Saturday Post No. 9

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There are still plenty of pumpkins and Halloween decorations up in our neighborhood. People go crazy for Halloween here - so many front yards are overtaken by cobwebs, hanging skeletons, witches crashing into trees, giant spiders...honestly, I'm done with it. Pumpkins are good for a while longer, but not giant inflatable spiders.

I've worked many weekends in my life, but this is the first time I'm doing so for work. Real work. It was a long, challenging, but good day.

I have more reading I could be doing, but the knowledge that tomorrow is going to be yet another long day is preventing me from pulling out the books. Andrew is more productive than I am right now, as he just informed me that he's doing research for one of his final papers. I'm constantly impressed at how much he can get done in a day. Today, for example, he graded papers (freshman composition papers...a special kind of beast), researched for his own, read, bought groceries for dinner, and is now doing more research. And, he was super wonderful and bought us new coffee tumblers. Ones that are actually going to keep my much-needed coffee warm for more than 1 hour (goodbye, former coffee tumbler). Life is good with this guy.

And with that, it's time for wine, maybe some reading, and Saturday night college football. And candles. Definitely candles.

MN Mondays: Weekend update.

What a fun fall weekend we had, and it was so, so great to be home. What did we do, you ask? Well...

I was sworn in as a licensed attorney, 

we had lovely family dinners with oh-so-delicious fall recipes, 

we cooked some, 

we celebrated some, 

and laughed a lot. 

We also carved pumpkins with these monsters: 

It really was just the best time, and we cannot wait until Thanksgiving (only a little more than three weeks to go!) until we're home again. Love to all our family and friends - thank you for everything!! 

Pumpkin doughnuts.

Andrew and I have yet to find a doughnut place we love in Milwaukee. When we first moved here, we went on a scouting adventure in an attempt to search for a bakery or store that would have our favorite doughnut available: maple long johns. And do you know who makes the best ones? Lunds. I never would've guessed that Lunds (a grocery store near our old apartment) would be our favorite place to go for doughnuts; I have no idea why I love these so much, but oh my goodness, they're so good. We've shopped around at the grocery stores and bakeries here but haven't found anything close to the maple ones from home. Sure, there are lots of regular doughnuts: chocolate glazed cake doughnuts, vanilla long johns, and even the fancier crullers; some might even argue these are better than Lunds. Nope. I don't believe you. 

This morning, I was trying to figure out what to do with my leftover pumpkin from when I made bread last week. Browsing online, I happened to come across this recipe; pleasantly surprised that I had almost everything on the ingredient list, I decided that these looked simple enough to make and could, just maybe, satisfy my craving for my maple doughnuts, at least for long enough until we're home next week. 

The recipe was really easy to follow. I only changed the glaze a bit, by reducing the amount of powdered sugar to 2/3 cup and adding some whole milk to create a smoother consistency. The tiny doughnut holes are the best - they remind me of the "munchkins" we used to get at Dunkin' Donuts when we were little.

I was also able to get more than nine doughnuts out of the recipe; I don't know if this is good or bad...and while they didn't quite taste like our maple favorites, they're a sweet fall treat that will be great with coffee over the next few days. 

P.S.: more pumpkin recipes here! 

MN Mondays: Pine Tree Apple Orchard.

The air is crisp this morning, and the sky is that brightest of blue shades that you see only in the fall. This reminded me of one of my favorite places in Minnesota during autumn, which brings me to our third installment of MN Mondays: Pine Tree Apple Orchard! Located in White Bear Lake and nestled in between ridiculously ornate mansions and golf courses, this orchard holds many memories for me and my family. Every fall, we would drive to Pine Tree for apples, turnovers, hayrides, and pumpkins. 

While Pine Tree is open all year (you can pick your own strawberries in the summer!), I think the best time to visit is in the fall, when it's just cool enough to really enjoy some warm apple cider. There are plenty of family photos of us bundled up with coats and mittens on cold afternoons, waiting in line for the tractor ride up to the top of the orchard. We've visited Pine Tree on field trips during elementary school, on quiet and grey days during the week, and on busy Sunday afternoons when there's been no place to park. Each and every time, I've found something more to love about the orchard, and the views are just the loveliest. 

Inside the shop, visitors can see the orchard's apples being trimmed, cleaned, and prepared to be sold by the bushel. There is also an on-site bakery that sells the most amazing apple treats; my favorite is their apple butter, which tastes incredible on homemade pumpkin bread or pancakes! I could really go for some this morning...

During fall weekends the orchard hosts all sorts of family-friendly events, including corn mazes, pumpkin patches, and pony rides. The pumpkin patch is, by far, the best I've ever seen. Pumpkins dot the fields everywhere you look, and it's just the sweetest seeing all the little ones picking out which one they want to take home. 

I've been trying to find an orchard to visit near Milwaukee; any suggestions from those who've been? I know that our next visit home to the Twin Cities will have to involve a trip to Pine Tree, even if only for the apple butter!