The summer days have drifted away, the days are getting shorter and there is a chill in the air, that’s right fall is here. The first day of fall is next week, Wednesday September 23rd.
Don’t let the change in season get you down; there are plenty of reasons to love fall and so many things to do.
12 family must-do activities:
- Leaf jumping. Jump into a freshly raked pile of leaves.
- Visit a local family farm. A visit to the farm gives you the opportunity to learn and explore so many things like tractors, animals, and food.
- Apple Picking. Head to a local Apple Orchard and pick some apples.
- Tree Rubbing. Place a piece of paper against a tree and rub your crayon onto the paper and it will reveal a design from the tree’s bark.
- Homemade Halloween Costumes. Why not get a head start and make your own Halloween costumes.
- Read fall Themed books. Cozy up and read some new books, check out some fall themed books.
- Go for a walk. Head out for a family walk or hike, explore the beautiful colours of fall and collect some pretty leaves or pinecones.
- Paint Pinecones. Collect pinecones and paint them all crazy colours.
- Visit a pumpkin patch. Pick some pumpkins and then decorate or carve them when you get home.
- Scavenger hunt. Get outside and go on a fall themed scavenger hunt.
- Pumpkin Seeds. Roast and salt the pumpkin seeds that you pull out of your pumpkin.
- Fall Fairs. Fall is a busy time of year for fairs. Plan a trip to a local Fall Fair.
Another favourite thing about fall is indulging in some delicious comfort food, chilli, apple crisp, warm apple cider, pumpkin pie, fresh bread and homemade soups.
5 Ingredient Crockpot Chilli (2 quart crockpot)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small can tomato sauce (or half a large can)
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 package chilli seasoning
Instructions:
- Cook the ground beef or turkey in a pan and add onions to the mix.
- Add cooked meat, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and small can of tomato sauce to the crockpot.
- Add the chilli seasoning and mix together.
- Set crockpot to cook on low all day.
5 Ingredient Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup of butte
- 2-4 large apples
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Grease a casserole dish with butter.
- Peel your apples, cut them into bite size pieces and layer them in the buttered casserole dish.
- Sprinkle apples with cinnamon.
- Combine flour, brown sugar and butter into a bowl.
- Mix ingredients with a fork or a pastry tool. Mix until crumbly.
- Spread mixture over apples and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow apple crisp to cool slightly and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Warm Apple Cider
Ingredients:
- 64oz Apple Cider
- 3 Chopped Apples (optional)
- 3 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 teaspoon Whole Cloves
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- Small square of cheesecloth.
Instructions:
- Add bottle of apple cider to crockpot.
- Add chopped apples and brown sugar to crock pot.
- Place the whole cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks onto the square of cheesecloth and tie.
- Add to crockpot and cook on low for 2-3 hours.
- Discard cheesecloth, allow time to cool and use a ladle to serve!
Happy fall everyone!