FYI: It’s official – I have a new favorite pumpkin pie!
In March?!: Yeah, I know – go figure!
Exposé: Lost in the mysterious depths of my freezer, I had completely forgotten about this pumpkin pie that I had picked up from HoneyBaked last Thanksgiving along with their highly-praised turkey, but with incessantly cold weather lately and an explicit vacancy in the dessert portion of our menu the other night, March seemed like as good a month as any to partake in a little comfort food of the pumpkin variety!
Praise: Right out of the oven, the filling literally melts in your mouth, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t just as good once cooled down, either.  A perfect blend of cinnamon and pumpkin results in a pie that’s sweet, but not too sweet, and most certainly stands out from your average, run of the mill pumpkin pie that’s touted every which way come the months of autumn.  Seriously, I’ve never tasted a pumpkin pie that’s both this memorable and this good.
Regrets: If I have but one, it’s simply that I probably won’t be able to snag another until Thanksgiving rolls around again, but it definitely makes creating the holiday feast a little easier knowing that I can snag both the turkey and the pie from the same place!  I know that another nine months from now, I’ll certainly be thankful for this blessing of a pumpkin pie…

Mantra: Sometimes the best-laid plans … suck.
Exposition: I’ve been looking forward to making this variation on pumpkin pie ever since the cookbook arrived in the mail, but I’ve got to say that there was a certain level of disappointment when I pulled my own attempt from the oven and couldn’t help but notice that it, well, didn’t look quite like the picture. It’s hard to tell with the photo above, especially also lacking the original cookbook photo for comparison, but just follow me that the streusel on top was intended to look a lot more crumbly and a lot less, how do I say … poop-like.
Groans…: I know, I know…
For What It’s Worth…: The flavor behind this pie is still present and actually quite nice – the ginger definitely gives it a bit of a kick, and the streusel even still tastes pretty good … unfortunately it’s appearance just leaves something to be desired.  If I made it again I’d probably add in some extra cookies to the streusel recipe – I think making it just a little drier would’ve made a big difference.
The Recipe: Unfortunately I can’t link to the actual recipe because Pillsbury doesn’t seem to have this one online, however you can find it in the November 2009 / Thanksgiving edition of their cookbook series.  Alternatively, although you didn’t hear it from me, if you try Googling the title of this post, there might be a couple of other blogs at the top of the search results that have posted this same recipe unofficially…  *wink wink *

Preface: With advance apologies to my local Publix Bakery, as I think I may not have exactly the correct name for this delicious, albeit extremely rich treat…
Inspiration: Sometimes great pumpkin treats appear when you least expect them, such as in this case, where a simple trip to the store for baking supplies also turned up a great option for dessert as well!
The Breakdown: The cake – incredibly moist, no doubt thanks partially to the cream, and also bearing a very sweet pumpkin flavor … this is what so many pumpkin desserts that I sample should taste like, but often times fall short of the mark.  The frosting – a sort of cream cheese blend, was incredibly sweet – pretty much what you would expect (and enjoy!) on a carrot cake, and I’ve got to say that the combination works equally well with pumpkin, too.  The crumble topping – this was a bit of a mystery to me because the rest of the cake and frosting was so overwhelming that I honestly didn’t really pay much attention to it, but I’m pretty sure even just by looking back at its appearance that it had some flavor to it also.
Recommend?: Definitely – this one probably takes the cake so far as the best pumpkin dessert that I’ve tasted this year!   I should probably also note that I did circle back later on in the week to see if I could jot down the name for this post and they didn’t have any out at the time, so I’m not sure how often even during the holiday season they have this little treat available … needless to say, if you find yourself passing by the bakery case and notice some on display, you’re most certainly going to want to pick up a slice or three for dessert that night while you can.

The Skinny: same aisle, same trip, not the same results
The Backstory: Actually noticed as a last-minute grab during the same trip that discovered these muffins, I picked up these intriguing cookies thinking that they might be good for a little late-night sustenance after a long day of running around Disney’s theme parks.  Besides, I’d already gathered selections to cover both the chip and cracker categories – all that was left was something to cover the cookie option and my snacking varieties would be good to go!
Except…: Except for the fact that these little puppies taste absolutely nothing like pumpkin.  I even double-checked the ingredients list afterwards to be sure and although “Pumpkin Spice Powder” is specifically listed, to me these were nothing more than gingersnaps with orange sprinkles on top … which for snacking purposes still ended up being perfectly fine and I most certainly managed to finish the whole container in roughly a week’s time, but all in the same, you may have noticed that I kind of have a thing for pumpkin and in that regard, these autumn cookies were nonetheless not up to par.

