Fido L. Pumpkinboy's Blog O' Foodstuffs

Betty Crocker Quick Cookies

2011-12-07T23:52:00.000-06:00

Weird Ass Candy

2011-12-07T23:51:00.001-06:00

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

2011-12-07T23:43:00.000-06:00

Holy crap these things are awesome! They add to pumpkin to everything. I've used them in my hot chocolate and I've made two batches of Rice Krispy Treats with 'em. Maybe I'll try some s'mores!

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Wasatch Pumpkin Ale

2011-12-07T23:34:00.000-06:00

Beer from Utah. Gift from my boss. Decent pumpkin ale, good pumpkin flavor, but doesn't mix well. A lot like the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, like soda water with pumpkin flavor. Worth a taste, but not much of a repeat purchase.

Planters Pumpkin Spice Almonds

2011-12-07T22:52:00.000-06:00

And another food manufacturer jumps on the pumpkin bandwagon. Well, hello Mr. Peanut! Mr. P is happy to present his "Pumpkin Spice Almonds" for your consumption.

Damn, these things are good... they remind more of cookies than nuts. Heavily dusted with the pumpkin spice mixture, these things are just phenomenal. Brilliant even. So good that, I'll have to try the next Limited Edition Seasonal Flavor, Creme Brulee!

Fried Pumpkin Pie from some place attached to a gas station off I-45

2011-11-27T17:03:00.001-06:00

So, stopped for a leg stretch potty break while transporting 2 Pit Bulls from DFW area shelters to rescue group near Conroe. The gas station where I stopped (in scenic Buffalo) had this Fried Pie Store attached to it. Normally, I don't pay much attention to roadside pie shops because, well, THEY ARE ROADSIDE PIE SHOPS! But this one caught my eye with the handmade "We have pumpkin and sweet potato pies."
Now, from my experience, most "fresh" or handheld fried-style pumpkin pies are generally on the low end of good (Whataburger, McDonald's) although the Northern TastyKake pies are actually pretty decent. I think I have an idea why that is.
In my neck of the woods, there is a Mindy Lu pie factory/outlet store where they make the pies that the ship out to local shops (for local people). They also keep some on hand that are fresh and hot for folks to pickup. I had bugged these folks 2 or 3 times about making pumpkin pies and they finally explained the problem. Apparently, fresh pumpkin has a short shelf life unless it is all preservatived up. They haven't come up with a recipe they deem worthy of selling.
But that doesn't stop Gas Station Carnies from doing it.
As you can see, it's a large half moon thing, kind of like a calzone. Since they also make meat pies, that isn't surprising (I thought about trying one of those too, but didn't want to wait). The crust is pretty good... Very similar to funnel cake. That is a major yum factor.
The pumpkin filling was disappointing and pretty much supported Mindy Lu's assertion. It did have some pumpkin flavor, but it was also heavily influenced by a lemony citrus flavor, which I'm pretty sure was something to give it a longer life. Also, it had the consistency of apple butter... And some of that flavor too.
This will never replace a good ol' fashioned pumpkin pie. Still, I don't regret getting it because it was the only thing I had to eat while I sat in traffic while the idiot holiday drivers made fools of themselves.

Blue Bell Spiced Pumpkin Pecan

2011-11-09T22:57:00.002-06:00

I think this first showed up last year. I didn't try it because I really didn't want to buy a full half gallon of it, mainly because I hate pecans.

Yeah, yeah... I live in Texas, pecan country and it's Texas ice cream blah, blah, blah... I don't like 'em. Pumpkin desserts and pecans are like beans and chili... I don't care how one area of the country likes it, they don't belong together.

So, anyway, I finally broke down and bought one because it's pumpkin ice cream and that is Kryptonite to me... I can't fight it, it's going to win sooner or later. It was on sale this week for like $5 or something, which made me think, "You know, back in high school, Blue Bell was usually like 2 for $5... and when it went on sale for like $1.50, I went nuts!" Makes me want to go OccupyBrenham just so I can help them eat all they can before they sell the rest to the 1% that can afford it.

Whatever.

Popped it open and scooped out some. First thing I noticed was that it had swirls of caramel. Well, that's a plus.. pumpkin and caramel do go well together. So I grabbed a spoon and a plastic cup and went to watch those wacky Ghost Hunters investigate Waverly Sanatorium in my ancestral home of Louisville, KY.

Both the ice cream and the show were pretty much what I expected. The BB entry into the pumpkin ice cream category is pretty standard. It has a nice pumpkin pie flavor with the right amount of spice and the caramel was a nice touch, not overdone. And the pecans were annoying.

If you paid much attention to the paragraph just before the last paragraph, you may have asked yourself, "Why did he get a plastic cup?" That was for the pecans, which I would spit into the cup upon melting the ice cream in my mouth. EFF YOU, pecans!

Ace Pumpkin Cider

2011-10-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

Kasteel Cherry Ale

2011-10-27T19:44:00.000-05:00

Chapeau Banana Kreik

2011-10-27T19:42:00.002-05:00

Pinkberry Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

2011-10-26T20:43:00.003-05:00

I remember back in the '80's when frozen yogurt was all the rage. There were fro-yo places everywhere, notably TCBY and I Can't Believe Yogurt or whatever.
For my family, we loved this place near the house called Yumi Yogurt. We went probably at least once a week for a while and even got to know the owner on a first name basis. That was some good stuff. Not far off from regular soft serve ice cream.
But, like most trends from the '80's (except those effing Dippin' Dots), yogurt fell out of fashion. Now there are only a few places left for fro-yo.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I find out that there is actually some new yogurt place in town. It's called Pinkberry and it's hip and hangs out in one of the fashionable retail areas in town. You know it is hip because the name sounds like a Rodeo Drive handbag and the employees treat you like somebody with class and not some schmuck that wants a cup of yogurt.
Anyway, Pinkberry has a Pumpkin Pie yogurt. It's been a looooooong time since I've had fro-yo, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I do know I wasn't expecting what I got.
Sure, you taste the pumpkin flavor, deep in it somewhere, but what you mostly taste is cold, tart yogurt... With a hint of something citrusy. Too be honest, it reminded me more of an Orange Push-up than anything pumpkin-y.
Hell, I LIKE yogurt, but that was just too much yogurt and not enough pumpkin flavor. I've had pumpkin pie flavored non-frozen yogurt and it was way better than this.
Most interesting part about the thing was I got the "whipped cream" topping. It was also made out of yogurt. So it was really fluffy tart yogurt.

Woodchuck Limited Batch Pumpkin Cider

2011-10-24T22:18:00.002-05:00

You know, I had high hopes for this. Woodchuck, while it's still a totally American Cider company (i.e. way too sweet for me to get super excited about), generally produces pretty good stuff. So when I heard that they were producing a "pumpkin" cider, I think I started to drool.

