running with tweezers

a little bite

It's a gorgeous Saturday morning and I'm getting ready to hit the road again. I'm on the road to Asheville, NC for a long weekend with my friend Helen. She writes a little blog called Tartelette - have you heard of it? I'm totally kidding - of course you have. It's stunning and fabulous and about 30 other adjectives that I could use off the top of my head. There will be some food adventures and some sightseeing going on before Monday, which is the National Gingerbread Competition. I'm a total food dork and got totally giddy at being able to see it in person instead of bits of it on TV. I'll have a full report when I get back.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a little nibble with you from a shoot I did this past week. Scratch is a new-ish line of baked goods here in Atlanta. Amy, who is a total sweetheart, asked me to take some shots for her of some of her goodies. Folks, they're delicious. Really delicious. So delicious I couldn't have them around the house for fear of eating them all - everyone I came in contact with last week was given huge chocolate chip cookies, the most divine pumpkin chocolate chip bread, and the stunning rugelach you see above. Scratch also does morning yummies like cinnamon roll scones and several kinds of muffins. She also ships outside of Atlanta. Just sayin'.

how sweet of you

I'm not going to mince words here: this is one of the best cookies I've ever eaten. My friend Jen, whom you just met through her soup recipe post, brought these to the Eat on $30 Challenge wrap party. They sat on a plate pretty innocent like. People plowed through all of the savory apps and then made their way to this unassuming brown crackly cookie. Glimmering with a little coarse sugar, they just hinted at how delicious they would be. A plate of them was devoured in mere minutes. Everything you want a cookie to be - sweet but not too sweet, chewy with a little give, perfectly spiced and baked.

Yesterday, a conversation online between Betty and I ended with BOTH of us baking these cookies. When I mentioned that I had made them, other people who attended the party gathered up the ingredients and made them, as well. A viral cookie baking outbreak. There are ginger chewies all over Atlanta...if they haven't been eaten already.

I made this batch - my first - per recipe to see how they turn out. Jen makes two tweaks to hers that I think are crucial: rolling them in coarse Turbinado sugar makes a world of different. The slight crunch of the sugar is incredible with the chewy cookie. Also, she makes her smaller, which aids to a better texture and a slightly flatter cookie. You can adjust the recipe however you prefer yours to be. Just be prepared to eat them quickly.

Ginger Chewies - original recipe shared with me by Jen found on Chow - makes 14

• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• About 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

- Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar, egg and molasses, and mix until blended and an even light brown color, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and molasses, and mix until blended and an even light brown color, about 1 minute. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just to incorporate it.

- Spread the granulated sugar on a large piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll 1/4 cup of dough between the palms of your hands into a 2-inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar, and place on one of the prepared baking sheets. Continue making cookies, spacing them 2 inches apart.

- Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm but they are still soft in the center and there are several large cracks on top, about 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

- The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

something in the air

I realized today that I never posted about this rockin' butternut squash "casserole" I made a couple weeks ago. As I sat down to write this post, I was informed that RWT was chosen by the AJC as one of the best blogs in Atlanta! I'm totally flattered - it was a shocking piece of happy news on a not-so-easy day for me. Hi to everyone that's visiting for the first time! 

Filling a loft that has 28 foot ceilings with wafting smells of any sort is no small feat. This casserole, which I initially found in a copy of a Gourmet cookbook that used to belong to my mom, is one of the most yummy smelling things I think I've ever cooked. The sharp but sweet red peppers, the twang from the rosemary, the warm garlic smell. My neighbor could smell it outside and came by to say that whatever it was I was cooking smelled DIVINE.

Don't expect oozy-gooey cheese with this "casserole" - it's more of a gratin with cube shaped ingredients. Whatever it is, it's a great accompaniment to roasted meats of all sort - pork anything would be heavenly. Also, please do a better job of evenly distributing your Parmesan than I did. Sheesh.

Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Casserole - recipe originally found here - serves 6 as a side dish

• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces)

- Preheat oven to 400°F.

- With a sharp knife cut squash crosswise into 2-inch-thick slices. Working with 1 slice at a time, cut side down, cut away peel and seeds and cut squash into 1-inch cubes (about 9 cups).

