The Tale of the Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars and the Broken Hand Mixer

Baking and I, well, we don't typically get a long. It requires precision, measuring, and gadgets. Oh yeah, and patience, which is hard to come by when having to deal with everything else. The other day, I decided to take a good stab at baking. I had recently roasted a sweet baby pumpkin so that I had fresh pumpkin puree. Then, I had a craving---this happens often. I really wanted something with pumpkin and oreos. Mmmm, I rarely have oreo cravings, but it sounded delicious.

So I went on an expedition to find a recipe for something with oreos and pumpkin and found this lovely recipe for Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars. I substituted canned pumpkin puree for my homemade pumpkin puree which made the taste a little more mild. While making this treat I ran across a couple of mishaps, the biggest being that my hand blender broke. Not sure how, but I dropped it on the floor. BANG, stopped working. I had a hard time fixing it and after much yelling, screaming, and shrieking I decided to work my arms out and used a regular whisk. Alas, they turned out pretty well.

Nom Nom Nom...Happy Eating :)

Giving Thanks to a Glorious Meal ;)

This is the meal that never ends....

yes it went on and on my friends :)  My family never had a traditional Thanksgiving. My mom never ate meat, for religious reasons, on Thursdays so Thanksgiving was a bust in our house. We always made up for it on Black Friday when we went to family friends' houses or decided to make Turkey and mashed potatoes to "make up" for a missed meal. Although I still love a good Thanksgiving turkey and gravy meal, I've become accustomed to an unusual Thanksgiving spread over the years. This year, my old roommate and I from grad school invited a bunch of friends and cooked up  "Global Street Food" feast. With contributions from our friends, there was so much food that I am STILL eating leftovers a week later (probably should throw that stuff out now huh?).  Starting at the top left and going clockwise, we had:

1. Beef spring rolls

2. Roasted cauliflower with a greek yogurt dil sauce

3. Veggie fried rice

4. Veggie "bahn mi"

5. Armenian meat pie

6. Esquites

7. Paneer or Tandoori Chicken katti roll

8. Millet puffs

9. Patatas Bravas with a spicy, creamy, marinara sauce

10. Carrot ginger soup

If that wasn't enough, there was also pani puri margarita shots, an acquired taste, but a shot taking experience that cannot be replicated. 

What about the recipes you ask? Well, not all of these dishes were made by me, but every so often I'll post one of these awesome recipes (for those that I know) before the next big holiday feast that my sister and I will put together around Christmas. Until then....