I recently confided to my boss that I forgot that it is 2024. Sometimes, I think it is still 2023. When I realized that the year was, in fact, 2024, I questioned if I was asleep for all of 2023. That is how I feel about October. I had such grand plans for October, and time got away. Be prepared if the following list of October favorites is short.

One. Actually trying recipes from Instagram Reels. This sounds like a major “duh” moment, but hear me out. I love to cook, and sometimes I love to find recipes I know I will never try. However, in October, I was intentional about trying new recipes since the seasons are changing and I was in the mood for cozy food. I tried soups and lighter desserts. It was amazing! I am keeping that energy for November.

Two. Hot chocolates with toffee nut syrup. Back in the day, Starbucks used to have the best drink in the world, the drink was “Salted Caramel Mocha” and, it was absolutely delish. Sadly, Starbucks discontinued the drink and I was left searching for the same flavor profile. Then, after Googling it, I found that they actually used toffee nut syrup instead of caramel. Now, I am caffeine-free and still want the Salted Caramel Mocha flavor. Enter in the humble hot chocolate. (Yes, I know chocolate has caffeine, however, it is not two shots of espresso worth of caffeine and I can handle a hot chocolate amount of caffeine.) This combination of mocha sauce and toffee nut syrup tastes 99.99% like the Salted Caramel Mocha. The only missing piece is the salt they added to the top of the whipped cream. I will survive.

What are some of your favorites from October?

Danielle.