It finally feels like fall around here. Here are some fall-themed articles and recipes to help you get in the spirit of things. “This Hot Cinnamon Tea Is Better Than Pumpkin Spice Lattes” “You Should Throw a Fall Soup Party” “Fall Food TV Preview: 9 Shows to Watch” “Pumpkin Cheesecake Lasagna” “The Most Stunning Fall Flower Arrangements & Centerpieces”

It’s been a busy week, but I think everyone will be excited about next week’s cookbook review. In the meantime, here are some links to keep you busy. 15 Best Game Day Recipes from Damn Delicious: We love football and even though we rarely take the time to tailgate, I still love to eat tailgating food while watching football at home! Lighter Bacon Cheeseburger Dip from Iowa Girl Eats: This is one of my family’s favorite game day food. Of course, it’s a dip! How to Put Down Your Phone and Give Mindful Eating a Try: I am really bad about eating in front of my desk or TV. Maybe I will give some of these tips a try. Local Bee Pollen Is the Only Thing That Cured My Seasonal Allergies: I wonder if I can find bee pollen at my local farmer’s market. Sounds like it might be worth trying. How to Make No Cook Pasta Sauce From Basically Any Vegetable: A good non-recipe for when you’re craving pasta in a hurry. I hope everyone is having nice fall weather and can enjoy it this weekend!

There has been a lot of exciting cookbook news in the past several weeks. So many cookbooks, so little time! “Reese Witherspoon’s New Book ‘Whiskey in a Teacup’ Arrives This September” “Meghan Markle Launches Dream Cookbook With Prince Harry by Her Side” “Ina Garten Wants You to ‘Cook Like a Pro’” “Chrissy Teigen on the Long Road to Making Her Second Comeback” “All the New Cookbooks Fall 2018” What celebrity (or just regular) cookbooks are you looking forward to getting your hands on?

Sheet Pan Breakfast Bake: This works great as a breakfast for dinner recipe. I suggest you cook the bacon separately; it won’t really crisp up on the pan. Tested and Approved: The Best Reusable Straws: Plastic straws seem to be public enemy number one lately. Since I need straws for my daily iced latte, I thought I would check out some of these suggestions. 18 Classic Fall Movies: Not a food-related link, but some great suggestions for getting in a fall state of mind. How to Make Fluffy Pancakes: I don’t make pancakes. That’s my husband’s job, and he is good at it. But I was still intrigued by this article. Should I send him this link? Probably not. 🙂 16 Trader Joe’s Secrets That Will Change Your Life: Did you know Trader Joe’s has a podcast?      

The Best Baking Pans Are Ceramic Coated: Looks like it’s time to invest in some new baking pans. All the Types of Onions, and What They’re Best For: I admit I usually just use whatever onions I have on hand, but this it’s good to know what I should be using. Recipe: The Easiest Peach-Raspberry Pie With Press-In Crust: I never make pie because I don’t have the patience for the crust. The crust in this recipe is more my speed, and this was a big hit with some recent dinner guests. How to Throw a Three-Course Dinner Party: Speaking of dinner parties, there some really good tips in this article. 30 Mind Blowing Ways to Eat Cookie Dough: You are either going to think these recipes are disgusting, or, if you are like my son, you will start drooling.  

The kids are back in school, and I am enjoying the more structured routine. Here are some things I’ve been reading (and cooking). Recipe: Nacho Spuds: If you’re taco Tuesdays have gotten a little blah, try out Rachel Ray’s twist on nachos. ‘Tampopo’ Is the Ultimate Cult Classic Food Film: Haven’t see this movie, but it looks like I may need to. 5 Realistic Ways to Reduce Food Waste When You Have Kids: You really don’t have to have kids to use these helpful tips. This Bookstore Is Stuffed With Just One Thing: Cookbooks: Must visit! Soda Can Cocktails: Secretly Delicious Drinks You Can Take Anywhere: I am making the LaCroix Pamplemousse cocktail this weekend. How I Mastered the Workday Lunch: I have been working for a bazillion years, and I still haven’t mastered lunch. Hope this article helps. Have a great week everyone!

The Fourth of July is just a week away! Here are some links and articles to help you get ready. The best way to cook hot dogs and make them perfect every time: I think you will be surprised by the answer. Seven tools to pack when you cook in someone else’s kitchen: Those vacation rental kitchens are always under stocked. For some reason it never occurred to me to just bring my own tools from home. The 23 essential barbecue dishes in America: In case you are travelling over the 4th, here are some restaurant ideas. These lists are always kind of ridiculous, but since mutton from Owensboro, KY (where I lived for a few years) is on the list, I think it has some validity. I don’t even like mutton, but this dish is a local favorite. Everything you need to throw the best 4th of July party: I’m pretty sure you don’t really need anything on this list to throw a great party, but this inflatable indoor/outdoor buffet cooler is pretty festive. Recipe: Best easy Italian pasta salad: Here’s a super quick and tasty dish to take to a 4th of July get together. I hope everyone has a great holiday!  …

I’ve long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime associates, food, for me, has always been an adventure.    —Anthony Bourdain It’s Tuesday, and you are already procrastinating! That’s OK, here is some stuff to read while you procrastinate: Failproof crepes + a crepe party: My boys and I had a crepe party for my husband for Father’s Day. It was a big hit! Eight non-cookbook food books to read this summer: Oh no, I have read none of these! More books for my Goodreads list, which is already out of control. Thirty-four Trader Joe’s snacks we could polish off in one sitting: I really should not read this. I need no more suggestions, but I will read it! Recipe: Portillo’s chopped salad: We missed this salad so much when we moved away from Chicago. Now we just make it at home. So good! Book review: “‘Little House on the Prairie’ and the truth about the American West”: Just finished Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I found this book fascinating. Author Caroline Fraser does a great job of describing how…

Book: I am about half-way through Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover. Westover writes about growing up in Idaho with survivalist parents. She doesn’t go to school, instead she works in her father’s scrap yard, which is dangerous but even more so since her father doesn’t believe in doctors or hospitals. It is really fascinated, and she does a good job of trying to tell the story not just from her perspective, but also the perspective of her other family members. Eventually Westover left her family, got a PhD from Cambridge, and wrote this best-selling book. I can’t wait to finish the book to see how she gets there. Movie: I went with my friend Miha to see the new Amy Schumer comedy I Feel Pretty the other day. This movie has not recived the best reviews, but my sister told me that she enjoyed it so I thought I would check it out. The premise is that Amy Schumer’s character bumps her head while doing SoulCycle and wakes up thinking she is beautiful and thin. This gives her a lot of confidence, which allows her to make some big changes in her life. The movie has plenty of flaws, but…

Here are a few things I’m enjoying this week. Podcast: My new favorite listen is Satellite Sisters. It’s five sisters, although mainly three do the podcast, who talk about everything from their grandchildren to national security, with an emphasis on supporting each other and other women. They are funny and smart, and it just makes me happy to listen to hem. Recipes: My husband sent me a link to 23 High-Protein Sheet Pan Dinners That Pretty Much Cook Themselves. I don’t think they cook themselves, but I love a good sheet pan dinner, especially for easy clean up. We tried out the Sheet-Pan Shrimp Boil the other night, and it was yummy. 30-Minute Sheet Pan Potatoes and Chicken Sausage is another go to sheet pan recipe at our house. Follow me on Pinterest to see more of my favorite recipes. Book: I just finished Exit West by Moshid Hamid. This book is not a light read, but it’s also not difficult. Two young people fall in love in the middle of a war-torn Middle Eastern country, and this novel is a depiction of how their relationship is affected by living in and then fleeing from this situation. There is a tiny…