- In a large bowl stir together squash, bell pepper, oil, garlic, herbs, black pepper, and salt to taste. Transfer mixture to a 2- to 2 1/2-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

- Bake casserole in middle of oven until squash is tender and top is golden, about 1 hour.

a year to the day

I've turned to this blog many times in the past four years (!!!) - for happy and not-so occasions. Today, I'm sitting down to write whatever comes to mind as I've just been puttering around the loft, flipping open cookbooks, shuffling things around. Not really able to focus on getting the things I need to accomplish done.

A year ago today, my dad passed away at the age of 78 from lung cancer.

Dates like today start building up in your head a few weeks before they creep up on you. The feeling of tension, mindlessness, not being able to pay close attention. I've been through it all before. Recently. Too recently, I often think.

As it was when my mom died three years ago now, the days leading up to the anniversary are way worse than the actual day. Yesterday, I woke up crying and had fits of it all day. Today, however, is just quiet. Pensive. Reflective.

How do I feel today? I miss my family. I'm my parents' only child and have started out on a premature journey to make my own way all by myself. It's lonely sometimes, I can't lie. It's hard sometimes, too. It's the natural order, however - you're supposed to outlive your parents. Grieve the loss of them. Build your own life and honor theirs.

That's what I'm doing. I feel more adult now than I did a year ago. More responsible, more patient. Certainly more focused on my career and this blog. I'm still ridiculously blessed with fabulous friends who today, like every other milestone day in a process that some of them are quite familiar with, reach out to me from wherever they are to support me. I've also lucked upon an incredible partner with whom I am building that life - and it's magic.

So today, while there is a certain grey haze on the day, there is also an overwhelming feeling of gratitude - to my parents for making me who I am and to my friends for letting me be that person. All of you - with me in body, spirit, or both - have my heart.

(photo taken at the Nashville Farmer's Market. why this photo? i dunno - it made me happy today)

a happy accident

We started out on the Saturday of our Swalloween dinner party with the best of dessert intentions: we were going to make pie. Let us not forget that neither Mike nor I are bakers - pie crust was one of two things (the other being fried chicken) that my mom couldn't cook. They were her kryptonite...and therefore, it's one of those things I haven't really ever attempted from scratch. Flipping through the November issue of Bon Appetit, Mike decided his contribution to the dinner party would be pie - a mock mincemeat pie. WITH A LATTICE TOP, no less. Oh boy.

It started out just fine. The filling was tedious but the smells told us it was well worth it. When it was time to tackle the crust, that's when things got dicey. Long story short, it didn't come together. Time really got the best of us and the panic set in as to what we'd serve to end the meal. In a moment straight out of Chopped (holy stocked fridge, batman!), we baked off some phyllo dough, made some boozy whipped cream and threw in the candied ginger I randomly bought at the market.

It was delicious. Actually, beyond delicious. It was wolfed down by 8 people in a symphony of "mmm"s and "yumm"s. Visually stunning, seasonally appropriate but light enough to end a filling winter meal - it's a winner, accidentally or not.

Mincemeat Napoleons with Rum Cream and Candied Ginger Petals - makes enough filling for 16 napoleons. A full package of phyllo dough gives you endless pastry layers. 

For the filling:

• 1 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 3 large), peeled, quartered, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup dried currants
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup diced dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried tart or sweet cherries
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. mild flavored (light) molasses
• 2 tbsp. dark rum
• 2 tbsp. brandy
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 tbsp (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange peel
• 3/4 finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Large pinch of ground cloves
• Large pinch of fine sea salt

- Place 1/3 of apples in processor. Using on/off turns, chop into small pieces. Transfer chopped apples to large saucepan. Repeat chopping remaining apples in 2 more batches in processor. Add to saucepan. Place all dried fruit in processor. Using on/off turns, chop until beginning to stick together. Add dried fruits to saucepan with apples. Add sugar, molasses, rum. brandy, cornstarch, butter, orange peel, lemon peel, spices and sea salt. Stir to blend. Simmer over medium-low heat until mixture is very thick, stirring often to prevent scorching - about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer filling to large bowl and cool until warm but not cold.

