let's eat 'till we pass out from tryptophan!

thanksgiving! one of my favorite holidays! i love all the foods and flavors that make up the thanksgiving feast. turkey, gravy, brussels sprouts, cranberry, chestnuts, sweet potato, and mexican pie! mexican pie may just be a tradition at my thanksgiving :) for as long as i can remember, my family has been celebrating thanksgiving with 4 other brooklyn families. we meet up in a lovely brownstone in carroll gardens, we pot luck and each year we look forward to certain signature dishes. our host prepares the bird and a series of delicious apps. i really look forward to the spinach stuffing puffs every year. that and a glass of white wine is breakfast. i hang out with these boys that i used to play soccer with when i was 5 (simon is the gentle giant in the picture below). we still sit at the 'kids table' even though we are all nearly 30... sometimes people sneak outside pre-dinner for herbal assistance...






this year i was on dessert... as always. i couldn't decide between my orange saffron ricotta pound cake OR pumpkin chocolate chip cookies; so i made both!

ricotta pound cake with orange and saffron: follow this recipe, but also soak some saffron in a few tablespoons of boiling water... add this to the wet mixture before you add the dry ingredients. i also add a bit of cardamom and cinnamon to this recipe. i know i say this all the time, but i think changing recipes to fit your personal tastes should be encouraged... painting outside the lines is FUN.

i made cupcake versions of this recipe just to try it out. you should cook them around 20-25 minutes at the recipe's suggested temp.




i also made these AMAZING pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (totally LOVE this baking blog- joy the baker). i am so in lust with these cookies. i never would have thought that chocolate and pumpkin would go together so well, but the combination (especially when the cookies are warm) is all sorts of earthy/rich/sweet goodness.







the desserts were a hit. this is good news, because i might be selling my baked goods at cafe 457 in park slope! i should probably start promoting this blog. fa realz.

gobble gobble gobble x