I love my Belgian Style beers and my pumpkin ales, but my true passion is cider. I mlove the stuff. I've had all types of cider... British, French, American, Dry, Sweet, in-between, sparkling, practically apple juice... and it's my preference in most instances. I've long wondered if pumpkins could be successfully fermented, for a "true" pumpkin cider... I may have to try that in the lab someday.

At any rate, the Woodchuck Limited Reserve Pumpkin is not actually pumpkin. It is apple with what are supposed to be pumpkin flavored stuff added to it. I say "supposed to be" because I'm not sure what they added to this concoction, but I'm pretty sure it ain't pumpkin. As best as I could nail down, it tasted more like a sparkling cranberry drink although a friend of mine thought he tasted peaches. Whatever it tastes like, it doesn't taste like pumpkin.

Woodchuck supposedly limited production of this stuff to just 2 1/2 hours so it should be relatively rare. But don't feel disappointed if you don't find it. I do however enjoy the horrifically designed flourescent orange label...

Sonic Pumpkin Pie Shake

2011-10-21T21:23:00.001-05:00

So, Sonic enters they Pumpkin Market with their own Pumpkin Pie Shake. It should be noted that for me, shakes should be mostly smooth and easy to move through a straw. Adding solid stuff is risky since it can clog the straw or just confuse the hell out of your mouth.
It is the latter that comes into play here. While some, like Which Wich, blend in the taste of crust into their mix so that you get the flavor without doughy surprises. The Sonic version takes the Dairy Queen Blizzard route and adds actual crust pieces to the shake. It works for the Blizzard, sine you largely eat that with a spoon anyway, but the Sonic shake uses a straw delivery system and the crust pieces, while they easily traveled through the straw, refused to go with the flow in my mouth. The shake wanted to go over the tongue and down the throat easily but the crust got in there and the throat said, "WTF IS THIS!?!??!" It was like I had to filter stuff out of the shake and swallow it separately.
The thing is really tasty, but the whole crust thing made it less than satisfying.

Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

2011-10-21T21:22:00.003-05:00

So, Mrs. Pumpkinboy and I are at Six Flags for a thing put together by her work. And after deciding after 2 rides that I just don't like being thrown violently around anymore, it turned into a wander around the park trip.

Her company gave us a bunch of "Daffy Dollars" or whatever the hell they were so we went looking for junk to buy. We unloaded most of them at the M&M store on stuff for the niece and nephew and still had about $5 left. There was a Ben & Jerry's store right across the walkway so I figured, let's see if they gots any pumpkin.

B&J put out a Pumpkin Cheesecake ice cream in pints every year (which I have had but need to get posted) but at the shop (or is that "shoppe") they had a more traditional Pumpkin Pie. Since it was Six Flags, $5 only got me a tiny cup that the spoon barely fit in, but whatever. That was some damn tasty ice cream.

Not nearly as rich as the cheescake, this stuff was just what you'd want in an ice cream... smooth and creamy with a healthy pumpkin pie flavor. If you've got a Scoop Shop anywhere near you, it's worth a visit.

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat

2011-10-16T22:13:00.002-05:00

This is probably my (current) favorite pumpkin beer. It is a good American Belgian Style with a great pumpkin flavor. I am stunned really. This is not what I expected at all.

I've been trying to keep a 6-pk in the fridge, but the stuff has been sold out wherever I go.

Which Wich Pumpkin Pie Shake

2011-10-13T08:24:00.004-05:00

A friend of mine who knows of my pumpkin obsession, sent me a message on Facebook alerting me to this new addition to the pumpkin shake family.

This one has a nice leg up since I'm pretty sure it's real ice cream and they blend it with the spices to a very smooth and creamy consistency that is easy to drink through a straw.

Definitely has a good spice flavor and does a good job of tasting like a liquified pumpkin pie (complete with a hint of crust flavor), although it has it's own pumpkin style flavor. They crazy thing about pumpkin stuff is how varied the ideas of "pumpkin" taste. It's all to do with the spices and how they are blended. Which Wich has a decidedly different flavor than the delicious Jack-In-The-Box shake, which for sheer flavor wins the battle, but the WW is so smooth that it is worth buying.

McDonald's Pumpkin & Sweet Potato Pie

2011-10-13T08:24:00.002-05:00

McDonald's has, in the past, had a pumpkin pie. This however, is a pumpkin AND sweet potato pie.
Let me complain right off the bat about two things regarding McDonalds:

1) The pies suck ass ever since they started "baking" them instead of frying them. I think the last thing most people stop to think about after consuming a Big Mac, large fries, and ginormous soda is just how unhealthy that fried pie might be. McDonalds is not a place to eat healthy so don't give us this baked pie crap.

2) Apparently, from what the guy at the drive thru window told me, Mcdonald's pies are 2 for $1 or 1 for $1. So, you might as well buy 2 and if you don't have a use for the second one, you fling it the window of an Apple Store.

Anyway, so I got 2 of the damn things. This turned out to be a good thing because it allowed me a more scientific taste test.

The first one was just icky. Not much flavor and had the consistency of yams shoved in a Hot Pocket pouch. Really. It was just terrible.

The second one, however, was not as bad. It had a smoother consistency and more pumpkin flavor. That said, it was still unsatisfying.

Not sure why they feel the need to add Sweet Potato to these things... It's really the spices that make pumpkin stuff what it is. The yammy stuff just makes you unsure of what the hell you are eating.
Can't really recommend this one. Anybody got a fresh TastyKake?

Bertagni Pumpkin Ravioli

2009-09-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

This the second pumpkin filled ravioli I've had. The other one was really good. This one is even better.

I've never heard of Bertagni before, but these guys make some fine ravioli. The main thing is that they stuff the pasta with pure pumpkin with some spices so you get all the pumpkin flavor without anything funking it up. Toss in a little creamy Alfredo sauce and it makes a dandy dinner dish.

Pumpkin Truffles

2009-09-21T20:36:00.001-05:00

From Sweet Shop USA, it's a pumpkin truffle! Chocolate covered fluffy pumpkin filling... mmmmmm...

It's not bad, actually, but still a bit disappointing. The pumpkin filling is great, although it has a slightly spongy marshmallow feel. The main problem though is that the chocolate is really unimpressive. In fact, it was so unimpressive that Mrs. Pumpkinboy didn't even finish the one she tried.

Still, I found them okay although maybe not quite worth the relatively high cost.

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale

2009-09-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

In years past, I've found this to be a truly awful. But at the same time, this is also one of the first non-pie pumpkin items I ever tried. So, in some way, this is kind of the item that started this whole obsession with pumpkin.

Now I don't know if they changed the formula, of taste buds changed, or I just got some freaky bottle, but the one I had this year was really good. I could actually taste pumpkin and spice. Stunned! I am STUNNED!!!

I shall have to try another and see if this holds up.