For pastry:

• 1 package phyllo dough, thawed
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

- Preheat oven to 350.  On a large, nonstick cookie sheet, place one layer of phyllo perfectly flat. Using a basting or pastry brush, brush layer of pastry evenly with melted butter. Top with another layer of phyllo and repeat process. Do this until you have 4 layers of phyllo on top of one another with butter brushed on the top of the stack. With a very sharp knife, score the pastry into desired squares or rectangle shapes. Separate slightly and place in over. Bake until golden brown - for me, this was about 5 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly.You want to have three pieces - regardless of their shape - per dessert you want to serve.

For garnish:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 tbsp. dark rum (you can substitute any liquor you have on hand that would be complementary)
• 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
• candied ginger - cut into small dice or slivers

- In a stand mixer, combine rum, cream and sugar. Beat on medium-low heat until mostly stiff peaks form. Place in fridge until needed. Set ginger aside until assembly.

To assemble:

- Place one square of baked phyllo on serving plate. Carefully spread the slightly warm filling over the phyllo pastry, being careful not to break it. Top that layer with another piece of phyllo dough. Repeat and top with one more piece of phyllo. After it's all assembled, dollop with the chilled whipped cream and a sprinkle of candied ginger. Serve immediately.

A guest blogger rockin' the mic about a remixed pumpkin soup!

 

Sometimes, I just don't have the time to post. There are other times where I wish I could let you know how awesome/brilliant/funny my friends are. This time it's both. I have a week's worth of photo shoots plus prep for a shoot this weekend going on and just don't have the daylight hours to tell you all about our dinner party. Plus, my friend Jen is so rockin' (and she writes for a living so this is a no-brainer) that I'm thrilled to have her tell you how she came about the pumpkin soup she made to start off our dinner party this past weekend. Thanks to Broderick at Savory Exposure for the above photo. Tune in at the end of the week for dessert details. Cheers!

This October I’ve had pumpkin on the brain. It would probably be weirder if this weren’t the case as every food site I like to check out has featured some form of pumpkin recipe. From muffins to pastas to baked casseroles – even Starbucks busts out the Pumpkin Spice latte this month, which, now really, think about that one. It’s squash coffee! Go lowly pumpkin for being on everyone’s mind and in so many recipes this time of year!

So all this leads to the last time I was at the grocery store. Which, sidebar: I hate grocery shopping. A lot. So whenever I find an item I think I could maybe possibly use that isn’t perishable I grab it. Which explains the odd items that hang out in my pantry (hello 4 bottles of molasses), but that’s a whole other story. The relevant bit here is that when I saw the end cap display with cans of organic pumpkin (and importantly, not pumpkin pie filling) I grabbed a couple cans and went on my way.

For the next few days I kept thinking and thinking about those cans of pumpkin in my pantry. What delicious recipe would I use them in? I was stumped, so I bought Mexican Pumpkin Spice candles from World Market and that calmed me for a few days. Then I bought one of those dang lattes and decided it was gross and I really was going to have to get my pumpkin food item fix by making something myself.

Around this time my husband and I got a dinner invite for the upcoming weekend from the lovely Tami and her sweetie and I offered to bring a course to the party.  Somehow I zeroed in on Pumpkin Soup. That would be a great first course offering to compliment the pork loin and Brussels sprouts that Tami would be making for the main course.

So I began my search and boy let me tell ya, there are a ton of pumpkin soup recipes out there. The key for me was finding one that was basic enough that the pumpkin shone through as the main flavor but was also focused on earthy warm flavors. I ran from anything that was Thai pumpkin or complicated to the point it should be the entrée itself. I landed in an obvious place: Rachael Ray, the lady who really taught me how to cook.

That’s another long story, but the short version is: when I first moved in with my husband (then boyfriend) 6 years ago, I realized I was responsible for feeding someone besides myself for the first time and it was someone who’s opinion I really valued. Thanks to 30 Minute Meals simplicity and Rachael’s method of explaining how to cut an onion every time she does it – I slowly got into cooking. So however cheesy she might be, I’ve got love for Rachael (and at least 1 of her cookbooks.)This was the recipe I settled on: Pumpkin Soup with Chili-Cran-Apple Relish.

