By Hailey Rogenski
It’s that time of year again! Leaves are falling, everyone is wearing sweaters and grocery store aisles are lined with everything pumpkin.
Some may say it’s basic, but I’m a huge fan of pumpkin treats, whether they be baked goods, candy or cereals.
Recently, I have been captivated by pumpkin oatmeal and bagels. I work at Giant Eagle and can always find these on the shelf when doing some after-work shopping. I also found some great pumpkin items in its bakery including pumpkin bread, pumpkin cinnamon rolls and pumpkin pies. I also bought some pumpkin ice cream, my favorite dessert.
Some other pumpkin goods I enjoyed this fall were pumpkin spice KitKats and pumpkin spice caramels.
Pumpkin isn’t just a taste or smell, it’s a feeling. It’s the feeling of warmth you get when drinking a pumpkin spice latte. It is a feeling of joy and excitement the once-a-year treat brings everytime it returns for the season.
If I could have pumpkin all year round, it would be amazing but I feel as if it wouldn’t be as exciting as it is when it makes a comeback for fall and early winter. It’s like my mom always says, “distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
The first time I tried pumpkin was Thanksgiving Day when I was 6 years old. At the time, I was extremely picky but I loved most sweets. One kind of sweets I wasn’t very fond of were certain kinds of pies, like chocolate cream and peanut butter. I remember my mom offering me a slice of pumpkin pie. At first I was really scared to try it but when I finally did, I was surprised by how good it tasted. Ever since, I have loved pumpkin flavored foods.
Although pumpkin is delicious, you’re probably wondering where I draw the line when it comes to pumpkin spice.
Believe it or not, when it comes to pumpkin flavoring, sometimes it can be taken too far. One of the worst pumpkin flavored items I ever had was tortilla chips. I bought them thinking that they were going to be dusted with cinnamon sugar and pumpkin-spice seasoning. Instead they were dusted with cinnamon and salt and they barely had any pumpkin flavor at all. I was very disappointed because I was expecting something sweeter.
One time when I was ringing out a customer at Giant Eagle last fall, I rang out a pumpkin item that made my stomach turn: pumpkin spice ramen noodles. I don’t like ramen noodles to begin with because of the texture, but even if I did I wouldn’t dare try it.
Another odd pumpkin flavored dish that has made an appearance online is pumpkin pierogies. Mrs. T’s pierogies is offering these as a giveaway to 70 people via Instagram, but it won’t be a giveaway that I’ll be signing up for.
There are just some things that pumpkin doesn’t belong with. I love a sweet and savory mix, but pumpkin has a strong flavor and when mixed with something salty or savory, it makes for an awful combination.
Aside from the horrific items that some companies use pumpkin to make, there are many great items on the shelf that I have yet to purchase before fall is over and I can’t wait to try them!
After all this talk about pumpkin, I’m gonna go shopping for some more pumpkin stuff, so I’ll see you next week ‘Guins!
