EOW No. 23

It’s fall now and absolutely grand.  After the forever hot of this summer, we are finally experiencing deliciously cool mornings and warm, sunny afternoons.  Bryan, Bowie, and I just got back from a vacation at Broken Bow, Oklahoma.  Broken Bow is situated next to a state park and a big lake about three hours away from Dallas.  We hiked, boated, and relaxed outside to our hearts’ content.  The cabin we rented was tucked away from the other houses and Bowie ran around, sniffing all the new smells.  Surprisingly, besides two gigantic tarantulas, we didn’t see any other critters while we were out there.  The weather was absolutely perfect while we were out there.  Oklahoma hasn’t received any rain either so everything was dry and dusty; lake levels are down 12 feet from where the normal shoreline is!  The only thing that could’ve made the trip better was if there wasn’t a burn ban while we were out there and we could have had a campfire.

Our backyard at the cabin

I certainly underestimated Oklahoma as well as the joy in taking a short break in October.  I am putting it on my calendar as a reminder for next year - go travel in the shoulder seasons, you get the absolute BEST weather and the least crowds.  Bryan’s family in Michigan received their first snow shower this week, I guess in some places they’ve already jumped directly into winter.

You all have to agree that one of the best things about fall is fall food.  Although I haven’t fired up the ol’ slow cooker, it’s certainly getting to be that season.  This week, I got into the Halloween spirit and made these black velvet cupcakes.  The recipe was ON POINT and incredibly easy - don’t feel as though you need to make any alterations to it.  I gifted some to our neighbors and my coworker and they loved them.

Ever since I found this homemade pizza dough recipe, we’ve been baking pizzas at home.  Nothing fancy and baked in the oven on a cookie sheet.  We finally made the decision to invest in a pizza steel and are never looking back.  We bought this one from Made In (love all their pots and pans) and the pizza that comes out is stellar.  After this, I may not ever order out for pizza ever again.

For my friends with horses in cold weather, do you all have heated water buckets?  We’re thinking of investing in some this winter in case we get the same freak weather we’ve had the last few years.  The auto waters have frozen over a handful of times but not consistently every year.  Let me know if you think they’re worth it and if you have a specific brand you recommend (or don’t).