The lovely Sarah at moderncountrystyle is hosting quite the fun party all about fall today.

I thought of showcasing the Ottawa Valley’s gorgeous show of fall leaves and our rolling hills but instead…

I bring you beer.

The Oktoberfest of my 20’s that I remember involved very large crowds, copious amounts of barley based liquids and a fairly sore head the next day.


Those days are really gone but Oktoberfest still remains.  We now (two years running) have a family tradition of going to a different sort of Oktoberfest.


Our local brewery Beaus hosts a weekend of Oktoberfest that features the best restaurants in the area (with cut-rate prices of their best goodies), petting zoo, band, husband wearing goofy hat.  Here’s my little photo montage of our day 🙂

That is what I intended to write about. 

BUT then I got a cold and the weather got really cold and the husband wanted to put the push on to get heat into the new part of the house and priorities changed. 

At first I was really disappointed and then I realised that fall was more about getting cozy ergo the need to get the heat on and eating cozy.  Each fall I pull out recipes, like old sweaters and good friends that I’m happy to see.  These are recipes that I wouldn’t dream of having in the summer time, like gingerbread cake.

Take 1/2 cup mollasses and 1/2 cup maple syrup.

 1/2 cup butter and 2/3 cup boiling water.

 Combine the two.

 Add 1 T. freshly grated ginger.

 1 egg, 2 3/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. cloves.

 Mix until JUST combined and bake in a buttered, 9 inch cake pan until a knife comes out clean (about 30 minutes at 330).

 Glaze with a mixture of 1 cup icing sugar and 6 T. fresh lemon juice.

 Watch it magically disappear.

 Hunker in for a cold afternoon of rain while the husband gets the house ready for the winter.  A prescription of hot tea with a side of “Murder on the Nile” is also required.  Happy fall 🙂  Happy new duct work.