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 *

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?!

Recipe: from Nestle’s own verybestbaking.com
Slogan: “Brownies made out of pumpkin? A perfect holiday brownie.”
Actuality: dry and uninspired
Exposé: I was actually kind of psyched to put together this one, but even before I put the pan into the oven, the taste of the batter itself left me skeptical … almost as if it’s possible that maybe I have bad ingredients or something because even the licking of the bowl, which is usually the most rewarding part of making brownies, was disappointing.  For lack of a better term, the batter had a very dry taste and even after baking, they don’t resemble any brownies I’ve ever enjoyed.  Not to mention the “pumpkin” flavor is non-existent – I don’t know what, but something must’ve gone wrong here.
Your Thoughts?: I don’t really feel confident in trusting the comments from this recipe’s source because out of hundreds of comments on the site, I didn’t see anything even remotely negative, however I would still like to hear what you – the devoted pumpkin enthusiast – thought on your own!  Just follow the link above and whip up a batch in your own kitchen, then come back here and post a comment to let me know if I’m just way off base here or if maybe they’re actually not “honestly some of the most delicious cake brownies you’ll ever eat,” as per the fan-moms on Nestle’s site…

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…

Motive: redemption
Level of Success: SUPERB!
Explanation: What can I say – after this little pumpkin anomaly, I just didn’t feel right ending the weekend without posting something a bit more representative of the pumpkin legacy … especially when posts these days have been few and far between as it is!  That said, with the calendar being about as far away from the traditional fall pumpkin season as possible, it took a bit of creativity to come up with a pumpkin dessert this time of year…
Recipe: While I was actually intending to create the pumpkin cheesecake brownie recipe found on the back of the No Bake Jell-O box, not reading the directions thorough - *ahem* – lead me to create something slightly different, but I like to think just as tasty!
Contents: While the recipe called for two No Bake Jell-O products – one box of the pumpkin pie mix and one box of the cheesecake mix – I accidentally picked up a tub of that Kraft Ready-To-Eat cheesecake filling instead, which was a bit tricky come construction time because I actually only had about half of the crust that I needed (both boxes would come with crust, but I only had one), but making it in a smaller pan ended up resolving that one rather easily.  As for the filling, first I simply added a layer of the cheesecake over the crust, then mixed some more of the cheesecake into the pumpkin pie mix before adding a layer of that.  The final consistency was in no way what I would consider brownie-like (this was a fork-required treat), but the flavor still rang true nonetheless.
Final Judgment: The soup was way too warm for a hot Floridian weekend in late spring, but this dessert, on the other hand, being cool and somewhat light was just the opposite.  Granted, I’m not sure if you can actually find the Jell-O pumpkin pie mix in stores this time of year (mine was leftover from last fall), but if you can, here’s a simple way to indulge in a sweet, pumpkin-y treat when anything warmer would be uncivilized!

Ahhh, the best part about cooking - licking the bowl!

Source: side of the box recipe from Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread
Ease of Construction: Not too bad, except it’s kinda hard to cite a timeframe on this particular baking project because halfway through I realized that I was all out of plain, old white sugar and had to run to the store.  Pretty straight-forward recipe, though.
The “Oops” Factor: It’s kind of tough to tell from the photos, but about ten minutes out of the oven these puppies sank like there’s no tomorrow and I have no idea why!  Any ideas?
Flavor: While not the prettiest to look at, these muffins were quite awesome and I’d eagerly bake them again this season if it weren’t for so many other recipes that I still want to give a try!  The only addition that I could possibly suggest would be to consider some way to help flavor the cream cheese filling – granted, I did omit the small quantity of lemon peel from the recipe because I hate lemon and maybe that would’ve helped, but all in the same, maybe a little extra pumpkin spice or something?

Either way, still a quite tasty recipe – great for breakfast or in my case, a very late night snack!

Ingredients: mini-graham cracker crusts, pumpkin pudding, some sort of brown sugar-based, crumbly topping, lots of love!
Results: simple, but delicious pumpkin dessert that made this particular pumpkin fanatic elated
Flavor: In a word – awesome. I had originally intended these shells to go with a Pumpkin Mousse recipe that I’d found on the outside of the pudding box, but this ended up working just as well. The graham cracker crust really lends itself to the pumpkin flavor, just as it would with your traditional pumpkin pie, while the sweet, crumbly topping … well, I’ve just always been a sucker for them because they remind me of the coffee cakes my Dad used to make for the family on Sunday mornings. Wife definitely gets an A+ for this one.

Footnote to Self: I really owe my wife something more than a store-bought dessert the next time it’s my turn to cook dinner!