Pumpkin Spice Malted Milk Balls

2009-09-21T20:29:00.003-05:00

Central Market strikes again! Apparently, they had some extra bright orange pumpkin spice flavoring left over from the bark they made and so they mixed it in with some malted milk balls. Consequently, they taste a lot like the bark... the same really strong spice flavor. Of course the main difference is that here, the spice has a a crisp malted milk partner as opposed to a creamy chocolate attachment.

I just happen to like malted milk balls so I found these pretty good.

Salem Baking Moravian Pumpkin Spice Cookies

2009-09-21T20:21:00.005-05:00

These tasty little treats are crispy cookies with a great pumpkin flavor. In fact, it's almost like a little piece of pie crust with the pumpkin filling baked right in. YUM! And the come in a can! It's almost like Pumpkin Pringles.

Plus, they are wafer thin so even Mr. Creosote will eat them! Apparently, Moravian is a style of cookie that is very very thin and originated from the Moravian Church in Colonial America.

Special bonus: They come from Salem Baking which is perfect for Halloween!

Zachary Pumpkin Spice Gourmet Candy Corn

2009-09-21T20:16:00.002-05:00

Hey look! Another "Gourmet Pumpkin Spice flavored Candy Corn"! Does it taste better than the other "Gourmet Pumpkin Spice flavored Candy Corn"?

Nope.

Still tastes like candy corn (yuck!) with a hint of something sort of like pumpkin.

The only real difference is that the other kind was a generic.... this one is made by "Zachary".

Caramel Apple Sugar Babies

2009-09-21T20:14:00.001-05:00

Oooooohhhhh... seasonals! Who doesn't like caramel apples? Granted, the green apple candy coating is maybe a little too thick and it would be better if there was some apple flavor within the sugar baby itself, since the apple flavor pretty much gone by the time you get to the caramel part. I mean, you could just start chewing the thing, but sugar babies really aren't chewable... unless you need to lose a tooth.

Still, these are a nice Fall flavor.

Jell-O No Bake Pumpkin Style Pie

2009-09-18T17:27:00.000-05:00

We decided to have a low key Thanksgiving in 2008. Didn't want to travel, none of the families were doing anything, and we weren't interested in cooking much. So, we did a sort of traditional Thanksgiving meal. When I say "Sort of", I mean that most of the main ingredients were traditional, but prepared in quick and easy ways.

We had turkey burgers and sweet potato french fries. And then for dessert, we had this Jell-O No Bake Pumpkin Style Pie. As if the No Bake part wasn't different enough, it's just a pumpkin "style" pie... as in "this isn't really a pumpkin pie but it's close enough for your lazy ass".

Still, this was a great dessert. Jell-O does pumpkin pudding stuff pretty well (the Cheesecake cups were a little weird but okay). The pie itself was pretty easy to make even if the crust didn't come out quite the way the instructions indicated.

there didn't seem to be enough crust in the mix to actually coat the dish entirely and still be thick enough to provide support for the pumpkin mix. And then there was the problem of shaping the upper part of the crust, as you can see from the picture. Thus, when slices were cut from the pie and placed on plates, it tended to fall apart. It all tasted good even if the appearance left much to be desired.

Jell-O Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Snacks

2009-09-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

This one was a miss. The other Jell-O things I've tried were really good... this one was just... weird. The flavor was okay... a good blend of pumpkin and cheesecake, which is always a good mix in my book, but the texture was just strange. It was like a spongy, not quite right, creme brulee. You can even kind of see what I mean in the picture on the package. It was all flan-custardy and was just too strange to get past for me.

I think Mrs. Pumpkinboy enjoyed it though, so maybe it's just me.

Pumpkin Scone

2009-09-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

Target find from a few years back. I gotta tell ya, scones don't do much for me. They are real moist and they just kind crumble to pieces and dry out your mouth.

The pumpkin taste was okay, but there was waaaaaaaay too much icing on this. Contrary to popular opinion, icing should be used sparingly for a little blast of sweetness. It should not be the focus of the item.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

2009-09-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, this one is actually really old... maybe 2006 or 2007. Found these at Target one year. They were pretty good, kind of like a fig newton with icing. Soft and with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor, these were a nice little pastry.

I actually intended on taking them to work to share with people but Bergkamp, the crazing beagle-terrier mix, got loose in the truck and ate them before I could pull over and separate him from the treats.

Pumpkin Pocky

2009-09-18T16:55:00.000-05:00

Pocky... what the hell is Pocky? It's some crazy Japanese snack that seems to involve coated bread-cookie sticks. Usually it's some sort of chocolate based coating. In this instance, it claims to be a Pumpkin coated Pocky.

I found this on eBay from somebody who apparently imported it in from Japan. It's actually really good... except that the "pumpkin" tastes more like "white chocolate". So far, from the Japanese products I've sampled, they don't seem to understand what pumpkin is supposed to taste like. Still, it's a tasty treat even if it isn't pumpkiny.

Bonus points for the ever bewildering Japanese packaging. "Lovely Halloween!" it exclaims over a very happy Jack O' Lantern... yes, "Lovely Halloween!" indeed.

Pumpkin Pie flavored Gourmet Candy Corn

2009-09-16T16:15:00.004-05:00

Okay, first of all "Gourmet Candy Corn" is like saying "High Class Hillbilly"... it just can't happen. Candy Corn is one of the lowest forms of cheap candy and cheap candy is one of the lowest forms of food. Typically, I can eat 2 or 3 pieces of candy corn at a time before I decide that I've had plenty. It's just colorful sugar and I have better things to eat.

Still, I had to try the candy corn that claimed to have "pumpkin pie" flavor. Guess what! It tasted just like candy corn. There was maybe a hint of some sort of spice to it, but it wasn't something you'd just casually notice. Put these in a bowl for guests and a) they probably wouldn't notice any difference between these and regular candy corn and b) they probably wouldn't stay very long if you offered them a dish of candy corn.

What's really sad is that I had just eaten a pumpkin cookie and I was afraid that I might skew the tatse test and think they tasted more pumpkiny than they actually did. Nope. The candy corn taste overpowered the pumpkin flavor residue already inhabiting my mouth and left nothing but the tatse of candy corn.

I'll give it another shot with a totally unbiased tongue, devoid of any residual flavoring, but I'm not expecting much.

UPDATE 9/18/09: gave it a second shot. Could actually taste more pumpkin spice... but it's still candy corn

Cinnamon Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

2009-09-16T16:06:00.003-05:00

Found these at Tom Thumb last weekend. I was afraid these were going to be overpowering with the cinnamon and frosting, especially since I'm not a fan of frosting or excessive cinnamon. However, these blend together very well and were highly enjoyable. The cookie itself has a nice pumpkin flavor and the cinnamon frosting is just about the perfect partner.

