Even though pumpkin season may be once again behind us for another year, don’t forget that now is the time to stock up on supplies to carry us through the summer as the stores try to clear their shelves of seasonal merchandise!

I found these two Jello items deeply discounted over at my local Sweetbay – 75% off, in fact – bringing the no-bake dessert down to $0.80/box (originally $3.19) and the pudding down to a staggering $0.28/box (originally $1.15).

I’m not gonna lie – I felt a little like I was on Supermarket Sweep, checking out with a basket filled mostly with discounted pumpkin supplies and only a couple of the other items that I had actually come to the store for, and I did get a bit of eye-rolling from the wife when I got home, too, but we’ll see who has the last laugh later on this spring and summer when I’m baking up all sorts of creative concoctions with these simple pumpkin treats while the new stuff won’t be hitting the store shelves again for months…

Look Familiar???: http://www.scottsevener.com/pumpkin/snacks/pumpkin-spice-cookie-bites/

Two Years Later…: They at least remembered to put the chocolate chips in, so technically the label is batting 1-for-2, but flavor-wise these cookies couldn’t have been made within 100-miles of anything even remotely resembling a pumpkin!  Admittedly, they do kind of look and taste like those mini chocolate chips cookies that you used to be able to get at McDonald’s, but that’s not really what we’re looking for here…

Exposition: So it’s been a whopping three years since I reviewed my last pumpkin beer, and I like to think that I’ve learned a few things along the way.  Namely, that there are a select few edibles out there that I’m probably best leaving up to my pumpkin-loving fans to provide commentary on, rather than risk alienation by treading into the dark unknown where frankly I just don’t have much experience!  Last year we learned that soymilk is definitely on this list, in addition to coffee, and considering that the last bottle of beer that I drank was most likely that same pumpkin-colored variety that I sampled three years ago, it’s probably safe to say that beer should also be on this particular list as well…

But For What It’s Worth…: I will say that I think I did enjoy this Shock Top ale more than I did its Michelob counterpart from three years prior.  While I can’t say that I specifically picked up a pumpkin aroma upon following the instructions on the bottle “to properly blend the spices and release the aroma and flavor,” it did seem to boast hints of cinnamon and nutmeg (as cited), and seemed to offer somewhat of an autumnal flavor upon the taste test.  It also had a really nice, deep color that reminded me of pumpkin juice, for what that’s worth…

Share Your Thoughts Below!: So that said, from here I open it up to you – the beer aficionados in the crowd to provide your own well-informed feedback about how Shock Top’s Pumpkin Wheat Ale really stacks up against your own personal favorite brews!  I want to hear what you think, America (and beyond!), so crack open a bottle at your local bar or just around the house, and then leave a comment with your thoughts…

P.S. Beer drinker or not, I can’t deny that their mascot does look pretty darned cool!

Admission of Guilt: I’m a little reluctant to post pumpkin seed products these days because admittedly they can’t really be expected to carry the same pumpkin-y flavor as their cousin that are actually made from the meaty part of the pumpkin, and I’m sure there’s an argument in there somewhere that I may have given somewhat less than stellar reviews of such items here in the past.  Still, for sanity’s sake in that old review and even this new one, too, I guess I wish that they would be more direct in saying pumpkin seeds vs. just pumpkin ________, but I digress…

Acknowledgement of Taste: Now that said, I actually did enjoy this granola from the same people who made the aforementioned granola bars for what it was worth.  Of course, it didn’t actually taste like pumpkin … which is still a hole that I firmly believe could be filled if the granola powers that be actually wanted to … however it had a nice crunch to it and I could actually see having a bowl for breakfast in the morning.*

* Except that I don’t really eat cereal for breakfast anymore these days.  When I did, my go-to varieties were Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, but I’ve yet to see pumpkin options for those two sugary snacks, either…

*ahem*: Just for the sake of saying it, if one of you big granola-making companies would just get it in gear and actually make me a Pumpkin Spice Chewy Granola Bar already, all of this could finally be over with!  I’m looking at you, Quaker Oatmeal Man…

Initial Reaction: Wow – pumpkin?!  In February?!?! Cool!
Post-Consumption Reaction: Oh – nevermind…

A Declaration: I think I might have to stop considering supermarket bakeries for a while because out of all the stores that I’ve frequented, I think that I can count the number of quality pumpkin items that they’ve churned out on one hand.  I don’t know if they just throw the word “pumpkin” out there as some sort of gimmick or something, or maybe my expectations just fall considerably higher than “just a hint of pumpkin” these days, but frankly it gets frustrating after a while to find so many baked goods that seem to be pumpkin in name only.

Case in point: my wife, who really doesn’t like pumpkin at all, said that she enjoyed these because she could hardly taste the pumpkin in them!

So in short – didn’t like ‘em, mad at supermarket bakeries.

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!

Appearance: Admittedly a little rough, but I was hoping that they’d make it up in flavor…
And That Flavor???: keyword “hoping” … I mean, they’re not completely devoid of our beloved pumpkin flavor, but the filling tastes overly sweet instead of rich and creamy, and the major fault with these is that as you can probably tell even from the photo, they’re just ridiculously dry, and ultimately I think that makes it even harder to give the flavors a fair shake.
Recommendability: I was kind of surprised to see these out and honestly just stumbled upon them as I was wandering around their bakery and found them mixed in with the chocolate and other assorted flavors of cake rolls.  I’ve wondered about the others for a while because Sweetbay’s bakery does have some desserts that are really good (their various frosted brownies, for starters), but these were far from that and frankly I wish I hadn’t had to buy so many in a pack.

Looking Forward: I’ve seen a couple of other pumpkin roll options floating around that I still want to try – the Walmart one doesn’t look too bad aesthetically, although their track record isn’t exactly the best, either, and I’ve also got a recipe from Paula Dean somewhere that looked somewhat promising.  I will find a worthwhile pumpkin roll if it’s the last thing I do!

Chewy Pumpkin Granola Bars: At last!
So Where Did I Find Them?!: in the health food specialty section, mixed in with all of the vegan stuff
Well???: Yeah…  Not for nothing, but “Pumpkin Spice” is a bit of a stretch on the packaging here.  I think I could argue that they feature somewhat of a pumpkin aftertaste, but they’re certainly not what I’ve been searching for in a pumpkin granola bar all of these years!  I would say that the pumpkin seeds qualifies them more along the lines of the granola that I looked at earlier than an actual pumpkiny granola bar.  I had such high hopes when I spotted them on the shelf, too … they’ve got a pumpkin on the package and everything!
Verdict: And the search goes on…

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!