Initial Expectations: Ok, so I’m going to admit that I didn’t have very high hopes for this stuff when I picked it out.  I assumed that it was just some sort of flavored ice, and I’m usually not even one to like frozen yogurt…
Actual Reactions: Boy, was I dead wrong!  Even just after opening the container, I was taken aback by the rich, orange appearance and pumpkin scents that I found, but a single spoonful was enough to seal the deal for me.  Being extremely low calorie, as well as “lactose intolerant friendly,” it wasn’t so much creamy like an ice cream would be, and yet it still had a strong pumpkin flavor that continued to hold its own bite after bite.
Healthy, Indeed: Their slogan is, “So good, you won’t know it’s healthy!” and frankly, I think it’s one that I’m going to have to go back to further explore next year, as I share the New Years resolution with nearly everyone of trying to lose weight!  Their website lists a handful of flavors that sound appealing to me – Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Cookie, Chocolate Peanut Butter!!! Just looking at the calories on the back of this container, I ate about half the pint during the course of this review for 90 calories, whereas the same amount of a Ben & Jerry’s favorite would’ve been upwards of 700 calories! Yeah, if they all taste as good as the pumpkin did, I think I may have just found myself a new alternative to ice cream…

Preface: Frankly, I didn’t really have very high expectations for this one to begin with – these cookies were a last-minute grab at the checkout line when I was leaving Whole Foods, and let’s face it, have you ever gotten anything in one of these designer gift tins that was actually worth eating after you unwrapped it and gave the gift-giver an awkward thank-you smile???
Oh Yeah – And…: I can’t quote prices because I don’t have the receipt anymore, but I swear this thing rang up higher than it was actually marked on the shelf.  It was somewhere between $8 and $12, which as you’ll learn in just a minute, was a complete ripoff.
The Actual Flavor: My first thought was that I couldn’t help but wonder if these were actually supposed to be Apple Cider Cookies because at least to my palate, the pumpkin resemblance was non-existent. I tried a handful more just to be sure, but nope … nothing.  They’re not even good cookies like at least the last batch had going for them – I’m more of a moist and chewy kind of guy when these were much more like the dry, nondescript tea cookies that someone grabs for you at the last minute when they realize they remembered a gift for everybody but you!  A half step up from fruit cake, but that’s more simply because of the repulsive hole that fruit cake has managed to dig for itself over the years…

Super Quick Review: Good cookies, sweet, tasty filling, but didn’t taste pumpkin-y in the slightest to me.

30-Second Pumpkin Review: Leaning more in the direction of loaf as opposed to cake, by far this is probably the most dense piece of pumpkin bread that I’ve ever tasted!  Don’t get me wrong – the flavors are full and bountiful, and the frosting adds a sweet and sugary touch, but there’s just so much dough packed into this one lone slice, it literally took me multiple glasses of milk to consume this bad boy.  Although not too eager to jump back out into the fray of holiday shopping after downing this one, for a snack to nibble on with a cup ‘o joe while lazily enjoying a good book, I can definitely see where this mammoth treat would be a welcome creature comfort to an otherwise cool, winter’s afternoon…

Recipe: found on a whim in the Jell-O Pumpkin Pudding seasonal display
Ease of Creation: The recipe cites 20 minutes of prep time, but I’d argue probably closer to 15 … plus, I did a few dishes in between setting each of the layers to give them a few minutes to firm up before adding the next.  It was basically only a half-step more than just making a regular pudding pie, though – literally anyone could do this, and in not much more time than for your traditional pudding pie!
Variations: The only deviation I made from the recipe is that I didn’t add the caramelized pecans on top because I’m not really a fan.  It would’ve been cool if I had found something else to act as a decoration on top, but oh well…
Outcome: For me, the best way to describe this recipe is like A Classier Kind of Pudding Pie – it still boasts the same simplicity that pretty much every pudding pie brings to the table, but the extra layers of Cool Whip introduce a new series of textures that make this taste like a more sophisticated dessert, more like a mousse than traditional pudding.  I’ve always been a fan of pudding pies ever since my aunt made it a point to have chocolate ones ready as a Thanksgiving staple for an 8 year-old me, so now many years later as a seasoned pudding pie veteran, I think I would dare say that I’ve graduated to a new level of pudding appreciation and this is it!

For Tradition: Oddly enough, despite what one might think about running a blog dedicated to pumpkin, selecting a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving can be a bit difficult because, well, every single store in existence seems to have their own brand of them! And as much as I like pumpkin pie, I have little desire to be eating it from now until my birthday next August, so it’s kind of important to narrow down the selection to a single offering.
For Flavor: Plain and simple, this was a very no-nonsense pumpkin pie.  Solid flavor, flaky, but not entirely dry crust, and as an added bonus, it was only 6″ in diameter instead of being a full-size pie, which is a plus when you’re the lone pumpkin enthusiast in your household like me!
For Comparison: Ultimately, I was pretty happy with this purchase because although most stores have their own brands like I mentioned, most of them also look kinda gross, as one might unfortunately come to expect from a mass-produced, $4.99 pie.  This one, on the other hand, I think managed to hold its own quite nicely, and I don’t know if it’s just because Whole Foods is slanted more towards healthy living (and costs a bit more as such), but even just visually it seemed to say “Buy me!” a lot more convincingly than the ones I saw at Walmart and Publix and Sweetbay.  I know that eventually I’ll have to press my luck and sample those other varieties as well, but in the meantime, this simple pumpkin pie from Whole Foods definitely earns my hearty approval.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Universal Locale: Honeydukes @ The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)