It's a soft cookie, which threw me off at first. I mean, REALLY soft, like "I had trouble getting it out of the package because even the slightest pressure started to squish the cookie" soft.

Not a bad find for this early in the season. I'll definitely have to check the Tom Thumb bakery again.

Silk Pumpkin Spice Soymilk

2009-09-15T20:43:00.000-05:00

YUCK! Soymilk is awful! And the pitiful tasting pumpkin flavor can't mask the awful!

TastyKake Pumpkin Pie

2009-09-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

So, I've heard the praises of TastyKakes. Some pies from up north that people just rave about. I mean, some of the comments just make these things sound like food that angels would make for Jesus. So, I had to try one. Fortunately, eBay has become quite a useful tool in finding all manner of pumpkin crap that I can't find locally.

I found a guy selling some who promised that they were fresh from the store and mailed right away. I got 4 pies that were already past their fresh date. Still, I don't think that accounts for the bizarre taste of the TastyKake.

The crust was pretty good, nice and flaky... pretty good pastry. The pumpkin filling was just weird though. It had a strange texture and a slightly lemony flavor. Maybe the freshness came into play, I don't know, but the lemon thing just threw me off completely. Maybe I'll order direct from the company this year and give it a second chance.

Wolferman's Pumpkin Spice English Muffins

2009-09-15T20:15:00.001-05:00

Wolferman's makes some good bread products. English Muffins are good eatin' most any time. So last year when I found out that Wolferman's has a pumpkin spice English muffin, I was all over it. I ordered these along with some original English muffins and some Apple butter.

I must say, I found these to be very interesting... but not for the taste. The flavor was pretty disappointing and I couldn't tell much difference between the pumpkin spice and the original. The apple butter was pretty good on them though.

No, what was interesting was that the original flavor muffins developed mold after about 2 weeks. I finally threw out the pumpkin spice muffins last week (I got these last November). They were stale and hard, but NO MOLD! I'm not sure what's in that pumpkin spice, but mold doesn't like it.

They have these again this year and as a bonus, they now offer pumpkin butter spread. MMMMMM!!!!!!

See's Candies Pumpkin Spice Lollipops

2009-09-15T19:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, so there are actually a bunch of things that I got LAST year (2008) that I never got posted. So, I'll be mixing in last year's finds with this year's.
See's Candies makes some pretty good stuff. The truffles from last year were quite good. I also got these Pumpkin Spice Lollipops. Pumpkin lollipops? Who wouldn't want that??!?!

They kind of look like a big caramel block on a stick and are a hard but slightly malleable substance. The taste is interesting. It's not quite pumpkin, but more of a caramel with some creamy, spiced flavor. I found myself unable to stop eating the thing once I started. If you concentrated on it, you could pretty easily convince yourself it tasted like pumpkin, although in the half hour I spent eating it, I was reading sports blogs so I wasn't paying that close attention to the taste. It still tasted pretty good though. It got better and better as it went along.

See's has them available again this year, so at least I'm not talking about something that you could only get last year.

Pumpkin Spice Bark and a welcome to Pumpkin Season 2009!

2009-09-09T20:06:00.002-05:00

Yippeee!!!! It's pumpkin season!!! That means I'm supposed to eat weird food and talk about on this blog. Perhaps this year I won't give up by December.

There isn't any set date for when pumpkin season starts. Sure, Starbucks usually rolls out the Pumpkin Spice Lattes before anybody else starts putting out pumpkin stuff, but Starbucks isn't very exciting. So, for me, it starts when I find something new to try.

Today, at my favorite pumpkin place, Central Market, I found the first of this years batch. Pumpkin Spice Bark. It's a bright orange colored white chocolate with spice flavor and chocolate cookies mixed in. Now last year, I had pumpkin bark that was just chocolate and pumpkin blended together. It was smooth, creamy, and a nice pumpkin flavor. This bark, however, is different. It doesn't have a smooth pumpkin flavor, but it does have a strong pumpkin like spice flavor that does blend pretty well with the chocolate. I think the spice is a little too strong though and takes away from the overall enjoyment. Not bad overall, and a decent way to start this years pumpkin festivities. But I'm hoping we get some better stuff down the road.

McCutcheon's Pumpkin Butter

2008-11-30T20:50:00.004-06:00

Pumpkin Butter. What the heck is pumpkin butter? It's too soupy to be jelly and too fruity to be a cholesterol laden dairy product. I was always curious but was never sure what I'd use this for.
I actually tried it on waffles. It tasted good, but seemed weird. I liked the pumpkin flavor, but it was just wrong for waffles.
Central Market helped me out. They had a display going with samples of the pumpkin butter and they used gingersnap cookies as a way of getting the butter to your mouth. That was awesome. Pumpkin butter as a dip! I bought some gingersnaps and will definitely use this combo at my next party. Kind of like a holiday chips and salsa.

Golden Temple Pumpkin Spice Cereal

2008-11-30T20:38:00.003-06:00

Central Market, my primary source for pumpkin related foods, has a wide variety of bulk cereals. These cereals are basically granola with some dried fruits and sweeteners and such. Still, I was excited to see a cereal/granola concoction that had pumpkin in the name without also including "flax" or "seeds."
Golden Temple Pumpkin Spice Cereal is granola, clusters of unknown make-up, and raisins. It actually tastes like pumpkin, which surprised me a bit. The raisins were annoying though, and unnecessary. I don't like raisins much anyway, but in this case, they really felt extraneous and took away from the pumpkin and spice flavor that worked really well in a bowl with milk.
Next time, I'll just pick out the raisins.

Jell-o Pumpkin Spice Pudding

2008-11-30T20:23:00.003-06:00

I love pudding. Not as much as I love ice cream, mind you, but pudding still rocks. So, when I saw this little box of yum, I was giddy.
Pudding is easy to make. Pudding is easy to eat. What's not to love about pudding? And when that pudding has an awesome pumpkin spice flavor, it's fanamatastic!
It tastes like pumpkin pie, except in a creamy, gooey form. You can, if you want, make a pudding pie out of it and there are instructions on the box.
But I'm just fine with a bowl of pudding!

Little Debbie Pumpkin Muffins

2008-11-30T20:03:00.002-06:00

Little Debbie makes some pretty tasty snacks. I find it slightly odd that a muffin is their second trip into pumpkin flavored treats (the other being the Pumpkin Delights). All the same, it's a pretty good muffin. It's not spectacular... but it is a tasty treat. My favorite part is that when you open the cellophane, it has this great aroma of cream cheese. While it doesn't taste like cream cheese, sadly, the smell alone is enough to make me completely forget the "creme" cake that Walmart claims to sell.

Archer Farms Pumpkin Pie Yogurt

2008-11-12T21:15:00.003-06:00

This is the third year I've seen this Pumpkin Pie yogurt from Archer Farms. The last two years, it sucked. It wasn't good pumpkin and it wasn't even good yogurt.

