Autumn....and yes, the carmel pumpkin cheesecake recipe

We are well into my favorite season of the year. Just when I say autumn is my favorite, I think of the sparkling frost and lovely evergreen of winter, the warm days and sultry nights of summer, and of the budding trees and blooming flowers of spring. But deep down I am an autumn girl.

I am not sure if it's because I was born in the fall (power to all Scorpios) or if it's because I was named after the autumn leaves. But something speaks to my soul when the weather first turns crisp and you pull your sweaters out of the back of your closet; of drinking tart apple cider and eating comfort food; of wearing warm wool socks and your favorite pair of ugly sweats and of seeing all of the beautiful colors of the leaves before they all fall.

It doesn't matter if the sky is bright blue or gun metal gray, the leaves look wonderful. Lets not forget the pyracantha berries, ripe pumpkins and jeweled indian corn. Few things compare to the joy of crunching on freshly fallen leaves on a walk, or the good "icky" feeling you get when cleaning out the pumpkin guts or of having to scrape the frost off of the windows of your car for the first time. I think why I really love autumn is because even though it is the precursor to winter, a metaphorical trial or wasteland, it is full of beauty and bounty. Of family and good times. Warm fires and warm friendships.

So on that note, lets talk Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday (very closely tied with Christmas, but that is for another blog entry). It is the only holiday where you get together with family, no presents are expected and you are expected to eat more than is humanly possible...and then go back for pie! I always feel a little bad for Thanksgiving, that it tends to get overlooked in our zeal to get to Christmas. I was devastated to hear that kids don't learn about Squanto in school anymore. Poor Squanto! Where would this country be without Squanto to smooth Pilgrim and Indian relations and help instigate the first Thanksgiving?

Let's not forget Thanksgiving this year and all we have to be thankful for, and here is a recipe to help y'all do just that! By popular request here it is:

Black Bottomed Mini Carmel Pumpkin Cheesecakes

8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, fresh grated if possible
Caramel Topping
12 Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, if desired

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin liberally with non-stick spray. Combined ground Oreos and melted butter in a small bowl. Divide evenly into 12 cups and press till firm and flat. Bake for 10 minutes and removed from oven.
2. In a mixer beat cream cheese, pumpkin and sugar until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour evenly over 12 cookie crusts (about 3/4 full). Spoon about 1 teaspoon of caramel on top and swirl with a toothpick. Bake for about 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
3. Remove cheesecakes from pan and top with a spoonful of caramel and a kiss (if using). Refrigerate until serving.

Enjoy! :)

Laundry Soap

Wow, 2 posts in 2 days! I am on a roll! :) Due to popular demand, I am posting the homemade laundry soap recipe. It didn't take long to make (about 1 hour), it doesn't use harsh chemicals or weird animal by-products and most importantly, it's ridiculously cheap! Hooray for cheap things! *Disclaimer* This is not my personal creation. I found this online. I have also only made this 1 time, but so far I have found that it works very well on my clothes. It is thinner than the concentrates that we are used to using, so don't be afraid. Also, everything can be found in the laundry aisle of WalMart, although, I think the Arm & Hammer was on the dish aisle...

You will need:
~Large bucket, at least 2 gallons, to mix in (I bought a 5 gallon rubbermaid tub to mix and store in, but a regular paint bucket with a lid would work.)
~1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap
~1/2 cup Borax
~1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (BTW, baking soda and washing soda are different)



1. Cut the Fels Naptha bar into thirds. (Be sure to save the extras for your next batch). Finely grate the soap.
2. In a large pot, heat 6 cups of water and the grated soap over low heat until the soap melts. Don't let the soap boil! Once it has melted, add the Borax and Arm & Hammer. Leave it on the heat, continuing to stir constantly until all the powder is dissolved and the mixture has thickened almost to the consistency of honey. Remove from heat.
3. Pour 4 cups of hot tap water into your mixing bucket. Add your soap mixture and stir. (You can add some essential oils at this time for fragrance, but I found without it smells very clean and nice.) Next add 1 gallon plus 6 cups (that's 22 cups total) of hot tap water. Stir for a few minutes, then cover and let sit over night.
4. The next morning the soap might be a little spongy on top and runny on the bottom. No problem. You can just scoop it out as it, or mix it up with a stick blender or whisk and add to a bottle. You can use a beverage dispenser with a spigot (again available at WalMart) or recycle an existing detergent bottle.
5. Use 1/2 cup per load. It is safe for high efficiency machines.

So happy detergent making! When I find the perfect homemade dishwasher soap, I will pass it along as well.