 I followed the instructions and sure enough 30 minutes later I had pumpkin soup. One problem: It was bland to the point of tasting like warm cream to me. This was also about the time we should’ve been leaving for the dinner party. So I freaked and went straight to my favorite un-bland-this-shiz ingredient. I added about a 4th a teaspoon of cayenne and we were getting somewhere.

In the original recipe, Rachael calls for 2 teaspoons of dried poultry seasoning or dried thyme. I happened to have fresh thyme on hand and used about 4 or 5 teaspoons of that since it would be so much milder that dried herbs. Well, I threw that good intention out the window and additionally threw in about 3-4 teaspoons of dried poultry seasoning. Finally my soup was starting to taste like something.

I love the consistency of this soup. Because the canned pumpkin is so finely processed, it’s not too viscous like a lot of squash soups I’ve had. I helped this along by using an immersion blender to get the onion and celery more blended before adding the cream.

I made the relish that the recipe calls for with one substitution, I didn’t have dried cranberries, but I did have raisins and they matched beautifully with the remixed soup.

Now for the final tweak/secret ingredient. Rachel asks you to grate some fresh nutmeg into the soup to finish. I accidentally dropped that whole nutmeg sucker right in the pot. I like to call this “infusing” the soup with nutmeg flavor (yes, you can roll your eyes at my clumsiness here.)

I hope you’ll try making it and be sure to add your own tweaks along the way.

Jen's Remixed Pumpkin Soup - serves 6 as a starter course - original recipe found here

For the soup:

    •    1 tablespoon olive oil
    •    2 tablespoons butter
    •    1 fresh bay leaf
    •    2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
    •    1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
    •    Salt and pepper
    •    3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    •    3 teaspoons poultry seasoning
    •    4 teaspoons fresh thyme
    •    ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    •    2 teaspoons hot sauce, or to taste
    •    6 cups chicken stock
    •    2 (15-ounce) cans pure pumpkin (I used organic)
    •    2 cups heavy cream
    •    1 whole nutmeg submerged, or 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg to finish if you’re less clumsy than me.

For the relish:

    •    1 apple, in season, finely chopped
    •    1/4 red onion, finely chopped
    •    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    •    1/2 cup raisins, chopped
    •    1 teaspoon chili powder
    •    2 teaspoons honey
    •    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat a pot over medium heat. Add the oil and melt the butter into the oil, being careful not to let the butter burn.

Add bay leaf, celery, and onion & season with salt and pepper. Continue seasoning with salt and pepper throughout the cooking process to get your desired level. Cook veggies 6 or 7 minutes, until tender.

Add flour, fresh thyme, poultry seasoning, cayenne and hot sauce, then cook flour a minute. Add more hot sauce if desired (I did).

Whisk in chicken stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit, then blend with a submersion blender until onions and celery are evenly fine. Add in cream and nutmeg.

Reduce heat to low and keep warm until ready to serve.

swalloween

I'm hitting a grown-up-without-kids stage of my life, I think. It's one where I would rather stay home and entertain than go out and deal with all that goes along with "Amateur Night" holidays. You know what I mean - all the folks that never go out any other night of the year and have forgotten how to behave in public. Halloween is on that list for me...right behind New Years Eve and St. Patrick's Day. So in an effort to enjoy our new loft and get in the swing of cooking for our friends, we hosted a little casual dinner party for some friends instead of the big blow out, costumed affair. I've affectionately named it (just now) Swalloween.

The heart of our new home is the table. It's a dark walnut version that sits smack dab in the middle of the space - it has no qualms about letting you know its there. Two long benches have replaced dining chairs, which allows for communal dining - something we both love. The kitchen is a step away. It all lends itself to great cooking and a feeling of coziness that a lot of large spaces like ours wouldn't have.

The menu was simple but delicious. A warm-you-up Manhattan (spiked with grapefruit bitters instead of the traditional recipe) got our evening started. Jen's pumpkin soup with an apple relish got lots of "Mmmmms...". My contributions were Todd and Diane's swiss chard and pineapple stuffed pork loin, as well as my almost-legendary Brussels sprouts with pomegranate seeds. Mike tied the meal together incredibly with an autumn-flavored napoleon dessert. The red wine was flowing and everyone was fully engrossed in the food and the conversation.