For whatever reason, I decided to try it again this year. Maybe I'm crazy (quite possible) or they've improved this thing this time around. It's still pretty tangy, but the pumpkin flavor shines through. It's thicker than most mass produced yogurts. It's almost a custard. This is pretty much a dessert. I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. I might even buy another.

I found two other flavors when I got the pumpkin. Caramel apple was okay, but it lacked much apple flavor and the caramel reminded me more of some kind of mocha. The apple cider largely tasted like a light apple flavored yogurt. There is also a sugar cookie flavor that I found recently, but I haven't gotten to that one yet. I'll let ya' know.

Pumpkin Cookie with Cinnamon Chips

2008-11-12T21:02:00.002-06:00

Inevitably, my co-workers at whatever company I work for find out about my pumpkin food obsession. Then they start telling me they are going to make me something... usually some bread recipe or maybe a pie. So when one of my co-workers told me she was going to make the pumpkin cookies with cinnamon chips, I was intrigued. Pumpkin cookies are still a bit of a rarity, particularly good ones, and I had never even heard of cinnamon chips before.

It took her awhile to find the chips, but she finally brought some to work. Very tasty! They are soft, almost doughball like, with a tasty pumpkin flavor with little shots of cinnamon. I ate way to many of them.

I'm trying to get the recipe and if so, I'll post it.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Bundt Cake: Corner Bakery

2008-11-12T20:41:00.004-06:00

It seems that we've hit a point where we're running out of just plain pumpkin flavored stuff and now we're finding more and more blends. Blending pumpkin with gingerbread is becoming more common and the two fall/holiday flavors work well together.

The Corner Bakery's Gingerbread Pumpkin mini-bundt cake is a good blend of pumpkin and gingerbread. I love gingerbread anyway, so this sounded pretty good. And it was. It was pretty moist and spicy. Really the only problem I had was the excessive use of the glazed icing stuff. A light drizzle is good, but I don't need a pool of icing in the middle.

It's a pretty healthy serving so it's perfect to share... or pig out. That's what I did. It would probably be better to slice it though. Otherwise, you look like some cro-mag going face first into some dead animal. And you'll get icing on your nose.

See's Pumpkin Pie Truffle

2008-11-09T20:21:00.006-06:00

See's Candies makes these seasonal truffles. I bought them, of course, for the Pumpkin Pie Truffle. Unfortunately, it was a bit disappointing. At first bite, my first thought was that it was very similar to the Bissinger's. But then the spice took over and it seemed more like a chocolate and cinnamon truffle. The pumpkin part of the truffle doesn't come through. In fact, this one falls into the trap that many pumpkin treats fall into: lots of spice but little pumpkin. Pumpkin Pie isn't all spice so I fail to see why other pumpkin concoctions should be overwhelmed by the spices.

Oh well. I tried the apple pie truffle. It was pretty good. Really tasted like apple pie. Haven't tried the cranberry orange or pecan pie ones yet.

Pumpkin Creme Cake

2008-10-30T20:52:00.003-05:00

Another exciting Walmart find. This one was the opposite of the Pumpkin Pie though. I thought this one would be pretty good, but it was just kinda blah.
While it has "creme" and "cake" in the name, it tastes more like an average, if dry, pumpkin bread. It also doesn't have much staying power as mold began appearing after a few days. No real loss.
This also comes in a bundt cake form with some sort of weird frosting drizzle on it.

Nothing special.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

2008-10-30T20:29:00.004-05:00

While wandering around a Walmart Neighborhood Market looking for a few other items, I ran across this "Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie" in the bakery area. It appears to be a Walmart exclusive. The box is oddly interesting enough to attract my attention, what with its quaint pie maker and his horse & carriage.
It's a palm sized pie in a tinfoil pan inside. I was really wary of this one. One, because it's nutritional value is atrocious (the pie is one serving: 370 calories, 19g of fat, although it did have 5 grams of fiber), two, because it's from Walmart, and three, because it cost like 69 cents. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
The crust, while maybe a tad too thick, is a great pastry crust in the grand tradition of one of those Hostess fruit pies. The filling was good too. According to the box, it's actually made from pumpkin, which is a plus. It did have a bit too much spice and there was a strong hint of citrus in the almost curd-like filling, but overall, this was a pretty decent cheap pumpkin snack. I wouldn't go out of my way for it and I won't eat another one because it's pretty much considered a meal on my diet, but I don't regret eating the one.

Nuovo Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli

2008-10-27T21:40:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin & pasta... two of my favorites. It's Nuovo's Pumpkin & Sage Ravioli. Nuovo makes high quality specialty pastas and deals with foodservice a lot.

I was a little nervous about this, seeing as how my only other pumpkin & pasta experience was that terrible pumpkin gnocchi.
However, this turned out to be a much better than I thought.

It's a pretty simple meal. Each package has two generous portions and it takes about 10 minutes or so to boil. It works well with a creamy sauce, like Alfredo.

The ravioli itself actually tastes like... well... like a ricotta enhanced pumpkin pie. The pasta is tender with a strong pumpkin flavor. I'm not a big ricotta fan, to be honest, but it's not overpowering and adds a little sandy-like texture that is pleasant enough.

Found this at Central Market. The first time I found it was back in July so I think this may be a non-seasonal item.

Whataburger Fried Pumpkin Pie - 2008 edition

2008-10-23T17:07:00.001-05:00

Tried it again. I think it was worse than last year. Still doesn't taste like pumpkin. In fact, this one kinda tasted like a burned snickerdoodle.

Not worth the effort (or the calories)

Pumpkin Tart (not mass produced)

2008-10-21T16:46:00.002-05:00

The favorite restaurant of Mr. & Mrs. Fido L. Pumpkinboy is a little French Restaurant called Saint Emilion in Fort Worth. We try and visit at least a couple of times a year. The service and atmosphere are wonderful and the food is fantastic.
We went last Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. They make a fabulous pesto gnocchi and were surprised by how good the New England Skate Wing (as in one of those ray-fish things) tasted.
The best part was when they told us the desserts. Normally I get a Brandy Alexander, but tonight, they had a pumpkin tart. And since I was eager to forget the Archer Farms Pumpkin Tart from last year, this was an easy decision.

The tart came out on a plate covered in a light raspberry glaze. At first, I wasn't sure the raspberry glaze was needed or even wanted, but it really added to the dessert. The crust was light, not to thick, and practically melted away in your mouth. The tart was a bit tart, but not very much, and it was a very creamy pumpkin flavor with a strong yet not-overpowering pumpkin spice flavor. The raspberry glaze really did enhance the entire thing as did the rich whipped cream. This cream, I'm sure, was made from scratch in the kitchen and did not come out of a spray bottle or plastic tub. I can honestly say that this tart tasted better and better with each successive bite.

Fabulous! 5 out of 5 pumpkins.

