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Hi Reader,

Brian and I just got back from four days in Brookings, Oregon, the southern most city on the Oregon coast before the California border. We were celebrating our anniversary AND we had last stayed there on our honeymoon!!

It was a super fun place to visit, which was helped by the beautiful weather - sunny and high 60s the whole time we were there with very little wind. It made our morning and evening walks on the beach in front of our hotel that much more wonderful.💜

(In the photos above, I want to point out the super smooth rocks that were at the end of the beach where we stayed - they totally looked fake! Like those fake rocks people put in their yards or you find in Disneyland.😂)

We stayed at The Beachfront Inn, which turned out perfect for us with a protected balcony, a comfortable room with a desk and couch, and a well-stocked hot breakfast. To the left was the Brookings harbor so we could see boats coming and going, plus we had a nature show of seals, pelicans, and other birds all the time.

Just north of Brookings is the Samuel Boardman scenic state corridor, a 12-mile long stretch along the coast of hidden beaches and incredible views. We visited most of them and our favorites were Arch Rock, Whaleshead, and Harris Beach. They are all wonderful, but are hidden because there is usually a hike down through the forest to the beaches.

I think the whole coastline between Gold Beach and the California border is the most beautiful in the state, with all it's sea stacks, cliffs, and rugged coastlines interspersed with beaches. It's not easy to get to, but that makes it less crowded and that much more special.😀

🎃 So this next week marks the actual calendar's turn to fall, which means I can officially put out the little white pumpkins I have growing all over the vegetable garden! For us, it also means we get to enjoy football season again - and with that often football snacks.😀 I like to keep them as healthy as possible, so I thought I'd do a little round up of protein-rich snacks and appetizers that would work for watching the games (or for tailgating, if you're into that).

TIP: I like to actually plan a simple appetizer/charcuterie dinner for the evening games, like Mondays which starts around dinner for us on the west coast. Makes it that much more fun!

High Protein Snacks/Appetizers

• ​White Bean Dried Tomato Dip Recipe (serve with cut up veggies)
• ​Chipotle Spicy Roasted Almonds – Easy, Sugar Free (or another of my easy spiced nuts like this sugar free recipe or this one sweetened with a bit of maple syrup)
• ​Quick Pickle Roll Up (use dill pickle spears, pickled beans, or pickled asparagus - a FAVORITE of mine!)
• ​Quick Maple Mustard Chicken Bites Wrapped in Bacon
• ​Simple Cheese Ball Recipe with Dried Tomatoes (5 Minutes, No Nuts) (serve with crackers and/or bread - so good, makes you remember why simple cheese balls are iconic)

FROM THE ARCHIVES

​Quick, Soft Hamburger Buns​ These are ready in about an hour - really!! You can use some whole wheat flour, too, and they are still soft and delicious. Fall is for baking! RECIPE HERE

​Savory, Cheesy Zucchini Bread​ Use up that zucchini with this delicious quick bread! It would pair well with any appetizer spread you serve, too. RECIPE HERE

Happy fall - I'm sure glad you're here to celebrate a new season with me! Enjoy sliding into it any way you can.💚

P.S. Don't forget to freeze any last produce coming in from the garden!

PS- There's also a digital copy available!

Freezing is my #1 way to preserve the harvest quickly and easily (and my preferred way to eat many veggies and fruits preserved (vs. canning). I've combined all my tips and recipes for how to easily freeze veggies and fruits (and most often without blanching!!) in this physical book you can refer to again and again! Order My Copy

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