upper crust

Once the month of November arrives it's difficult for me to think about anything other than food. Particularly difficult is keeping my fingers away from the dessert category in my cookbooks or my cursor from wondering the many dessert recipes I have bookmarked online. If you know my penchant for pastries, you would not be surprised to find my many recipes for pie. Baking pies with the bounty of an Autumn harvest seems an essential part of life this time of year, especially in New England. To not partake in this annual ritual would just seem un-American. 

An old favorite I keep returning to this time of year is pumpkin pie. Though I'm a sucker for a golden flakey crust, this year I thought I'd freshen things up by making a gingersnap cookie crust. Besides adding a sweetly spicy element to the pumpkin taste, the cookie crust will do away with any fears of a soggy, under-baked bottom crust. The flavor of this gingersnap crust would substitute wonderfully as the foundation for many pies and cheesecakes. It's a delicious way to update an old favorite.

GINGERSNAP CRUST
1 1/2 cups finely ground ginger snaps
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced crystallized ginger
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cookie crumbs, sugar, and ginger in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture is evenly moistened. Transfer crumb mixture to 9-inch-diameter pie dish. Press crumbs firmly and evenly onto bottom and up sides of dish. It's helpful to use a second pie dish to place inside to tamp down the mixture. Bake until crust is firm and slightly darker in color, about 8 minutes. Cool crust completely.

image via mccormick

oh, wear! winterize

The temperature is swiftly heading south for the winter around my part of the world. Though I dream of warmer climes, I am always happy to break out my winter boots, hat and gloves. This happy feeling usually only lasts until 1. It gets so cold out that I can't feel my toes, 2. My car gets stuck in the snow, 3. I have to shovel the snow and/or 4. I can't feel my toes while shoveling the snow.

In a perfect winter-wonder-world, I would be wearing this while I experienced all of the above.

scarf | coat | boot | gloves | hat | red crystal earrings

oh, wear! Thanksgiving style

My rules for dress these days are simple: items that I will make it into the Goodwill bin in about two years (oh, and nothing that requires dry-cleaning...or that I would hate to see food imbedded into). Until Violet and Laela master the art of using utensils, I've shoved my finer clothing items to the back of my closet. But, a girl can still dream, right? Here's my pick for this Thanksgiving's festivities. Finding a less expensive cotton version of the dress shouldn't be too difficult. Wrap dresses are my go-to lately since they make nursing a cinch. Some lipstick in cranberry cream, a few feathers in the hair (such twisted humor - my apologies to turkeys everywhere) and some semiprecious jewelry punches up any outfit.

hair pins | dress | boots | bag | lipstick | pyrite earrings