Pumpkin

You know how I love the fall. I really do enjoy fall.

Labor Day has come and gone.  School has started.  September has effectively put the boots to summer, arriving with swollen clouds and breezes that make you think twice about sticking a cardigan into your bag.

Coever's birthday was last Thursday and I thought that I would make a little treat for her classmates.  I'm trying to sneak a little bit of healthy less sugary snacks into the mix. Instead of bringing in cupcakes, donut holes or popsicles (all of which were suggested by the teacher, incredibly), I opted for muffins.  My first thought was banana nut muffins with some cream cheese frosting, but that might as well be a cupcake.  Then I remembered the potential for nut allergies in the class.

What to do? What to do? I seemed to remember that I had another muffin mix of some kind tucked away in the pantry. So, I started digging and I found this:

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Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix!

How did I not bake this the minute I brought it home? I got to measuring and mixing, prepping and pouring.  I lined the two muffin pans for an even 24, enough for each kid in the class.  I broke out my awesome-sauce batter dispenser and got to filling.  And then. . .there was only enough batter for 19 muffins.  C'mon, Trader Joe!

I suppose in a way that was a saving grace.  When I flipped the box over to find out what the yield is supposed to be, I saw where it said "This product was made on equipment with milk, whey and treenuts."

Great.

Well, the 19 muffins that did get made came out great. Craig and the girls will definitely attest to that.

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Let me rewind for a second.  When I thought about making the muffins in the first place, I did a mental recall to see if I had enough milk, butter, eggs, or whatever to get the job done.  I was a few sticks short on butter, so I rolled over to the grocery store and what did I spy?

Pumpkin Spice K Cups!

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Shut the front door! Now, I don't have to become a seasonal Starbucks junkie. Well, maybe just one every now and again. It's not like I can put the Keurig in my car or something. I'm just sayin'. . .

 Temperatures are dropping. Appearances of all things pumpkin are rising.  How sweet it is.