Pumpkin Gingerbread with Cream Cheese Frosting

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Pumpkin Gingerbread with Cream Cheese FrostingYou know me, but do you really know me?  The weird quirks, the oddball eating habits?  

Do you know I’m the type of person who pours herself a bowl of raisin bran then picks through the next 6 inches of cereal, foraging for bonus raisins?

Do you know I like my leftover pizza heated just to the point of cheese un-coagulation and not a degree more?

And do you know that I ate the cream cheese frosting off of every batch of pumpkin bars my mom made during my childhood, leaving behind a sad pan of naked treats?  And blamed my brothers?  Yeah…

But I’m getting older and I’m trying harder to keep my weirdo-ness under wraps.  I’m getting better about keeping my dirty mitts out of the cereal box, I promise I won’t fly off the handle if the cheese on my day-old pizza starts to bubble.  And if I make a pumpkin dessert that requires cream cheese frosting, I’ll use an almost obscene amount to make up for my years of misdoings.

So here’s a fall pumpkin gingerbread cake, layered with decadent cream cheese frosting.  The cake is dark from molasses, rich with pumpkin, and deeply flavored with ginger and a handful of other warm spices.  I made it to share with my parents because, well, they’ve got some catching up to do when it comes to fully frosted pumpkin desserts.

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Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Pickled Red Onion

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Fennel & Rosemary Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Brown Sugar Crust

Every season, it seems you get 1 magical day that’s the epitome of the particular season; a day you get to do exactly what you want, everything goes as planned, and things are just…right.  For me, that day came last Sunday and this pork roast had plenty to do with it.

So what makes a perfect fall day?  For me, I’d say crunching leaves while taking a meandering walk, stopping off for an impromtu cappuccino, fussing over dinner preparations, and enjoying a meal in good company.  I hope whatever you’re up to this weekend, you get to do one or more of these activities.  And if it’s dinner you choose, I am here to help!

It might not be much to look at, but I’m convinced slow roasted pork shoulder is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  This one was particularly good, rubbed with rosemary and fennel, basted with apple cider, and finished with a dark brown sugar crust.  I served it over creamy polenta with pickled red onions and apples and it wound up being the fall dinner I’ll think back on when I envision ideal autumn eating .

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Pear & Candied Ginger Muffins

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Pear & Candied Ginger Muffins

I have a strange stubbornness when it comes to turning my furnace on for the first time each fall.  I try to hold out until November 1st, telling myself we could totally get another run at 75° sunshine.  I need to believe al fresco dining isn’t out of the question for the next 6 months, that I won’t soon be wearing long underwear.  I can’t give in; I can’t let go of summer and I can’t acknowledge that winter’s knocking at my door.  

So I avoid the truth and spend the month of October shivering.  Shivering and shivering and…

…baking.  I spend a good deal of time baking.  A hot oven helps with the chattering teeth and a warm treat with a cup of coffee makes most situations tolerable.

My latest attempt at baking away my October shivers was a batch of pear and candied ginger muffins and they provided just the warmth and comfort I was looking for.  The muffins bake up impossibly light and fluffy.  They’re loaded with chunks of ripe pear and candied ginger and a spicy ginger-lemon glaze puts them firmly in the “can’t wait to make them again” recipe file.

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Wild Mushroom Risotto

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Wild Mushroom RisottoIf you were to ask my nearest and dearest what my “signature dish” is, the answer would probably be some sort of bean soup or risotto.  I know, I know…beans or rice–boring.

But is it really?  No way; simple beans can be coaxed into velvety, comforting deliciousness and a pot of risotto made with care can taste like a total luxury.

This mushroom risotto is no exception.  It’s a little bit splurgy, loaded with wild mushrooms and enriched with creamy mascarpone cheese.  It’s cooked slowly and thoughtfully, the kind of dish that demands you stay in the kitchen, sipping wine as it comes together.  You’ll eat it, enjoy it, and have no regrets about giving it signature dish status in your kitchen too.

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Roasted Endive with Walnut Vinaigrette

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Roasted Belgian Endive with Walnut VinaigretteI cook a lot (obviously!), but can be a bit of a slacker when it comes to side dishes.  Normally, I just throw some greens in a bowl, toss a little oil and vinegar their way, and call it a day.  It’s a fine approach until I do make the effort to compose an actual vegetable side.  When I finally do, I normally end up getting waaaay into it, hardly bothering with whatever the supposed main course is.   

This was the case with last night’s side dish.  I made roasted Belgian endive dressed with walnut vinaigrette and I would have happily eaten the entire plate pictured above, all by myself.  Just put me in a dimly lit dining room with a plate of that sweetly bitter roasted endive and a hunk of bread and you’d be looking at a very happy girl.

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