Morning Thursday Rundown

It is with enthusiasm that I wish you a happy Friday Eve! Hopefully your August is off to a fantastic start and you have fun weekend plans on the horizon. Let’s get started with the latest rundown…

Froyo Combo – I always enjoy sharing the froyo combinations of my children because, well, kids have different tastes than adults. Sloan and I walked to Didier’s, a classic north Spokane frozen yogurt shop that came way before self-serve “froyo,” from my parents’ house over the weekend. I think Sloan picked solid flavors (island coconut and vanilla) but her choice of Sour Patch watermelon pieces and Nerds was a little questionable. Oh well, she liked it.

Cotton Candy Soda – How dare I poke a little fun at Sloan for eating like a kid when I am over here drinking like a kid. I found this cotton candy soda four-pack at the Dollar Tree and couldn’t help myself. I brought it home and gave it a try. For someone like myself who is pretty easy to please, this cotton candy stuff might be some of the worst soda I have ever tried. It maybe tasted like cotton candy for one second before it got bitter and then ended with an aftertaste that seemed very similar to what smoke bombs might taste like. It does pour as a vibrant blue liquid so it has that going for it but the taste itself is pretty bad.

This was the cotton candy soda that I bought. Just not very good.

Mariner Drought About to End – On this date nine years ago, Sidney and I were in Baltimore to watch the Mariners play the Orioles. Little did I know that it would be more than 3,285 days before I saw the M’s play again as that streak will end next week…but more on that down the road. Camden Yards was a sweet ballpark with my favorite feature being the mini monuments in the outfield seating area that mark where noteworthy home run balls landed.

Sidney and I in Baltimore at Camden Yards in 2014. It was the last time I saw the Mariners play in-person.

Happy Birthday, Mom! – My mom celebrated her 66th birthday yesterday. I don’t know what our family of four would do without her. She embraces her mom, mother-in-law, and grandma roles with such selflessness, dedication, and enthusiasm. But her role as a party animal might be diminishing a bit. Yesterday, my dad took her to a bar and the bartender told my mom that she was entitled to a free birthday shot. My mom turned him down and ordered an iced tea instead. Cheers, mom!

Happy Birthday, mom.

National Watermelon Day – Today is National Watermelon Day and I celebrate it with some sadness because I haven’t ate any excellent watermelon this summer. Despite trying a decent amount, I haven’t found a melon that is crisp, juicy and flavorful…yet. Hopefully something will come around this month. Speaking of watermelons, I will never forget when my sister made a watermelon cake for my nephew’s birthday and paired it with chocolate chunk watermelon ice cream 😂

A look at the watermelon cake my sister made along with how it looked when paired with the ice cream.

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Thanks for your time today. I am always humbled by those who don’t mind my ramblings. Let’s pray for those souls who have recently left this earthly world and for their grieving families still here. Don’t Blink.

My Pumpkin Preferences

Last week, I wrote very thoroughly about my love for “Forrest Gump.” As I pretty much appreciate every scene in that movie, it goes without saying that I enjoy the scene where Bubba tells Forrest about all the different types of shrimp. The film makes it seem like Bubba rattles off varieties of shrimp for hours (if not days) as the two friends complete army tasks.

Much in the same way that Bubba explained different kinds of shrimp, I feel most people could recite a list dealing with pumpkin. This day and age, it seems like there isn’t an entrée, side item, drink, or dessert that can’t be pumpkin-inspired. In my opinion, it has gotten a little bit out of control but who am I to judge? In fact, when it comes to judging, I think the only opinion I am entitled to would be the pumpkin products that I actually like.

So, for tonight’s blog post I am going to present my top five favorite pumpkin made/inspired/flavored products made for consumption.

5. Pumpkin Beer – Brews like Pumpking and the hundred other pumpkin beers out there are very popular. I happen to like an occasional pumpkin adult beverage too. However, my stomach can only take one of them and to be honest, South Carolina isn’t the best “pumpkin beer drinking” state. I can feel good doing most Halloween activities in any climate but if I am really going to savor a pumpkin beer I like it to be crisp outside with the smell of fall swirling around. Currently here in Myrtle Beach it is humid and hovering around 83 degrees.

4. Pumpkin Soup – I am a big soup fan and one of my favorites is pumpkin soup. The way I see things, it is the liquid version of pumpkin pie. I love the taste and I love the way it goes down. When I worked at the University of Montana, all game personnel would get fed before basketball games. A couple times each season the menu would include pumpkin soup and that was when I was the absolute happiest.

3. Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt – When I was younger, we would go to a mom-and-pop frozen yogurt place (Didier’s for my Spokane friends) on occasional Tuesday nights. This was way before the froyo craze. Each week the yogurt handles would rotate and once October hit, a flavor called pumpkin spice would be offered. The flavor was a sign to me that my birthday and Halloween were both coming and I always made sure to order it. I kid you not, you could taste the pumpkin and you could taste the spice. A little bit of nostalgia might be responsible for why this item is on the list but it honestly was very good.

2. Pumpkin Dip – A couple weeks ago when we were tailgating at the Clemson-Louisville football game, my sister-in-law introduced an incredible addition to our pregame spread. She made pumpkin dip! The stuff was incredible. It was literally like scooping out pumpkin pie. Making it even better was what we used to enjoy the dip. Get this…we had the option of going with either vanilla wafers or graham crackers. Of course I went with both!

1. Pumpkin Pie – People either love or hate pumpkin pie; you can count me in the former. It doesn’t matter if it is hot or cold, I love myself a big piece of pumpkin pie with a generous amount of whipped topping. I enjoy the taste and texture of the pie along with the element that the whipped topping brings. I also enjoy pumpkin pie just because it reminds me so much of family and the holidays. I take a bite and I seem to immediately be surrounded by warmth and love. When a food makes you feel like that, there is no way you deny it the top spot on a countdown.

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I am not a pumpkin fanatic by any means but I do enjoy some of the dishes inspired by this very popular seasonal fruit. Am I missing out on a pumpkin dish that I have to try? Please let me know and if you make it for me I just might eat it. Don’t Blink.