Guilty pleasures and fall delights

I have two guilty pleasures: fall, otherwise known as the lovely season of autumn, and clicking online news stories that highlight the Top-10 Thigh-Toning Exercises or 40 (and More!) Tips to Turn Your Man on Without Ever Taking Your Clothes Off. So imagine my delight, when I saw the MSNBC ticker display "The Eight Most Fattening Foods of Fall," courtesy of Newsweek I believe. So of course, I clicked, and my guilty pleasure turned into plain, old guilt.

First item of one the list: Halloween candy. I look at the kitchen counter, in clear view of the couch on which I'm reading. Uh-oh. Normally, I'm not a candy addict, but I made an impulse purchase at the end of grocery shopping on Sunday and bought a small tub of Autumn Mix, that conglomeraton of candy-corn and soft little pumpkin candies. I said I bought it for my fiance'. I also said I bought it for the seasonal effect. But it's still their, and I've eaten 18 pieces. Don't have an excuse for that.

Next: mashed potatoes. I made those as a side dish for dinner last night. I also had seconds, which Newsweek cautions against. Great.

Third: Starbucks' Venti Pumpkin Spice latte. Thank god. Haven't had that one yet. Although I did buy pumpkin spice infused Millhouse coffee for my maker in the mornings. Better check the nutrition label on that. I might not be home-free yet.

Fourth: apple pie. No worries on that one. After mention of the latte, I was craving pumpkin pie, anyways.

Fifth and sixth: cider and stuffing. Luckily, I don't purchase these myself. However, I've already started counting down the days until I head to my hometown, where we'll eat three Thanksgiving meals, gorge on leftovers and take freezer portions home for the rest of December. Less than two months away!

Seventh: A candy apple. Whoops. On a lovely shopping excursion with my best friend this weekend, we decided to ring in the season with a candy apple. I also bought a new pair of jeans to bring in the season. Might need to go work off the items on this list before I try those on again.

Eighth: A turducken? Wait, what? People actually get the chicken-inside-a-duck-inside-a-turkey? I thought that as a fall novelty, or something you watched on Paula Deen and Food Network.

But the good news is, with turducken bringing up the rear, I'm batting almost 50-50 with fall's comfort foods. And I'm not about to give up all those guilty pleasures yet. I'm still going to be the girl reading 20 Tips to Redecorating Your Postage-Stamp-Size Apartment while eating day-old mashed potatoes.