  

I did say everyone, right?

I am starting a crazy busy week but I want to share a few recipes and some photos from our dinner with you this week - consider this a virtual invitation to join us at the table. Jen is going to do a little guest blogging for me and give you the details on her soup, which was just incredible. Also, I've gotten the recipe together for our dessert, which was a knockout. I'll save that for last this week so be on the lookout. 

In the meantime, if you'd like to see another post about our dinner to tide you over, check out my friend Broderick's blog, Savory Exposure. I just love when he blogs about anything...but I especially love it when he captures wonderful moments at my house!

farro away

I have a tendency to go to my farmer's market and just wander the aisles...looking for random and new stuff to cook with. Do normal people do that?! Anyway. On one of my many, many trips there I was in the bulk grain aisle and spotted some farro. It was a little pricey but this was a quart of it. I threw it in the cart and off I went. It spent a couple weeks on the shelf and then I tried cooking it.

Oh dear. I clearly should have consulted the big cookbook in the sky known as the Internet (or Mark Bittman) before I went about it. It was tough, hard and totally off putting. Back on the shelf it went for a couple weeks that included two out of town trips and a move. Back in one place - and in the effort of using everything I buy - I revisited it again.

This time I was armed with a very simple, hearty recipe I came across on Serious Eats (which I totally heart and I learn or see something new every day on, btw). Given my love of soups - particularly tomato-y ones - this was a no-brainer. I had everything in the house to make my own version of the recipe. Instead of the beef broth, I used the veggie broth I had on hand - as you can see, it's super easy to make this a vegetarian/vegan friendly soup.  Herbs from my garden, a large can of good quality Italian whole tomatoes  and spices from the cabinet rounded it out nicely.

Soaking the farro in advance for a good while made all the difference. It's going to cut down your cooking time DRAMATICALLY and keep you from having to constantly add broth or stock to the soup as it cooks. While you could easily substitute barley in this recipe, I think the nutty crunch and tooth of the farro is what makes it here. It's substantial enough to have as a meal with some warm bread on the side. 

Editor's Note: Be very careful if you're taste testing your farro for doneness during the cooking process. A couple sneaky bites while cooking has rendered my tongue the texture of sandpaper and everything I eat feels like burning. Just a heads up.

Zuppa di Farro - based on a recipe found here at Serious Eats - makes 8 to 10 servings

• 2 cups farro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 medium clove of garlic -  peeled and minced
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup canned or chopped whole plum tomatoes
• pinch dried red chili flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 to 8 cups of good-quality chicken or vegetable stock
• Garnish: good quality extra virgin olive oil and parsley

- In a large bowl, combine farro and enough water to cover the grains. Allow to soak covered (with plastic wrap or lid) for at least 2 hours. Before adding to soup, rinse and drain thoroughly.

-  In a large stock pot, add your 3 tbsp. olive oil. When heated to shimmering, add the garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes until cooked but not brown.

-  To the pot add the tomatoes, thyme, chopped basil, bay leaf, chili flakes, farro and stock. If using whole tomatoes, crush them with a wooden spoon as you're cooking the soup - I like the larger chunks and the way they break down in the soup.  Bring the soup to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about an hour - stirring periodically. If the soup is too thick from the farro absorbing the liquid, add more stock or a little water.

- If you want a thicker consistency, you can puree part of the soup (once cool so you don't blow up your blender or food processor) and add it back to the pot. I prefer a looser, more liquid soup to contrast with the tooth of the farro but it's all personal preference.

-  If serving without adding a pureed portion, serve while warm - make sure to remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs! Top with a sprinkle of parsley and a drizzle of good quality olive oil. If serving after you've added the pureed portion back in, make sure you reheat and then garnish.

- When storing the soup, the farro will continue to absorb the liquid it's in. Be prepared when re-heating to add some water or stock to thin it back out.

"mawwiage...."

"The best thing in life to hold onto is each other" - Audrey Hepburn

As some of you know - from being my friend in "real life" and through the blogosphere, Mike and I made an out and back trip to Sapelo Island, Georgia this past weekend. Have you ever been to Sapelo Island before? I have - back in my fashion stylist days, I did a week long shoot there. It's magical, I tell ya.  Lush landscapes, winding paths and trails. Untouched beaches. Steeped in romance and history with some quirky touches - much like the occasion we made the trip for. 

