Recipe: this little gem from AllRecipes.com
Inspiration: As the title implies, it seemed only fitting to celebrate National Pancake Day by frying up a little breakfast a la pumpkin.  Now whether National Pancake Day is on September 26th or actually February 24th as IHOP promotionally suggests?  Nobody cares – let’s just get to the eatin’…
Prep Time: about 20 – 30 minutes from dry ingredients to my plate, keeping in mind that I reduced the quantities to make a smaller batch
Scent: quite poignant, obviously thanks to the fact that the recipe incorporates actual pumpkin as opposed to simply pumpkin spices
Flavor: Well … frankly, not as good as I was hoping for – the pumpkin was there, but it seemed like it just needed more, which is odd because even judging by the color of the pancakes, you’d think that they would’ve been packed full of that pumpkin-y goodness that we’re shooting for here!  Granted, they were still a perfectly acceptable meal for the purposes of celebrating said national holiday, but strictly on a pumpkin basis, I must admit that they still left something to be desired…

Origin: Walmart
Surprise Coupled with Intrigue: after encountering a similar batch at Walmart’s primary competitor, two in one week did seem a bit odd, yes…
So, How’d They Stack Up: No contest – aside from being “technically orange,” that was pretty much the only similarity to pumpkin that I could find.  The had a very vague cinnamon aftertaste to them, but whoever labeled these as Pumpkin Spice obviously never actually tasted them.
Furthermore…: It makes me wonder what some of their other Gourmet Candy Corn varieties actually taste like, seeing as these were part of a bigger display that also featured such extravagantly sounding flavors as Blackberry Cobbler, Creme Brulee, and Apple Cider. Surely these guys couldn’t have an entire line of flavorless “gourmet” candy corn, now could they???
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for quality, head to Target … and that pretty much applies to almost anything…

Level of Excitement: first pumpkin retail purchase of 2009!
Level of Surprise: moderate … not sure how I overlooked these last year, unless they just didn’t exist
Level of Flavor: Not bad.  Admittedly, the pumpkin begins to fade the more of them that you eat, but seeing as how candy corn are pretty much just pure sugar anyways, what do you really expect?!
Gourmet?: Agreed, primarily because they’re larger than the old-fashioned kind that you would traditionally expect from the likes of Brach’s and other such knock-offs.  They’ve also got a nice color to them, so even if you weren’t looking to actually eat these, they might look classy in a nice candy dish or something.
Decorating Tips?  Is That What You’ve Been Reduced to?: Hey, it’s been a slow year…

With candy and costumes and other assorted Halloween novelties adorning the aisles, it may signal the coming of All Hallows’ Eve to some, but to those of us with an affinity for a certain orange vegetable, it’s something much more wonderful and exciting – it’s pumpkin time!!!

For those who enjoyed, anticipated, or even just tolerated the non-stop pumpkin coverage provided by yours truly last fall, rest assured that this year you can expect even more of the same as I pick up where I left off last year in sampling all of the great pumpkin delicacies that appear on shelves and in menus around this time of year.  In addition, I’m also going to be featuring a few more recipes prepared right here in Casa de Pumpkin to help fill in the gaps … you know, just in case we run out of pumpkin goodies prepared by other people…

That said, I’m always open to new suggestions for pumpkin-y items, so if you happen to come across something that you notice hasn’t yet been posted on this site, drop me a line to help point me in the right direction and I’d be happy to see if I can seek out my own review morsel here local to Florida.  And even better yet, if I can’t find a bite here to try myself, then what better way to help share your love of pumpkins with the world than by joining in on all of the blogging madness and writing a guest post featuring your elusive pumpkin treat?!

Even this early in the game, I’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be a great season for pumpkins and I’m looking forward to sharing every new discovery right here with you.  Now get out there and start pickin’!