A Pinch Of Friggin’ False Fall

Something about mid-September doesn’t always call for a warm bowl of the good stuff. But with the leaves already somewhat turning — dare I say falling — I’m officially declaring it Soup Szn. So did more of 95% of people who responded to my soup last week. More importantly, Trader Joe’s has its fall items in every crevasse of their stores. I don’t think I’m fully ready to jump into the spookiness and pumpkin spice, but the temptations were there on today’s trip. Almost caught me in the middle with their maple leaf ice cream sandwiches. We’ll get there.

I’ll tell ya what, I’m in no rush to breeze through this period of a stretched false fall. Last Wednesday kicked off soup season with a grey day. I even ended up getting a hot cup of coffee Thursday morning — a couple firsts of the season. After an attempted trip to Trader Joe’s for their tomato & roasted red pepper soup, among other treats and staples, when the line was wrapped around the store to the door, I went back to the drawing board. Glad I did in fact!

I knew I wanted a simple soup that had some good vegetable options. This NYTimes recipe from Ali Slagle for Sausage Tortellini Soup hit the SPOT. Super easy weeknight meal after a quick jump to the local store with some options in mind. I ended up going with some green beans and asparagus for the vegetables, along with the fennel. I also cooked up some mild Italian pork sausage out of its casings instead of the chicken sausage.

This will definitely become a nice go-to for the rest of soup season because of how it uses different pantry staples and what’s on hand. Adding frozen tortellini to my must-haves on hand for the simplicity here. Also, who doesn’t love a quick pasta option? Perhaps with TJ’s autumnal harvest sauce?

The quick cozy night was great. Thursday night’s vibes were damn near immaculate with a night catching some fresh air. A trip to down to Bok Bar to hang with friends, enjoying some goods from Sweet Amalia Market.

I’ll admit, getting a burger and fries from a well-renowned seafood market seems like it doesn’t do the place justice. The stomach wants what the stomach wants, and (most of the time) the brain simply has to listen. Not a single crumb of regret here. This burger was delicious. And the fries, perfect. All with a great view of the city. A need to sneak in AT LEAST one more visit to that rooftop.

Other simple meals here and there these past few days:

• Pancakes for one for some Sunday soccer

• Salmon bowl with roasted green beans, carrots and cucumbers

Another meal that got me through the weekend with a long run and a few more meals that are already prepped for the week: turkey feta meatballs with roasted cauliflower and broccoli. No pictures with this one. My latest sauce choice for this one is a quick mix of plain greek yogurt, honey, some garlic powder and a pinch of salt.

As you can tell I didn’t really think this meal was worth a shout or some pictures, but these simple meals are what get us through the week. Plus, some coworkers asked me what I made for lunch and I didn’t think it was worth even saying, until I did and they wanted it for themselves. Perhaps I need to do a walkthrough of what I consider throw-together meals 🤔

Got an itch earlier today for another bake drop. Perhaps soon, keep the eyes peeled. For now, watch out for the pumpkin takeover that’s about the happen from the grocery store shelves to the coffee shops to the sidewalks. I’ll be soaking in the gourd-geous weather we’ve still got going.

Take it easy this week 🤘