i'd rather be baking

We’ve been a little slow to get back into the swing of things post-Thanksgiving. Ryan had two four-day weekends in a row and we were sad to see them end! But our holiday was lovely and we ate lots of good food.

I was so excited to make these crescent rolls! They were a bit time-consuming but insanely delicious. I may have created an every-holiday-monster here.

I’ve been about 99.9% vegetarian for over a year but made this turkey breast for Ryan — and ended up loving it! This recipe is a winner and I’ll definitely be making it again.

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I can’t resist brownies straight out of the fridge. I mean, hot fudge is good and all, but there’s something about cold chocolate that’s just perfect…and dangerous. I’ll grab a bite before and after breakfast, and don’t even get me started on the late afternoon sleepies.

And okay, I like non-traditional desserts at Thanksgiving! I’m a huge fan of this pumpkin bread pudding — usually I make that and this apple pie. But this year I’m making a plain-Jane pumpkin pie for my dear husband. Sacrifices! So first I made these bars, naturally. Just to get the crazies out of my system.

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It’s only a few days before Thanksgiving. I should probably be making pie crusts but instead I’ve been baking cookies and watching reruns of 30 Rock.

P.S. I’m buying my pie crusts this year.

P.P.S. My dogs have been asleep since about 20 minutes after they woke up this morning. Sometimes I want their life.

These cookies were supposed to be vegan…until I used cow milk. They’re still delicious! There’s chili powder in there. It’ll wake up your mouth and open your eyes.

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Last week, I made dessert in my crockpot. I went there! I should mention that on that particular day, my daytime meals consisted of cereal, yogurt, and oatmeal…with some pumpkin bread thrown in for a snack. Sometimes you just need carbs. At least I had dessert covered.

I’ve never made dessert in a slow cooker before, but I kind of couldn’t resist. I mean…sugar, apples, cranberries and oats getting all snuggly warm for a few hours can do no wrong.

I’ve eaten way more of this than I care to talk about. It’s great over cereal, in case you’re wondering. I bought approximately 12 zillion local apples a few days ago and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a crockpot crumble after-party.

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We took a beautiful vacation last week. Our days were spent eating, reading, and sleeping — mostly on a beach, soaking up glorious sunshine. When we arrived back in Portland, it was 40 degrees out with a lovely freezing drizzle. Welcome to November, right?

Let’s talk Thanksgiving. It’s almost here and I’m trying not to freak out. These white chocolate pumpkin blondies are like pumpkin pie without the slime factor. It’s a dreary day miracle.

Let’s talk pumpkin spice biscotti (and using the same napkins 27 times). Nothing is better with a piping hot cup of tea; I’ll promise you that right this second.

Let’s talk applecake. Apples are out of control right now. Chop some up and make the most dead-on delicious thing ever. This is the stuff wedding toasts are made of!

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