Honey Dearest

last weekend we had a girl’s weekend getaway with my mom and her two sisters. we stayed at my aunt’s beautiful farmhouse in the lehigh valley. my other aunt was taking a walk around the back property and found tons of bittersweet growing wild. i was beyond excited since i’ve been on the hunt for the last two months! we snipped and snipped as much as we wanted and loaded the back of the jeep for all to share. there’s still tiny berries all over the place! i regret not having my camera with me all weekend. anyway, i’ve been slowly adding a few sprigs here and there through out the entire house. i love love bittersweet :)

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i love this green leather tote bag… bet it could hold all my junk. i had to throw in one of essie’s latest fall colors. in case you haven’t noticed, essie is my all time fave nail polish. i wouldn’t mind a new watch. this timex has been on my radar for months… love the classic style and size.  i’m dying over the horse print shirt… too cute.  the box hair color is something i’ve been researching lately.  i hear fekkai is amazing. can’t wait to try.  the nashelle initial necklace has been on my wishlist forever. i actually got one last christmas, but it was broken so we sent it back and never replaced it. the chambray shirt is a must this fall… sure can’t beat target’s price.  i haven’t upgraded my phone in years. would really like the new iphone. in white.  gray minnetonkas are perfect. i tried some on at the beach and didn’t want to take them off.  as always, most of this list will roll over into my christmas list :)

happy friday!!

it all started here. i came home with over 20 different pumpkins and gourds. nothing like a good variety of shapes and colors…

i found this berry wreath at an antique store for $5.00. i originally wanted a bittersweet wreath like this, but couldn’t find any local. the colors are perfect.

can’t beat the deep purple color of ornamental cabbage. this year was a first for my flower bed and it most definitely won’t be the last!

my sage is in full bloom, can’t wait to start cooking with it…

the sweet potato vine in the shed’s flower boxes needed more color. a single pumpkin did the trick!

i’m planning on covering this little bench in the vestibule, but in the meantime i love how the gourds pop against the black.

most of our house is still in shambles, but thankfully i’ve been able to add a few touches of fall here and there. hope you’re enjoying your fall everyone!

sorry for the disappearance again! just wanted to check in really quick and let you know i’ll be on a break for a little longer. our basement is about to be under renovation from the flooding that took place here in the northeast. we had to move all of our belongings upstairs so our living space is pretty much in shambles right now.

we are soooo thankful we didn’t get more than the 3-4 inches that we did get. although, it did happen twice in a 24 hour span so we’ve had quite the mess. praying for the families who’s homes were completely washed up. it’s truly devastating and i can’t even begin to imagine.

meanwhile, i’ve got fall on the brain and lots of yummy pumpkin recipes. hopefully after a little more clean-up and sorting through this mess, i’ll be back in business.

happy fall everyone!

i adore everything about this spread from tyler florence’s family thanksgiving - recently featured in better homes and gardens. his home is so beautiful. these pictures make me dream about the day i’ll be able host my own family thanksgiving. maybe next year?

oh my! i kind of feel silly posting this picture after the amazing photos from my last post! but, while we’re still on the subject of baked (told ya i was obsessed!) - i almost forgot that i made their pumpkin whoopie pies a few weeks ago. oh. my. word. talk about the best whoopie pies on the planet!

the recipe is from their first cook book baked (still on my wishlist!) - but you can get the recipe and watch a video from when the baked boys were on martha. enjoy and happy friday!

we recently joined a local csa and it’s been great. i love having organic in-season produce at my fingertips. a few weeks ago we got three cute dumpling squash. i’ve never had them before and didn’t really know what i was going to make with them. they actually contributed to my fall decor for a week or so until i found a recipe.

i ended up with my own version of sausage stuffed squash. i am telling ya…this squash is insane good. i’ll be making this over and over again. it has the sweet and savory thing going on which i’m all about these days. all of the flavors of the season are jammed into these adorable squash and it’s heavenly. they are super easy to make and super impressive. even blew the hubs away!

Stuffed Sweet Dumpling Squash

3 or 4 sweet dumpling squash
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 pound maple sausage
1 TBSP butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
half an apple chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 - 1 cup chicken broth
1 cup stove top stuffing mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Brush the cut sides with one TBSP of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down in a roasting pan and add about a quarter of an inch of water to the pan. Roast the squash in oven for about 40 minutes or until fork tender.

In a large skillet crumble sausage and brown. Remove from pan. Add the remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet. Add the onion and celery, season with salt and pepper and saute until softened, 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic and apples and saute for another minute or two. Add the cranberries and broth. Let the cranberries plump and soften.

Add the stuffing mix then add the sausage back in to the pan. Toss to combine. You may have to add a bit more broth if mixture seems too dry.

Remove squash from oven and fill with the stuffing mixture. If you can’t fit all of the stuffing in each squash, just put all around the baking pan. Return squash to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes or until stuffing has browned and heated through.