The Gold Standard

There comes a time of year when we have to put away the Scharffen-Berger (bummer, I just bought a bunch and it's amazing) and pull out the pumpkin desserts. It is a wonderful time filled with pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake gelato (it's best from Coolato Gelato!), and pumpkin spice whipped cream (yeah, I know!) However, my favorite thing of all time ever is pumpkin cheesecake. When I go home for Thanksgiving, I try to get some from The Cheesecake Factory (I recently heard we're getting one in Knoxville: score!!), but sometimes I just can't wait. I really don't have the patience or brain capacity to do the whole water bath, springform pan routine that goes into real cheesecake, so I made pumpkin cheesecake bars and, bonus, I got to use my Goldtouch pan that I recieved for my birthday!

These were uber delicious and I can't wait for you to try them. And, for the record, the Goldtouch was totally awesome and lived up to its reputation. My edges and corners came out perfectly brown (not burnty brown like normal) and it was super non-stick. If you're in Williams-Sonoma soon, I would definetely suggest picking one up in every size!

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Last week, I got my Williams-Sonoma fall catalog which was like an early Christmas present! I had my eye on a few trusty favorites I've gotten before (the spooky gingerbread house, for example) but what caught my attention was a jar of my absolute favorite fall flavor combination: salted caramel sauce. Williams-Sonoma suggests you use it slightly heated on ice cream, but I've got a few other recipes up my sleeve and I can't wait for you to try them!

Doesn't this look delightful?

Lets talk about spice, baby.

(Produced by Muirhead, Sold by Williams-Sonoma)

Anyone get my inappropriate song reference? No? Moving on then...

I have a deep love for fall at Williams-Sonoma. If you aren't aware of their fabulous fall products- please visit a store or their website. I promise you'll be thrilled. Each year they come out with a number of products that are pumpkin, spice, and everything nice (sorry, last one, promise). I normally buy bulk amounts of their Pumpkin Pecan Pancake Mix (also, love that alliteration). Much to my dismay, there was none to be found this year.

As a replacement, I purchase the Pecan Pumpkin Butter. It comes in a glass jar topped with a gold lid and cursive font- a simply beautiful presentation. It is also, simply delectable.
Because the product is wet, its a perfect addition to a number of batters. You could add a bit to pancake mix, as a replacement for the Williams-Sonoma mix of previous year, or to muffin batter, icing, etc. Its a lovely way to impart a little seasonal flair to just about anything.

Here is a quick, easy way to use the butter in a breakfast favorite of mine- french toast!