Five on Friday

One. Happy October - It's October y'all! Autumn truly begins in October and I am especially partial to this month since I was born in October. I am eating up the cooler temperatures and searching for falling leaves everywhere I go! Anyone else love Autumn like this? I almost shared the quote from L.M. Montgomery about being glad to live in a world where there are Octobers - but this one is also delightful.

Two. Weekend Plans - Thank goodness the weekend has arrived! This work week has been... something else, that's probably the best way to put it. I'm glad the weekend is here. Ryan and I are going to our couple's Bible study tonight and we have ZERO plans on Wednesday! Okay - we do have plans to pick up Ryan's new car from the dealership and we might do a hike around the lake... but no concrete plans! Sunday will be church and then... hopefully some more relaxation! It should be a chill weekend and for that, I am so very thankful!

Three. A Little Wedding Factoid - I stumbled on this little fun fact about weddings in the coming year and was pretty tickled by this information! I know we've discovered that it's best to get the bigger things (venue, photographer, caterer, etc...) on the calendar because next year is filling up! I especially think it's fascinating because I'm getting married in 2022... and I was born in 1984! How perfect, right?

Four. Perfectly Posh is 10 - Perfectly Posh is celebrating then years in business and as part of the celebration they're offering two new cake-adjacent pampering products! The Soap-rise Party Big Bath Bar is has confetti and is scented with a creamy strawberry milk scent and is $12! The Cake it Easy Face Mask has a delicious vanilla cake scent. moisturizes and brightens the appearance of your skin and is $20!

These products are limited quantity - so grab yours while it lasts at http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh 

Five. Tomato Soup - It's soup season and that means it is my very favorite season! I could eat soup for every meal and be perfectly content and when my fiancé agreed with me about that, I knew I'd found the perfect man. *laughs* I whipped up a tomato soup recipe on Wednesday night and it turned out pretty well, so I thought I'd share it - so y'all enjoy!

What You Need

• 8 Roma tomatoes; diced
• 2 cans diced tomatoes seasoned w/garlic, onion & basil
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic; finely minced 
• 1 large onion; diced
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup evaporated milk

What To Do 

• Preheat the oven to 400; add your diced tomatoes to a large baking sheet. Sprinkle the tomatoes with sea salt/onion powder/garlic powder (these "sprinkles" do not need to be taken from the measurements above).
• Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes at 400.
• In your large pot over medium heat, warm up the olive oil and then add garlic, onion, salt and dried basil, cooking until the onions are soft and the mixture is fragrant.
• Add the roasted tomatoes after they're removed from the oven - be sure to add their juices into the pot as well!
• Break up the tomatoes and stir them together with the onion mixture.
• Stir in the vegetable stock and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the evaporated milk and blend the soup until smooth.
• Serve with a drizzle of cream or freshly chopped basil or Parmesan shreds or croutons! Whatever you prefer!

I served my tomato soup with grilled cheese (made by my fabulous fiancé) and topped it with Parmesan cheese and croutons! If you blend the soup with a traditional blender, be sure to be careful as hot liquids expand!

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And just like that - October is here and there are just three short months left of 2021! I sure hope these last three months are filled with goodness and precious memories being made. Y'all enjoy your weekend!