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SUR LA TABLE BUTTERMILK ALMOND PUMPKIN SPICE QUICK BREAD

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Welcome to day 27 of Tag Sale Tastes’ Pumpkinpalooza!

Today I baked up a loaf of Sur La Table’s Buttermilk Almond Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread, that was sent to me by my friend Karen.

IMG_6920Not being a huge fan of mixes (with the notable exception of Ghirardelli Brownie Mix), I was skeptical.  I did, however, like that the ingredients were things I would find in my own pantry, and included pumpkin (oh, thank heavens) and ginger.

IMG_6921The box contained a pouch of dry ingredients, to which you add eggs, butter, and buttermilk:

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It took just a few minutes to get this ready to go into the oven.  The batter had a nice orange color from the pumpkin:

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The bread smelled wonderful as it baked, and the family (and the dogs) couldn’t wait for it to come out of the oven.  I followed the package directions exactly, and the loaf baked up perfectly:

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Here it is, in all its orange-brown glory:

IMG_6930After waiting for what seemed like forever for it cool, we cut a few slices:

IMG_6931My friend Karen dared me not to like this pumpkin spice bread.  Well, she easily won that dare.  This pumpkin bread was delicious — dense, moist from the buttermilk, and fragrant from the spices.  We couldn’t stop nibbling away at it, and kept going back to slice off yet another sliver.  I was genuinely surprised at how good it was.  Believe me — this could easily pass for homemade-from-scratch.  The hint of almond complemented the other flavors nicely.  In fact, I think I’m going to start adding a touch of almond extract to my own pumpkin bread recipe.

Grab a box or two while they last and surprise your family/friends/coworkers this fall with “homemade” pumpkin bread.  It’ll be our secret.  Thanks Karen, for this superstar of pumpkin spice products.

Rating:  5 pumpkins (out of 5)

PUMPKIN DAIRY WHIPPED TOPPING

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Welcome to day 25 of Tag Sale Tastes’ Pumpkinpalooza!

Today I tried Kroger Pumpkin Dairy Whipped Topping, which has been beckoning me to try it for a month now:

IMG_6723The cute little pumpkin with his cinnamon stick baton on the can led me to expect pumpkin and cinnamon to be listed among the ingredients.

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But no, it was just an illusion:

IMG_6724Making your own whipped cream isn’t difficult, and it’s so good.  But geez do my kids’ eyes light up on the rare occasions when they find a can of whipped cream in the refrigerator.  And apparently, that was the case with this pumpkin whipped topping, because when I went to sample it, about 3/4ths of the can was gone.  My son confessed to sneaking a squirt here and there, and told me that he thought it was great.

So I tried it.  And it was great.  Sweet, but not overly sweet, and lightly spiced.  But what to do with it?  It seemed redundant to put it on pumpkin pie, and I was not about to bake one just to post a picture (although I probably will do so for Thanksgiving).  I suppose it would be nice on berries or vanilla ice cream, especially with a little caramel sauce.  I wound up topping coffee with it, and it was a nice treat.

For a little surprise fun this fall, try a pouf of pumpkin whipped topping on your coffee or favorite dessert.

Rating:  4 pumpkins (out of 5)