I know that I am truly blessed in this life. I have a wonderful family, fantastic friends, the best husband. I love being surrounded by these people–they’re what makes my life truly wonderful.

But sometimes in the grind of the everyday, I know I forget about these blessings. I get too caught up in how messy my house is, how we need to paint our room at the beach, how I need to run around doing whatever. And if I let it, this grind can totally obscure my view. And sometimes it takes something really horrible to bring me back into focus.

A week ago Sunday, the husband of food blogger Jennifer Perillo died suddenly of a heart attack. I met Jennie briefly at Big Summer Potluck and although I barely knew her, my heart immediately went out to her. How could it not? Who among us doesn’t fear losing our most important person in an instant? To celebrate the life of her husband, Jennie asked everyone to make his favorite dessert last Friday, the day of his funeral, peanut butter pie. All across the blogosphere, screens lit up with peanut butter pie.

In my own tiny kitchen at the beach, I made a pie for my husband, his brother and wife, and their three darling children who I adore. I made it for my sister and her fiance. And I made it for all of those people that are important to me that are no longer with us. And I reminded myself to cherish every moment and to tell people how much they mean to me. Because I won’t know when this moment is the last.

A Pie for Mikey–Peanut Butter Pie
Adapted from Jennifer Perillo

So somewhere in my reflection I managed to totally mess up the whipped cream element of this recipe…instead of cream I got butter. Yeah. So the recipe below is how I made it.

Ingredients:

8 ounces chocolate cookies
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy-style peanut butter
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Crush cookies in a food processor. Combine with melted butter, then press into the bottom of a springform pan. Pour melted chocolate over the crust and spread with the back of a spoon. Place crust in fridge to cool while you prepare the filling.

Combine cream cheese and peanut butter in a mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk, then the sugar and the extract. Combine until smooth. Spread filling in the prepared crust. Garnish the pie with chocolate chips.

Chill for three hours or overnight before serving.

This is going to be quick because it’s late. Way too late to start a blog post but I have a good excuse! I’ve been stranded hanging out in a tiny town in West Virginia this week and I just wrapped up a busy night of running, eating, researching and packing! phew!

But this recipe is a good way to use that leftover can of pumpkin you have lurking in your pantry. You know it’s in there–if you’re like me you freaked out after last year’s pumpkin shortage and you overbought this year. You don’t really want it to take up pantry space until NEXT year, so pull it out and make these!

I made these for Noel’s work Thanksgiving two weeks ago, and they were a huge hit. And who doesn’t love chocolate + cheesecake? I certainly love it enough to eat some more pumpkin.

Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake
Adapted from Everyday Food

I love the technique used to make these bars–no making two batters–just make the pumpkin batter, then stir in melted chocolate chips. The end result is a nice blend of pumpkin and chocolate, a combination that works wonderfully in cheesecake form!

Ingredients:

FOR THE CRUST

20 chocolate wafer cookies
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING

2 8oz packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 can solid-pack pumpkin puree
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 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 a buttered pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Place cream cheese in bowl of a stand mixer; blend until smooth. Add sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, flour, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt; mix 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).

Well another fantastic Thanksgiving has come and gone. This one was extra special, since it was our first one (and first holiday!) at the shore!

On Wednesday morning I packed up the turkey and seemingly half of my kitchen and headed to the shore. I had to make a not so brief stop off at the doctor for a running related issue, but eventually I made it to the beach!

I started cooking almost immediately, mostly because I knew I needed to get the star of our meal, a beautiful, free range 20 pound turkey into our brining solution as soon as possible. What a comedy of errors that was! First I foolishly cut the brining bag (don’t ask), then the bottom of the bag ripped out. After a frantic search at the grocery store, we ended up using this recipe and brining in a Hefty bag. Actually two Heftys.

This was one seriously fantastic turkey. Moist, golden, perfect. We barely had enough leftovers for the turkey pot pie I made later in the weekend!

But let me share credit where it’s due–everything at our potluck style meal for 18 was fantastic. We had a ton of food and everyone loved it all. Some of our old favorites–like dinner rolls and pumpkin cheesecake were there–but we also had some fantastic newbies, like a great apple sausage stuffing.

But the great food didn’t stop there! On Friday we did some black friday shopping tasting at Dogfish Head, where they were sampling dark beers to celebrate!

And then on Saturday, there was Christmas decorating! And turkey pot pie! Because nothing says bring on the next holiday like all time comfort food. I used this recipe to use up our leftover turkey–delicious!

And now, a word about the tree and Christmas decorating. In our family, we’re pretty serious about Christmas decorating. So after an exhaustive search, we settled on a 9 1/2 foot tree with 1,000 lights! It’s beautiful and fits the space great! But our decorations don’t stop with the tree…

And no, that’s not all of it!

