What a Thanksgiving! dS2 left today to drive back up north to college, dd and boyfriend left Thursday evening to back to their homes and jobs, Auntie left yesterday afternoon, still have MIL and DS1 and his gf. DH and his mom are tending the bonfire, DS and GF are playing tennis and I am taking a break in the library :-). We took MIL who has advancing dementia to local ballet school matinee performance of the Nutcracker today and she LOVED it, much to our surprise and delight! Biggest excitement--- daughter's boyfriend asked DH for our permission to ask her to marry him! We are keeping quiet as he plans to do this in a few weeks and we don't want spoil the surprise! We could not be happier as the young man is exactly who we would order as a SIL and he is truly devoted to our girl. Tired of cooking and serving, that's for sure! Mtn, I realized -- finally-- that I used a 9.5" springform pan instead of a 9" or 8", which is why it looked so flat. It was still delicious, though, and the apple pie from our local Methodist youth group was fantastic! And do you know, I am sending people home with their gingerbread house kits. We were having such a good time talking and visiting that the afternoon sped by with no need for a planned indoor activity! We will save ours for Christmas Eve when my nephews are staying over. Chibimimi, you are a veritable pioneer! I cannot imagine cooking over an open fire and really admire you for not giving in and running to the nearest restaurant. Bbstx, wine was definitely involved! We had a Viognier and a Beaujolais for our turkey dinner, and shooters of hot wassail spiked with spiced rum in mini christmas mugs. Let's just say it was pretty cheerful oPattyxlynn, what a great idea for a dessert/snack---- caramelized apple chips----and I'll bet your apple cinnamon loaves were delicious! I am often dubious of the photos I see on Pinterest.......they look like the product of a craft room staff, not a single harried individual with a pair of scissors and a roll of ribbon. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!

This pumpkin cheese cake is fabulous! Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Prep time: 30 minutes Serves: 10-12 Cooking time: 65-75 minutes Crust: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker or ginger snaps (I like 1/2 of each) 5 T. butter, melted 1 T. sugar Filling: 3-8oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened 1 C. canned pumpkin 3 eggs 1/2 t. cinnamon 1/4t. nutmeg 1/4 t. allspice Topping; 1 C. heavy cream 1/2 C. sugar 1 t. white vanilla 1/2 C. chopped pecans Mix crust ingredients together, just until coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and two-thirds of the way up the sides of an 8" spring form pan. Bake for 5 minutes at 350F. Set aside. Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin, eggs, and spices and beat until smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. Just before serving, whip the cream, sugar and white vanilla. After cake has thoroughly chilled, add the whipped cream topping and sprinkle nuts over the cream. Remove the pan sides and cut.

Here's the one I like to use. PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST Crust 1 ¼ cups Gingersnaps, crushed ¼ cup melted butter Filling 1 cup pumpkin puree ½ cup heavy cream 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves ¼ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ lbs (20 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature ½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 Tablespoon cornstarch 4 large eggs, at room temperature Crust Preheat oven to 350°. Wrap the outside of a 9 inch spring form pan with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil, making sure it extends up the sides, to the top edge of the pan. Combine the gingersnaps and melted butter and press onto the bottom of the spring form pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside. Cool crust completely. Filling Reduce oven temp to 325°. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on low speed until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the filling in the cooled crust. Set the still wrapped spring form pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the large pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the spring form pan. Bake for 70-80 minutes until the center is set but still a bit wobbly . Remove cheesecake from the water bath to a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife tip around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Serves 16 Oly

Let's say I'm intrigued. First, there are the crinkle cookies to be tackled. ;) But the mini-cheesecke pan has spaces maybe the size of a quarter to half dollar. They're straight sided and have loose bottoms. I also have heart and pumpkin shaped ones, which are profgessively a little larger. I use them for interesting things, but haven't tried an actual cheesecake. This might be the right first toe in the water.