~*~**Delicious Autumn**~*~

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”

Hello Monday! The cold weather has arrived and so has my cheery spirit! The feeling of fall for me is an aphrodisiac. I just do not see how anybody could be in a bad mood with weather like this!?!

This weekend was very nice but as always.... not long enough!

So today, I have a couple of things I am quite excited about! First off, I went shopping this weekend and I feel like I put a major dent in my "Fall Must-Have List"! I got some essentials for this season and at none other than Marshall's ladies & gentlemen! (Ok, so maybe not gentlemen... I know they could care less about this stuff!) haha
But none-the-less, I am quite satisfied and I got them in perfect timing for the cold front that hit this weekend! What a blessing that was! The hubby and I spent every minute we could outside enjoying it! Now, back to the clothes....

Cute right? I am overly excited for fall and winter! I am obsessed with cardigans so I am literally in my "fashion element" right now! I have what I like to call a "grandma-chic" style (and I am damn proud of it!) so this time of year just really works for me! I love any and every sweater and the fall colors just make my heart pitter-patter! The ivories, cranberries, grays, navies, mustards and olives just make me happy! Who's with me?!?

The next thing that I wanted to share with everybody is some recipes that I have been loving lately with this cool weather! All can be found on my Pinterest but I have added a few of my personal tweaks here and there! Hope everybody enjoys them!

Beef Stew

So what recipe says fall more than a big, warm bowl of beef stew? I think nothing! And as soon as October 1st hit my fall decorations were up and my belly was craving me some stew! So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving (which is right around the corner, if you have not noticed) I will be sharing my recipe that has been inspired by a couple of different of recipes all put together to create a beef stew masterpiece! 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound carrots, sliced
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) Guinness Stout or additional broth
• 6 medium red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 cup frozen peas

Directions

• In an ovenproof Dutch oven, brown beef in butter and oil in batches. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, saute carrots and onions in drippings until crisp-tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Gradually add broth and beer. Stir in the beef, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper.
• Cover and bake at 325° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender, stirring every 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Stir in frozen peas; heat through.
 

 

Red Beans and Rice (with Sausage)

Red Beans and Rice is considered a complete meal if you live in the South! Let me tell you this recipe is packed full of awesome flavor! Once you try this recipe you will NEVER go back to the box kind again and it is just as easy! You can't beat it! You can make a big pot of these beans and have left-overs which is awesome and I actually think it is better the second day. It is a great recipe to throw in the crock pot in the morning and voila, you have a meal that afternoon!  Your house will smell amazing!  It is my idea of a perfect meal...! I usually make it with rice but I think for tonight I am going to go real country home cookin' and make some home-made corn bread to go with it! I am drooling as we speak! (T.M.I. I know... But true!) ;)

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beans, rinsed 
• 7 cups water
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped 
• 1 medium onion, chopped 
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 pounds sausage, sliced ( I used V&V) 
• 2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning ( I used Tony's)  
• Hot Cooked Rice or Corn Bread

Directions

• Rinse the beans to make sure that they are clean and take any sticks or bad beans out of the batch.
• Cut up onions and bell pepper
• Add beans, bell pepper, salted pork, broth, water and garlic to crock pot and soak overnight in fridge.
• Cook the next day on Low for 10-13 hours or on High for 8 hours.
• Last 4 hours put sausage in pull out salted pork chunk.
• Serve over rice or corn bread.