HAPPY OCTOBER!
Now that we’re into October, our evening walks are noticeably cooler and we’re officially in sweater weather in SoCal. (even if sweaters are saved for just the evenings, hah!) It’s funny how where we live our outfits can change a couple times a day but I’ll take it!
As we’re officially in Fall, something I’ve been trying to be more intentional about is reflecting on what I’m thankful for. This year has brought along a lot of unknowns and difficult twists and turns and it can be easy to dwell on whatever is making your glass “half empty” but I love the perspective of having a glass “half full.” Here are a few things I’m thankful for:
1.) Time on the porch with my husband enjoying a homemade latte with our dog, Mira. We catch up on our day and listen to some music and just enjoy a moment of pausing to be together. Even if it’s just 10-15 minutes.
2.) Our neighborhood has begun putting up Halloween decor and lights, and let me tell you - our neighbors go all out! It’s so much fun to walk around after dinner to enjoy all the decor.
3.) Now that the weather has cooled down, I’m back baking sourdough bread and homemade soup. Below I have a recipe for a Fall Wild Rice Chicken Soup that I hope you’ll enjoy! It was a hit.
4.) I am a huge candle lover and have enjoyed lighting a beezwax candle at night while we watch a show. Lately we’ve been watching the show called Discovery of Witches on Netflix. If you liked Twilight or Harry Potter, you’d enjoy it!
5.) I finally decorated our porch for Halloween complete with some flowers, heirloom pumpkins, a fall wreath, gourds, and some cute bat stickers on our window. Let me tell you, each time I got to Costco or Trader Joe’s it takes some will-power to not add to our little pumpkin collection!
6.) Our ninja coffee maker died on us and we replaced it with a simple pour over coffee maker. I wish I had gotten this sooner, as it’s completely non-toxic and microplastic free. It’s made of just stainless steel and glass, and so so simple to make a few cups of coffee with! I got it off of Amazon linked here.
Mira’s signature side-eye featuring some time to pause and enjoy the porch.
Seriously obsessed with these heirlooms. So pretty!
Homemade Fall Wild Rice Chicken Soup:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 TB of salted butter
2 TB olive oil
2 containers of Kettle & Fire Chicken broth (32 oz each)
1 can of full fat coconut cream (15 oz)
3 stalks of celery, medium dice size
1 onion, small dice size
2 cups of diced butternut squash (got mine pre-diced at Costco!)
1-2 lbs of thinly sliced mushrooms (I did one container of Chanterelle mushrooms and one container of Cremini mushrooms, both from Costco as well)
3/4 cup of wild rice
3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, sage, rosemary, and sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
(more salt and pepper to taste)
In a large Dutch oven, cook up 2 chicken breasts in 1 TB of olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper. Once cooked, set aside to cool and then dice into bite sized pieces.
Using the same Dutch oven, add in remaining olive oil and butter on medium low heat. Add in the diced onion & celery along with the thinly sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, and dried herbs with salt and pepper. Sautee down until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporate and start to caramelize down. About 45 minutes (seems long, but this gives it so much more flavor).
Next, pour in the broth and coconut cream along with the wild rice. Give the soup a good stir. Bring to a low boil with with the lid of the Dutch oven on but slightly cracked open to release steam. Allow the soup to be on a low boil for 8-10 minutes to help cook down the wild rice.
Now add in the butternut squash and simmer the soup until the squash is softened, about 30 minutes.
To finish off the soup, toss in the chicken and grated parmesan cheese. Stir well to combine. Serve hot with some buttered sourdough bread and top with more cheese if you’d like.
Let me just say, my husband is not the biggest soup guy but this soup is an exception for him! He absolutely loved it. So cozy, filling, and nutrient dense with all the Fall produce!
Don’t know how we never got into pour over coffee before, but we’ve sure been enjoy this being a part of our morning! I add a tablespoon of pumpkin puree, a little maple and heavy cream, with a pinch of pumpkin spice to make our own pumpkin spice lattes at home. Can’t beat it!
If you’ve never done watercolor before, I have a Landscapes for Beginners playlist on my YouTube channel along with lots of Fall season tutorials that are perfect for the month of October. Below I have linked 3 tutorials I have up on my YouTube channel so far for October with a new tutorial posted every Saturday morning! Hope you enjoy painting alongside these and feel free to comment on any tutorial if you have questions of the painting process. I love getting to hear any feedback you have!
3 YouTube Watercolor Tutorial Fall Videos:
2.) Watercolor Ghost
Photo featuring my beginner watercolor pumpkin tutorial on YouTube.
I’m getting all the Harry Potter vibes with this watercolor owl I painted for a Mount Rainier licensing pattern I’m working on. I’m still waiting on my Hogwarts letter.
I hope you all have a cozy October full of moments of pausing to take in the season. Thank you for being here and comment down below your favorite Fall activity or any upcoming recipes / watercolor tutorials you’d like to see next!