Halloween Whoopie Pies

I needed something easy to make for a Halloween treat.  I've been baking French macarons almost every chance I get.  Why?  Because I have a macaron baking obsession.  Or maybe it's an addiction.  Whatever you call it, I wanted a little reprieve to try something new and simple.  Something that wouldn't make my head hurt from overthinking the process and techniques.  Something that I could pull off with one try. And something that wasn't pumpkin-flavor.  I LOVE pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin bread, pumpkin curry, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin cheesecake, you name it.  But, MAC won't eat it.  He doesn't like the flavor.  Not even a little.  I still ask him every year if he'll share a piece of pumpkin pie with me, hoping that, by some miracle, his picky taste buds changed their minds.  I always get the same answer, "No, I don't like pumpkin." I will always be in denial of this very sad fact.  

So, in my search for a special Halloween treat we would both like, I came across this recipe for Halloween Whoopie Pies on Food and Wine.  It contains chocolate, check!  Cake, check!  Marshmallows, check!  I knew these babies would be perfect.

Sourdough Bread Bowls

I'm starting to feel the chill in the autumn air.....brrrrrr.  That means leggings during the day and long pajamas at night.  Yes, even in California.  We prefer it to be a steady 74 degrees.  When it gets even 1 degree below that, we all break out our winter coats.  Ok, maybe that's just me.  But, since I grew up in Hawaii, I think I have a legitimate excuse, right?

So, with the colder, 64 degree weather sending shockwaves through my body, I thought it was time for some warm soup to fill our bellies.  What better way to celebrate this wonderful San Francisco Bay Area with some clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls!  Just the thought of that takes me back to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.  Sure, it's a huge tourist trap with herds of people no matter what time of day it is. But, MAC and I have an annual tradition of going to the crab stands at the wharf as soon as crab season starts.  Fisherman's Grotto is our go-to crab stand.  It's all the way at the end of the street, so we don't feel like we're fighting for elbow space when digging into our crab and chowder.  Also, we like that the white-haired man always cracks just the slightest of smiles when he sees us returning every year.  How cute is that?  We always get two dungeness crabs (extra large ones by request), a clam chowder in a bread bowl, and two beers.  Then, the fun begins.  This is the only time of year MAC and I are willing to subject ourselves to sitting out in the cold for more than 15 minutes.  In fact, it usually takes us a good 45 minutes to thoroughly enjoy that delicious meal, so you know it's gotta be darn good. We take turns scooping that chunky clam chowder from the bread bowl, in between the hacking and cracking of crab legs and long, thirsty swigs of beer.  Our favorite part is the crab body.  It's a labyrinth of lumps of sweet crab meat just waiting to be found. At the end of our smorgesborg, I'll usually find MAC picking crab pieces out of my hair and off my jacket. He's very sweet.

Number "1"

I have been having a really great October, like really great.  I'm starting to think it's my lucky month. Why?  Well, the first time I met my husband, MAC, was in October, four years ago.  The first time I won anything in my life was in October, two years ago.  What did I win?  An iPad.  MAC and I had the most lovely outdoor wedding in October last year.  What makes it lucky?  Well, besides the fact that I married the man that makes my heart whole, the rain that started falling the night before our big day had stopped early the next the morning. Yes, lucky.  Oh, and….. MAC and I swam with 8-foot sharks in the Pacific Ocean on our honeymoon that same month, and didn't get torn to shreds.  I'd say that's pretty darn lucky.  Granted, they were  lemon sharks….but still.

For this October, I'm considering it lucky because it's the "October for Firsts."  MAC and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in a highly anticipated weekend getaway to Napa Valley, and I finally mustered up the courage to post my first entry of my new blog!  After months of ogling a number of beautiful blogs and wishing I could have my own, I finally decided to just do it.  So, here I am.  Now, onto my anniversary weekend with MAC.

I insisted that we have a slice of our wedding cake for breakfast before hitting the road.  How was it, you ask?  Delicious!  I'm not kidding.  We were pleasantly surprised at how moist and flavorful the chocolate ganache was.  The vanilla cake layers were just a tad dry, but still very tasty.  And the fondant tasted the same way it did a year ago.  It was so good, we couldn't resist having a second slice!

Our 1-year old wedding cake

Let's talk about the scrumptious goodies we had in Napa…

If you never had an english muffin from The Model Bakery, I feel for you.  If you're in the area, you should go. Don't think about it, just get up and go. But, go early!  Those things sell out like the latest iPhone on its release date.  I know what you're saying - "but it's just an english muffin," right?  WRONG!  These are heavenly little pillows of bread, so soft and chewy, surrounded by a crust with just the perfect amount of crunch.  I could devour ten of them in one sitting.  I probably would have, had I been one of those smart people carrying a six-pack of muffins out of the store.  Why didn't I think of that? Darn! Rookie mistake...

The Model Bakery's renowned english muffin