Pumpkin Chocolate

2008-10-11T14:06:00.004-05:00

Another Central Market find, this is Bissinger's Pumpkin Bark - Milk Chocolate Swirled with Real Pumpkin. All Natural no less.

It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect. It tastes like chocolate, it tastes like pumpkin... all swirled together. Verrry Tasty! It's not perfect though... it has this odd aroma and initial flavor, kinda chalky. But it's not bad and the taste of this confection more than makes up for it. It's smooth and has a creamy pumpkin flavor that isn't forced or fake. Love it!

It's also available for purchase direct from Bissinger's website if you don't have a Central Market. This one really is a can't miss.

Odwalla Pumpkin Protein Soymilk Drink

2008-10-06T22:07:00.004-05:00

I'm not big on crazy protein drinks. I like to chew my protein, normally. But, since I am contractually obligated to try ANYTHING and EVERYTHING made with pumpkin or tasting like pumpkin, I had to give this one a shot.

Odwalla makes all sorts of crazy produce and protein liquids. I don't know how any of them taste, and I don't think I'm interested in trying any of the others. The Pumpkin Protein honestly wasn't bad, but I am not a soy person. If you do like soy, rock on.

I gave this a shot before a soccer match. Not having had a soy drink before, I didn't know what to expect. The front end wasn't very good. The weird thing is, the AFTERTASTE had a fairly nice pumpkin flavor. Once you got past the kinda chalky soy taste, there was a surprising pumpkin treat.

I don't know if it helped my soccer game or not (we lost).

Final Analysis: If you just like pumpkin, this probably isn't recommended. If you like soymilk, you'll probably enjoy far more than I did. 2 out of 5 pumpkins.

Pumpkin Gingersnaps Parfait

2008-10-06T21:45:00.003-05:00

If you don't have a Central Market near you, then you should move to a place that has one. CM rocks. They have a great selection of organic, natural foods, fresh meats, fish and produce, a massive wine and beer section that outdoes most liquor stores AND they cook delicious foods on site. The bakery is no exception. Forget Wal-mart... those low wage lard frosting cake makers have nothing on CM.

Among the already numerous things I've found already this year at CM is this parfait is fanamatastic. Imagine a pumpkin pie, whipped into light, fluffy goodness and layered with whipped cream. Now imagine that that pie had a gingerbread crust and the crust is mixed in with the pumpkin. Awesome! 5 out of 5 pumpkins!

Now, I will have to experiment with trying to make an actual pumpkin pie with a gingersnap crust.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-06T21:22:00.002-05:00

Pumpkin bread might be second only to pumpkin pie as the most common pumpkin treat. Typically, I'm not going to review every pie and bread that I find since they are most likely (unless I'm told otherwise) going to be slight variations on the same recipe, if not made from a kit (Hello, Libby's).

However, when I'm at Richardson's Health Foods in Fort Worth buying my latest batch of raw meat for the dogs and I see a small ziploc bag at the counter with a price tag of $1.50 and the bag contains pumpkin bread, I must say I am intrigued. The employee who was ringing me up told me it was all natural and made by some woman who brought it in the day before. Fresh, all natural, homemade pumpkin bread. I don't know what exactly is in this or if it's fresh pumpkin (not from a can), but it was pretty tasty. Very moist with a solid pumpkin spice flavor. I never felt like I needed milk or beer or other liquid to wash it down. It wasn't sticky... it just melted in my mouth. Well worth $1.50.

Ring the bell! It's Pumpkin season!

2008-09-22T16:34:00.003-05:00

Welcome Fall!

Today being the first day of Autumn, I'm finally getting off my rear end and adding a new entry.

Last week, a friend of mine alerted me to the newest in pumpkin flavored tastiness:

Hershey's Pumpkin Spice Kisses! Yum!

Lately, Hershey's has felt the need to make their signature kisses in a variety of different flavors (the neopolitan ones are better than they sound) and so this time around, they've captured the flavor of pumpkin pie in a tiny confection and wrapped it in foil.

These kisses are soft, as opposed to the solid chocolate original kiss, and Mrs. Pumpkinboy thought they were melty and so we've been storing them in the refridgerator. They have a pretty good color (a orange/tan blend... thankfully not some bright orange color that just screams "PUMPKIN" at you).

They have a lot of flavor for such a small piece of candy. They're fairly rich too, so if you aren't head over heels in love with pumpkin flavor, it might be a tad overpowering. I loved 'em, however; it's like a little pumpkin pie you can eat anywhere.

A few of us at work have decided that these would be fantastic in a shortbread or sugar thumprint cookie. It would really seem like a mini-pumpkin pie or pumpkin tart. Perhaps I will try that.

4 1/2 out of 5 pumpkins

Doritos Collisions: Pizza Cravers & Ranch

2008-08-14T16:21:00.002-05:00

I love Doritos and will try almost any flavor they put out. Lately, they've been throwing out these "Collisions" where they put two flavors in one bag. It's interesting, but also disappointing since if you are only interested in one flavor, you have to go through a bag with a second flavor. Most of the time, the flavors start running together anyway so it's not really 2 flavors in one bag, more like 1 weirdo flavor in 1 bag.
I first tried the collisions because that's the only way I can get my beloved Taco flavored Doritos (collisioned with the uninspiring chipotle ranch).
Now they have Pizza Cravers/Ranch.
The Pizza Cravers are essentially the old Pizza Hut flavored Doritos from around 1996. They're fine, but largely taste like a combination of almost all of the available seasonings in the Dorito arsenal. Then there's Ranch. Not "Cool Ranch" or "Chipotle Ranch"... just "Ranch." Who at Dorito Central said "Ya know, we've done every kind of 'Ranch' we can think of... except 'Ranch', so let's just do that!" Plain ol' Ranch differs from the classic Cool Ranch in that it lacks some punch. It tastes like a mild ranch and just kind of sits there on your tongue waiting for something else to happen. Much like High School, the Cool kids are far more interesting than the plain ol' kids.

Not overly impressive at any rate. I think I'll stick to the Taco chips. Perhaps I'll start eating the Taco only and sending the Chipotle Ranch back to Frito Lay with a note saying "These could have been Taco in my bag instead of this uninspiring blah!"

Thanksgiving: A bountiful feast!

2007-11-24T10:16:00.003-06:00

Now that I can actually think about food again after stuffing myself on Thursday, let's cover some pumpkin stuff that I ate recently.

Dreyer's Slow Churned Pumpkin (Limited Edition) - This stuff is awesome. It mixes two of my favorite treats together: ice cream and pumpkin. It's smooth and creamy and has a great pumpkin flavor! Plus, it's a lower fat product (Dreyer's also makes a regular pumpkin ice cream, which is quite good too, although I like the slow churned better) so you can feel a little less guilty about eating it.

