Fall and Soup are best friends

Nothing is better than warm soup and cold weather. I like a soup that is simple, tasty and doesn't require a fridge full of ingredients. Here is one of my favorites.

Autumn Veg Soup:

2 tbs. olive oil
3 diced carrots
1 diced onion
2 minced garlic cloves
2 c. small cubes butternut squash
1/4 tsp ground allspice
pinch of cayenne pepper and salt
1 qt. chicken broth
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 c. chopped kale
1 c. canned chickpeas

Heat oil in large soup pot, add carrots and onion cook until slightly soft (about 6 mins). Add garlic and cook for 1 min, add squash, allspice, cayenne, and 1 tsp. salt, stir until mixed. Add broth, tomatoes with juice and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add kale and chickpeas and cook uncovered until squash is tender and kale is wilted, about 10 minutes more. Discard the thyme sprigs before serving. Season to taste with salt and cayenne and serve with warm fluffy rolls.

Affordable DIY Halloween decorations

Every October I try to come up with super easy and cheap decorations we can do as family to get ready for Halloween. It is so much fun for all of us to come up with different ideas.

Here are a few of our favorites.

* (Specimen jars) Jars filled with colored water and spooky toys like rats, dolls heads, or bugs.
* (Terrariums)  Save those glass jars all year and make some creepy spider filled jars by using spider web string from the store, twigs and dirt from the yard sprayed black and some toy spiders.
*  (Apothecary store) Fill decorative glass containers with yummy fall colored candy.

Have fun with it and come up with ideas as a family, we usually spend $5 or less on each idea and the time spent doing the craft is priceless!