Fall Day

The moment Meatball & I stepped out of the house to head off to Gymboree class this morning, we knew something different was whipping through the air.

A little fun from our morning at Gymboree!

The morning whispered Autumn, with it's chilly temps & brisk wind.  Clouds hovered & even a few little raindrops sprinkled from the sky.  A Fall day if I've ever seen one.

And you all know me, if Fall's gonna go & put on a show outside, then by golly we're gonna match it by putting on our own little show inside!  

So Meatball & I, we went ahead & got the Fall ball rollin' around here.  

Fall candles flickering.

Hearty soup simmering.

And ingredients to make our favorite treat of the Fall season--hot apple cider.

I use Aspen Mulling Spices for my apple cider, & I think it makes THE best apple cider.  I have tasted others & this one beats them all by a long shot.  I pick mine up at our local Hallmark gift shop, but you can order it online, as well.  

Once little mister wakes from his nap, we've got a date on the driveway to color with sidewalk chalk, practice our soccer skills,  & race matchbox cars--winner gets a nice little wagon ride through the neighborhood.  

A perfect Fall Day?

Yes, I believe so.

And because the forecast is showing that the next few days are going to mirror today's Autumn weather, I thought I'd share the recipe to that hearty soup I've got simmering & you can have a perfect Fall Day of your own!

Beef & Barley Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds stew meat 

1/2 cup barley {I buy the Quaker Quick Barley}

1 bay leaf

4 carrots, chopped {I use half a bag of baby carrots}

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 {16 oz} package frozen mixed vegetables

4 cups water

4 beef bouillon cubes

1 can diced tomotoes

salt & pepper

Place all ingredients {except barley} into slow cooker & cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Cook barley in a pan on the stove & then add it to your soup right before serving.

**Notes from my kitchen**

Jared likes a lot more barley in his soup than I do, so I actually just leave the barley separate from the soup & then we add as much as we desire to our own individual bowls.

If barley isn't your thing, you could easily leave it out & the soup would still be delicious.  The barley just makes the soup have a thicker texture.

Enjoy this lovely Fall Day!