Initial Thoughts: Frankly, I didn’t have very high expectations when I spotted these in the dessert case anyways, but seeing as they were labeled pumpkin and who knows the next time we’ll be back, I figured I’d grab one to go and give it a try for dessert later that evening.
First Three Words Upon Tasting: Bland. Dry. Uninspired.
More Words: I don’t specifically recall any desserts in the books that Harry and his friends were forced to consume despite their angry protests, but I doubt you’d be able to twist my arm to order a second one if we were to find ourselves traveling the streets of Hogsmeade together in the future!  Maybe the blame can be pinned on taking this home and leaving it in the refrigerator instead of just eating it right then and there, but somehow I kinda doubt it.  The filling was bitter, the crust was bland, and even the chocolate decoration on top tasted like it was made out of that kind of chocolate intended for baking, not for regular chocolate candy.  Simply put, this muggle was not impressed!

The Menu:

• Pumpkin-Chai Cheesecake with Caramel-Rum Sauce
• Toasted Pumpkin (featuring Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur)

The Cheesecake: Despite having a few issues with the recipe itself (I needed more than double the amount of Teddy Grahams to make the crust, and some of the times throughout were off for me), the final product of these exhausting efforts was actually very, very good!  While I wouldn’t exactly par it up to something like a Sara Lee Cheesecake or anything, it did have a worthwhile pumpkin flair to it … which was probably for the best because if I had spent all of that time and it still ended up turning out horrible…?!  As a side note, the caramel sauce did add a nice sugary sweetness to the cheesecake that seemed to go well, although I did have several pieces without and I can vouch that it can certainly stand alone as well!
The Nightcap: I thought it would be neat to end this series with something involving pumpkin liqueur because you don’t really see it that often, but unfortunately I think I picked the wrong blend of coffee because it just ended up tasting kind of bitter and other than adding an eerie, orange glow to the liquid, the flavors didn’t really shine as well as I had been expecting.  That’s probably a result of me not actually being a coffee drinker – I basically just grabbed a spare Keurig Cup (my wife uses our machine mainly for tea) and ran with that.  I believe the one I used was Kona Blend, but I might’ve been better off with one of the hazelnut varieties instead.  Nonetheless, the liqueur certainly smelled (and tasted!) intriguing on its own, so expect a separate review trying out some shots and other alcoholic pumpkin beverages later on down the road!

Pop Quiz: What do you get when you take a couple of my Mom’s awesome pumpkin cookies and put a healthy layer of Publix’s Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream between them?!
Answer: Yum!!!

I actually wanted to do this last year when Mom sent her first batch of these awesome cookies down in years, but poor planning caused their rapid consumption prior to actually having any ice cream on-hand for the experiment.  Of course, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again … and thus here we are!  I had her hold off on frosting a couple of them because otherwise I figured that it would just be way to sweet (and adorable), but I think this way worked out well.  The ice cream kept the cookies nice and moist, and in the end I had a fitting treat that reminded me of those crazy, gigantic ice cream sandwiches you can get over at Disney World where they basically just take two of their huge chocolate chip cookies and slap your ice cream flavor of preference inside!

I think Autumn Harvest Mickey would approve.

Special Guest Appearance By: Domino’s Chocolate Lava Crunch Cake

First Impressions: I really wasn’t sure what to expect of this one because I’ve never had Publix-brand ice cream and I typically opt for Edy’s as of late, however this is one of those instances where it was actually good to try new things!
Taste Test?: A little more sweet than its Edy’s counterpart, I think I would argue that the flavor in the Publix version is actually a bit stronger and more developed as well. It’s not quite nearing the area of overbearing or obnoxiously sweet, but I think bold is a good way to describe the abundance of flavor in every bite.  Very rich, sweet, and a great spice – definitely meets my overall philosophy for this site … go big or go home!
Bonus Features: On top of the flavors in the cream itself, Publix also has one other special treat hidden in their ice cream that made for a nice surprise – small, crunchy bits of pie crust that although weren’t really needed thanks to the wonderful flavors, did add an interesting texture that made it stand out from just a regular tub of ice cream.
Ranking: To date I’ve reviewed just under half a dozen different varieties of pumpkin ice cream and Publix’s version falls squarely in the middle.  Unfortunately for Publix, the likes of Cold Stone and Ben & Jerry’s have just set the bar really high in this category, but I still wouldn’t turn it away if brought out to *my* dinner table after an incredible, Thanksgiving feast!

1. Cold Stone Pumpkin Ice Cream
2. Ben & Jerry’s Pumpkin Cheesecake Ice Cream
3. Publix Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
4. Edy’s Slow Churned Pumpkin Ice Cream
5. Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen