Autumn Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese sandwiches served with cup of tomato soup is a delicious meal anytime of the year but in the autumn season when the weather starts to turn cold this combination meal sure tastes good.

Tomato soup and grilled cheese was a staple food when I was growing up. We resided in a cold climate and this food combination fueled our bodies with the energy we needed. I enjoyed eating grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch on a cold or cool autumn or winter day.

My Dad made grilled cheese with white bread and yellow American cheese. The two slices of bread had butter on one side and he would add two slices of yellow American cheese in-between the bread slices before grilling both sides of the bread in a cast iron skillet. The sandwiches were always served with a cup of Campbell’s tomato soup. 

I grew up eating grilled cheese and tomato soup but when I got married my husband put a stop to this classic soup and sandwich combo. Know that I still eat grilled cheese but husband makes his different from the classic version.

He makes grilled cheese using 1 slice of Sergento’s sharp cheddar cheese, 1 slice of Munster cheese and a slice of beefsteak tomato, sometimes he will add bacon and sometimes he will use sour dough or rosemary herb bread butter. My husband does not use a cast iron skillet, he makes his sandwiches in his non-stick electric grill.

He serves grilled cheese with with tomato basil soup that he makes from scratch. I like the new grilled cheese sandwich and also like the classic soup and sandwich the both taste delicious and is a perfect meal to serve on a cool or cold day in Autumn.

View this videos below for classic tomato soup recipe and the classic grilled cheese

Autumn Season Decor Ideas

For the past three days I have been packing up my summer home decorations because I am in the mood for fall and plan to decorate my home this weekend for the upcoming season.

Autumn is the season when the days and nights are cool and the leaves on the trees change to symbolize that summer is over and winter is coming soon. I love the trees when the leaves change and also enjoy decorating my home for the autumn season.

Warm earthy colors like gold, orange, brown, ginger, and pomegranate will be featured in home accessories. The colors will add a cozy ambiance to my home and make it feel welcoming. 

When I decorate my home for the autumn season I will always add home accents to my living spaces; living room, kitchen, dining area, and guest bathroom. In addition, the front porch will get a fall makeover. An autumn wreath for the door, a few pumpkins on the front steps and a welcoming doormat.

I found some doormats with fall designs and thought that would look nice.

Here are few of my Zazzle finds

Seasonal Fall Harvest Welcome Sign Family Pumpkins Doormat

by EverythingWedding

Autumn Oak Leaves Doormat

by SimplyBoutiques

Another way to decorate for the autumn season is to add autumn color to your living room by hanging a few framed posters on your walls, then add fall pattern pillow to your sofa and draped on the back of your sofa add a cozy blanket. Choose colors and prints that are complimentary. By adding a few key home accessories you will update your home forthe autumn season.

Here are some autumn home decorations that you may like

Fall Style Pumpkin and Leaves Dark Green Throw Pillow

by Susang6

These posters were created from my original photographs of the

 nature trails in Bentonville Arkansas.

Then for your coffee table add an autumn season centerpiece that features chrysanthemums and a few votive candles for extra ambiance. Drape autumn leaves garland across your fireplace mantle. 

These are just a few ideas that you can use when you are decorating your home for the autumn season.

Favorite Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

If you like peanut butter than I know you will enjoy this pie recipe. It is easy to make and will be enjoyed by your family. They will wipe the dessert plate clean and ask for a second slice of pie.

This recipe is from my childhood, my mother loved chocolate and would make scrumptious desserts for me and my siblings when we were kids. We all loved peanut butter and chocolate and her pie recipe combined these two ingredients and golly this pie sure was delicious.  I really enjoyed a slice a pie after playing in the leaf pile in the fall or after sleigh riding in the winter.  It was the perfect comfort food and yes one of my favorite desserts.

 I thought I would always have access to my mom's recipes but when she passed away the recipes went with her because she made everything from memory. Then the other day my brother mentioned that he made chocolate peanut butter pie for his kids and that they all loved it.

When I asked him about the recipe, he told me that it was our mothers and that he had found it in one of her old cookbooks, written in pencil on an index card. I was delighted to know that I could make my mothers pie recipe, the same pie that she made for me when I was a kid.

This pie is very heavy and chocolaty so I always make it in the fall because I think of it as comfort food. You can make it any time during the year but for me, I prefer the fall and winter season.

Here's what you will need to make this delicious pie.

1 eight-ounce package of cream cheese; softened at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup confectioner sugar

1 8 ounce container of cool whip 

1 9 inch graham cracker crust pie shell / you can buy the chocolate crust also

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons whole milk

1. In a large bowl add the cream cheese, vanilla, and peanut butter and blend together with a mixer.
2. Add the confectioner sugar and mix all ingredients before adding the cool whip topping and blend all ingredients.
3. Pour the pie filling into the graham crust pie shell. Use a spatial to smooth the top of the pie.
4. In a saucepan add 3 tablespoons of the whole milk along with the chocolate chips. Melt the chocolate chips on low heat. Stir the chocolate constantly. When completely melted remove from heat and let cool before drizzling it on the top of the peanut butter pie.
5. Put the pie in the refrigerator for two hours before serving.

Here is another no-bake pie recipe that you may like

Split Pea With Ham Soup Recipe

When the season change from summer to autumn the days are cooler and the nights can be cold. As a rule, when the weather is cooler I will go to my mother's cookbook and look for her split pea with ham soup recipe.

This is a hearty and wholesome recipe that is packed with protein and nutrients. It is also a one-pot meal that can be served for dinner and a bowl of soup for lunch the next day. Normally I serve warm from the oven dinner rolls or crackers.

It takes two days to prepare this recipe because it is best to soak the split green peas overnight in a pot of water. Then the following day you would gather your ingredients and make the soup.

Ingredients:

Chopped Carrots

Chopped Leeks

Chopped Potatoes

Diced Ham Steak

Split Peas

Chicken stock

Diced clove of garlic

2 sprigs of Fresh Thyme

2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a soup pot add olive oil and heat to medium-high. Then add your garlic and saute it before adding your leeks, carrots, and potatoes. Stir so that vegetable cook evenly. Cook for five minutes. Add your chicken stock, split peas, ham, herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Stir all ingredients and cook on the stove until soups come to a boil. Stirring while the soup is cooking will prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Turn heat to simmer and cook for an hour. Continue to stir the soup until all vegetable and peas are tender.

Here are other split pea soup recipes that you may like

Keep your soup recipes organized with a custom card.  Buy as shown or add your recipe.  I like the recipe cards because it is a nice way to share with my family and friends.  All cards were created by artists at Zazzle.com. 

Soup Recipe Pages for Recipe Binder

by kjscreations

Bean Soup Recipe on a Card

by susan52z

Trendy Retro Recipes Personalized Notebook

by reflections06

Navy Bean Soup Recipe

When the temperature changes in mid to late fall I cook soups and stews for my family. One of my favorite evening meal soups is Navy Bean made with fresh vegetables, ham steak and served with warm in-the-oven French Baguette loaf of bread This hearty soup is packed with nutrients that will fuel my family, providing them energy for their evening chores and will help to fight off colds and flu.

When it comes to making this soup I have no rules on what vegetables to use. Normally I prepare this soup with leeks, potatoes, celery, and carrots. I will peel, chop and cook the vegetables together in a large pot of low-sodium chicken broth. When the vegetables are cooked I will add the navy beans, fresh herbs, and two sprigs of rosemary tied together and dropped into the soup pot. I will season the soup with a freshly grated peppercorn medley by McCormick, and a clove of freshly chopped garlic. When all of the seasonings are added I will then add the chopped ham steak or chicken sausage to the soup and stir well and allow the soup to simmer for another 30 minutes.

I like to serve a bowl of this navy bean and vegetable soup with warm in-the-oven banquette bread topped with herb-whipped butter spread. You can garnish the bowl of soup with grated Parmesan cheese and diced chives.

A large bowl of navy bean soup usually fills my family up to the point that they do not want dessert or a before-bed snack. I like making a pot of soup because there are always leftovers for lunch or after-school snacks the following day.

Here are some other recipes for Navy Bean soup.

Spooky Halloween Cookie Recipe

 Tonight is the first cold fall night and I found that I was thinking about Halloween cookie recipes to serve at our annual gathering. Normally when I am looking for a unique recipe idea I will go to the food network but this year I went to Allrecipes.com and found witch cookie fingers.

The cook that shared the recipe mentioned that she made the base of the cookie from her sugar cookie recipe. Yes, the same recipe that we all use during the Christmas holidays so you know the cookie will taste good. Apparently instead of making the cookies the traditional way you would roll them in the shape of a finger and bake.

Then cool the cookies before applying the frosting for the fingernails. I love this idea and know that this cookie will be a hit at our party. I plan to add a few witch fingers to the dessert trays.

Learn other Halloween cookie recipes at Allrecipes

Collecting Acorn Nuts for Recipes

Acorns are a nut that comes from oak trees. We have 12 Oak trees on our property and in the past, I collected them during the fall season to be used as feed for squirrels and deer during the winter months. Feed for animals is good, but using the acorn nuts for food is a better idea because they are rich in B vitamins, protein and are also good for controlling blood sugar levels.

Acorn nuts are a good source of food for wildlife in the winter.  

Ripe acorn nuts

You can collect acorns at parks or from your backyard but before you begin to gather the nuts know that not all oak trees are created equal and some produce acorns that are best left on the ground for wildlife. White Oaks produce a bland tasting acorns. Swamp Oak, Oregon White Oak, Emory Oak and Burr Oak are the best for harvesting for food recipes.

When we collect acorns we look for brown ones because they are ripe. Stay away from green or black acorns or ones with mildew/rotting You want a smooth and firm acorn with no damage to the nut. Toss out any imperfect acorns or leave them for wildlife.

Collect brown nuts only.  Throw out the black or green nuts.

I do not know of an easy way to pick up acorns other than getting the family involved. My husband will rake all of ripe (brown acorns) into a pile then we fill our buckets with the best acorns we can find.

Get your acorns ready for processing by removing the shell (cap on top of the nut) then wash them off to remove any dirt or debris. In order to make the acorn tasty (a sweet nutty flavor) you will need to a water blanching; put the acorns into a stock pot, fill the pot with water that covers the acorns. Bring the water to a boil, turn heat to medium-high and blanch the acorns for 40 minutes. (water will turn brown) remove the brown water from the stock pot and refill the pot with fresh water and bring the water to a boil again. Repeat the process until the water is no longer brown.

When the water is clear (no more brown color) strain the acorns and allow them to dry. It is best to pour them out onto the counter, rather than leaving them bunch up in a pot. Or you can lay them out on cookie sheets.  

When the acorns are dry you can use them for making flour for baked goods, dry them for coffee, pickle them and more learn acorn-recipes here https://honest-food.net/foraging-recipes/acorn-recipes/

Here is an acorn cookie recipe that you may like.

Favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

One of my favorite beverages in the autumn season is pumpkin spice latte. Normally I buy a cup of this delicious pumpkin brew at Starbucks to enjoy but the costs for this drink does add up. So this year I found a recipe that is quick and easy to make at home. The pumpkin spice latte tastes so good that it became a fall favorite recipe.

I searched online and found several recipes at Allrecipes. What I like is that the recipes shared on this website by people that really enjoy cooking and all recipes are tested by their readers. This recipe got many rave reviews and one taste will tell you why everyone loves the autumn season drink.

For the pumpkin spice latte, you will need the following ingredients

Almond milk

Pumpkin puree

Vanilla extract

Sugar

Pumpkin pie spice

Black pepper (this is a taste preference)

A whisk

A saucepan

2 coffee mugs

Here is a latte recipe from Allrecipes enjoy! View another latte recipe in the video below.

Jot down the recipe on this card. Keep the recipe for yourself and give one to a friend. I think this card is very cute and would make a thoughtful gift for some who loves to cook.

Cooking Is An Art Recipe Insert

by HeritageMatters

Here are some cute pumpkin spice coffee mugs that you may like

Pumpkin spice & everything nice coffee mug

by Kymberli_Designs

Pumpkin Spice Season Coffee Latte Autumn Fall Coffee Mug Set

by rebeccaheartsny

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Fall Mug

by beckynimoy

Harvesting Apples at U-Pick-It Farms

One of the benefits of living in the Midwest is being able to go to one of the many farms to pick your own apples at the end of the summer. We are fortunate that there are apple orchards close by where we can spend the afternoon harvesting apples from the trees. 

Normally our weather in late summer is hot during the day, so we always look at the upcoming weather forecast and try to choose a day that is cloudy or less hot.

A good way to find U-pick-it farms is to go to your local farmers market and ask another way is to watch your newspaper as there are sometimes ads. I recommend that you call the farm before you go. Find out if the apples are ready to be picked and if they prefer people coming on the weekdays or weekends. In the past, we drove an hour to a U-pick-it farm only to find out that they were out of apples.

Always dress properly for picking apples. I would recommend that you wear a comfortable long sleeve shirt and pants, hiking boots and socks are important and also a sun hat. Treat your clothing for an insect repellent that would include biting flies fleas and ticks.

Bring along bottled water and snacks. I like breakfast or protein bars, but if you are going to be out in the country you may want to bring along a fleece blanket for kids to use for an afternoon nap in the car or for putting down for a picnic lunch at the park or an open meadow.

Don’t forget your camera. Make happy memories with your family by spending the day in the country picking apples. These photos are great for scrapbooks and sharing on Facebook.

Pick enough apples for your favorite recipes for your family to enjoy throughout the fall season.

Here is a recipe for spiced apple chutney.

Orange Color Scheme for Bathroom

Orange is a color that represents the autumn season but that does not mean that you cannot decorate your bathroom for other seasons. I personally like an orange color scheme because these colors represent warmth and it is a wonderful contrast to my cream-painted walls.

You can decorate your home with patterns that are not traditional leaves, such as flowers, stripes, or abstracts. Here is an orange design that I created for the bathroom. The artwork consists of an orange leaf pattern that was mirrored to give it an abstract look.

The orange pattern bath accessories will look fabulous when coordinated with solid warm colors like towels in brown, beige, and orange. Accent your walls with decorative switch covers or wall art. Add a wicker or bamboo clothes hamper in a brown or tan color.

It is best to have solid color wall creams, beige, light orange, and tan would be complementary to the autumn colors in the shower curtain. When you shop look for paint that is mildew-resistant and has zero VOC. ( Paint can release a low level of toxic emissions into the air. The source of these toxins is a variety of volatile organic compounds known as VOC / Vocs are toxic solvents that get released into the air when you are painting.) I like Home Depot paint the Behr Semi-Gloss low VOC paint in the color Cream Puff.  

Zazzle Has Sweet Treats For All Occasions

Now that fall is here and a chill in the air my family and friends seem to eat more baked goods, brownies, cakes, and cookies. My friend's kids are getting excited about going trick or treating and normally I will buy Hersey kisses but last year I bought my friend's children special chocolate covered Halloween designed chocolate covered Oreo cookies.  The cookies arrived individually wrapped so it was easy to hand them out to the trick or teeters. 

My friends told me that the Oreos were wonderful and asked me where I bought them. I told them I designed the frosting top at zazzle.com.  Here is the cookie that I gave to my friend's kids that were trick or treating on Halloween.

Spooky Halloween Cat Oreo Cookie

by Susang6

Zazzle has a variety of delectable sweet treats; candies, cookies, and brownies that you can buy as shown with a print on demand unique design or you can customize these treats with your own photograph and words. Thus making a special dessert for your gathering and a sweet gift for your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Have you bought the cookies, cakes, and candies from zazzle.com?

Zazzle.com also carries delicious sugar cookies that come in four or a dozen. These cookies are really tasty. You can taste the butter, sugar and a hint of lemon. This cookie is mouthwatering good. I have given the sugar cookies as gifts to neighbors and have arranged them in gift baskets for adults and children. Everyone loves sugar cookies, brownies, cake pops, and chocolate candies.