Location Discovered: the baked-goods section of our local Sweetbay Supermarket
Subtle Note: I’m not certain, but I’m fairly sure that these are the kind of muffins that are prepared at a central bakery somewhere and shipped to the various stores – not ones that were baked on-site.
Importance?: I honestly wouldn’t expect pre-packaged muffins to stack up to the likes of Dunkin or Panera anyways, so these served their purpose … mainly in providing a quick and filling, pre-theme park breakfast while I was on vacation over the last week!
Fulfillment?: All in all, these little treats rose to the challenge nicely – a lot better than I had been expecting, in fact.  They remained moist up until the last one was eaten several days after purchasing and cracking open the package; the pumpkin flavor was at least enough to justify calling them pumpkin muffins, which sometimes can be a bigger deal than one would think!  And while the pumpkin punch wasn’t as rich and flavorful than the other varieties listed above, those also would’ve likely cost me three times as much and not endured the tests of time very well, so in a pinch Sweetbay’s pre-made pumpkin muffins provided on-demand breakfast for a week … and sometimes that’s good enough!

Salutations: Welcome to Nostalgia 101!
History: These cookies bring back a lot of great memories from my childhood.  My Mom has always been really big into the holidays with decorating around the house and singing the songs and just generally getting everyone else in the spirit of whatever season it may be, so it kind of goes without saying that she jumped at every opportunity to come in and help with all of the Halloween and Christmas and Easter parties that we would have at school during my elementary years.  Her cookies in particular have always been a distinct favorite, so it seemed only fitting to feature her Halloween specialty when I started writing this blog.
Contents: I don’t have the exact recipe handy, however I can certainly say that these are definitely very authentic pumpkin cookies, in that they’re very dense and you can taste the rich flavor of pumpkin from your very first bite.  The frosting is a simple buttercream frosting that she uses for just about everything from cakes to cookies to brownies, so it’s very sweet.  The smiley decorations to give our pumpkins their faces are simply M&Ms here, although I do remember that on occasion she would also make use of candy corn as well.
Benchmark Revealed: With this post, I’m going to be honest and say that at least as far as desserts are concerned, these cookies are very clearly the benchmark to which all other baked pumpkin goods are compared … and not simply because my Mom makes them, but because they’re truly delicious.  There’s no skimping on the pumpkin – you know from the moment you see that goofy smile exactly what you’re getting into, and these cookies soundly deliver on flavor as well as fun.  What better way to relive your childhood than through a cookie that smiles back at you?!

Initial Thoughts: Is this the pumpkin redemption that Wal-Mart has been looking for, ever since they tried to pass this moist cake off as Pumpkin Cake last year?  Could it be that some chef at Wal-Mart HQ read that very blog post and thus vowed to step up his game and lead his company to deliver a pumpkin product that actually tastes like pumpkin in 2009?!
One Bite Later: Ok, maybe not…
Two Bites Later: Has anyone in the home offices there in Bentonville, Arkansas actually ever tasted pumpkin?
Sigh … Two Slices Later: So it’s another swing and a miss for Wally World, which is too bad because just like its predecessor, this one still has the moistness factor down pat!  And it’s not even that this new variety is completely flavorless – I can definitely taste the cream cheese, but aside from that attractive swirl, I’m still not seeing any real resemblance to pumpkin and sorry guys, but when it’s the first word in the name of your product, it kind of needs to be noticeable when somebody takes a bite!  The cream cheese was great, the hint of brown sugar streusel on the top was a nice touch, but no pumpkin.
Forward Encouragement: Maybe next year guys – just keep your eye on the ball and your feet planted firmly in the pumpkin patch!  Likewise, if you want to have someone take you out between now and next fall and show you what a pumpkin patch actually is, it might not be a bad idea.  I’m just saying…

…for fans of Disney Pixar’s Monsters, Inc, it’s Mike Wazowski!

courtesy of @Shamu via TwitPic

Happy Halloween!!!

Claim: Pretty much the best pumpkin bread that I’ve had to date.
Cause: The pumpkin flavor is both full and vivid, the consistency quite moist, to the point where it falls apart in pieces as you pick it up.  Perfect!
Cost: Frankly, unknown because my in-laws actually bought this loaf and then promptly forgot about it when it came time to leave, but it’s gotta be somewhere between five and ten bucks, I would assume.
Side Note: Although I’m not finding it in their online menu now, I remember hearing rumors last year that Bob Evans also offered some sort of fancy french toast with their pumpkin bread that I just never got around to trying.  That said, after having greatly enjoyed the bread this year, I think it would be worthwhile to pop in for breakfast sometime during the next month to see if the rumor holds true … and if nothing else, they’ve still got plenty of other yummy offerings to make the trip an enjoyable one, pumpkin or no pumpkin!