All of you in blogland are in for such a great treat today and I am so excited about this post! I've been wanting to do a "guest post" for a long time now and I think this is the perfect post to start with. A little bit about Britt before you get to her perfectly timed-blog. Britt and I met in our first year of law school. Turns out we were both Kappas in college, however that is only one of the many things we have in common. She is hilarious, sarcastic, the best listener and did I mention gorgeous? I'm lucky to have her as my best, bridesmaid and now guest blogger. I hate to keep you waiting, so without further ado, Britt's post: 
It is no secret that my general demographic is obsessed with #fall and all related products and experiences. I don’t hate fall by any means. However, I have some serious concerns about this fall obsession and feel that my peers have been overlooking the following issues:

1. Pumpkin Spice Lattes: The #PSL is basically barf in a cup. As someone who lovingly awaits the “Christmas” cup at Starbucks each year, I can appreciate a hot cup of coffee or latte now and again. But everyone knows that the only reason anyone orders a #PSL is to post a pensive picture to Instagram. 
2. Fall candles: Fall candles are such a mixed bag for me. I love how the perfect cinnamon/vanilla candles make my house smell, but 9/10 times, instead, I buy a disgusting sugary candle by accident and then it sits under my sink until I throw it away during Spring Cleaning. 
3. Allergies: Ahhhh allergies. In Nebraska, and never being more than 2 miles away from a cornfield, allergies are abundant. So in addition to me not feeling great without constant Zyrtec, everyone around me is constantly sneezing and not covering their mouth. Cute. 
4. Carving Pumpkins: This is the “best in theory, worst in practice” fall-related activity. Sure, it’s fun going to a pumpkin patch and finding the perfect $10 gourd. But carving it? Yuck. The knives are never sharp enough, actually carving is just not fun, and then you have a huge mess. Also, I never have the proper candle to light it up so I usually end up using a citronella candle leftover from summer which is sad. 
5. Weather/Boots/Scarves Dilemma: Nothing is as great as pulling out your favorite #boots and #scarves post-summer… Except when it is still 80 degrees and almost November. Is it so much to ask to have some clear, crisp, 58 degree days before the temperature plummets and the snow ruins my boots?
6. Halloween Costumes: Don’t even get me started on professional adults dressing up in slutty/stupid costumes. 
7. WINTER: Probably the most overlooked aspect of fall is that it is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from WINTER. The most dreaded months almost everywhere, but especially the Midwest. Goodbye sun and happiness, hello freezing temperatures, bad drivers, and ice.

Day 13: Favorite Fall Recipe

Today's prompt is perfect for me because (1) I made a delicious soup last night and (2) I love everything fall! I didn't grow up where fall exists, and I have to be honest, living in a city with full-fledged fall is incredible. Watching TV with a fire on, feeling the crisp cool air on my morning walk with Henry and crunching leaves beneath my boots is just the best. And, don't even get me started on the purple, orange, yellow and red leaves that grace all of our streets. Man, I could go on and on about fall, but after much ado, the recipe for Gumbo. I got this recipe from my new favorite book, Paleo Comfort Foods and we modified it a bit to our liking. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 onions, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped (I used dried again!) 
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 quart can tomatoes (I used on of those big cans of diced tomatoes, and one small one because it looked like it needed more juice) 
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound shrimp (I used frozen from the grocery store) 
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• Cajun seasoning
• 2 bay leaves

How to make: 

1. Get a crockpot, turn it on high. 
2. Throw in the onions, celery, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaves shrimp and sausage. 
3. Season with cajun seasoning. This was our addition. Season to your liking. (We use about 2 tablespoons. Let it cook for a couple hours and then tasted and added some more)
4. Put the lid on and let it sit. We cooked it for 3 hours on low, and then turned in up to high for the last hour. 

If you can't tell by now, Adam and I love spicy food. Oh, and we love fall and the fact that it's completely acceptable to make soup at least once a week. This soup was the perfect blend of spiciness, flavor and it was so hearty. It's also from my new favorite paleo cookbook, Paleo Comfort Foods, and people... STOP everything and go get this book. It's amazing, my new favorite book. Okay, without further ado, the recipe.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 poblano peppers, chopped (our store didn't have them, so I used serrano)
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 jalapeños, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green or red bell peppers, chopped (I used the dried bell peppers again)
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
2 teaspoons chili powder (leave this out if you don't love spice)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 28-ounce can tomatillos, drained and chopped. I used fresh tomatillos, so if you prefer, use about 1 pound and half. (Take the husk off and dice)
2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded (I used one pack of chicken from costco)
4 cups chicken broth (I ended up using about 5 cups, I eyeballed it and thought it needed more liquid)
1 Avocado (we used it as a garnish, yumm)

How to make: 
Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a large pot.
Add ingredients up to the garlic and sauté until onions are translucent (about 3 minutes) (
Add next ingredients up to tomatillos (the spices)
Add tomatillos, chicken and broth.
Bring to a simmer and let cook for an hour or two. I covered the pot for the first hour and then took it off for the last 45 minutes.

This past weekend Adam and I spent the weekend in Breckenridge with his parents. Breckenridge is so beautiful this time of year. All the trees are changing colors and a pumpkin beer tastes amazing in the cool air. We had a great weekend wandering Main Street, watching college football and eating pizza at Erics. What a wonderful weekend. I hope yours was just as great!