Hi Reader,

We're settling into the heart of October now, and I don't know about you, but this is the stretch of fall where my kitchen starts to slow down and smell like soup on the back burner. 🍂

This week around here, I've been a little busier than usual with hosting a yard sale for myself and my uncle who is letting go of his late wife's stuff. It's been a sobering experience and a real-life testimony for storing up our treasures in Heaven and not here on Earth.

I'm also missing my daughters terribly because we always had such an event filled Autumn when they were home. But I keep reminding myself that the best parts of autumn aren't the big outings. They're the quiet ones: a pot simmering all afternoon, a warm loaf cooling on the counter, and a few minutes to notice how faithful God has been through another season. Grace over perfection, right?

So this week's goodies are simple and cozy: a humble bean soup with a surprising story, some pumpkin baking from the recipe box, a gentle way to get ahead of holiday grocery spending, and a quick question for you below.

From the Recipe Box

⭐ Recipe of the Week: Old-Fashioned Capitol Hill Bean Soup

Did you know navy bean soup has been on the U.S. Senate dining room menu every single day since at least 1903? Donna G. of Branson, Missouri clearly agreed with their judgment, because her community cookbook version is the coziest I've found. Her secret is one ingredient most modern recipes leave out: half a cup of mashed potatoes, which makes the broth silky and thick without any cream or flour. It's a weekend soup that tastes even better the next morning.

Get Donna's recipe → Capitol Hill Bean Soup​

More cozy fall favorites from the recipe box:

• ​Pumpkin Banana Bread — born from two sad bananas and a forgotten can of pumpkin in the pantry
• ​Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins — the same cozy flavor, ready for lunchboxes and busy mornings
• ​Vintage Brown Sugar Pancakes — Lorraine's folded egg whites make them lighter than any dump-and-stir batter
• ​Vintage Coffee Punch — Judy's page has a thumbprint smudge on the corner, and the leftovers taste like a mocha milkshake

If you try any recipes and like them, please leave a rating or review!

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, so tell me ⤵