Never too late for Pumpkin Desserts

I'm sure a lot of people forget all about pumpkin puree between December and the following October. Why deal with pumpkins and pumpkin pie spice when that's nearly all you've been baking with for the Fall months? I'll admit, it is easy to forget about things like that. You get all caught up in the moment when you start baking Christmas goodies, then Valentine's Day, and then...it's springtime and the warmth of spices doesn't have the same appeal anymore.

Well, I suggest that everyone include pumpkin into their desserts all year long. Seriously, everyone goes on and on about how they want to have a healthier lifestyle in the first months of the year (and then, once the Superbowl comes along, that seems to disappear). Pumpkin is extremely good for you, and can replace a large part of the butter or oil you usually use in muffins. Convinced yet?

Although this isn't healthy per se, I had another chance to delight in my Pumpkin Cheesecake which you can find right here. I had way too much filling last time around, so I baked crust-less cheesecakes and froze them up. Tea with my friend Claire was the perfect opportunity to bring them back out; I quickly baked up some new crusts and put the cheesecakes together. Unfortunately, I sort of forgot that the wetness of the filling is what makes the crust nice and soft--putting them together at the last minute ensured that my crust was everything but soft. OK, maybe a knife was involved to eat these mini-cheesecakes, but it's nothing a few hours in the fridge couldn't have fixed.

And the cute heart shape? Perfect for a Valentine's Day dessert that doesn't involve an overload of chocolate. Unless, of course, you decide to indulge in chocolate as a side dish: my kind of healthy lifestyle.

By the way, you might notice something has changed around here: I added all my post labels on the side for easier access. Happy browsing!