By: Sophie Johnson & Addison Strack

As soon as the fall menu items were released for both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, we were both ready to try them all. Fall is one of our favorite seasons and these drinks make the season even better. We visited both Starbucks and Dunkin’ in the Highland area to try these drinks right away. This article reviews five of the drinks, from coffees to teas, and we hope that these recommendations encourage you to find your favorite fall drinks as well.

Dunkin Donuts pumpkin chai: This past week one of the fall themed drinks that we tried was the iced pumpkin chai from Dunkin’ Donuts. Dunkin’ Donuts has many choices for different fall drinks and fall food as well. The iced pumpkin chai is one of our favorite fall drinks that we’ve tried so far. There is a strong pumpkin and cinnamon flavor mixed with the chai flavor, that makes the drink feel like fall. It is on the sweeter side, so if you aren’t a fan of sweet drinks then we wouldn’t recommend this drink to you. Although, if you do like sweet drinks and chai lattes, then this is the perfect drink for you. You can also adjust the amount of pumpkin you want in the drink to make it have a stronger or weaker pumpkin flavor. You can also add things like whipped cream, cold foam, and more. Overall, we would rate this drink a 4.5/5.

Starbucks iced pumpkin cream chai tea latte: Another fall themed drink that we tried this past week was the Starbucks iced pumpkin cream chai tea latte. This drink was very similar to the Dunkin’ Donuts pumpkin chai, but instead of having pumpkin flavoring mixed with the chai tea latte, the pumpkin flavoring was in the cold foam on top of the chai. This drink didn’t really have the strongest pumpkin flavor, but it was our favorite drink that we tried. The cold foam wasn’t too liquid, and had a sweet, but not too sweet flavor. When you mix the cold foam with the chai, it tastes even better. We liked this one better than the Dunkin’ Donuts pumpkin chai, because it wasn’t too sweet. The pumpkin flavor also wasn’t too overpowering, and you could still taste the chai. We would rate this drink a 5/5.

The Dunkin’ nutty pumpkin coffee was another delicious fall menu drink that we tried this autumn. This drink had an overall pumpkin flavor with notes of nuttiness and it was just the right amount of sweet. We really enjoyed this drink, but it was not our favorite out of the four we reviewed. We definitely prefer the Dunkin lattes over their coffee options, but we still liked this one. One thing that made this drink slightly better was the sweet cold foam that was added. This is one of our favorite things to add to drinks because it makes them more creamy and adds a little extra sweetness to the drink. Overall, we would rate this drink a 3.5/5.

If we are in the mood for a coffee, the Dunkin’ pumpkin latte is our go to drink on the fall menu. This drink is different from the nutty pumpkin coffee because it is less bitter of a drink and has an even more robust pumpkin flavor. We’ve gotten this drink several times because it is so delicious. Once again we added the sweet cold foam to this beverage which adds texture and a nice boost of sweetness and creaminess. This drink is a 5/5. There is nothing that comes to mind that would make this drink better, and we have all good things to say about it.

The Starbucks pumpkin spice latte is the last fall menu drink that we tried. This drink is about a 3/5. It has a good amount of sweetness but the coffee flavor is bitter. We definitely prefer the flavor of the Dunkin’ coffee over the Starbucks coffee. If there was pumpkin cold foam added to this drink, the flavor would improve a lot. Overall, this drink was good but we don’t think we would order it again.

By: Stephanie Caballero Benitez

With colder weather approaching it is difficult to find fun places to go to. In this article, I will be talking about one of my favorite places to go to during cold weather. The place I will be talking about is called Hmong Village. Hmong Village is similar to a flea market but it is located inside a building. In this building, you can find plenty of different things such as groceries, food, clothing, and many other things.

The first thing I always head to when walking inside is the food court as the smell is very strong and pleasant. There are a variety of places to try, my favorites are Her Kitchen and Moon’s Kitchen which are located right next to each other. These Kitchens have very affordable prices and are also very enjoyable. I always order Pho, a short way to explain pho would be rice noodles in bone broth. The Pho always comes with a side of lettuce, mung beans, lime, and mint leaves. I have seen people add many different toppings and sauces to their liking. Adding toppings and sauces changes the flavor which makes it easy to not get bored of the taste. Pho bowls come in very different sizes but even a small one can be shared as the amount it comes with is a lot even for just one person.

If you aren’t interested in trying new foods that’s fine as there are also stores in the same building that you can explore and look around in. The ranges of the stores are a good amount. Some sell cultural Hmong dresses, some sell shoes, others sell beauty products, and if you are a Sanrio fan you will find a lot of merchandise in many of these stores.

Lastly, to finish off your visit at the Hmong market, you can stop by their fresh produce area. There is plenty of fruit and vegetables that are very affordable. Whenever I stop by that area I always have to buy some of their mango, it is always fresh and sweet, and it comes cut up and ready to eat for only $5. There are also a lot of products there that can be hard to find at normal grocery stores such as lychee, coconut, dragon fruit, and nances (which is a hard to find fruit).

If you are looking to explore something new and cultural, a visit to the Hmong Market is the perfect idea.

Hmong Village is located at: 1001 Johnson PkwySaint Paul, Minnesota 55106

They are open daily: 9am-9:45pm

By: Austin Bailey-Zimmerman

Are you looking to bake something delicious for fall? Well this recipe is perfect for you. The mouth watering pumpkin spice crumble muffin is a great treat, leaving you satisfied and in baking heaven.

I chose this recipe because it looked like the perfect pumpkin recipe for fall, and it was very easy to make. I got the recipe from: https://tutti-dolci.com/pumpkin-spice-crumb-muffins/ by Laura Kasavan. She has created the perfect ratio of perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins and delicious buttery golden crumbs. The muffin is moist and the crumbs have just the right amount of sweetness. You can eat it for breakfast, a snack, for dessert, or really any occasion.

I had my older brother try the muffins I made and he said “They were really moist and tasted very yummy.”

Get in the mood for fall with this treat!

Ingredients

Crumb topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin
• 1/2 cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled (or vegetable oil)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a 12cup standard muffin pan with baking cups, then spray baking cups lightly with cooking spray.
2. For the crumb topping, combine sugars, rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Then add melted butter and toss the mixture with a fork until crumbly.
3. Chill in the freezer until needed.
4. Whisk together rolled oats, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
5. Combine pumpkin, milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and fold in just until incorporated.
6. Fill each baking cup 3/4 full of batter and sprinkle evenly with crumb topping.
7. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 13 to 15 minutes until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few crumbs attached.
8. Let muffins cool in the pan or on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!