…Pumpkin Cheesecake…

 

… i’ll apologize in advance, as this post is going to be a little bias, seeing as i might be a little emotionally attached to this particular treat…

… but, I felt it was my responsibility as a dedicated pumpkin bloggette to let you know that Marie Calendar’s has a DELICIOUSLY intense Pumpkin Cheesecake…

… it’s taken me nearly a week to make a dent in this decadence as it is extremely rich… BUT, i applaud Marie for her ability to make something that embodies the ideal pumpkin flavor… it’s so much more than just cheesecake- it’s definitely pumpkin… and so much more than pumpkin pie– it’s definitely cheesecake…

… this concludes my review of the delightful treat pictured above… cheesy story and one more photo after the jump… read at your own risk…

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…TGIFF: October 16, 2009…

…apple dumplings…

… i made these for the first time tuesday night… and it was kind of a poignant moment for me… these are something my grandma made every year growing up… and i had to call her for the recipe earlier that afternoon… this was possibly the sweetest, most wonderful conversation i’ve had with my grandmother, possibly ever- as she passed along her wisdom of many, many years of preparing these treats with love for our family, friends, and usually my college dorm-mates…

… it’s really not even a difficult preparation process… but i could tell it meant the world to her that i wanted to take this tradition and ensure i could keep it… actually, i know it did, because i got a call from my mother- promptly after she got off the phone with my grandmother- who called her promptly after we got off the phone… This is how my family works…

… recipe and additional photos after the jump…

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…Challenge: Ice Cream Cake…

… his birthday is on Friday…

 

...the birthday boy...

 

… and in case anyone hasn’t noticed… i like to bake…

… thus, I obviously wanted to concoct some sort of special treat… 

…his request was, “ice cream cake… can you do that?”…

… my response, “i accept the challenge”… 

…i’ve never made one before… but i intend to give it a darn-good-go this weekend… so if any of you have wisdom on this matter… please impart it at this point… 

… i do feel i’ve done a great deal of research… and thought through my plan of attack quite thoroughly… so, that all said… and assistance requested… i’ll report back with what is hopefully a stunning success… but could quite possibly be a hilarious flop…

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…peanut butter brownies…

… last night… i made some of these… peanut-butter chocolate chip brownies… for which i stole both this photo (you’ll see why after the jump)… and the recipe… from super sweet event planner Ashlyn Carter’s blog…

...yummy...

… i realize today is cinco de mayo… so it would have been a great excuse to bust out the magic bullet and make some fresh salsa… but ever since Ashlyn posted this recipe last week… i’ve been itching to try them… because i am a firm believer that peanut butter and chocolate is easily one of THE BEST combo’s known to man… so good…

…oh… and by the way… they were super duper easy… everything gets added into one big bowl... an electric mixer is not needed… and they only take about 10 minutes of prep…

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…butterscotch pecan pie…

… i keep a bag or two of butterscotch chips in the baking arsenal at all times… as i (and a few others in my life…) have a particular affinity for the delightful flavor… and when i saw the recipe for butterscotch pecan pie… i knew it was the perfect Easter dessert…

…there is always a pecan pie in our house for holidays… but the butterscotch part seemed like a fabulous little variation for my first holiday as host…

…it was surprisingly a cinch… and a total hit… creamy and crunchy… not too much butterscotch… not too much pecan… definitely a delightful treat… and perhaps a new tradition…

Butterscotch Pecan Pie

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…island get-away… in a bite-size bar…

…i don’t know about you… but i am a BIG fan of fun in the sun… unfortunately i can’t always escape to an island oasis… sadly… very very sadly…

…luckily… i found these sweet White Chocolate Key Lime Calypso Bars… and honest to honest… one bite… and you’re transported to a tropical hideaway…  you can almost hear the steal drums… the waves crashing… the warm sand between your toes… ahhhhhhhh, relaxation……………………………………………………………………………………….

...vacation on a platter...

…sorry, i’m back…but you should probably go make these… like… now…

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…Update: Bunny Cakes…

…as previously mentioned … “bunny cakes” are in Easter tradition in my family… this year being no exception…

2009 Bunny Cakes

… decorating with gum drops and licorice rope is part of the tradition and the fun…

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…double chocolate brownies…

… these brownies are seriously dense chocolate-laden dreams… if you know a choco-holic… these are the perfect fix… it is practically impossible to eat a whole square without a glass of milk… or if you have a plain milk aversion as i do… a bowl of ice cream… to wash it down…

… when i made these recently… i thought it would be fun to make brownie bites… and scoop the batter into mini muffin tins…

brownie bite batter

...brownie bites...

… but then i realized that was going to take FOREVER… which i so didn’t have… so i dumped the remaining batter into a cake pan…

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…update: dinner double date

… wow… like, really…. wow…

… as mentioned… we spent Friday evening with good friends… and oh-so-good-great-amazing-make-me-ill-i-devoured-so-much food from the limited engagement Greek cocoa-feast at eclipse chocolate…

…will… the owner and alchemist at eclipse chocolat truly has a gift… he infused some form of chocolate into all three courses… successfully… and it wasn’t ever just a hint of chocolate to say that it was there… the chocolate forms were recognizable with each dish… but totally worked and complemented their savory counterpart…

…let’s be honest… we had a greek boy whose grandma makes this stuff legit… and he was totally blown away…

…round one: white chocolate was literally brushed over spinach spanikopita (and no i still can’t say that)…

…round two… mmmm falafel and hummus… and rice pilaf with bits of cocoa bean… it definitely wasn’t your standard rice pilaf taste…  it was, obviously, a sweeter version… but it totally worked… and i would have never thought or dreamed it would have…

…round three… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… ok now that i’ve gotten that over with… round three… was rock my world- out of this world… 2 pieces of baklava… one with peppercorn in it… which added a bit of a bite… and the other a hazelnut with a more traditional flaky crust… now here this… on the side was an entire glass of melted orange blossom infused chocolate sauce to be poured over the two precious squares… let’s be honest i poured… and then licked the spoon… the sauce was so rich… and sooooooooooo delicious…

…we left completely awe-filled at what a chocolate minded man could create… and with a resolve to take part in each of his future endeavors… and for those of you kicking yourself for not making reservations when i suggested you should before… here is the information for the next pre-fixe chocolate dinner… an authentically Mexican Oaxacan Fiesta…

…p.s. i tried to take photos… but this dum dum forgot to make sure the camera bettery was charged… so sorry to my visually stimulated readers…

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…dinner double date…

… i am excited beyond excited… tomorrow evening we are going on a dinner double  date with dear friends (too much? whatev.)… we are headed back to eclipse chocolat… the FABULOUS cafe i obsessed over previously (here… if you’re interested.)…

…they are hosting a Mediterrean cocoa-feast… and we’re sampling the goods… the featured menu is as follows…

Spinach Spanikopita with White Chocolate, Dill, and Shallot…

Beef and Lamb Kaftas with Cocoa Nib Rice Pilaf (or a fried falafel veggie option… which is what i will be enjoying… sorry… i know.. failure as a food lover… and we’re going with Greek’s… i’ll never hear the end of it…)

aaaaaand Orange Blossom and Hazelnut Bakalava with Dark Chocolate Sauce

…hello… do we see the theme here… EVERY course utilizes chocolate… (yes, i realize it’s at a cocoa-feast, thank you)… but c’mon… this is inspired… and i can’t wait…

… and in case this is all sounds as delightful to you as it does to me… there is still time… the event is this Friday and Saturday night… but reservations are a must… click here for more information…

…or miss out… and check back here this weekend to hear me rave on… and on… and on… and on… and on… eeeeck… excited…

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