It Smells Like…Fall!

September 17, 2019

Can you feel it? The season change that’s about a week away and heralds the beginning of all things autumnal? It’s almost fall! There’s actual research that you can SMELL the change of seasons – it has something to do with trees shedding leaves and harvest type smells. And even if summer is your favorite time of year, there’s plenty to love about all the wonderful scents of fall – and we’re not talking about leaves!

Stovetop Simmer Scents

Aromatic combinations (like apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a pot of water on the stove) will fill your home with the fragrance of fall, and you don’t have to light a single candle! How Sweet it Is blogger Jessica throws in orange peels (Clementine peels will do) plus cardamom pods, fresh ginger and star anise. She’s saving her vanilla bean for Christmastime, but if you have one laying around begging to be used – throw that in, too!

You can also use a slow cooker for your simmer pot. Just fill it with water and the smell-good ingredients, put on the lid, and turn the slow cooker to high. When the steam starts rising, take the lid off and set the slow cooker to a low. Add water as it evaporates to keep your pot at least halfway full. Apartment Therapy offers seven different recipes (for different noses!) including combinations with lavender, bay leaf and cranberry!

Baked-In Cinnamon Apple

We don’t know a single nose that doesn’t appreciate the fragrance of an apple-cinnamon cake baking in the oven. As temperatures start to fall and we’re no longer avoiding our ovens, this five-star concoction from My Recipes is just the thing to fill your home with those fall-ish spice-fruit smells. The cake doesn’t compromise a single ingredient – nothing but the tastiest! – and you can toss in walnuts or pecans, and eat it right out of the oven, topped with ice cream.

Oh Sweet Basil has a simple Fried Cinnamon Apples recipe – a copycat of the Boston Market fave — that’s simple to make and spiced with both cinnamon and nutmeg. Fried in butter and sugar, these apples taste incredible, sliced bits of fruity goodness in a syrupy sweet glaze. Other recipes use brown sugar for a little different taste sensation.

Inspired Taste contends that these cinnamon baked apples are the easiest yet, with a topping of butter, flour, oats, brown sugar and more cinnamon, and polished with salted caramel sauce and, of course, ice cream!

You can whip up another enticing fall scent in your kitchen with a little help from MyRecipes with these Maple-Pecan Bars. They’ll remind you of pecan pie but are gluten-free, combining white rice flour, cornstarch and sorghum flour with xanthan gum and vanilla extract. You’ll also need to blend in pure maple syrup and gooey brown sugar with butter before you add the pecans.

Best Ever Pumpkin Bread

Fall wouldn’t be fall without the smell of pumpkin something! We picked this pumpkin bread recipe from a 50-year-old magazine published by Once Upon a Chef. With butter, sugar, pumpkin and all the right spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) once you pop that bread pan in the oven, you’ll be counting down the 75 minutes until you can pull it out and sample the goods! 

To add a little pumpkin spice to nuts, your coffee, and even whipped cream on a slice of pie, check out this DIY recipe from Taste of Home. With it, you can add a little fall flavor to every meal!

Almost Fall in Southshore

It’s almost fall in the master-planned community of Southshore, and in Colorado that’s just one more reason to love where you live! Life at the Lake at Southshore is a year-round spectacle of watching the seasons change as our community evolves. Check out the new homes here from Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers — available in ranch and two-story designs, and priced between the $400s and the $700s.