I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m still recovering from all the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, dessert and copious amounts of wine. I’m honestly not sure how we were able to eat this decadent dessert after dinner, but who turns down a cake with bourbon as one of its primary flavors? Not me. Needless to say, this dessert is definitely making another appearance soon.

I meant to mention this last week, but my brother, Matt, just got engaged to his girlfriend, Vanya, of six years. I’m so incredibly happy for them and am looking forward to all that comes next!

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Baking is the perfect outlet when I have a lot on my mind. It’s sometimes even more therapeutic than a heavily poured glass of wine, believe it or not!

I recently realized that I hadn’t posted a baked good since March. Yes, MARCH. Clearly, I had to remedy this situation, so I decided to bake this spiced pumpkin bread. I wish I could explain how unbelievably amazing my apartment smelled during the baking process. It was a torturous hour of waiting, but worth it in the end when my roommate and I got to indulge in a slice straight from the oven. The bread was even better the next day.

If you’re looking for more pumpkin inspiration, check out the recipes below:

Crock-pot Pumpkin and Turkey Chili

Pumpkin and Gingerbread Trifle

Pumpkin Cookies with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Trifle with Roasted Apples, Pears and Pumpkin-Caramel Sauce

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Spicy Caramel Apple Sauce and Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise 

Pecan Pumpkin Butter Bars

Pumpkin, Turkey and Zucchini Lasagna

Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

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I’m sure anyone living in Southern California is saying, “Chili? In 90 degree weather? Are you crazy?” Maybe. But it is fall, after all, and I’ve been itching to cook with pumpkin. I also purchased ground turkey, so it seemed fitting that I combine the two to make chili. Though the pumpkin is almost entirely masked by the other ingredients, it still adds a subtle sweet and earthy flavor.

If you’re not a pumpkin fan, check out these other chili recipes here and here.

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As promised, here’s the recipe for the pumpkin and gingerbread trifles I served at Thanksgiving. Since November is almost over (I can hardly believe it), I wanted to squeeze in one last pumpkin recipe.

I’m in charge of bringing a dessert every Thanksgiving, but couldn’t decide on what to bring this year. My Mimi (aka grandma) came to the rescue and suggested I make these pumpkin trifle cups, as she said they’re always a hit. I tweaked her recipe a bit, making homemade whipped cream, adding cinnamon, etc., but kept the general focus of the dessert.

My Mimi was right–the dessert received rave reviews. I’ve already contemplated variations I could make on the trifle. I think a lemon curd, whipped cream and graham cracker trifle would be pretty delicious. :)

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Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday full of family, friends and food. I thought I’d share some photos of our bountiful Thanksgiving…including the three turkeys. :) Thank you to the gracious hosts, Kitty and Mike.

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With Thanksgiving seemingly right around the corner, menu planning and day-of preparation are in full swing. Every year, we attend our family friend’s house with 20 plus other people. The day is complete with mass amounts of food, from delicious appetizers to various side dishes to giant gravy boats to three, yes three, turkeys. We obviously have to have a smoked turkey!

The sweet potato-pecan casserole is one of my favorite dishes every year (I still need to figure out who brings this dish). So, I decided to try replicating the casserole. Although my dish didn’t quite rank with the one on Thanksgiving, it held its own and was still delicious.

Note: If you want your casserole to have that bright orange color, use yams, which are often used in ‘sweet potato’ casseroles.

Check out Linda’s Thanksgiving check-list over at Savoring Every Bite if you’re worried you might forget something this year. :)

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Since Greg so generously made room for me on the pumpkin band wagon with my trifle, I figured I’d try sneaking another dessert on board.

I made these fluffy pumpkin spice cookies with orange buttercream frosting over the weekend. Upon each bite, the palette is hit with the slight tartness of the orange followed by the spice of the pumpkin. My brother took them to work today and said they were a hit with all of his co-workers. :)

Need more pumpkin inspiration? Head over to Maris’ site at In Good Taste for her baked pumpkin doughnuts. Check out Mary’s pumpkin cake with caramel icing over at One Perfect Bite. Also, Erin’s pumpkin spice hot apple cider at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts.

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