Kori and I even decorated ourselves in matching pjs!

And finally, Sunday morning, because we weren’t ALL stuffed to the gills, I made applee cider doughnuts. Because who doesn’t love doughnuts?

All in all, a holiday weekend for the record books!

Or, why I’m having a hard time giving up dairy.

After my two weeks of deprivation, I was desperate to bake. And no, that’s not an overstatement. For me, baking is this itch–and after a while, I’ve just GOT to scratch it. Noel says I’m like an addict looking for my next hit, but I argue that since it’s a soothing, calming exercise for me, baking is more like therapy than an addiction.

It remains to be seen who is right with the theory…

So last weekend as we were getting ready to go to a very excellent crab feast, I decided at the last minute that I just NEEDED to bake these bars. Because it had been a while and I had an itch. No matter that I had already made a very excellent shrimp and spinach pasta salad (don’t worry, that recipe is coming soon!) and that someone else had signed up for dessert at the party. I was doing it!

Not even when Noel reminded me that I was still supposed to be avoiding dairy–and cheesecake counts as dairy–was I dissuaded. I went on with the bars and didn’t look back. Breaking the dairy-code may not have been the best thing in the short term, but now that I’m back (mostly) on the wagon this week, I like being able to think back and remember that flavor!

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from Everyday Food

Normally when I think of cheesecake, I think of something dense and heavy, and not at all good for a summer afternoon. But these are like the anti-cheesecake in that respect–they’re light, thanks to a graham cracker crust covered with just enough cheesecake goodness. And the blueberries. The blueberries take these to another level, with the bright bursts of sweet flavor in the tangy cheesecake. I used my homemade blueberry jam, but you can use any jam you would like. Or even fresh berries. Now there’s an idea…

Ingredients:

18 graham crackers
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
coarse salt
1/2 cup melted butter
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature (are you noticing a theme) lightly beaten
a jar of jam, for dalloping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, crush the crackers, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until crackers are dust (okay, just small pieces). Add melted butter, and pulse until loose dough forms. Press into the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan, using the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten out the crust. Bake until crust is firm, 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack (the freezer can help you here). Reduce heat to 325.

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and just a pinch of salt and beat until smooth. Add eggs and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Pour mixture over top of crust and smooth top.

Drop spoonfuls of jam into the cheesecake. Use a skewer or knife to swirl as desired. Bake until just set, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack, then place in the fridge until chilled and firm before cutting, at least two hours.

Eat a bar before a certain crab master gets them all!

We interrupt this regularly scheduled cookiepalooza post to bring you this breaking news–we had a Ratskellar birthday this past weekend! And you know what that means.

Cake time! Birthdays call for cakes, even when you’re up to your eyeballs in cookies. Especially the birthdays of very important people, like my Dad, who just happened to turn 51 years young this weekend. I didn’t get the opportunity to make Dad a birthday cake last year for his big 5-0 (we were at the happiest place on earth, where they were not so happy about me bringing a bakery cake to their fancy pants restaurant) so I needed to make it up this year, big time.

When I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen right after Thanksgiving I knew immediately that I needed to make it for Dad’s birthday, simply based on the adjectives Deb used to describe it– “ridiculous”, “richest thing ever to come out of the smitten kitchen”–these all seemed PERFECT for Dad. He IS a bit of a chocoholic. And of course there was that challenge at the end of the recipe–”Because if you know anyone who can eat more than a one-inch wedge of this cake, I might need to meet them. I might have to shake their hand.” Well, Dad did it, so when he meets Deb, I want to come along for the experience!

Cappuccinno Fudge Cheesecake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, via Smitten Kitchen

This recipe deserves a warning–it is super rich and super chocolatey. Even chocolate lovers like Dad had to pause mid-slice to take a breather. Oh yeah, and it might be the most involved thing I’ve ever made. It took me the better part of a morning to assemble and bake, three hours to cool in the fridge, and then another hour to decorate (piping ganache is HARD!). And it’s supposed to rest for 24 hours so the flavors can meld. So if you are going to try to make this, make sure you give yourself plenty of time and be patient. Also, I suggest having a whole gaggle of people–say 30 odd holiday party guests–on hand to help you eat this. Because although you may be able to eat a whole slice, you will not be able to eat this whole cheesecake alone!

But despite the effort and the richness, it is so worth it. Dad called me again last night to thank me.

Crust

• 1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies (like Famous Chocolate Wafers)
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter

Ganache

• 1 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
• 20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup Kahlúa or other coffee-flavored liqueur

Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum (I didn’t have any so I used more Kahlua)
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder or coffee crystals
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 3 large eggs

Topping

• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

A handful of chocolate covered espresso beans (the little packet from Starbucks was perfect!)

