Fundamentals of Fall

Wednesday, September 22nd marks the official beginning of autumn. Autumn is my #1 favorite season. I dunno what it is, but I always feel great in the fall. The first signs of fall are already showing around here. Some of the leaves on the trees in my backyard are already turning yellow and starting to fall and the stores around town are starting to put out their Halloween candy and decorations. And speaking of decorations, I bought this year's first Halloween goodie: a ceramic bobblehead pumpkin figure! He was just too doggone cute! His head is on a spring and I've put him on my desktop to get me in the mood for Halloween. I love retro/vintage-looking Halloween decorations and reproductions seem to grow more popular each year, which is great for me, 'cause I can get the look at a price I am willing to pay.

There are lots of things I enjoy, once fall has arrived. Since I am not normally a big coffee drinker, I do tend to drink more coffee once the cooler weather gets here. I'm kinda temperamental when it comes to coffee and soup consumption. It may sound weird, but I really only drink/eat them in the fall and winter. With that said, I recently had a craving for some, so I bought some General Foods International Coffee. I usually stick to the Cafe Français, but this time around I bought some Hazelnut Belgian Cafe. O-M-G. It is so damn delicious! I love the flavor of hazelnut in my coffee, so this was just what the doctor ordered! I strongly recommend trying some.

In addition to soup and coffee, there are things that just taste better in the fall: Farley's™ candy corn (superior to Brach's), grilled cheese sandwiches and a cup of tomato soup and, of course, caramel apples! I loves me some caramel apples! I remember making them when I was little and how much fun it was. Needless to say, as a child, I think I was more interested in the process than the actual eating of the apple. Lol. However, today, I love both. I'm not a big Macintosh apple fan. I think they are too soft and mushy-tasting. So, I opt for the more tart Granny Smith. Mmmm! You can't beat em'! Oh! And I almost forgot another thing that just tastes better in the fall: Jiffy Pop popcorn! Jiffy Pop put the "pop" in "pop culture!" BTW, ConAgra Foods, Jiffy Pop's parent company, has made a few changes to update the product. The company has changed the variety of popcorn used to give Jiffy Pop the bigger, fluffier kernels that people love in microwave popcorn. They’ve also recently added a new flavor: Kettle Corn, which comes in a new black, epoxy-coated pan that pops much faster and leaves fewer un -popped kernels. Did someone say popcorn balls? And just to clarify, let's make em' with Karo syrup....not that cheap-ass marshmallow recipe, mmmmkay?

So, here's hoping you are a fan of fall and/or Halloween, 'cause I plan on writing a lot more about each as Halloween grows closer. From the movies I'll be watching to the candy I'll be eating to nostalgic Halloween memories, you'll be along for the ride. Here's a few sites to get you in the right frame of mind:

CandyFavorites.com
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