It looks like the Halloween season is starting early this year

[MauEvig]

Don't feel too bad, Murf. We saw some Halloween Oreos and grabbed them immediately. If we wait, we won't get any this year.
Diet or not, I'm not going without those Oreos. For some reason the Halloween ones taste better. I'm not sure why. Halloween magic perhaps?

[Andybev01]

Wow, Murf...that's a lot of pumpkin spice.

[Murfreesboro]

My daughter and I together could keep the pumpkin spice craze going. A couple of years back we tried every pumpkin spice drink for sale here in Murfreesboro (Dunkin Donuts has a good one). She has an entire book (a tiny one) about the flavor, compete with all kinds of recipes.

[MauEvig]

Oh that sounds like fun, Murf! I enjoy most pumpkin spice things, but there's some I like more than others.
I think McDonald's makes a good pumpkin spice coffee. I'm certain most of the fancier coffee establishments like Starbucks does as well. I can't remember if I have had Starbuck's. I'm sure I have, but it's been a while. Starbucks is another establishment that is far away and even so, I don't go there often because I don't want to pay $10 for a small coffee or latte.
The only one I didn't care for was the Wendy's iced pumpkin spice latte or the Starbucks iced one that they have in stores that comes pre-bottled. I think pumpkin spice coffee really shines when it's hot or warm, like hot chocolate. That said, McDonald's had an iced variety I remember liking as well, so that might just depend on how it's made. (But I think I did like Wendy's pumpkin spice Frosty's so I guess you can't go wrong with a Frosty. )
I wish we had a Dunkin Donuts, but maybe it's a good thing we have to drive an hour and a half to the nearest one. I'd probably have a much harder time losing weight if that were the case! (Plus that particular one also has a Baskin Robbin's so, combine ice cream with donuts and you'll have a diet disaster. )
But maybe this is an opportunity to explore some health conscious foods with a hint of pumpkin spice.

[Andybev01]

Krispy Kreme is my guilty pleasure, luckily the nearest one is a 2 hour drive to Portland.

[Murfreesboro]

Well, Starbucks PSL is to fall what the Chick Filet peach shake is to summer for us. We have to have at least one every year.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

It's not even Sept. yet and I'm already sick of pumpkin spice products, don't get me wrong, I love the stuff but when your wife runs a bakery and coffee shop and you're constantly exposed to it then you eventually get tired of it.

It used to be special when you could only get it in Oct. but then it was Sept. and now it's available 2 months earlier because it's popular and you can't argue with sales. My wife offers a variety of pumpkin spice baked goods in her bakery, and as soon as you walk in the smell of pumpkin spice permeates the whole bakery, the customers seem to love it because they always tell her how it's something that makes them feel good.

My wife's most popular pumpkin spice product is her muffins, she bakes pumpkin spice into the muffins themselves, then she injects them with cream that also has pumpkin spice added to it, and then she puts pumpkin seeds on top. She serves them warm, and when you bite into it the cream tastes like a bit of Heaven. She currently sells a couple of hundred of them a day, and when it's at the high point of the season she can sell close to 1000 a day.

So while I'm tired of pumpkin spice, I will admit that her muffins are irresistible, I'm just going to refrain from eating too many of them until we are closer to the season.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, man, you're making me salivate! Those muffins do sound irresistible.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I told my wife that I posted about her muffins, so she read it and asked me to make a slight correction about their preparation.

She keeps the pumpkin spice cream heated separately until the customer purchases the muffins, then she injects them with the cream, puts some of the cream on top of them, and then puts the seeds on right in front of the customer. She says that if you put the cream in early it gets cold and it absorbs into the muffins, and while they still taste great that way, serving them fresh with warm cream is the best way for the customers to experience them.

By the way, one of the best things about having a wife that runs a bakery is that she always smells like pumpkin spice.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I'm going to quote myself below.

By the way, one of the best things about having a wife that runs a bakery is that she always smells like pumpkin spice.

My wife was standing here when I was typing the last post and she made me say that, probably because a few days ago I complained that lately she comes home smelling like pumpkin spice every day.

After I typed it she kissed me and said... That's how you represent me.

Yes, I do what she tells me because of one of the most important things that every man should know about marriage... happy wife = happy life.

[Murfreesboro]

it sounds like y'all have a great relationship.

And, yes, injecting the warm cream like that would make a major difference in the experience of enjoying those muffins. However, I feel sorry for her having to do it a thousand times a day during peak season!

[Andybev01]

It's officially on!

The seasonal aisle has been switched over from pool inflatables and BBQ tongs to Halloween candy and toting pails!!

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Hey! We don't have any NBC Pop Ups in my area yet.

[Murfreesboro]

I'm seeing the candy, but not much else yet.

[Andybev01]

Hey! We don't have any NBC Pop Ups in my area yet.

I didn't know what that was until you pointed them out.