Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be completely honest with you, I'm not a huge Thanksgiving fan. This isn't a new phenomenon, I've never been big on Thanksgiving, but this year is different. I can honestly say that this has been the longest year of my life. So much has happened, but there is also so much to be thankful for. I know this sounds really cheesy, but I am truly thankful for life, and the gift of being able to start fresh. This year has been difficult, but through it all God has blessed me tremendously....even in ways that didn't seem like a blessing at first. I could go on and on forever about all the ways God has worked in my life this year and the things He is doing right now, but I'll spare you the hour long read and give you a brief listing of the things that I am most thankful for this year.

And of course...................

What are you most thankful for this year?

Hello??

So... I was getting a little bored with the old layout. I am not design savvy, nor do I even own photoshop, or have the time to create original designs. Saying that... give me your feedback on the new look. (I like simple looks btw)

On another note, I noticed that my little tracker has been climbing in numbers recently.I apologize if you have been disappointed in my lack of posting lately.... it's called a job. Anyhow, the numbers are increasing, but not the comments. What's up with that?! Show yourself! I want to meet you if you are reading my blog. I'll be the first to admit that I blog stalk and never comment, but come on! Maybe I would post more often if you talked to me. There... I blame my lack of posting on you!

This One Is For You....

I bet you thought I wasn't coming back. Well, I wasn't so sure I was either...things have just been insane lately. It's not that I haven't been baking-- I have-- a lot. Sadly, I haven't taken too many pictures. I know, I know...slacker. I am working on a cake right now for a baby's 1st birthday, and I promise to post a few pics.

Last year when I was working at Key Ingredient I would find billions of recipes that I wanted to make every day. I am a huge pumpkin fan, so anything with pumpkin I would bookmark to refer back to later. Out of the zillion (that's right, zillion) that I tabbed I think I made 2: vegan pumpkin muffins (yum!) and pumpkin brownies. Now, I know that being a pastry chef I should love all desserts equally (kind of like being a teacher and knowing that you should love all of your students equally), but the truth is...... I don't. There are just some desserts that I would die for and others I would just take a shot for. Brownies are one those desserts that I just have a hard time loving. I can take 'em or leave 'em, but this particular recipe caught my eye...pumpkin is it's saving grace. Now, the recipe calls for pumpkin spice Hershey kisses and I had never seen those before. So, the first few times I made these I just used pumpkin pie spice and substituted caramel kisses. It was fabulous! About a month or so ago my mom and I were in Target and there they lay at the checkout...pumpkin spice Hershey kisses. I got so excited I'm pretty sure people starred (probably because they were jealous that I found them first). These little kisses are so good I almost had a hard time saving them for the brownies. This recipe is amazing, and is such a nice twist on the plain ole brownie. You can make your brownies from scratch or just use a mix and add the additional flavorings and kisses.

I posted this recipe last year on The Food Knows using the KI widget, so why not do the same this year. Enjoy!! (This one is for you, Robyn.... I expect to enjoy some of these from you soon!)