Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping

I made this AWESOME recipe for Thanksgiving last year; it was a big hit: Pumpkin Cheesecake with Marshmallow Sour Cream Topping and Gingersnap Crust, thanks to the Epicurious website.

I first prepared the crust in my trusty food processor.

Chocolate Strawberry Shots

Holy moley, when I saw these Chocolate Covered Strawberry Shot Glasses from Sweet Tooth, I gasped with delight.  What could be more awesome than dessert mixed with cocktails?!? 

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango

This is one of my favorite recipes from Veganomicon, my favorite Vegan cookbook.  This quinoa salad with black beans and mango is super delicious, and extra good for you too.   

Pumpkin Carving Contest 2011 Part 1

Ooooh, spooky!  This year for the pumpkin carving party I had with JV, we decided to do scary movie characters.  I did Hannibal from Silence of the Lambs, and he did Jigsaw from the Saw series.

Which one would you vote for?  I'm pretty sure JV FINALLY won this year.  I think they both look totally awesome though, and are super scary!

Salted Caramel Ice Cream (Best Thing I've Ever Eaten)

There is an authentic Italian Pizza place here in the STL called The Good Pie, they have THE BEST salted caramel gelato in the universe.  Lucky for me, David Leibovitz has a recipe for Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream!

Getting ready to pour the custard into the cream on an ice bath:

May I present....Miss Puma!

A few months ago our kitty Pinky passed away.  I had to take O'Malley to the vet, and sometimes they will keep stray or abandoned cats that people have found, to find new homes for them.  I asked the vet if they happened to have any kitties available at the moment, and they introduced me to "Black Beauty".   It was love at first sight.

Vacation - 3 Months Late

The BF and I went on vacation to Rhode Island this year.  We were there for a week and a half surrounding the 4th of July.

Since I have become a vegetarian and am trying to watch what I eat, it was hard to find places that didn't just have fried seafood.  This is where we ate most of the time: 

Mr. Snuggles

This is my bestest friend, Mr. O'Malley.  He is 5, what a big baby!

Introducing...Miss Neko!

We went to the BF's sister's house for Easter this year, where I fell in love with this puppy:

Picked a Pregnant Pepper

I cut this open to find a pepper fetus!

Hawk Buffet

Over the summer, I put out a bird feeder, and all of the little critters came to eat.  Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, field mice, everybody was there.

One morning I look out the window to see this guy sitting on our deck, waiting to take his picking from our furry outdoor friends!

It's a terrible picture because I had to take it through glass, so if you can't tell, that is a hawk sitting out there!
It was amazing.

#1

Guess who won first place in his golf tournament?

Tribute to Miss Pinky

When I went on vacation this summer, a horrible horrible thing happened.  My little girl, Pinky, who was only 6 years old, passed away suddenly from a blood clot.  It is terrible that I wasn't there for her, and that she was so young.  I love her dearly, and miss her every single day.  She is beautiful, and she was the perfect kitty.