For years, I believed that pumpkins were only good for carving. The thick, brownish-orange look and smell of a pumpkin pie was never appealing, so I generally stayed away from anything related to the orange squash. But then I tried an exclusive Williams Sonoma pumpkin spice waffle and pancake mix and fell in love. The mix made the best pancakes, and absolutely divine waffles. Then the buggers added pecans, which put the mix on my nut allergy-led Don't-Eat list. Luckily, there are other options. First of all, you can make your own. We shared one version back in 2005, and there's also PinchMySalt's version and this one at Epicurious. Or, you can get other ready-to-go mixes. There are, thankfully, tons of options out there -- it's just a matter of picking one of the many choices.
I'm always on the lookout for the mix or recipe that will replace my lost love (maybe it's above?), so please comment below with all tasty, nut-free suggestions!
New York Times Magazine's food issue
Chicken McNuggets frolic at New York City pet store
Eat your broccoli orbs! 
