Ecclesiastes 3:1
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven….”
Folks, I love me some warm and cozy and if I add in a little yum…well, I am delighted.
Yes, the Fall Season is upon us….and I have some Fall recipes to share with you.
We start off with lunch of a grilled cheese sandwich oozing with cheese and browned in a cast iron skillet.
This is really not a recipe…it is your favorite sour dough bread, spread with butter (both sides) and your favorite cheese (double sliced) and browned on medium, so the bread gets toasted and the cheese melts. Yum!
AND What goes with a grilled cheese sandwich?
Why, homemade tomato soup topped with crispy tortilla strips.
Now, this soup is not your canned variety, although that is what my mother served to us on many a cold and shivery evening for supper, and it hit the spot.
You know, the ‘mmmm mmmm good’ kind.
However, I prefer my grandmother’s recipe as it was home made and by this time of the year, Grandma had lots of fresh tomatoes from her garden or her canning cupboard.
Recipe to follow.
Since we all seem to love pumpkin anything, I have a wonderful pumpkin sheet cake that I am going to share with you.
I served this at last week’s Bible Study and the ladies loved it.
The Captain said he looks forward to the Fall weather because I make pumpkin bread, cakes and pies. 🙂
I really should make them more often during the year too. 🙁
This cake tastes really wonderful when paired with hot apple cider.
And if that is not enough to test your senses…how about a simmer pot on the back of the stove sending the most wonderful aromas wafting through your home?
Years ago, we used a sauce pan and put some spices in it and that worked just fine..but as with all things, the new and improved (?) method is using a glass simmer pot with a lid.
Such as the one below which you can find on Amazon.
I filled the glass pot with a few of the extra Fall fruits I have laying about such as apples and oranges, plus cinnamon sticks as well as a few sprinkles of cinnamon.
It all comes together to make our home warm and cozy and yum!
We are all still trying to pull our lives back together here in the state of Florida…and get as close to normal as we can get at this time.
There is much rebuilding to do and still lots and lots of clean-up from Hurricane Ian.
The debris (landscaping, fencing and household furnishings) still lay at the curb of so many homes; as the gatherers of such debris work overtime to get it all picked up and delivered to local dumping stations and landscaping landfills.
Aside from the unfortunate people to lose their homes, it is safe to say that every single house in the Cape has damage;…whether it be landscaping gone, fences destroyed, roofs now sporting blue tarps or pool cages torn from the tops of in-ground pools.
However, we are down, but not out.
WE WILL REBUILD AND COME BACK BETTER THAN BEFORE.
In the meantime, we can make our homes warm and cozy and yum.
I love the logo on these clear, glass cups as Fall is certainly a wish for ‘Forever Fall’…which would be fine with me.
The cups are filled with hot mulled apple cider….and so easy to make.
I not only make the mulled cider for cooler nights in the Fall but at Christmas time too.
I use a crock pot to keep it nice and hot for guests or just family.

Hot Apple Cider
Ingredients
- 1/2 gal apple cider
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 pkg red hot candies
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- two/three whole cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- In a crock pot, add apple cider and cinnamon candies and turn dial on high to melt the candies, stirring often. Add the spices and lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. Add more apple cider and adjust spices to taste after the cider is hot and then turn to low to keep warm.
This Pumpkin Sheet Cake is as easy to make as the famous Chocolate Sheet Cake that I have made for over 50 years.
These days, if I don’t want to make a full sheet cake, I just cut the recipe in half and make a half of a sheet cake and this recipe adapts perfectly.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake
Equipment
- Use approximately 15x10x1 inch sheet pan or if using half recipe use approximately 10x7 sheet pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour for half sheet cake use 1 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar for half sheet cake use 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 15 oz can of pumpkin for half sheet cake use 7 oz pumpkin
- 4 large eggs for half sheet cake use 2 eggs
- 1 cup canola oil for half sheet cake use 1/2 cup oil
- 2 tsp cinnamon for half sheet cake use 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder for half sheet cake use 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda for half sheet cake use 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cloves for half sheet cake use 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt for half sheet cake use 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice for garnish on top of icing if desired optional
Instructions
- Spray sheet pan with nonstick baking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees.Mix flour, sugar, pumpkin, eggs and oil til well blended. (do not use pumpkin pie filling as there are too many ingredients in it, use pure pumpkin)Add spices, mixing well. Pour into sheet pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. (use a toothpick to test for doneness)
Meanwhile make the glaze or icing depending on how thick you want topping.
- Using electric mixer, combine 8 ounces (4 ounces if using half sheet pan)of room temp cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter (use 1/4 cup softened butter for half sheet pan), 2 tsps vanilla (1 tsp vanilla if making half) and 4-5 cups powdered sugar (2-3 cups of powdered sugar if making half sheet pan)Depending on consistency desired add more or less powdered sugar.Sprinkle the top of icing or glaze with pumpkin pie spice (optional)
Grandma’s Tomato Soup recipe is as follows, with a slight variation.