Libby's Pumpkin Bread Kit and Einstein Brother's Bakery Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread - Libby's, maker of fine canned pumpkin products (and pretty much the only maker of canned pumpkin products), put out this pumpkin bread kit that I found at Target for about $5. It makes two loaves worth of pumpkin bread (I used one big 9 x 13 pan and made a big cake like loaf). Since it uses real canned pumpkin (as opposed to dried stuff in a mix), it came out pretty moist and flavorful. Plus it's really easy so most anybody could make this stuff without screwing up. I will admit, though, that I added tiny bits of some other stuff to the mix like some extra Pumpkin Pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, a shot of the Archer Farms Pumpkin Nog Milk, and a shot of amaretto. MMMMMMMM!
To top it off (literally), I gave the bread a nice frosting of the Einstein Bros. Pumpkin Cream Cheese. Normally, I get this and spread it on the Einstein Bros. Pumpkin Bagels, but I haven't actually seen any of those this year. This Cream Cheese Spread is excellent. It's very light and fluffy and is a near perfect blend of pumpkin and cream cheese. There are other pumpkin cream cheeses out there, but this on is by far my favorite.

Krispy Kreme Pumpkin Spice Cake Donuts & Holes - For the record, I actually bought a box of the donut holes, but this can cover both items since they are basically the same food, just in a different shape.
Donuts are a nice treat, although I've lost some interest in them over the years. These Pumpkin Spice donuts are not bad, but not really a winner. Sure the donuts themselves are good (granted, I don't really see the big deal about KK), especially since they are cake donuts which I prefer, but they just don't pack a powerful pumpkin punch. Sure you can taste the pumpkin, but the whole thing is a just a step or two away from a regular cake donut.

On Thanksgiving, we took my family out to lunch at a Fort Worth restaurant called Ferre. I think the missus tends to enjoy this one more than me, but it's not bad (personally, I prefer Saint Emilion). There were a couple of gourmet type pumpkin items on the three-course menu, so I was forced to try them.
The first, an appetizer, was a Pumpkin Gnocchi with pancetta, brown butter and sage. First off, I am not a fan of bacon and bacon related foods. Meat should be tender and juicy and should not crunch. Pancetta, while not bacon in the strictest sense, is still a bacon-y food and so the flavor ran amuck in the bowl. The gnocchi was not bad, but failed to impress. It was chewy but lacked any real flavor of it's own (largely tasted of pancetta). This could have been better. More pumpkin, butter, and spices, less pancetta.
The other menu item, a dessert, was Pumpkin Ricotta Cheesecake with candied pecans and maple whipped cream. This was fantastic... one of the best pumpkin cheesecakes I've ever tried. I can't stand ricotta, but it was blended together so well that the entire cheesecake came out smooth and creamy and not overpoweringly rich as cheesecakes can tend to do. They maple whipped cream was a treat too. Definitely made up for the gnocchi.

Okay, that's about enough for now. Time to hit the mountain bike and work off all these calories!

Dr. Pepper is insane!

2007-11-17T16:18:00.000-06:00

So, I'm at the grocery store, buying spinach or something, and I see this crazy item up by the checkstands.

Diet Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper. Well, that sounds ludicrous, thus, I must try it.

It really wasn't that bad. It tasted very much like chocolate AND cherries. It did not taste like pepper. And, like most of the Diet DP line, it didn't taste much like diet either.

It's one of them "limited edition" flavors, so keep and eye out and grab one if you get the chance.

We're going out for pumpkin!

2007-11-12T01:02:00.000-06:00

Today there are a couple of pumpkin things I want to mention, both from restaurants.
One is the Pumpkin Pancakes from the International House of Pancakes, or IHOP, if you get excited about acronyms.
These were fantastic. The were light and fluffy, moist enough to not need syrup, and came topped with some whipped cream. The pumpkin flavor was better than expected. I don't know how many truck drivers, old people, or intoxicated youths but these, but if they don't, their missing out.
The other item is the Pumpkin Muffin (Seasonal selection) from Mimi's Cafe. I did not actually order this one, it came as part of Mrs. Rotten's meal, but she was gracious enough to give me a bite after I stared and drooled at it for a good two minutes. Perhaps it was because this was dinner and they had possibly baked them earlier in the day, but it was a little dry. It wasn't bad, but not the best muffin ever. A quick reheat in the microwave probably would have done wonders for this one.
Anyway, 4 pumpkins for the pancakes, 3 for the muffin.

Whataburger Fried Pumpkin Pie

2007-11-11T23:02:00.000-06:00

Today's pumpkin entry is the Whataburger Fried Pumpkin Pie.
Whataburger makes some tasty food that will make any dietitian or nutritionist fly into an uncontrolled rage. The line of fried pies is no exception.
You can typically get apple or maybe cherry and sometimes they have lemon. For the fall season this year, they have pumpkin.
I was quite excited when a co-worker told me about them. So, we went to Whataburger for lunch, mostly to try the pie.
Well, the pie was.... okay. It was fried, it was hot, and it was not quite what I was expecting. The pumpkin pie filling was not so amazing... it was too liquid-y and didn't have a strong flavor. Plus, it was still way to hot, even after a good 15 minute cool off period while I ate the rest of lunch.
Still, if you are at Whataburger, it's worth trying. If you are driving around and need pumpkin, it'll do. Is it the greatest dessert invention ever. No.
3 out of 5 pumpkins.

Creamy Pumpkin Curry Soup

2007-11-08T21:44:00.000-06:00

Today's pumpkin thing is actually a recipe I got from some stupid calendar they gave us at work. It's Creamy Pumpkin Curry Soup. It's not too difficult to make (other than chopping the onions and garlic... burn!). It tasted okay, but I have to admit, I really am not a soup guy. I like chili and stews, but for whatever reason, eating liquid with a spoon just doesn't appeal to me. I will say that I enjoyed it more as a Creamy Pumpkin Curry Sauce that I poured over chicken and veggies. For my taste though, I think I'd like it a little less creamy. I don't think I'm done with this one... perhaps some tweaking and experimenting is in order. I'm giving it 2 out of 5 pumpkins, but that's largely because I think the "creamy" and "soup" parts got in the way.
If anybody wants the recipe.... let me know.

Archer Farms Holiday Nog: Pumpkin Spice Milk

2007-10-31T22:54:00.000-05:00

Today's pumpkin treat is absolutely fanamatastic! I can tell you a straight up 5 pumpkins right now.

Archer Farms Holiday Nog: Pumpkin Spice Milk. This is awesome! Smooth and creamy with a dandy pumpkin flavor. Perfect for making your Cheerios a little more exciting or just a nice treat after another stupid day at work. Buy a bunch of it and spike it with rum or some other spirit and never leave the house. Available at Target.

