Autumn Bucket List: Update!

It's that time of year when I'm completely obsessed with apples. But to be honest, I'm always obsessed. That's why I have 30 pounds of apples in my freezer right now. Yep. In case you've been following, the apples won the freezer battle and will reside there for the next however long. The venison will be taking up space elsewhere. It may involve buying another new freezer. 

I've crossed four things off my list and they all involve apples. I'm betting the next one to get checked off involves apples too. Although the pumpkin cookies might get made first. And that's just because I have an open can of pumpkin in my fridge right now. Here's how it's looking so far:

I just realized that it's technically autumn now (eeee!). While yesterday was unseasonably warm, the weather has been cooling off and fall has settled nicely in the Capital District. I'm bursting with excitement to see what the next few weeks has in store. For once in a really long time, I'm excited about my birthday and can't wait for it to come. For now, I'll leave you with the heavenly donuts from Kaneb's.

What's going on with you? What are you excited about?

Autumn Bucket List: Apple Picking

One of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. There's like a 0.01% chance that it's NOT my favorite. And each year, I go a little overboard. I mean, last year we spent about $120 on the trip...but that's not overkill. Right? I mean, I have applesauce and apple pie filling ready to go for months afterwards. That cannot be a bad thing.

This year, Ryan put his foot down. We would go in, pick just enough, and we get out. He didn't say it out loud, but there was a "before you get crazy and spend $100 on apples again" in there. 

The orchard by us grows about thirty different types of apples. Our plan? Macintosh. Jonamac. Greening. They were all in season and our top three favorites. They also happen to be the perfect combo together. The macintosh provide that iconic apple flavor. The jonamacs are the same apple-in-your-face flavor but harder than your traditionally soft macs. Then there's the greening, which are tart and add the kick to any apple filling. 

Look at how picture perfect this was. It's basically impossible not to go overboard picking and eating them right off the tree. 

After we found our favorites (and picked conservatively) we thought we should get a couple 20oz apples. What are 20oz apples you may ask? They're gigantic two pound apples that have little to no apple flavor. It makes my heart sad. But they make good filler. Unfortunately, I couldn't justify getting some after trying one and it being less than stellar. I couldn't. I just couldn't. 

Thankfully though, there was another crop of apples ripe for picking. Blondees. These apples are winners. They're like a ginger apple-pear flavor cross. And they're going to be decadent in my apple filling. 

Overall, we picked 29 jonamacs, 17 blondees, 16 macs, and 13 greening for a total of 35.10 lbs of apples. Roughly $48.79 at $1.39 a pound. A definite decline from last year's haul. However, in no way does this dampen my excitement for this autumn apple season and all the recipes I can't wait to try! 

Happy apple picking!

What recipes are you cooking with this year? Are you sticking to tried and true or trying something new?

Autumn Bucket List

Right now, I'm torturing myself. It's painful. 

Have you ever sat through one of those driver safety courses? Because that's what I'm doing right now. Clicking through an online presentation, watching depressing videos, and waiting for the time clock to run out. For six hours. 

Thankfully, you can multitask and I'm writing down what I actually want to do this autumn. 

I am thrumming with excitement about checking every single item off on the list. I just want to go out and do them all this weekend. Considering we don't have any fallen leaves yet and that it was 90° outside today, it might take a month or two to check these bad boys off. 

Here's my list:

As I check these items off, I'll post updates and pictures of the adventures. I can't wait!

What are you going to do this fall?

Tuesday Traveler - Lake Placid, New York

A couple of Fridays ago, I turned twenty-six. Alas, I can no longer claim I'm in my early twenties. Because, really, it's all down hill from here. And as my husband keeps mentioning, I'm "nearly thirty." Ugh. Thanks for that one.

For the weekend, my husband whisked me away to beautiful Lake Placid. It was perfect with the gorgeous weather, great company, and changing foliage. We spent time in our cozy little cabin, perusing the shops on the strip, and having a dinner with our families, who I managed to con into driving to us.

Here's some of the photos from the weekend.

pretty much all scenic shots were taken from the rapidly moving car - ryan refused to slow down 

marcy - our adorable cabin at the north pole

home of not one but two winter olympics

antique shops were abundant

and nearly every store had something dead and stuffed in it - what the hell

saturday morning was absolutely wonderful - chilly, amazing light, full of good stuff

our camping "resort" had boats you could rent down by the river

we even saw some of the locals down by the water

the setting was really picture perfect that morning

two wineries (swedish hill and goose watch) offered tastings up there - yes, please

perfect segue into this decor piece - which stayed in the store...

then we found rubber band guns

no those aren't edible - those are hand crafted soaps - fancy

i truly wish i had bought the working elephant lock - i did get to bring one home

 though so it's still a win

ryan and his father look nothing alike...

yes, there is a store with a working waterfall in it - yes, it's also three stories tall

i wish my camera did the colors justice

just out of town you can see the ski jumps in the distance

i wish this was more clear - the grass had great texture and you can see the ski jumps

for a switch we took route 9 all the way home - a perfect drive home

Have you ever been in Northern New York? Ever been to Placid? We keep meaning to go take a tour of the Olympic facilities but never get there. Hopefully we'll be able to the next time we visit.

My Kind of Luck

Ryan and I are up North this weekend. Up North, being Norfolk, New York, where he's from. Originally our nephew's birthday party was going to be this weekend and Ryan and his dad planned to play golf. Well, the birthday party got moved but it's just about the end of golfing season here. So we made the drive up last night so Ryan and Craig could play one final round. 

Now being in an apartment, we don't have the luxury of a washer and dryer. Rather than spend money at the laundromat, we either bring our laundry to my parents' house (when we're home) or up to Ryan's parents' house. 

Ryan and Craig are out golfing, Tammy's (Ryan's mom) at her flower shop, and I'm at the house with the dog doing laundry. In between loads I decided that the light and leaves would be great to snag a couple of pictures. 

I hook the dog on the lead out back.

I step outside.

I shut the door.

The back door is locked.

The front door is locked.

I have my phone, my camera, and the dog for company. Not to worry, I have the shop number. I give Tammy a call and she tells me where the hide a key is. 

I grab it.

I walk toward the back door.

I drop the key.

*sigh*

...I then spend the next ten minutes trying not to have a meltdown, talking to the dog, laughing at myself, hunting around in the grass.

I eventually found it and unlocked the back door. But never to forget my mission, I did take some pictures around their house. For your viewing pleasure:

these apples are absolutely terrible

how awesome is this barn? i love it!

sherman - my buddy who i got locked out with

How's fall shaping up around your town? Do you have some amazing colors coming out?

Wonderful Wednesdays - Apple Picking at Bowman Orchards

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go apple picking. One, because I love eating apples and two, I like spending cool, autumn days in the sun enjoying the crispness of the air. It's even better spending it with those your love. Our haul this year was 40+ pounds of the fruit, a half gallon of apple cider, half a dozen apple cider donuts, and an apple fritter. I probably would've bought a pint of apple cider ice cream (to go with the delicious pastries you'll see on Friday!) but I thought...better not. Here's some pictures of our adventure this past Sunday:

Bowman Orchards in Rexford, NY

we picked jonamacs, greening, macintosh, honey crisp, and twenty ounce

I only ate four apples on premises

the hubbs

our haul

that was the line of cars waiting to drive into the orchard

Are you planning on going apple picking this year? Have you already? What's your favorite kind? I love the pink lady apples. They're perfect for lunches and recipes. Just another wonderful thing about fall!