It was 97F when I left the office on Friday evening. Yet it’s the middle of September, so when I stopped by the store to pick up groceries, I saw that all of the autumn flavored items were in stock.
This photo shows my favorites.
A cinnamon stick mini whisk broom. I love the scent of cinnamon and I put this in my home office to make me happy while I work.
Butternut squash macaroni and cheese. Yummy and only found at this time of year.
Organic pumpkin. I have to admit that I bake pumpkin bread year-round, but it’s particularly hard to find during the offseason and I’m always glad when it arrives back at Trader Joe’s as their prices are the cheapest. I’ve modified a recipe handed down from my grandmother and it’s delicious. I have a slice of pumpkin bread with peanut butter, accompanied by fruit and coffee, as my usual breakfast.
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice coffee, which includes ground orange peel, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. You can see the ground orange peel in this photo.
It makes a lovely, dark coffee that fills the house with its scent.
What’s not here that I love? Trader Joe’s pumpkin ice cream. So creamy. So delicious! But I’ve given up eating sweets except for special occasions, and keeping a pint of this in the freezer would be too tempting. So it’s best I avoid buying it in the first place.
Also, growing up in New England, in the fall we used to go to the local farm and buy maple sugar candies. Pure sugar, but oh so melt-in-your-mouth good. I’m sure there are places in California where I could buy these, but again, I’m trying to avoid processed sugar.
Finally, yes, I am a fan of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, if it’s made with enough pumpkin spice syrup. I’m not as much a fan of other coffee shops’ attempts to provide a similar product. But as long as I have my Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice coffee, I usually only buy one or two of the Starbucks ones a season.
What about you? Do you like pumpkin-flavored food?
