Jocelyn’s Fall Bucket List

Ahhh….FALL…. yes the only four letter F-word that is not offensive!  Love this time of year.  Many of us living in the Midwest look forward to fall.  I welcome the cooler nights and all of the beautiful fall colors on the trees.  I have a fall bucket list of things I love to do each year.  Below are a few of them:

1.)  I love going to the local apple orchards.  The Honey Crisp apples at Spicer’s Orchard are amazing!  I can’t get enough of them!  When I have the time I enjoy picking the apples.  They also have the best donuts and cider around!  It is best to get the donuts warm cause there is nothing like it!  Heaven!

2.) I also enjoy the hard cider that is sold this time of year.  At Spicer’s Orchard they have a tasting room.  Many years ago they had only a small room to taste and recently they built an entire building just for tasting and selling.  The cider is great for a tailgate or bonfire.  My favorites are the Original Hard Cider and the Reserve Hard Cider.

3.) Making my mom’s apple pie recipe is also a great tradition.  This one is my favorite and it has been in my family for years.  Mom’s Apple Pie: Items needed: 3 lbs of apples (Granny Smith, Spy or MacIntosh)  3/4 cup to 1 cup of sugar, 2 T flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, pie crust.  I cheat on this one and use the store bought kind) Take the apples and peel, cut & core.   Add spices and sugar to apples and mix well.  First place bottom of pie crust in pie pan then pour apple mixture into pie pan.  Dot apples with 2 Tblsp of butter.  Put on top crust. Make 6 slits in the top crust.  Sprinkle a little water on top of crust.  Bake at 450 for 10 min. Reduce heat to 350 & bake for 40 minutes longer.  Serve with ice cream.  Yum!

4. ) Decorating my porch in a harvest theme is also something I enjoy.  Getting mums, pumpkins and other natural elements to get an organic look is something I look forward to with the transition of seasons.  I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago about this and if you missed it here is the link.

5.) Football games are the best.  It is a pastime that the whole family can enjoy whether you are in your home watching or at the game.  In recent days we watch football with my father and mother-in-law and have them over for dinner.  Back when I was growing up, I remember going to my grandma and grandpa’s on a Sunday afternoon dinner and everyone screaming at the TV’s ( I am guessing the Lions were losing…). For some strange reason I loved it!  LOL!

6.)  I have to make a batch of chili at least once.  This recipe is a little more labor intensive but very delicious!  Items needed: 2 cans of kidney beans, 1 Tbsp Chili powder, 3 Tbsp cornmeal, 2 tsp Oregano, 2 tsp Cumin, 2 tsp Cocoa Powder, 2 cups chicken broth, 2 medium onions, 3 Tbsp oil, 4 garlic cloves minced, 1 can diced tomatoes, 2 tsp molasses, 3 pounds of blade steak or beef shoulder (you can use whatever type of beef you would like but this is  recommended) & 1 (12 ounce) bottle of lager.  In a Dutch oven saute onions and garlic till soft.  In a small bowl add; chili powder, cornmeal, oregano, cumin, cocoa & add 1/2 cup of broth to make a paste.  Add the paste to the onions and garlic.  Add tomatoes, molasses and remaining 2 cups of broth.  Add beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce and simmer.  Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet and add blade steak (trim & cut into 3/4 inch pieces).  Brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Add meat and 1/2 bottle lager to Dutch oven and bring to a simmer.  Cover pot and transfer to oven.  Cook until meat is fully cooked and tender.  1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Stir well and season to taste.  Garnish with plain non-fat Greek yogurt, shredded cheese and hot sauce.

Some of my fall bucket list items may be the same as yours, but if you have some different ones let me know!  I am always looking for fun things to do this fall.