Pumpkin beer plus one "bonus"

2007-10-30T23:25:00.001-05:00

Today's pumpkin entry is actually 4 entries. 4 "pumpkin" beers to be exact. 3 of these were from last year. The thing about pumpkin beers is that they really don't taste like pumpkin. They're MADE with pumpkin, but they don't much taste like pumpkin. Regardless, I keep trying.

Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale (Anheuser-Busch) 5.5% - "Ale Brewed with only the Finest Barley Malt, The Choicest Hops, Pumpkin and spices." Pretty much a typical pumpkin ale. Taste like an ale with some stuff in it. Not bad, but there are better beers if this isn't gonna taste like pumpkin.

The Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - No % listed and a warning sign: "MALT Beverage with pumpkin spice added." It's been a year since I had this, but the memories are coming back.... this tasted like soda water with some pumpkin flavoring. It actually tasted like pumpkin, but lacked any beer qualities that I pretty much disqualified this one. The artwork on the label is quite entertaining, though.

Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale (Blue Moon Seasonal Collection) 5.6% - "The flavor of vine ripened pumpkin & spices with traditional crystal malt." This is the one I got this year. It's a good beer (but then, I just like the Blue Moon line), but again, not a major pumpkin flavor explosion. I'd recommend it for parties just to go with the theme, but if you want a seasonal to just drink at home, try the Blue Moon Winter Ale.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale 7% - "A full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg." If you are at all familiar with the Dogfish Head line of beer, then you know that it is made up of beers that are heavy on flavor and heavy on alcohol. This one fits the bill. To be honest, I don't remember exactly how this one tasted, but I can remember that I felt quite relaxed after drinking it. Pumpkin flavor or not, shotgun one of these and you'll have no problem going to sleep.

The "bonus" beer is not a pumpkin beer, rather, it is the beer that was unanimously voted at the Chris & Liesl Logan Beer Tasting Festival as THE WORST BEER EVER!!!!
This is the Left Hand Brewing Company's Milk Stout. There is no alcohol percentage listed, but I can tell you that it isn't enough, whatever the hell it is. I bought this with the intention of of maybe winning best beer or weirdest. I like stout and I like milk stout and I thought, hmmmm.... this looks interesting. Plus, there's a cow with hand-print spots on the label. That cow wouldn't steer me wrong (no pun intended).
That cow drove me into the biggest cow patty ever ejected from bovine buttocks. A general consensus was that the beer tasted like an ashtray. As such, it easily won worst beer and I earned the prize of a book about the "most evil" people in history.
It was my own fault. I broke rules regarding good beer selection. Mainly, NEVER BUY A DOMESTIC STOUT! I don't care what you think it might taste like, if it was made by some hippie indie brewer in the US, then it's crap. Period.

Archer Farms Pumpkin Tart (with side of beer)

2007-10-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

Today's pumpkin review is for the Archer Farms 4" Pumpkin Tart. Found this one in the Target bakery for $2.99. It's 6 oz of tasty pumpkin goodness (with dollop of cream and a chocolate stick). Don't look at the Nutrition Facts (especially since this thing is supposed to serve 2).
It has a good pumpkin flavor but I can't say this is fanamatastic since it largely tastes like a mini-pumpkin pie with extra crust (not that I mind... I like crust). It was good and I'd recommend it, but it isn't the pumpkin find of the year. 4 out of 5 pumpkins.
An aside: it went quite well with the Blue Moon Winter Ale (Target was out of the BM Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, which will be reviewed later). Both were consumed while watching another dandy episode of Reaper.

Stop! Pumpkin Time!

2007-10-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

Well, it's pumpkin season again. This year, I fully intend on doing a better job of reporting all of the tasty pumpkin treats. So far this year, there has been a new pumpkin beer, pumpkin pudding, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin tart, pumpkin milk, and pumpkin curry soup. I have a pumpkin cake recipe to try and some pumpkin cream cheese in the fridge. Reviews will follow as time allows.

If you happen to find a pumpkin flavored something, let me know so I can try it.

Blah, Blah, Pumpkin, Blah, Blah!

2006-11-05T22:21:00.000-06:00

Pictured here are some strange treat called "Pumpkin Dreams" or some such nonsense. They are a roundish bite sized ball that has some sort of cookie type inside and covered by a powdered sugar and spice outside. These aren't too bad. They have a lot of flavor, pumpkin and other assorted spices. The problem is that they are waaaaay too rich. One is plenty. Not like in a candy corn kind of way, but it's just that one of them is so strong that you can really only eat one and then wait a week before eating another.

3 pumpkins. Good flavor, too strong to eat more than one.

Jack makes a mean milkshake!

2006-10-31T06:55:00.000-06:00

Today's pumpkin entry is my favorite. The Jack-in-the-Box Pumpkin Pie Milkshake (not available in pubs or bars). This is fantastic. It's a thick, ice cream milkshake with pumpkin flavor and topped off with whipped cream and a cherry. There really isn't much to say except that it is mad crazy pumpkin flavor. 5 pumpkins all the way. (Sorry, I don't have a picture. This is one of those things that doesn't last long enough to have it's picture taken!)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2006-10-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

Today's entry into the 2006 Pumpkin Taste Test is this package of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. These came from Target.

They looked promising. Big ol' cookies with a nice pumpkin orange color... plus chocolate. MMMMMM, right? Well, I wasn't impressed. There was very little pumpkin flavor that I could taste and the chocolate chips were almost crunchy. It helped if you heated it up in the microwave for a few seconds, but overall, just not worth it. The wife liked 'em though...

These get 1 pumpkin... low on pumpkin flavor and really disappointing.

2006-10-09T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time of year again. Pumpkin season. MMMMMM! Every year, it seems like there are more and more entries into the "what can we make that tastes like pumpkin" corner of the kitchen.

One thing that I'm required BY LAW to do is to try any pumpkin based food that I come across (another law is that I must stop at any Stuckey's that I find). So this year, I've decided to review all of the pumpkin crap that I try. Believe me, this will give me entry material for weeks.

The first entry is made by Little Debbie. Before Debbie grew up and did Dallas, she made cheap snack cakes. Presumably she made a lot of snack cakes because I believe what you find in the store has been stored in a warehouse since Debbie originally made these things back in the 19th century.

Anyway, this year, I found these things called "Pumpkin Delights." I figured I'd pick them up because:

A) They were cheap

B) They were suprisingly not really that nutritionally bad for you

C) As I said, I'm required by law.

"Pumpkin Delights" are soft cookies supposedly shaped like pumpkins with poorly detailed jack o' lantern faces. Inside the eyes and mouth of the face is an unidentified goo that is presumably supposed to be pumpkin guts.

These were surprisingly not too bad. They didn't have a really strong pumpkin flavor (more gingerbready maybe), but they were still a cheap, tasty little snack treat. They fit nicely in a lunchsack or are a good in between meal snack when you get sick of eating Sun Chips.

3 out of 5 pumpkins. Mid range pumpkin flavor but high snackability.