Autumn Afternoon

Yesterday was a perfect fall Sunday.  I slept in, drank pumpkin coffee, and watched some football.

Lunch was a hot bowl of seafood chowder that we had been storing in the freezer since last year's soup sale at the Firehouse.  I love soup on a chilly afternoon!

And Puddin' and I went out to enjoy the perfect weather with a walk up the mountain.

And a regular view at Dave's house...

Puddin had a blast, as always.

Doggie smile!

Saturday was on the busy side since I got up early to search for Halloween costume stuff at multiple thrift stores in the area.  I refuse to buy my costume from a store, I love DIY Halloween costumes!  Then I headed into the city with my cheerleading squad for their competition.  They killed it.  I was SO proud!  I drove to Dave's after we got back from the competition and I was exhausted.  It was so nice to take it easy on Sunday and recover.

What's your perfect fall day include?

Veggie Vodka Ravioli

I'm only at Dave's on Tuesdays and over the weekend, so smart grocery shopping and planning meals ahead of time is pretty rare for me.  There's always that quick trip to the grocery store to grab a thing or two to make each meal happen.  But then there are those times when you realize you randomly have all the things you need to make an amazing meal!

Veggie Vodka Ravioli

- Trader Joe's vodka sauce
- Trader Joe's spinach ravioli
- Green & red peppers
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Parmesan & mozzarella cheese
- Sprinkle of oregano and basil to taste

1.  Precook ravioli as directed on package (maybe a little less time than called for).
2.  Slice veggies thin and saute in a pan over medium heat until slightly wilted.
3.  Layer all ingredients in a baking pan.
4.  Cook in oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.
5.  Think to yourself, dang this was easy and enjoy!
I didn't think this was going to be anything special when I started, but when I layered it all in the pan it really started to look amazing!

All of the veggies really complimented the sauce and the ravioli.  And cheese makes everything better, duh :)  I'm usually not that into ravioli, but I'm thinking my feelings come from plain cheese ravioli only accompanied by some tomato sauce.  The spinach inside the ravioli changed things up a bit and I think I could add sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms to any pasta dish!

Some garlic bread made out of a leftover Wawa wheat shorty roll completed the meal.  Win.

Do you like vodka sauce?  Have you ever made it or had homemade?
I never had vodka sauce until the dining commons in college.  My roomie loved it and I had never even heard of it!  I've never had homemade vodka sauce, possible recipe to try in the future...?

Winetober Fest!

On Saturday, I met some friends in Skippack for Winetober Fest!

Various locations were set up along Skippack's cute little Main Street with wine tasting, food, art, and live music.

I also got a free mini massage and I knew someone playing, we saw Pete from Pete Kranz and the Wide Eyed Mother Brothers!

The weather was amazing, a perfect fall day.  It was great to get out and have an afternoon with the ladies and try so many different kinds of wine... including one that tasted like apple cider (and was made with grapes)!  So fall, so tasty.  I'm such a sucker for sweet wines, although I've been trying to find more of an appreciation for wines on the dry side too.

The rest of the weekend included cocktails with friends, getting down to our friend's band Dead Poets at a local spot, quality time with my faves, and Shayna asking me to be one of her bridesmaids!  I'm now in two weddings next October, wowza!  On Sunday I hit up a bridal show in King of Prussia with Shayna and her MOH, Jenn.  Both ladies blog over at Good Food, Good Friends, Good Times, a group blog with some tasty recipes!  The show was free but Shayna won a ton of goodies including a $50 Macy's gift card, a $200 gift certificate to a bridal salon, and the most beautiful earrings for her wedding day!  I should have taken a picture of them, epic fail!  We also ended up on stage doing the cupid shuffle with a dozen people and suddenly the MC dismisses everyone but us.  Next thing we know were belting out some Aretha on stage, this is my ridiculous life.

Thanks for the pic, Jes!

The weekend was awesome but it also was not very recharging.  I've been kinda dragging this week but I did go out for a 2.75 mi run with Joanne on Monday!  Running with her really pushed my pace and the sunset was a beautiful running backdrop.  Yay for running dates!

What's your favorite wine?  Do you like working out with a partner in crime?