Beginning of November

Last week I blogged on Halloween, but there were still a few hours left in the holiday, though it didn't feel much like the holiday anymore. I took some of the pumpkin pieces we cut out of jack-o'-lanterns, peeled and grated them, and then made them into a sweet bread. It was OK, but it needed something acidic. (See what I learn from watching Halloween/Holiday/Spring Baking Championship?)

I went on a neighborhood walk. I saw a couple of girls walking up our street with plastic bags full of candy (but no costumes), so I expected them to trick-or-treat at our house, but we didn't get a single visitor on Halloween evening. On my walk, I even saw one house had already taken down their Halloween display, even though it was literally Halloween! I lit our jack-o'-lanterns and played my Halloween music outside, but still no one came. I also made pumpkin turkey chili, because apparently chili is a Halloween tradition for some people. And my mom and I spent the evening watching Song of the Sea again. It was kind of a boring Halloween. Oh well, there's always next year.

On Monday morning, I went on a North Canyon run. It's always a wonderful place, but it's less interesting when all the flowers and leaves are gone. 

Now that there's the new trail, I don't have to walk through the muddy road, but overall I'm not too impressed with the new trail. And the trail runs next to private property, and the owner has put barbed wire exactly next to the trail! 

Tuesday began a series of appointments for the week. That morning my insurance agent called me to renew my health insurance ("Obamacare") for 2022. (I'm hoping that maybe in 2022 I'll get a real job that gives me benefits.) And in the afternoon, after class, I met with the academic advisor to make sure I'm on track for graduation.

Wednesday morning I went to the dentist, and all appears well with my teeth. I think my hygienist was new; that was the wettest I ever got at the dentist. And in all my life, I have never had a female dentist or a male hygienist (that I can remember). 

Thursday afternoon I ran up North Canyon again. I believe it was my first time ever going on an evening/afternoon run there in November.

On Friday, I took my car in for maintenance, and it was free this time. That was a relief, because the last three times were very expensive (transmission fluid, new tires, new filters, etc.). That same day, I began working on a freelance editing project for one of my professors. It's supposed to be done by the end of the month, and it's turning out much harder than I expected. I also quoted him an hourly rate, and then recently I saw a list of standard rates for freelance editors, and I learned I am vastly undercharging. And I would imagine that I am a better editor than a great majority of freelance editors—I say that because I have seen other editors' work, and it's not as good as mine. (If they were so great, they would work for an institution). Oh well, I will know for next time.

Friday evening, I finished putting up most of my Thanksgiving decorations while playing my Thanksgiving playlist.  I love my Thanksgiving decorations; they just make me feel so festive, cozy, and nostalgic for dark November evenings at home. But they also make me a little uncomfortable: Pilgrims did not wear buckles, the First Thanksgiving was not the first Thanksgiving, turkeys are irrelevant to vegetarians, harvest season is over before Thanksgiving, etc. 

On Saturday, I went to Graywhale in Taylorsville and bought two out-of-print CDs with songs I can add to my Thanksgiving and Christmas playlists, songs that are not available streaming. That is one of several reasons I'm not ready to switch exclusively to streaming, because not everything is available.

And I also went to the Walmart in Layton specifically so I could buy Pumpkin Spice Cup Noodles to review (see below). I found exactly one that had been misplaced. So it was a success, but barely.

My next two weeks will be hectic with two major projects due. But I think I can do this.

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Pumpkinundation roundup!

As I mentioned above, I made pumpkin turkey black bean chili, which I think I have made every year since 2015. There are more flavorful chilis, but I still really enjoy this one. 7/10.

Sprouts Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal isn't as mushy as most oatmeals; the oats remain harder. But I like it that way. It's fine. 6/10.

Sprouts Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips aren't as sweet as you would expect. They aren't like regular potato chips, and the cinnamon isn't overpowering. 7/10.

Sprouts Stuffing Flavored Almonds are interesting. They really do taste like stuffing! I was eating them as I looked at the ingredients. I saw "celery seed" on the list and I thought, "Yes, I can totally taste the celery!" But then I thought, "No, you don't taste celery, you are simply imagining cooked celery because this tastes so much like stuffing." They nailed the flavor, but do you want your almonds to taste like stuffing? The textures are so vastly different. 6/10.

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese Bites are OK, considering I don't really like certain cheesy things. 6/10.

Trader Joe's Fall Harvest Salsa has apples, pumpkin, tomatoes, and other things. I haven't seen it for a few years, but I love it! 8/10.

Trader Joe's Pepita Salsa is a little different. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds, and this time I could actually notice them. I still like this one, but it's not as good as the other. 7/10.

I liked this Bobo's Pumpkin Spice Oat Bar better this time than I have in the past. It's very oaty; the pumpkin spice isn't super strong. 7/10.

Parsons' Bakery Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie has a citrus frosting. I appreciate the citrus, which isn't something we see often with pumpkin. But Parsons' is a mediocre bakery. 7/10.

And here is the Pumpkin Spice Noodles. I will be submitting a formal review of this. It is both sweet and savory at the same time. It's kind of weird. But I would gladly eat it again, so 7/10.

They recommended adding the whipped cream, and I liked it better that way!

Apple Pie Toast Crunch is new, and I love it! It really tastes like apple pie, including the apples and the cinnamon. 9/10.

This Batch Pumpkin Spice Instant Pudding was on the clearance rack at Walmart, but they still charged us full price! And it really isn't very good. It doesn't have any pumpkin. I know it's a cliché to say something tastes like a candle, but it's really the case here. It tastes like I walked into a 1990s boutique. (Maybe they still smell the same way, I just haven't been to one in a while.) 4/10.

A few weeks ago, I shared my red, white, and blue candy corn, and here's another summer leftover: See's Candies Apple Pie Bites. For years, I resisted counting apple pie as a Fourth of July dessert/flavor, since apples are a fall fruit, not summer. But these candies helped me change my mind this year. Nevertheless, I still think apple pie is more appropriate for Thanksgiving. I love how cute these candies are, with a little flag on the inside. And they really taste like apple pie! But is that a flavor you want in a hard candy? 7/10.