Spanish Smurf was always so misunderstood. While all the other smurfs liked to eat blue Smurf soup, Spanish Smurf was always creating wild and hearty concoctions. Plus he thought it was strange to use blue food coloring in soup. He just didn’t think that his food had to match his skin tone. Anyway, the exotic aromas coming from his house always scared the other smurfs. One day, Gargamel the evil human was strolling by the village when he smelled Spanish Smurf’s soup. “What is that fabulous food you are cooking?” he demanded to know! Spanish Smurf suddenly felt understood. So what if Gargamel was a human and wasn’t blue? So what if he always tried to wipe out their village? Here was someone who appreciated his soup! So he invited him in for a bowl. “This soup is genius! I mean – so many wonderful spices! So hearty. Butternut Squash! Chickpeas! Paprika! Cinnamon! What a lovely soup to help usher in the fall. Bravo, Spanish Smurf.” Spanish Smurf thanked Gargamel. Then they went on a hike to look at the foliage.

I was walking through a pumpkin patch the other day when I heard someone call out my name in a very rough voice. “Hey! Hey Soupergirl. Is that you?” I looked down and saw a talking pumpkin waving me over. Well, he didn’t have any hands, so it was more of a swaying motion. Whatever. “Listen, I’ve heard about you. I want you to make me into a soup. Any minute now some kid is going to come over here and carve some crooked face or a picture of a cat into me, and I don’t want to be that. I want to be a soup. And not just some pureed soup either. What, you don’t think we are good enough for your chunky soups? Is that what you think? Are you an anti-pumpkinite?” Well, I certainly don’t want to be accused of being an anti-pumpkinite! So I replied, “Fine. You think you’re ready for the big time? You got it, you rude, rude pumpkin. I’m going to to turn you into a chunky soup. I’m going to mix you in with black beans! Yeah, that’s right, tough guy! And then I’m going to enhance your sweetness by roasting you! And by mixing in some fabulous autumn spices, like ginger and cinnamon! What do you think of that?” “Perfect,” he replied. “Let’s get out of here and get to business!” Little secret – after I roasted him, I pureed him! Don’t tell him!! I’m not an anti-pumpkinite!! I just preferred pumpkins pureed. It was how I was raised. It’s not my fault!!