Pumpkin and cream cheese muffins with pecan streusel

Cream cheese is a necessity in our household. When we run out, we go into panic mode. Even when my son won't eat anything else, he will eat cream cheese on toast. I'm no different. I love cream cheese on my bagels, in my slow cooker chicken stew, in my fettuccine Alfredo, and especially in my pumpkin muffins from Starbucks.

But you can't get Starbucks' pumpkin cream cheese muffins year-round and so whenever my craving hit when they were out of season, I was fresh out of luck. Until now.

Cookbook Review: Nigella Lawson's Kitchen

Just when I thought Nigella couldn't possibly produce another cookbook, she came out with this nearly-500 page heavyweight "Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home." (Knopf Canada)

Like many of her previous cookbooks, this one is meant to give us a glimpse into her household, by way of her feel-good food solutions for the harried weekday cook. Can this book live up to the high standard of past success?

I've interviewed Nigella in the past and she was nothing if not utterly charming. Exactly what you'd expect. But lately, I will sadly admit, some of her recipes have been hit or miss.

I am going to take partial responsibility for this though, because I don't embark on any of her recipes without keeping in mind she is not a professional chef.

Dare to Dream: My Christmas wish list

The older I get, the harder it becomes to make a wish list. Am I the only one? Namely because if I want something, I buy it. And if something is beyond my reach, I usually put it out of my head. Still, there are some things that I still dream about, because to purchase them for myself would be sheer folly. And impractical.

And I am about as impractical as a pair of double-strap Birkenstocks these days. But I'm not going to lie -- I would like to be indulged now and then. So, without further ado, here is my "Dare to Dream" Christmas wish list (ahem, hubby, you can start your shopping now!)

Happy second blog-iversary to me

It's been two years since I wrote my first post. I'll be honest, I never really thought I'd last two years. After all, so much has changed in my life. We've moved to a larger home (with more kitchen counter space and more room for my appliances and gadgets) and my son is almost 15 months old. Life is understandably more hectic these days.

And though I took a bit of a hiatus after my son is born, I think I'm back into the swing of things.

Cookbook Review: Bobby Flay's Throwdown

Bobby Flay didn't always rub me the right way - especially during his appearances on "The Next Food Network Star." He was arrogant, abrasive even. But when I caught a few episodes of "Throwdown," in which he goes head-to-head with chefs who have staked their claim as the best at making iconic dishes or desserts, he was humble, generous.

His companion book, "Bobby Flay's Throwdown" (Clarkson Potter) gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at how the cooking challenges went down, lists both recipes, and declares the winner. I'll admit it's a hodge podge of recipes with no apparent theme and I didn't really know where to start.

Boston Cream Cupcakes

I was inspired to make these cupcakes after seeing a variation of them in Martha Stewart's cupcakes book I am always writing about.

I had my sister-in-law over for lunch as I wanted to indulge her request for cupcakes with dulce de leche, which I've used as a filling before. I wanted to try something different, however, than the same old same old and I remembered seeing these in the book I mentioned (they also appeared in the February 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living).