Dial 1-800-(TRAIL)MIX-ALOT

I have some good news and some bad news.

Bad news first:
1-800-649-2568 is "out of my calling area" (according to a condescending "know-it-all" female voice). Apparently Sir Mix-a-lot won't show up if dialed from Minnesota, but maybe if I were in California he'd bust through my door on the spot.

Unwarranted interlude that could pass as news:
You can play "Funky Town" like Towlie on your keypad; you just press 55452 25875. Contrary to popular attribution, "Baby Got Book" is not the work of Weird Al.

Good news (!):
Mixing food together can taste good. It's kinda like code-switching for your tastebuds when the ingredients stay separate: Whoa! Pumpkin seed--wait, wait, don't tell me, chocolate--hey there, cocoa nib, nice crunch you got--pecan, so good too--coconut, is that you? But you're chocolatey. I thought we were eating chocolate . . . HOLD THE PHONE WHAT IS THIS AMAZING TASTE

. . . okay, I know you're kinda busy, so we'll move onto the joys of bulk bins!

HOLD THE PHONE Trail Mix (vegan & gf)

Ingredients

You can use equal parts of these ingredients instead of the quantity I made to make a larger batch. My measurements below are approximations.

1/4 cup raw shelled pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup cocoa nibs

1/8 cup large-cut coconut flakes 

1/8 cup chocolate chips 

1/8 cup freeze-dried or dried strawberries (Trader Joe's sells freeze-dried. Really, any dried fruit would taste good as a substitute for the strawberries.)

Either mix in a bowl or shake up in a jar. 

Baby, you just gotta dial back (or web-surf back here) for the number of a simply delicious snack!

P.S. Happy Autumn!
(This red leaf just happened to be in the path of some accidental paint tracks.)