Welcome to the Seasonalist, a happy place to land, where youβll find all things seasonal and seasonal-adjacent (books, movies, food, and fun) from Austin, Texas. If youβd like to subscribe, click below.
βWatching wan moonlight illuminate tree limbs, my heart also brims, overflowing with autumn.ββOno no Komachi
Happy Friday yβall!
Every Friday, I recap how I lived seasonally the week before, and I encourage you to do the same. You begin to focus on daily delights and new experiences. Seasonal living will change your outlook. I promise.
How I lived seasonally last week:
Aspen leaves changing in Colorado
A Denver Oktoberfest
Halloween Joe-Joeβs cookies (held myself to 3! Major accomplishment)
Boursin Dip in my Acorn Dish
On to the Fluff Stuff!
π Denver Stuff
I spent the weekend in Denver with college friends. We spent one day at Rocky Mountain National Park (Viator is becoming my travel BFF), one day in Boulder, and all 3 nights in Denver. Two restaurants of note:
Corsica Wine Bar (amazing small plates).
The Kitchen Bistro (owned by Kimbal Musk)βone of the best meals of my life, and the most insane wine. Iβm no sommelier, but I would describe this rose as having a jalapeΓ±o or pickle overlap. It was WILD and delicious. Of note, the 4th location of The Kitchen Bistro is opening inβ¦Austin this November.
π₯ͺ Autumn Sandwich Stuff
Taking a break from soup this week (not really, I still made a basic minestrone), I dabbled in the Autumn Sandwich arts. Yβall. Behold Ambitious Kitchenβs Ultimate Cheddar Apple Sandwich (the only substitutionsβregular medium cheddar slices & leaf lettuce instead of arugula). This sandwich was π―. I ate it two days in a row.
π« Quinoa Chocolate Stuff
While flying on United Airlines to Denver, they ran out of my favorite snack right before my row. Tragic. I had to buy my own bag. One of my college friends texted me that she found Undercover pumpkin at her Whole Foods in Buffalo. I couldnβt find it here. Godspeed.
πΏοΈ Boursin Dip Stuff
I made the viral (face punch for even uttering the word βviralβ) Boursin Dip, to be used in my Acorn Dip dish, which was a shameful purchase that Iβm determined to use weekly this Autumn season. 2 ingredients! Highly recommend.
π Touching My Soul Stuff
My younger son is rushing an intense organization at college. I send him pep talks and this one resonated with both of us. From Poets of Instagram:
Wise words for the weekend.
πΆ End of Month Playlist
Last month I started journaling my life by making a monthly playlist of songs that came up in my life. Here is this monthβs playlist and some memory highlights.
Bush, Candlebox, and Alice & Chains from the concert I attended with my older son.
The Spins by Mac Millerβwe heard this song twice at a basketball momβs reunion happy hour.
Say Something from Timberlake and Stapleton, recommended by Nicole, our Rocky Mountain National Park guide.
*A Bit of Administration. I know I said that I was going to do 31 days of Instagram in Octoberβbut I donβt want to. Instagram is not my love language and doesnβt touch my soul. Iβll do it here, but make it a free printable on how to Underconsume & Overexperience life this October.
From the Seasonalistβs archives:
On Substsack: The Mindful Librarianβs βFalling for Romance Collectionβ reading list (you need to be a paid subscriber or spend $5βwell worth it if you like romance novels).
After Googling βIs Kimbal Musk normal?β (legitimate question)βhere is a mini-biography.
Apparently lunch meat can kill you! And if listeria doesnβt, then the act of processing meats will, per the New York Times (Are Some Ultraprocessed Foods Worse Than Others?) The Seasonalist is henceforth focusing on vegetarian sandwiches (and soups, obviously).
May your weekend be fluffy!
Ooooo that sandwich sounds incredible, thank you!! And yessss welcome to the dark side ;) with your veggie sandwich shift. Tempeh bac'n and tofu bac'n BLTs became my personality this summer and I'm still scrounging up tomatoes from the garden and slicing off the less-than-desirable sides to stretch the season out!
βbut I donβt want to. Instagram is not my love languageβ this tiny part of this newsletter makes me SO HAPPY. Letβs normalize not doing optional things simply because they donβt make us happy! Also, thanks for pointing people toward my romance collection! Thatβs an example of a project I spent so (SO) many hours on, but it made me incredibly happy, so it was 100% worth it