Pumpkin Gingersnap Trifle

I decided to mix things up a bit this Thanksgiving--and I'm so glad I did! This seasonal, scrumptious trifle mixes textures and flavors amazingly well. Plus, having revised the recipe a bit for my family, I came out with a delicious dessert that we didn't have to feel as guilty about at gobbling down.

While working at Every Day with Rachael Ray, I came upon this recipe and made sure to tuck it away for fall. I was excited for days leading up to the big Turkey Day experiment.

As my dad's a diabetic and my work to lose weight, I took advantage of my grocery store to make this recipe lighter on our diets and my day of kitchen work. Cool Whip Free makes me so very happy so very easily. I subbed about two thirds of a regular container of thawed Cool Whip Free for the whipped cream in the original recipe. As with all things pumpkin in my kitchen, I spiced the heck out of a can of pumpkin puree, then folded in Cool Whip Free and Marshmallow Fluff in two batches of each. That done, I placed about a third of the pumpkin mixture into a trifle bowl and covered it with crushed gingersnaps. After repeating these two layers once more, a layer of Cool Whip Free and a sprinkling of more crushed gingersnaps completed the beauty.

The airy mousse is rich in flavor and the spices strike a perfect balance between providing kick but not distracting. The gingersnaps add to the spicy flavors and lend a great bit of crunch to the texture combination. I love the pairing. It's marginally addictive. A couple of gingersnaps on the side are great for scooping up the tasty mixture for those who don't mind ditching the spoons. No one misses pie at all.

Dessert must have been done in 10 minutes. Thanksgiving means I usually bake AT LEAST one kind of pie, which takes hours for prep, baking, and cooling. This year, I was thrilled to save the time--and calories!--with this delicious and gorgeous treat. We'll definitely be making this a new tradition for the holidays--and maybe more often. Too yummy and easy not to!

Milk Bar: Yummy, Celery Aside

When I can taste the celery undertone, I'm not happy with my softserve ice cream. This was one of the few risks, though, for which I can't applaud the Momofuku geniuses.

Granted, I have a pretty well-honed and sensitive palate, but I don't think the problem I had at Milk Bar was my fault. Stuffing flavored softserve seemed a bizarre--but intriguing--idea. So, I used my single sample when ordering and tried a few bites of the daring treat.

Celery does not belong in ice cream. I picked out a few of the other flavors--all authentic to the "stuffing" idea, I concede--and none made me happy. They don't belong in ice cream. Not in my book.

I recently caved and tried Milk Bar, the Momofuku dessert haven. This minimalist hotspot offers some deliciously daring and inventive dishes, like the signature "Cereal Milk" softserve that tastes like the milk left in the bowl when you finish eating Frosted Flakes. It's odd. It takes a few bites. But it's strangely likable. The new caramel apple flavor joins fruit cobbler and stuffing as seasonal additions to the softserve roster and, in my book, tops the current line up of frozen yumminess. Toppings from the ordinary--candy corn--to the inventive--caramelized cornbread crumbs--can up the ante on the sensibly small but rich portions.

The cakes, cookies, and pies continue the tradition of odd combinations that often really work. I was devestated to see that the Dulce de Leche cake has been retired for the winter, but the banana cake with hazelnut crunch and gianduja fudge taking its place made me rather happy--and had similar effects on the friends I had make sure I couldn't eat the massive piece alone. Other highlights that tempt and taunt me from behind the glass include the Candy Bar Pie--caramel, peanut butter nougat, and pretzels in a chocolate crust and under a blanket of smooth chocolate. The "cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow cookie" and the special daily breads also top my list of to-try items.

Milk Bar, you're getting a rebuke for the celery. But you make up for it with your culinary risks that soar. Right into my mouth. I don't always like the results, but I really respect when restaurants take risks, and I love being here to give them a shot.

Glamor-shot Cookie Sandwiches

As the weather gets colder, I often find one of my favorite low-key nights is staying in with friends, watching The Office or a movie, and doing some cooking. So, as I cook up some favorites both old and new, thought I'd post the results, tips, and tricks along with the food reviews, political musings, and entertainment stories.

These particular cookies came to mind immediately when I started thinking about night-in treats. Here are cookies worth making just for the chance at replicating the gorgeousness of these temptresses. But they're also delicious. And--an even bigger perk for many--really baking-cheater friendly!

Inspired by a recipe for Rocky Road Sandwich Cookies I perpetually drooled over while working with the web team at Every Day with Rachael Ray, I knew a girls night dinner at my apartment was the perfect venue to try them. Given the busy weeknight and my hungry friends, however, I knew I needed to get both dinner and the anticipated dessert ready as soon as possible. The results were so pretty, I became a smidge obsessed with the photos I took for the magazine's blog. Well, in all honesty, I repeatedly exclaimed things like, "it's like a fucking glamor-shot!" But these photogenic goodies aren't just picture-perfect.

I take a lot of pride in the things I cook, and I love to spend time in the kitchen, but I'm not above a few shortcuts sometimes. Let's face it: we don't all have time, and it can be fun to cheat the system while not sacrificing taste in the least. So, I picked up the dry chocolate chip cookie mix at my grocery store, snagged a bag of slivered almonds, and got that nostalgic jar of gooey, sugary goodness known as Marshmallow Fluff.



Simply add about half a cup of the slivered almonds--or chopped walnuts, if you prefer--to the cookie dough after preparing by the bag instructions. If the dough seems too tough, try adding two tablespoons more liquid. Also, if you prefer a cakier cookie, with results more like a whoopie pie, add another egg instead. Once baked, you just sandwich two cookies together with the marshmallow fluff. This recipe is also great for informal gatherings like my girls night because you can let everyone sandwich their own--and sneak extra fluff into each cookie sandwich!

If my friend's goofy cookie enthusiasm here is anything to go by, I'm sure these cookies will be a hit every time!