Our weekend road trip to Sapelo Island was for a wedding. More specifically, for my friend and styling assistant Abby's wedding to Sydney, her partner and partner-in-crime. Abby showed up in my life via email - she had been interested in food styling since she saw it in Highlights Magazine as a child. She wanted to be my intern. A week later, she was on set with me getting paid to learn how to style food. That's how I got started...and I was thrilled to be able to do that for someone else. 

Since then, she's been my assistant on as many shoots as I can have her on...and she's become a very dear person to me. I firmly believe people enter your life for a reason. Abby became my friend to remind me (and lots of people I know) about being yourself, being courageous and enjoying your life. Oh yeah, she also is my own personal MacGyver and makes sure I don't seriously injure myself or others while on my shoots. 

Her other half, Sydney, is just as awesome: funny, wickedly talented, a karaoke master, and gives off a light a lot of people envy. She's quite the blonde bombshell and the perfect foil for Abby's - how should I say - twisted and sarcastic sense of humour. I've never met two people more perfectly suited for each other and I see a life of fun, family and success in their future. 

So about this wedding: it was a witty, short, touching ceremony and reception that was exactly like Abby and Sydney. It was focused on them and their friends & family. Not a lot of fuss - just funny and a little campy and totally creative. The couple's first dance turned into a 9.5 on Dancing With The Stars...and while no one but them knew it was going to happen, should anyone have been surprised? 

Lots of handmade touches and thought went into every detail that day at the Reynolds Mansion. We had a wonderful time and were so glad to be invited to be a part of it. This post is my little surprise "extra gift" to the new couple (although I expect some cocktails with all that new bridal shower swag ;). This blog and these photos are going to be around a lot longer than I am....and I wanted to share this special occasion and the memories with all the readers of this blog. 

I wish you both the best and we love you to pieces. <3

To see the Flickr photo set from this past weekend at Abby and Sydney's wedding, please click here. 

bar none

In the "I rarely have a sweet tooth" weirdness that is my gastronomic cravings, there is a sub-topic that makes people really clutch their pearls: I don't really like cheesecake. I feel like I should like it because it's the decadent cousin to all the sweets I do like: creamy mousses, panna cotta, ice creams. Not the case. As it turns out, I'm even pickier about cheesecakes than I am most other desserts. It's often a texture nightmare and, quite frankly, it's too dense and too sweet a lot of the time. Oh yeah...and that "cheesecake" with the commercial grade cherry or strawberry sauce on it? Oy.

What I do like is pumpkin. I also like tiny doses of dark chocolate. Having both of them in the cabinet was just screaming for me to combine them. I don't make bar desserts nearly enough and it's something that everyone really does love. I figured this way, I could make them, have a little sample, and send them off with my sweetie to work.

That's exactly what I did because these bad boys are RICH. I used bittersweet chocolate (from Scharffen Berger. thanks, BlogHerFood!) to cut some of the sweetness. I went a little crazy with my swirls on top - if you want perfectly made desserts, go see Helen's blog. These are what I look for in a bar: rustic, gooey and sweet. The recipe says it makes 16 bars - you could EASILY cut this recipe into smaller pieces and everyone's sweet tooth would be taken care of.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake Bars - makes 16 generous sized bars - original recipe found here

FOR THE CRUST

• 20 chocolate wafer cookies, (half a 9-ounce package)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

• 2 packages bar cream cheese, (8 ounces each)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin puree
• 3 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
- In a food processor, blend cookies with sugar until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup crumbs); add butter, and pulse until moistened.
- Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; process until combined. Set aside. Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each, until melted. Add 1 cup pumpkin mixture; stir to combine. Set aside.
- Pour remaining pumpkin mixture into prepared pan. Drop dollops of chocolate mixture onto pumpkin mixture; swirl. Bake until cheesecake is set but jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 40 to 50 minutes.
Cool in pan. Cover; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Using overhang, transfer cake to work surface. With a knife dipped in water, cut into 16 squares. Serve.