Apple picking...check

My goal is to spend the entire month of October doing fun, fall-inspired things. Last weekend I kicked off the season with apple picking. Munching on apples in the sunshine and drinking warm apple cider with the family was just what I needed to recharge for the long workweek to come.

But that was just the beginning. For dinner, we had homemade stew that had been marinading and slow cooking all day. It was the perfect rustic meal to celebrate the change of seasons. (Stay tuned for pictures of this delicious feast).

Afterward, feeling stuffed and exhausted, I snuggled up by the crackling fire with a glass of my favorite wine and finished reading my book.

Sunday was a typical dreary, fall day in New England -- gray skies, wet leaves and a damp breeze. But the gloomy weather just made our chai lattes all the more satisfying.

What would a fall weekend be without a little baking? With the giants football game on in the background, we peeled and sliced a bunch of our freshly picked apples and made grandma's apple bread -- a recipe that's been handed down over generations.

I'm looking forward to next weekend. Hopefully I'll get to do a little hiking and maybe even a corn maze or haunted hayride :)