Goodbye Summer Food, Hello Fall (Eating) Bucket List
A chill is in the air 🌬️ so I’m looking back at the things I ate and forward to what I’ll make
This summer was another good one. I got to bask in the weather when I wanted to. I spent a lot of time outside. I read and wrote and cooked and baked. I ate delicious food when it was in season. I shopped and bopped (my fave), and thrifted a lot. I’m grateful for the time and space to get time off of work, and grateful for the return of routine to my life. Here are a few highlight pics:
Summer Wrap Up
I managed to complete 14/19 of these I set out to do in the beginning of summer! Read more about it below, and a quick report of each item.
✅ Egg white cocktail or mocktail: made an apple cider egg white mocktail with smoked cinnamon bitters last night and 🤤 (recipe will be in a future newsletter for sure)
✅ Brazilian limeade: delicious every time
✅ Tomato toast: check and check
❌ Jell-o salads
✅ Pickled veg of any variety: cucumbers, beets, and green beans are stocked in our fridge for fall and winter!
✅ Pasta salads: Italian pasta salads have won out
❌ Fish tacos on a patio
❌ Fruit pie
✅ Popsicles: lemonade makes a great popsicle
❌ Pizza on the grill
✅ Gochujang roasted eggplant: just recently made this again and WOW 10/10. Find the recipe in this post:
✅ Charred corn: is there any other way to eat it?
✅ Steak with chimichurri: technically we did chicken with chimichurri but we’ll count it as a yes
✅ S’mores over a fire or a grill: almost every time we grill
❌ Icebox cake
✅ Iced tea: along with lemonade all summer long. I love Arnie Ps!
✅ Snack lunch: summer break meant that this was my lunch most days
✅ Grilling meats: my grill baby has been in USE this summer and we have no plans on slowing down in the fall
✅ Picnic at a beach: multiple times with friends
Honestly, it’s a shame I haven’t touched Jell-o salads this summer. They are so quintessentially Midwestern, cozy, and nostalgic. I think it’s because they are normally for an occasion with a group but I’ve been feeling very hermit-ish since last spring so I’m out of practice when it comes to inviting people over for gatherings. I’m sure that there will be a time when I have more energy to host as the weather cools and my summer SAD fades. So, Jell-o salads to come in the future!
Fish tacos didn’t happen and neither did the fruit pie, but I’m okay with that. Both of those things are kind of an anytime food and I know that apple pies will be made in the coming months! But the pizza on the grill is something I think I need to squeeze onto the meal plan soon! My husband loves pizza so it’s a no-brainer. At a housewarming party we went to early last week, we met someone who makes pizza every week, and had great tips for making it on the grill. It’s been a combined desire of mine and my husband’s to make pizza on the grill since it combines his love of pizza and my love of being a Grill Girlie™. I think we will try this soon - stay tuned! I’m willing to not be a completist about this list since I’ve been working on unlearning perfectionism since I became an adult so we’re going to leave the Icebox cake alone and try again next summer (if that’s something I want to make at all).
Fall Food Bucket List
Here are my fall food and drinks that I cannot wait to eat this year:
Butternut squash soup: Chrissy Teigen’s is my fave because you brown the squash first and you get so much flavor
Apple pie with apples from the orchard
Apple cider braised pork
Pasties - I have a tattoo of a pasty so you KNOW I’m ready to make one. Read about them here.
Pumpkin pancakes
Thanksgiving: specifically the turkey, mashed potato, sheet pan gravy combo
Autumnal salads with maple mustard dressing
Tater tot hot dish
Grilled squash
Biscuits
Lots and lots of cinnamon rolls (more on ROLLS below)
Ramen
Soup in general
Ice cream with apple compote and crunchy granola
Sage potato hash for brunch
Pumpkin bread
Thyme grilled cheese
Ravioli - I’ve never made them myself so now might be the time
Browned butter gnocchi with sage
I cannot wait for the slower pace of fall, for the rich, nutty flavor profiles, and for the crisp air outside to complement the warm spices.
Things I Like
Sweater vests - contemplating if my joints are healed enough to take up crocheting again
Picking a town and visiting their local shops and downtown area. This is something my husband and I love to do! There’s usually at least one antique store, brewery or coffee shop, and bookstore which is honestly all we need to be happy for an afternoon. Sorry to the SD folks out there - I haven’t been to this state very much! Can recommend:
Alexandria (MN), Anoka (MN), Bayview (WI), Copper Harbor (MI), Decorah (IA), Davenport (IA), Excelsior (MN), Grand Marais (MN), Fargo (ND), Faribault (MN), Hudson (WI), Ironwood (MI), Jordan (MN), LaCrosse (WI), Lake Geneva (WI), Moline (IL), New Glarus (WI), Paoli (WI), Red Wing (MN), Stillwater (MN), and Verona (WI)
This tweet (X?) that says “The way Adele works for 6 months and then disappears for 7 years is very much the work/life balance i’m all about.”
My ROLLS ROLLS ROLLS Pinterest board - this is my weekend baking project this fall/winter
Looking at vintage home floor plans on Pinterest
May your week be gentle and may you eat well. 🌲🥣
I’m in La Crosse, WI and I think you and the husband would LOVE exploring my small city’s downtown!