Grandma's Homemade Tomato Soup (with a slight variation)
Ingredients
- 4 cups tomatoes (fresh, canned, whole or diced) I use diced
- 3 tbsp1 butter
- 2 cups V8 Juice (Or you can use canned tomato juice)
- 1/2 cup Onion (diced)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp basil (can use chopped fresh basil if desired)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper or red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup cream (or half & half)
Instructions
- In heavy dutch oven, heat butter until melted
- Add the onions and spices and stir until the onions are translucent
- Stir in the flour cooking over medium to low heat until the flour is cooked, about 3-4 minutes. (You don't want the taste of raw flour in your soup.)
- Add the V8 juice and tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes
- Turn off heat. Using a hand blender, blend the soup until the tomatoes are all liquid
- Add the cream and stir over medium heat until well blended and hot.
- Before serving, Top with croutons, tortilla strips or chopped fresh basil
Finally, a simmer pot with fruits and spices.
The Simmer Pot recipe isn’t really a recipe at all but for those who want a guide, you will find that below.

Fall Fruit Simmer Pot
Ingredients
- 3-5 cups water
- 3 sticks Cinnamon
- 2 chopped/sliced apples
- 2-3 sliced/peeled oranges
- 1 tsp candied ginger (or you can use fresh)
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 pod vanilla ( or vanilla paste or extract)
Instructions
- Fill pot of your choice with water and add sliced/chopped or peeled fruit and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few hours. You may add more fruit or water as desired.
So there you have it dear friends.
Warm and cozy and Yum!
Have a great and Blessed day.
Proverbs 31:30
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
We love grilled cheese and tomato soup! I put cooked slices of bacon between the [two] cheese slices on ours. Keeping you and your community in my prayers, Kari.
Thank you Rita…all prayers are appreciated. I will add some bacon next time I make a grilled cheese…sounds yummy. Hugs
Oh such a delicious cake! This time of year there are so many wonderful smells and tastes! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes.
And my prayers continue for Florida. My sister has a condo that has been gutted due to water damage and mold. It’s hard to deal with but it will be fixed in time.
Sending love and hugs…
Thanks Nancy, I really do love the smells and tastes of Autumn. You have made some wonderful recipes yourself…I pray for all those who have lost so much, your sister will also be on my prayer list . Bless you my friend.
Thank you!
Dear Kari, I love grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. I remember always taking fresh pumpkin bread and other goodies to the overhaul for years. The guys remember too. Thank you so much for the memories.
I hope it doesn’t take years for Florida to get cleaned up and rebuilt. You’re lucky your governor is a fast-working man.
Love you,
Sandy
Thanks dear friend…we are plugging away to get back to “normal”. The Captain went to the grocery store today for me …and also brought home a frozen turkey…he was worried there would not be a turkey closer to Thanksgiving! I had to laugh but he could be right…It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Have a wonderful evening. Hugs
Yes, Thanksgiving is rushing up on us. I love pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, Ron doesn’t like turkey or chicken. lol! Oh well, you can’t have everything. You’ll get back to normal faster than you think.
How timely. Just bought a can of pumpkin but had not decided on how to use it. Your sheet cake recipe sounds wonderful. It will be a good cake to share with my neighbors. Love serving hot mulled cider at Thanksgiving time. There are so many good smells and tastes at this time of year.
Isn’t that the truth Jan…I also like smelling smoke from fireplaces and making s’mores over a fire pit. Thanks for stopping by and have a great end to October.
Blessings always
Is there anything better than a grilled cheese with tomato soup? I think not!!! Thanks for sharing your cozy comfort recipes and I admire your can do attitude once again as you are coping with the impact of Hurricane Ian…I continue to send prayers to all…💕
Thanks Jenna…I know you have dealt with the aftermath of a hurricane and you all pulled together. That is what makes our country great…we are there for each other in times like this. As far as tomato soup and grilled cheese go…I could eat that every day. LOL thanks for stopping by my friend. Blessings to you and your family.
Kari, I just had dinner but your wonderful recipes make me want to eat again. I love tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich, especially on a cool autumn day. Thanks so much for sharing the recipes that I want to try! Praying for all who are suffering from Ian. Wishing you a lovely weekend, sweet friend!
Thanks Pam for stopping by…I used your suggestion and posted those recipes…I’m just moving a little slow…LOL. Bless you dear friend for all your encouragement along the way. Happy October!