websites/tutorials:

USDA Guide to home canning

Safely canning homemade marinara

Basil Garlic Tomato Sauce

Confession- I don't blanch my tomatoes. I just cook them with basil, roasted garlic, parsley, red wine, salt, pepper, and a wee bit of sugar. I then use my immersion blender to puree, and simmer until it's thick enough. I don't mind seeds in my sauce!

My four bags of frozen 'matos yielded 6 quarts of sauce. So...who wants some Haralsons with a side of marinara?

On strike #2

You guys, trying to make GG crackers might be the blogger death of me.

Okay maybe I'm a little dramatic. I've had two fails so far, so maybe I need to play by baseball rules and go for third before I officially quit.

After a week of 80 and 90 degree temperatures, yesterday's cool rain was so nice.

Exactly how nice, you ask? NICE ENOUGH FOR A FALL SCENTED CANDLE, BABY!

I'm so basic- you already kno-ow!

Yesterday while my awful crackers were baking, I busted out the construction paper so my oldest and I could make some Halloween decorations.

"Hey Mom, will you make an exit sign for the trick or treaters?"

"NOOOOOO! Not like THAAAAAT! Like a road one!"

Yep.

Those spooky spiderwebs on the bottom of the door? Authentic! I'm not paying for fake spiderwebbing.

I'm throwing a repost at you today since those crackers didn't turn out. I'M NOT BITTER, I swear. Tonight's dinner is one of our cool weather staples- chili. Chillllllaaaaaaayyyyyy! We eat it probably every 10 days. It's been years since I posted it but every time I bring it to an event or work potluck, it gets great feedback. So, get your fall candle/Frankenstein/witch pumpkin/Exit sign on and check it out.

Slow Cooker Chili
-1 lb extra lean ground beef
-1 large yellow onion, diced
-1 can pumpkin puree
-2 cans mild chili beans
-2 cans petite diced tomatoes with chiles (like Ro-Tel)
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon dried parsley
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-Dash of hot sauce (if you want it mild, omit- if you want medium heat, go for a tablespoon)
-2 cans hot water

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, cook ground beef + diced onions until beef is no longer pink. Pour into slow cooker and add all the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

The pumpkin- yes, weird ingredient, huh? But trust me- it adds a creamy smooth texture and a huge amount of vitamin A without making it taste like pumpkin. No one has ever been able to guess it's in there.

Okay, my oven is calling...hope I won't be calling strike 3 next time you hear from me!

Big Yellow Taxi

Every day while the three youngest take their afternoon naps, I get one-on-one time with my 4 year old. Usually this consists of me pushing him on the swing until my wrists hurt, but today went in a different direction.

"Hey Mom, can we play taxi outside?"

Yes, yes we can.

He was so thrilled with his taxi that he asked for more signs.

"I'm like a TAXI DINOSAUR!"

He requested even more taxi signs but I (white) lied and said we were out of yellow paper.

I suppose if I were any kind of Gen-Yer parent I would've insisted we play Uber instead.

In other DIY fun, I did something today that I can't believe I'd never done before. Part of this whole being-on-a-budget/spending-wisely thing is I've cut out my Mrs. Meyers addiction. LOVE their dish soaps, but I can't justify spending $4 a bottle given how quickly we go through it. Buuuuuuut a thought occurred to me- could I make my own?

Scented Dish Soap
-1 bottle Seventh Generation unscented dish soap (I used 25 oz)
~15 drops essential oil of your choice (I used grapefruit)

I poured the dish soap in a large bowl, which was stupid. I should've just poured it into my four cup Pyrex but apparently I don't do math anymore (4 cups = 32 oz = plenty big for a 25 oz bottle, haha). Pour it back into the original bottle and there ya go!

Some essential oils are expensive, but most are around $5-6. A one ounce bottle yields ~500 drops (at least according to Google...again...the math...). The Seventh Generation at my grocery store was $2.60. It truly is cheaper to be making my own. Some other oils I'd like to try sometime would be orange oil + clove oil, pine oil, lemon oil + lime oil, and rosemary oil.

A thrifty but fun day here all-around!