Pumpkin spice has become an epidemic of sorts. When these products hit the shelves, it’s well known that autumn is upon us. Many popular supermarkets have bought into the trend, producing some of the strangest pumpkin spiced items ever seen, including trash bags, salmon, and Red Vines. One of these stores is Trader Joe’s which is well known for their seasonal goods. Today, we’ll take a look (and a taste!) at six of their pumpkin-themed offerings for every meal of the day.
First on the menu is Pumpkin Waffles, which come frozen and pre-made. While the smell from the toaster was extremely enticing, they left something to be desired. These waffles did not have any real sweetness to them as they were not pumpkin spiced. Adding cinnamon and nutmeg, or just maple syrup will give you all the sugar you need for this dish.
There were three snacks that went on throughout the day. The first of these were the Pumpkin Tortilla Chips. They had a rather basic flavor at first, but the aftertaste was somewhat sweet. However, they were advertised as pumpkin and there was no real pumpkin flavor to the chips. It seemed that cinnamon was the key flavor of these chips.
The next snack was the Pumpkin O’s, the fall version of Trader Joe’s classic cereal. These were a step-up from the tortilla chips with the pumpkin flavor. They had a sweet flavor which was reminiscent of pumpkin spice, but the earthy taste gave it a somewhat natural tinge.
And the final snack to finish out the day were the Pumpkin Spiced Teeny Tiny Pretzels. They truly lived up to their name! Covered with sweet yogurt, the pretzels were small and tasted just like a pumpkin spiced latte. Unfortunately, they may be a little too sugary for those just seeking a midday snack. Just a handful of these could easily be a dessert.
The main dish of the day was the Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli. It was served with a butter sauce along with roasted walnuts. The ravioli itself came in a fall-colored dough with a sweet pumpkin filling that soon became savory and melted in my mouth. Although this was a fantastic fall dinner, it wasn’t good enough to want to have a second time.
To close out this pumpkin filled menu, you have to have dessert! The Pumpkin Ginger ice cream cones are the perfect size for a late night snack. The ice cream itself is delicious, but the ginger flavor is lost and the pumpkin takes center stage. For those who aren’t a fan of white chocolate, then stay away from these as the top of the cone is dipped into it and frozen on.
If you haven’t tired out of pumpkin spice yet, then head out to your local grocery store to find what offerings they have to celebrate autumn, and decide the answer to this question: is this whole pumpkin spice thing getting to be too much?
