Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- Happy Halloween!

First things first: I guess that October decided to dress up as December for Halloween this year, huh?

For serious. Not cool. I'm still having nightmares about commuting in last year's epic snowstorms and I'm completely not ready to start dealing with all that mess again. Fall, come back for awhile, k?

NYC Eats: Dinner at Queens Kickshaw

Now that I finally feel settled into my new neighborhood, I figured it was time to start sampling the local cuisines! A friend of mine read about a place that specialized in "fancy grilled cheeses" in the Gothamist--you don't have to do much arm-twisting to convince me that grilled cheese is a fabulous dinner. Throw in a bangin' list of hard ciders? I'm all over it.

S'mores Explosion Pie, and a Pie Party Live recap

Have you ever imagined what life would be like if you took every and any ingredient and made it into a pie? Can you even conceive of that many different kinds of pies?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have seen the promised pie-land. And let me tell you, it is yoga-pants-wearing good.

This past Saturday, I had the fantastic opportunity to take part in Pie Party Live, a NYC food blogger event organized by the fabulous Jackie and Ken. The potluck o' pie was held at Rodeo Bar, whose fine establishment graciously provided us with space and smiling service for the whole three hours of pie gluttony. Thank you, Rodeo Bar!

The only requirement for admission to the event? Bring a pie!

A Jolly Olde Time in London Towne!

Cheerio, mates! As those of you on Twitter may remember, I've just returned from a wonderful, whirlwind weekend spent visiting my sister (affectionately, Middle Chip) in London, where she's studying for the semester. We had such a fabulous time, and I was so sad to leave her again until December! But it's definitely a weekend I'll always remember sharing with her. :)

Now, the two of us didn't get up to all that much cooking this weekend (although we did manage one kitchen creation!), but what follows is a bit of a tour through our antics and escapades...most of which involve a lot of sugar...

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas: Welcome, Fall!

Fall is here, fall is here!

Okay, well, technically fall has been here for a week or so now, but it's only really started to feel like fall here in the New York City area since October started this weekend. The weather has been crisp and cool, with that smell of the coming holiday season in the air. I love it.

I think these gooey, cheesy enchiladas are a great fall meal, whether you eat them for dinner fresh outta the oven or freeze a bunch for easy meals-in-a-minute later in the week (I'm a big fan of this method, as we all know!). They might not be the most photogenic food in the world, but I promise they taste better than they might look. :)