These last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind! School has begun and I am absolutely exhausted. I work in a school and there has been so much illness, crying kiddos who are away from their families for the first time, and mountains of uncompleted tasks I need to find time to do next week.
We got two days of a preview of fall weather with highs staying in the 60s and I am so excited for cooler temperatures in the next couple of weeks. Although not this coming week since we have highs in the 80s all week long. 🫠Midwesterners talk about the weather a lot because there’s a lot of it. The high and low temperatures have a 20-30 degree range on any given day and storms seem to come out of nowhere. It can be sunny, overcast, then rainy, and then back to sunny all within an hour.
With climate change, our autumns in the upper Midwest are hotter than ever and wasps stick around longer, making fall activities harder for me to enjoy. How am I supposed to enjoy an apple cider doughnut with a wasp trying to fly directly into my mouth every time I open it to take a bite? It’s hard for me to decorate for fall and get ready to be so cozy when it’s 90 degrees! How do my friends in states further south do it?!
Regardless, the season is upon us and I’m here with all the hyper-specific recommendations for how to spend this beloved season! Don’t worry, I won’t tell you to go to an orchard or to watch Gilmore Girls - you already know all of that! I’ve got some suggestions to help you ease into the transition before winter.
Media
What to watch and listen to this season:
TV: Over the Garden Wall is a limited animated series about two brothers who get lost in a spooky forest, and meet woodsy characters as they try to escape. Stream on Hulu.
Movie: You already know to watch You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally so I’ll suggest Moonstruck, a perfect movie less than two hours long about a widow falling in love with her fiancé’s BROTHER! Scandalous, starring Cher and Nic Cage - an incredible film that is a sexier version of a New York love story.
Albums: There are so many that are staples for me!
The Head And The Heart’s first album
Ingrid Michaelson’s first album that you have to stream on YouTube
Brandi Carlile’s album The Firewatcher’s Daughter
Any of Lizzy McAlpine’s Albums: Older, five seconds flat, & Give Me A Minute
Stranger in the Alps album by Phoebe Bridgers
Playlists: I have a fall playlist I’ve been adding to since 2011, and it’s so special to me. Plus I started this one a couple years ago that is also filled with my favorite fall tunes.
Collaborative Playlist: Let’s make a playlist together! If you have Spotify, you should be able to access the Deep North Autumn playlist and add your favorite comforting songs for this season. I got it started with 10 songs and look forward to how you all make it ours. We can all listen together and connect through space and time. 🫶🏻
Outdoors
What to do outside:
Take a quick weekend trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan for fall colors, hiking, breweries, and cozy vibes.
Have an outdoor fire and have everyone bring toppings for a hotdog party!
Go on an early morning walk in the fall. There’s nothing like a chilly morning with a little fog over a lake, prairie grasses, or in the midst of trees in the Deep North.
Let the basic bit*h inside take over and paint one of those wooden signs for some decor. It’s fall y'all!
If you live in MN, take a train ride to a pumpkin patch, to see fall colors, or to go to a winery.
Indoors
For the indoor kid in all of us:
Line up your winter hobbies - try them all out now so you know what you’ll want to focus on when the weather is cold and snowy. Might I suggest beading, embroidery, making felt ornaments, working your way through a collection of movies or books, and candle making?
Stretch. I’m not as young as I used to be and this is a necessary part of my daily life lately!
Get into a new board game or role playing game. Play every week (or month) at the same time with some friends in person or virtually!
DIY some fall decor.
Mend your clothes and work on getting some of those pesky stains out of your clothes - a task you’ve probably been putting off all summer.
Food
The cozy, comforting flavors of fall are one of my favorites! Things take a little longer to roast and cook, and the spices warm you up from the inside out.
Rice Krispies treats and puppy chow variations for fall. Think chai flavors, Halloween candy chunks, and cinnamon heavy sweets. The best!
I know it’s been done but you really have to indulge in your first autumn soup. Take an afternoon with a great album or playlist and chop, cook, blend, and enjoy your soup with a hunk of bread and herbed compound butter.
Make a fall salad or bowl dinner. Plays Well with Butter is my go-to for these- Autumn Caesar Salad, Autumn Kale Salad, or Autumn Grain Bowls are my favorites.
DIY some infused simple syrups for coffee, mocktails, or cocktails. Bring 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil along with herbs (sage is my fave) or spices (think cardamom, cinnamon, etc.) until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool and strain!
Make your own hash browns! Grate some potatoes, wring out the liquid, toss with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Form into patties and fry in a pan OR cook them up in a waffle maker.
I am ready for the cooler temps, the slower pace, and the flavors and activities of autumn!
Audrey’s Cookbooks Updates
We had our September Cookbook Club yesterday, which was a super sweet event! It turned out to be a very busy day for the neighborhood and parking was tough, so I’m super grateful to the people who made it out yesterday. We had cardamom bread, a vegan chocolate cake, apple cake, and honey ginger Arnold Palmers!
Our fall line-up is currently in the works so soon I will have more news for you about where you can find us in the coming months leading up to the holiday season.
Things I Like
See above - everything is something I like and plan to fill my autumn with! Enjoy!
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣
I want to do ALL THESE THINGS. Oh, how I wish we teachers weren’t so crazy busy in the fall