Breakfast on a stick imaginative idea

There’s a surefire way to delight kids and adults with a new food – serve it on a stick.

The folks at Jimmy Dean know this age-old trick. Their new Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick was the talk of the evening when we served it to The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel and a group of young guests.

We served the chocolate chip pancakes wrapped around breakfast sausage. Half of our tasters were horrified by the appearance of the corn-dog like offering; the other half couldn’t help but admire Jimmy Dean’s ingenuity.

The adults were perhaps more excited than the kids on our panel. The breakfast corndogs earned four stars for taste from the grown-up tasters and three stars from the children.

“Any meat on a stick is a good thing,” said Donald Clegg, who gave it the panel’s highest rating of five stars. “Skip the syrup and send me out with three or four of these.”

Andy Hoye also loved the idea and the flavor. He gave it five stars as well. “Absolutely great… but not for everyday. And, not too expensive.”

Not everyone was thrilled.

“There are few words for a sausage on a stick wrapped in a chocolate chip pancake and dipped in syrup,” said Jenny Whittaker, who gave it a single star.

Marilyn Moore was taken aback by the chocolate chip pancakes and at first guessed they were blueberry. “Not my kind of start to the day,” she said. “Sorry, Jimmy Dean.”

Half the kids were delighted to find sausage inside, the other half were dismayed that different foods were touching.

“It has sausage inside and it’s pretty goooood,” said Carter Martin, 8.

Ali Williams, 7, agreed. “They are really good.”

But Grace Kohler, 7, said she prefers her breakfast to be separated. “(I) don’t like sausage and pancakes mixed together,” she said.

Chris Hollman, 16, said it was the “most outrageous food ever. I never saw a reason for breakfast to be skewered.” Although he liked the idea, he gave it only two stars for flavor.

The Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick are fully cooked and designed for the microwave. They heat up in just 60 seconds. It is found in the freezer section of many grocery stores.

Jimmy Dean Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick, Chocolate Chip

Price: $5.99 for 14

Nutrition per serving: 220 calories, 13 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 53 percent fat calories), 5 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrate, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 350 milligrams sodium.

Adults

Taste: • • • •

Value: • • • •

Comments: “What’s not to like? A chocolate chip pancake around a sausage dipped in syrup. Talk about a sugar high.” – Tina Johnson

“Great idea. A little too dry for me, but dipped in syrup makes it OK.” – Larry Inman

“It looks like a corndog with a disease! This is a horrible idea.” – Laura Hollman

Kids

Taste: • • •

Comments: “I like the sausage. I liked it a lot.” – Katie Kazanis, 6

“I don’t like sausage, but I do like corndogs!!!” – Andrew Kazanis, 8

“I dislike a mix of breakfasts like this.” – Scott Breuer, 12