COST PLUS!!!

Tonight, the Mister and I went to Cost Plus for our quarterly Cost Plus snackie run, and to see if I could find Pumpkin Spice syrup. Disappointed by the lack of Pumpkin Torani syrups, I consoled myself with an entire cart filled to the brim with foreign/gourmet soda, chocolate, cookies, sauces, noodles, and general food stuffs.

On the way to pay, I spotted the Autumn display. Because I knew I already had $100+ in my cart, I had to be very selective about my pumpkin purchasing, so I didn't get the gourmet frosted cookies, pumpkin bark, or ceramic pumpkin shaped soup tureen, but I did get my precious when it comes to pumpkin snacks:

I bought two bags of Pumpkin Crunch. No, I won't share.

PUMPKIN CRUNCH POPCORN and Pumpkin Pie Torani Syrup (sugar free).

I am a little disappointed that the Pumpkin Pie syrup is made with Splenda and not cane sugar like the other syrups, but I couldn't leave without it.

As for the Pumpkin Crunch, if you've never had it, you have to try it despite the $7 price tag (seems high for a bag of popcorn; it's worth it). It's spiced caramel corn with chocolate covered almonds, and then there are orange-colored white chocolate-covered popcorn. The orange pieces have a strong pumpkin spice flavor to them.

The point, lone reader, is that I wanted the Pumpkin Pie syrup to make soda with my new SodaStream. I don't have a picture of it because it's an ugly drink. I can live with the Splenda taste, but I feel that if they're going to use an artificial sweetener they might as well throw some orange coloring in to make it prettier. It's a very light honey color, so mixed with milk and soda, it's a fug drink.

Pumpkin Pie Italian Cream Soda

1 oz Pumpkin Pie syrup

2-3 oz whole milk or half-and-half

4-6 oz very fizzy soda water

Mix, drink

It's delicious. If you like cream soda, I would describe it as a cream soda with pumpkin spices. Obviously, it's my favorite new thing on earth.

If you build your drink correctly, the milk, syrup, and soda will settle into beautiful layers. With the light color of the Pumpkin Pie syrup, it doesn't matter.

Savory Waffles

Breaking in the new waffle baker with these totally easy/lazy savory waffles.

Savory Waffles with Cheddar Cheese

Adapted from Bisquick waffle recipe
Makes 3 enormous waffles

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup bisquick
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs sugar
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 ea egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt

2 ea egg whites

1/2 tsp ground pepper

2 Tbs dried onion flakes

1/2 c freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Method

Pre-heat waffle baker

Mix the first six ingredients

Fold in the pepper, onion flakes, and cheese

In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form

Gently fold egg whites into Bisquick mix

Pour 3/4-1 c mix into hot waffle baker

Cook until steam slows down - about 5 1/2 minutes

Eat

I am not good at plating food.

Here's how I served my savory waffles - with simple herbed and grilled chicken and steamed broccoli.

I slathered a hell of a lot of butter on my waffle half because that's how I like it. These were baked for too long - the outside was too dry and crispy. But the inside was fluffy and flavorful. The onion, pepper, and cheese made for a salty and rich biscuit flavor.

Here's the inside. You can see the yellow spots where the cheese melted into the batter.

General spooky-time update

August - one step closer to Halloween time!



It's still just rumor, but rumor has it that a Munsters re-boot with a dark origin story is being pitched to NBC.







The truth comes out about Frank Darabont's exit from The Walking Dead. They claim it was budget issues what done them in.



The Addams Family musical is coming to SoCal. It'll be at the Pantages June 5-17. Despite my love for all things Addams and musical, I think the show looks like absolute normie dreck. Having said that, I'll probably still go. What can I say, I enjoy punishment.



Thankfully the Maverick Theater will satisfy my need for spooky theater with Frankenstein Has No Legs. I saw Hamlet Has No Legs from the All Puppet Players and it was really funny. They're fundraising if you've got some extra cash.



Lastly, have you given any thought to your Halloween costume this year? I'm strongly considering "murderous bride"...mostly because I know where I can get an unwanted wedding gown for free, and because I looove dumping blood on things. And carrying a weapon sounds fun. As usual, I have no idea where I'll GO on Halloween, but I'm sure it will involve a costume.