Fall Fun Activities

I sounds like a broken record about things to do/eat/see & wear in the fall,  however it really is such a beautiful time of year that I feel compelled to get out there and enjoy it! Not to mention what follows is several cold, harsh months of being indoors. So here are a list of a few things I think should be on everyone's fall to do list!

1. Apple Picking- two of my favorite places are Honey Pot Hill which is great as a family activity or with friends. I also love Nashoba Valley Winery how can you go wrong when you can apple pick and stop in for a quick wine tasting as well? We are actually headed apple picking on Saturday so keep an eye out for some photos! :)

This was from yesterday we did the Charles River walk- the leaves are starting to turn!

2. Check out the leaves on longer stroll, you can do a day trip for the Newport Cliff walk or check out Castle Island (both of which are great for pets!) Of course no list would be complete without my favorite which is the Charles River walk. My Husband and I will park in Watertown and walk along the river passing by the various city, town and university boat houses, continuing on overlooking Harvard's campus and on from there.


3. Baking is another favorite, I have a few staple recipes, (see my post on pumpkin cookies) apple pie, pecan pie. Keep an eye out for more fall recipes, or check out my "Fall Fun" board on Pinterest! I will be trialing some recipes for our first Thanksgiving hosting the family. We are hosting twelve people for dinner so for my family pretty small- but I can't wait to plan the menu and decorate!

Pecan pie from an impromptu dinner party yesterday!

4. In my mind no fall is complete without a trip to Salem, MA. I am not a big Halloween fan, in fact I hate it. Even as a kid I didn't like getting dressed up (except for the year I went as Belle!) There is just something about the holiday I can't get on board with. However there are many other things to do in Salem other than Halloween things. Including a Walking Tour of the Trees, and  Harvest Day. This year we have friends coming up from DC over Halloween so we will have lots to do that is not Halloween related!  

5. Another favorite activity is heading to a football game. While we were living in DC we went to a fair few Ravens games (not my by choice!) However now that we are back home we plan to head to a Pats game. College games can be really fun as well! Oliver is a Maryland Alum so he's headed down for  a game this season as well- unfourtuantely I am working that weekend so I don't get to partake in the fun.

As always, thanks for reading! Please make sure to subscribe in the bottom right corner, I have recieved a few emails that people with Apple computers are having difficulty using the widget to subscribe so I have added the email option as well!

Happy Thursday! :)

Fall in New England - the changing of seasons and pumpkin cookies!

One of the things I missed most living South of the Mason-Dixon was the distinct seasons. Don't get me wrong not having to shovel for two years was pretty amazing, however the shift that takes place when the temperature drops, the leaves change and you need a blanket to snuggle up with at night is something I live for every summer. 

There are countless reasons I love fall, especially a true New England fall, apple picking, layering on a cute sweater, baking everything pumpkin flavored and the smell of a fireplace on a Sunday afternoon after family dinner. So its no surprise that mid way through September I am already working through my list of things I am dying to do for my first Autumnal season back in my home state!

To kick off the fall festivities I made my first batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies, they were fun to make and even more delicious than I had remembered! Hope you enjoy the photos and give the recipe a try :) 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 can of Pumpkin

1 Egg
1/2 cup oil

1 Cup of sugar

1/2 Teaspoon of milk (I use 1%)

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla extract

2 Cups of flour

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon 

2 Teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon of salt

1 Teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips  

 
Preheat your oven to 375 and grab an non-greased cookie sheet.



 


 

Mix pumpkin, egg, sugar & oil by hand, 
adding in milk and vanilla.










Next mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a separate bowl. Gradually add your dry mixture to your wet until mixed together. Lastly, add in your chocolate chips.

Scoop mixture onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

You will see in my photos they are no meant to be perfectly round cookies so no need to roll them, the mixture is generally too wet for that. They will not spread too much so feel free to pack them onto a cookie sheet. Depending on size of the cookies this will make approximately 2 dozen. 

I am working on a list of "Fall Musts" - Attire, Activities, Cocktails & Food so keep an eye out for that coming soon!