Fall is in full glow here in Indiana and we love it! We soak up every season by planning activities to do together and with family and friends so that we don't miss out on the uniqueness of each season! We picked 12 of our favorite fall activities to write about in more detail. Hopefully, this will inspire you to partake in some of these activities or create your own!
1. Visit the Apple orchard.
Visiting an apple orchard is one of the first things we do in the fall time, sometimes even a week or two before the first day of Fall. We have a lot of great orchards in our area so it’s not a problem to spend 2-3 hours picking apples, talking, and checking out the other fun attractions.
This fall try some new flavors to pair with your apple dishes! Walnut oil, lemon juice, and thyme are fantastic flavors for an apple vinaigrette. Caramelized apples and onions, gouda, whole grain mustard, and ham make an amazing toasted sandwich. Chipotle peppers, garlic, onion, and ginger are some tasty spices for a sweet and spicy apple chutney. You can also add brown butter to an apple pie filling to add richness and depth!
2. Make an apple pie
There are so many apple pie recipes and variations. I (Ricca) love to make and eat apple pie, ironically, I don’t have a recipe written out. One method I use when preparing my apple pie is to make a thick and tasty filling first. This means I slice my apples in thicker slices, and cook them quickly in butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, water, and spices. I also incorporate a slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water) so that I know my apple pie will not be too dry or wet and will have the perfect amount of seasonings before baking.
We think an apple pie recipe to share on our website is definitely going to be a must!
3. Pop fresh popcorn on the stove.
Corn cobs begin to dry in the fall season and are harvested so the drying process can continue, making the kernels we use at home for popping. We love popping fresh kernels on the stove in oil, clarified butter, or a little bacon grease, a not-so-healthy but delicious hack we learned from our uncle. Can you believe that the same seeds we can use for popping can still be planted for corn? I (Ricca) did an experiment with the girls I work with and we had tall shoots within a week! Check out the photo below!
4. Visit Cracker Barrel on a cold day when their fireplace is on.
We don’t eat at Cracker Barrel often but when we do, we like to go when it’s cold enough so the fireplace is on. Refraining from going during high peak times helps to ensure we get prime fireplace seating. Cozy food with a cozy environment, cannot be beat!
5. Make caramel apples or caramel popcorn.
Those apples from the orchard make tasty caramel apples and the popcorn popped on the stove with extra salt makes caramel corn that is out of this world!
6. Go hiking in a state park.
Fall time is a great time to go on a light hike or walk. Taking in the beauty of fall while being active outside is so nice. It makes getting a warm meal or drink after so much sweeter.
7. Bake pumpkin bread.
Of course, this is a must in the fall. Pumpkin bread can be very high in calories so we’ve made a healthier version that you can find here. Try it out and let us know what you think!
8. Bake, bake, bake.
Why is baking so much fun when the weather is colder? Getting up earlier in the morning (for Ricca) or staying up later (for Keyen) with cozy music and lighting is a favorite activity for us! Check out some of our favorite fall recipes in our cookbook. Link below!
9. Create a new soup recipe.
We eat a lot of soups when it’s cold so we make it our goal to create a new recipe each season. Often times we start with heavier comfort foods like shepherd's pie, chicken alfredo, lasagna, or burritos then see if we can turn those dishes into veggie-packed soups! We can then eat the soup during the week or freeze leftovers for guilt-free lunches and dinners! Did you know? We have soup recipes on our website! Check them out here.
10. Host a chili cook-off.
One of our favorite gatherings that we’ve hosted has been a chili cook-off! We had about 4 people who made chili and the other guests brought their favorite chili toppings, sides, or desserts. Everyone voted with dollar bills for their favorite chili. This helped the chili makers get some of their money back and was a fun way to vote anonymously! It was such an easy event to set up for and host. The entire gathering took place outside and the competitive edge to the event made for good conversation all evening and into the night around the fire!
Have you ever tried Oreos with your chili? That's how a family friend likes it! She brought that as her chili side dish!
11. Host an outdoor tailgate party.
We don’t have an outdoor TV but we do have a smart TV and extension chord that we’ve taken outside on our mom’s deck to watch movies and games outside! Whether it's just a few of us or a crowd watching the game in the cool weather with the fall leaves, warm foods, and blankets can be a lot of fun.
12. Grill with seasonal veggies and flavors.
We grill all year round. Each season offers opportunities to try new flavors on the grill! Check out this blog post for some fall grilling inspo!
We hope you enjoyed reading a little more about how we celebrate fall! If you haven't already, we hope you will sign up for our weekly email list by following this link. We'd love to hear about your fall traditions. Please leave us a comment below!
Our cookbooks make great holiday and hosting gifts, check them out by clicking the link below!
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