Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. It has been since I was a child. It might have something to do with my birthday being in fall, I don’t know. I also enjoy Halloween, not the spooky parts so much or trick-or-treating, I was in middle school the first time I did that. It’s probably because most of the holidays focus on fall and using your imagination.
Crunchy leaves!
Pumpkin pie, and almost anything else pumpkin!
Fall is a reset time for me. Like I said my birthday is in the fall and I use that as an assessing and planning time for the coming year. Then I’m ready when January 1st comes and I don’t have to try to make those decisions during the holidays.
Back to fall.
The colors are one part that I can have with me year around. Things I decide to stitch, color choices or even the reason for some of my designs, paint on walls and in many other places in my life.
Things that I do to celebrate fall vary from year to year. Start a new project, at the coffee shop on the first day. Build a fall puzzle, make pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, go to a football game, take a walk through the NMSU campus to look at the colors and crunch through the leaves. I decorate our front yard with fresh pumpkins and a scarecrow. This year I’m thinking about adding a couple of bales of straw.
Another thing I love about fall is that it is finally getting cool enough to start making soups. My favorite soup is my loaded baked potato soup. This one is made on the stove and is great served with croissants or a good crusty bread. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
We don’t have many traditions for fall with the children. We did different activities through the years; picking corn, fall festival at church and the Halloween party at the neighborhood fire station. The older 2 of our 3 children remember trick-or-treating with Jack of All Trades. They each got to fill one of the pockets in his cargo shorts and then come home.
All of my fall designs will be 30% off through November 21st, in all of my shops. I have put them all together HERE.
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Serves 4-6
Freezes well if needed. Reheat thawed or leftover soup on the stove with a little cream for the best flavor and consistency.
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds of russet or red potatoes, peeled if desired, cubed
1 pound of bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2c chopped yellow onion
1 1/2t minced garlic
8oz shredded cheddar cheese
4oz sour cream
1 1/2c of heavy cream
1/2t paprika
1/2t black pepper
1/4t crushed red pepper flakes
1/4t parsley flakes
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
DIRECTIONS
Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Cook over high heat until the potatoes are tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon, yellow onion and garlic in a small pan. When done, drain on a paper towel.
When the potatoes are done, drain them, reserving the water, and replace them in the pot.
Add the bacon mixture.
Add cheese, sour cream, heavy cream and spices.
Heat and stir over medium-low heat until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth and no longer grainy.
Serve topped with chopped green onions and bread.
What are your fall traditions? Please share in the comments or drop me an email. sara@azariahsfibrearts.com
Happy Making!