Directions
Make crust: Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, brown sugar, and nutmeg in the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Wrap plastic wrap around fingers (don’t skip this or you will have crumbs all over your fingers!) and press crumb mixture firmly up sides to within 1/2 inch of top edge, then over bottom of pan. Don’t worry if the sides aren’t even, it won’t show in the final cheesecake.

Make ganache: Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan. Place chocolate and Kahlúa in a heatproof bowl, pour simmering cream over chocolate. Allow to sit for one minute, then whisk until chocolate is melted and ganache is smooth. Pour 2 cups ganache over bottom of crust. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes–this is about the time it will take you to assemble the rest of the cheesecake. Reserve remaining ganache; cover and let stand at room temperature to use later for decorating.

Make filling: Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until blended. Scrape down bowl, then beat in flour. Stir Kahlua, espresso powder, vanilla, and molasses in small bowl until instant coffee dissolves; beat into cream cheese mixture. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl between each addition.

Pour filling over cold ganache in crust — it will completely fill the pan. Place cheesecake on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until top is brown, puffed and cracked at edges, and the center two inches moves only slightly when pan is gently shaken, about one hour (mine took 70 minutes). Transfer cheesecake to rack. Cool 15 minutes while preparing topping

Make topping: Whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Pour topping over hot cheesecake, spreading to cover filling completely. Bake until topping is set, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Refrigerate hot cheesecake on rack until cool, about three hours.

Release pan sides–if it seems like the cheesecake is stuck, run a knife around the edge. Transfer cheesecake to serving platter. Spoon reserved ganache into pastry bag fitted with small star tip. Decorate as you please! I went with the lattice look done by both Deb and Bon Appetit. Chill until ganache is firm, at least 6 hours.

Before serving, allow cheesecake to warm slightly. This will avoid the situation we had, where we couldn’t quite make it through the solid as a rock ganache layer at the bottom of the cake. After a few minutes of warming though, cutting was MUCH easier.

And once again–HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I’m already starting to thing about NEXT year’s cake, cause this one is going to be hard to top!

Do you have one holiday dessert that you come back to year after year? Something that always tastes fantastic and fresh, no matter how many times you make it? Something that won you a place in the heart of your in-laws? Well this is my *one* dessert.

How did I end up with my *one*? Well, let’s flash back to 2007. I was working a job with long hours a long way away from home. So I wasn’t doing much cooking. Actually I was doing NO cooking. It was all I could do to get home awake at night. But I had discovered that I could live vicariously through the interwebs, and these things called blogs. And one blog, in particular, had stolen my heart and was providing me with all sorts of food fulfillment–smitten kitchen. I’m not sure how I first stumbled onto Deb’s site, but I was in love. Big time.

So when Thanksgiving came that year and I actually (amazingly) had a few days off work, I decided to make one recipe off of Deb’s site that had really caught my eye–candy corn for grown ups–aka pumpkin bourbon cheesecake. The recipe seemed like more than I could handle (oh how times have changed), but when I shared it with Noel he was excited, and then I was excited. I made the recipe and took it to Thanksgiving dinner–and it was a hit! And my journey down the blog fueled baking rabbit hole had begun!

Fast forward to this year–2 years and approximately 6 cheesecakes later. I was not on pumpkin dessert duty for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner, but I had a NEED to make the cheesecake. Yes, I could just wait until Christmas and make it then. But sometimes you have to follow your inner calling. Mine was calling me to cheesecake, so we hosted an urban family thanksgiving dinner where my *one* could take center stage.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet, via Smitten Kitchen

How to describe my *one*? Well, it’s lighter than your average cheesecake–it’s fluffier and smoother on your tongue. It has just enough pumpkin and fall spices to put you in the festive holiday spirit, but not so much that it overwhelms the cheesecake. Although the recipe might seem a bit daunting, it’s really not that hard as long as you have a stand mixer and room temperature cream cheese. A food processor helps, but is not required. Bring this to your next family holiday event and they will love you forever.

Ingredients:

For crust

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers)
• 1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 ounces), finely chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling

• 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

For topping

• 2 cups sour cream (20 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)

Garnish: pecan halves

Directions:

Make crust:
Invert bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (to create flat bottom, which will make it easier to remove cake from pan), then lock on side and butter pan.

Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan, then chill crust, 1 hour.

Make filling and bake cheesecake:
Put oven rack in middle position and Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl until combined.

Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case springform leaks). Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes (it always takes 65 in my oven). Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Make topping:
Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and liqueur (if using) in a bowl, then spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 minutes.

Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.

The cooks’ notes say this can be stored in your fridge for up to two days after baking. But see if it lasts that long–this is what we ended up with, after just one night of urban family feasting: