This is what fall looks like...

All of the sudden the weather got perfect. I mean really, painfully perfect. I found myself exclaiming, "It's so nice out..." every time I went outside. The skies are sunny and blue, the temperatures are mild... these are the kind of days that make you thankful to be alive. So I've been filling my time with lots of lovely little things that make my heart full. This is what fall looks like (around here)

Crafting (I made this!)

Arguably too much Octoberfest (and a few extra pounds to show for it)

So naturally I went with OPI's "Every Month is Oktoberfect" for my mani/pedi

(the perfect moody, vampish purple with flecks of orangey red)

Family dinners (al fresco, followed by fireside smores)

picnic lunch catch-up with an old friend after 3 years apart 

A (not-so) spooky read, fitting for the month

sweet potato pancakes at brunch (al fresco) with my sweet girlfriends

a pretty convincing breakfast invite from my daddy

Long runs outside (in hopes of offsetting all the Sam Seasonal...)

The perfect running buddy (and equally perfect view)

Halloween costumes for pups (and the funniest snap chat from my brother)

doing some decorating with baby pumpkins 

driving around with the top down and embracing the crazy hair that ensues

Beaufort, boats, more beer (this time Blue Moon, dockside)

cozy cooking (dutch oven ziti, shrimp scampi)

burning my seasonal Christmas candles 

In case you didn't notice, I've been doing everything I can outside.* I swear the fresh air is therapeutic. Making some (tough) decisions, but reminding myself not to take things (especially myself) too seriously. Trying to embrace it all- the work, the struggle, the climb uphill and the subsequent coast back down. 

*If I were to come up with a witty title for this post it might be faAL FRESCO... punny, right?

Pumpkin (birth)Day

Hi cats, how was your weekend? Mine was the perfect mix of fun and relaxation. We've been short-staffed at the restaurant these past few weeks, and it feels like I've been going non-stop. Fortunately, I had the past 3 days off and Hurricane Sandy forced me to sit back and take it easy. It's no exaggeration when I say I literally laid in bed all day Saturday and Sunday, sipping detox tea and watching romantic comedies. It was pure heaven. 

[I've seen You've Got Mail over a dozen times, and I can honestly say I love it more and more each time I see it.]

Friday served as the 4th annual Pumpkin Day (I cannot believe it's been this many years since the first one!) Though if I'm being truly honest, it's been pumpkin month this year. (Which really means I made pumpkin cream  cheese muffins in September, and I've been sipping pumpkin beer since late August...) This year's Pumpkin Day was particularly special though, because Friday night we celebrated my main man's 50th birthday. My dad requested this pumpkin bourbon cheesecake, we stocked up on craft beer (seasonal, of course) and celebrated with a bunch of friends and 2 big pots of spicy chili. Sandy may have squelched our plans of a bonfire, but she didn't dampen our spirits. 

[We converted the laundry/mud room into a wet bar. It helped cut down on the traffic in the kitchen and as the ice melted it went right down the drain! Pretty brilliant if you ask me.]

[My mom had already scooped up a plethora of pumpkins, so even though our day didn't actually include a trip to the pumpkin patch, there's no shortage of decorative gourds around the house.]

The cheesecake was delightful. The crust is particularly tasty and the bourbon gives the cake a nice, full flavor. I almost skipped out of the sour cream topping, thinking cream cheese plus sour cream topping would equal cream overload, but I'm so glad I didn't. It's a nice contrast and it packs another little punch of bourbon flavor. I'll be making it again for Thanksgiving, and we are in the process of developing a bourbon caramel sauce to drizzle over the top, because you can never have too much Makers Mark, no?

psst... Sunday morning I woke up to pumpkin Belgian waffles, so it looks like even though "pumpkin day" is over, the pumpkin love will continue indefinitely. 

psssstt... you might have noticed a few minor changes here in Soliloquyland... I did a little tweaking! I think the changes will be more conducive for sharing both photos and text. And I think it was time for a change since this little blog just turned 3 on October 19th!! Time flies. 

Seasonal Brews

So, maybe I forgot to tell you, but I stared drinking beer. I know, right? Totally weird. My mom still cringes at the thought. She really hates beer, and I never really liked it either. And then on Cinco de Mayo, I tried a sip of my brother's Dos Equis Amber (a beer that I had certainly tried before) and suddenly I liked it. It's weird. Your taste buds just change I guess. So all summer long, I sipped Michelob Ultra on the beach and I drank Dos Equis with Mexican (if a grapefruit margarita wasn't an option.) I still haven't found an IPA I can tolerate, but baby steps, right? Besides, despite the glasses, I never could quite cut it as a hipster anyway.

It's no secret that I love all things seasonal, so what better way to embrace fall than with these seasonal beers? 

1. Sam Adams Octoberfest My brother told me to try this, and then one night at work 2 girls came up to me separately and said they couldn't wait to have one after work. Oddly coincidental, I took that as a sign to give it a try and I picked up a 6 pack on my way home. Since then, I've purchased several more 6 packs, much to the detriment of my waistline... Fortunately though, the advent of fall beer coincides perfectly with the end of bikini season, so I don't mind trading one 6 pack for another. I'm dying to try their Hazel Brown, also from the Harvest collection.

2. Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. I had this in Fort Lauderdale at my favorite bar, Tap 42. The last time I went I sipped wine (which is pretty much hypocrisy at a place like that...) but this time Erin and I sampled pints of seasonal beer. This was our favorite, especially when they served it in a frosty pint glass with a cinnamon sugar rim! My sweet mom picked up a 6 pack at a specialty store in Virginia, and I've been rationing them out until I can find a retailer nearby. 

3. Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale. I haven't tried this yet, but I feel like Blue Moon is the typical girl beer, so the pumpkin varietal is sure to please, no?

So tell me, what are you sipping on this season? In addition to all this beer, I've found myself craving Makers Mark (rocks, splash of water) and I've transitioned back to red wine... bring on the cab!

Cheers!