The Month of Fall

The Halloween decorations are put away and now I'm ready to use this month to gear up for Christmas.  The store shelves are already brimming with ornaments and decor.  I'm not quite ready for all that.  I want to bring in some branches with pretty colored leaves, bake acorn-shaped sugar cookies and drink hot apple cider on the couch with a warm blankie and a good book.  So while I work on compiling Christmas lists and narrowing down homemade gift ideas, hopefully I can stop long enough to enjoy a few of the things I have pinned on my It's Fall Y'all Pinterest board, before the Christmas Crazies kick in. 

Here are some examples of why I love November:

Fall Branches in Wicker Vases

Source: bhg.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Changing Leaves

Source: google.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Pinecone Garland

Source: twigandthistle.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Fall Entry

Source: sadieandstella.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Honeycrisp Sangria

Source: nutmegnanny.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Salted Caramel Pears

Source: freshnewengland.blogspot.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Fall Dining Room

Source: google.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

(I made this yesterday)

Source: closetcooking.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Fall Arrangement

Source: aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Fall Patio

Source: blog.koyalwholesale.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Apple Cider Buffet

Source: google.com via Mindy on Pinterest

Happy Fall Y'all!

Chicken Frito Pie

I ripped this recipe from the paper with The Dad in mind.  It had his name written all over it and I figured, for me, it would be just all right.  It was good.  You literally make up a pot of chili, layer it in a baking dish with Fritos and cheese, and then bake it.  Yum!  You could use any chili recipe with it, too.  Chicken, beef, turkey, veggie.  We always serve Fritos on top my favorite chili recipe anyway, so this was just takin' it to the next level.

Here's the recipe with my notes:

Chicken Frito Pie 

12 Tbsp vegetable oil (I have no idea why you would need this much - I just used a couple)
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
*I also added about 1 Tbsp of cumin
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
7 oz can chopped fire-roasted green chiles
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (you could use kidney, black, etc.)
2 1/2 C Fritos (I used a whole 10 oz bag of low-sodium)
2 C grated Monterey Jack Cheese (I threw some cheddar in too)

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium-heat.  

Season chicken with salt and pepper, then brown.  

Remove.

Add onion, garlic, and chili powder to pot, stirring; saute until tender, about 4 minutes.

Return chicken to pot; stir in broth, green chiles, and beans.

Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add half of Fritos to a 2-quart baking dish.

(I put some cheese on top of the first layer of Fritos)

 Top with chili, remaining Fritos, and cheese.

 

Bake 15 minutes.

Serve with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream, if desired.

We had ours with a big green salad.

Here's dinner in my bowl:

When I was prepping the toppings, The Girl wanted to help scoop out the avocado.

AKA, lick the inside of the peel.

The Kid got wind of what was goin' down and came in to "help".

 Her shirt's the appropriate color, don'tcha think?

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

I made another treat off my Fall Pinterest board for The Dad's birthday breakfast.  The name is a little misleading.  They're more muffin than donut, but that didn't stop me from inhaling them.  They're really, really good.  Like, the recipe made 48 and by the time we were done there were 8 left, good.  I may or may not have been the one to do that much damage.  Considering I only let the kids have two each, and there's only one other adult in the house, you do the math.

I mostly followed the recipe, but I was out of brown sugar, so I substituted granulated sugar and a glug of molasses.  I also didn't think I needed to roll the entire thing in cinnamon-sugar, so I just did the tops.  I did make one that way just to try it and I'm not gonna lie - it's dang good completely coated.  But they're good the other way too, so I decided to save myself from at least a small amount of sugar.  Either way, the amount of butter and cinnamon-sugar mix was way more than I needed and I only used half the melted butter called for.  So I'd start with half of each, even if you're rolling the whole thing.

We ate them warm straight out of the oven, but I popped two in my mouth yesterday that were room temp and they were just as good that way, if not better.

Click here for the recipe.

Here they are coming together at my house:

Sorry the pictures are so dark and full of shadows.

It was still dark outside when I was making them.

Dark or daylight, these bad boys are deeeelicious!