Pumpkin-Cranberry Yogurt Parfaits

You know how when you're playing Hearts, you have to wait until hearts have been "broken" before you can start using them? That's kind of how it went with me and pumpkin this year. I kept thinking maybe it was time to crack open my cans of pumpkin, but I was hesitant to kick off the season until one day recently when pumpkin was broken for me, in the form of a delightful pumpkin truffle from a chocolate shop near my work. The truffles were a new item, so the woman at the shop was offering samples of them. It took that one little bite (and the purchase of a second one) to throw me into pumpkin season. All bets are off now. Oh, and since pumpkin is in, naturally cranberry is too.

Grilled Chicken And Corn Salad With Feta And Jalapeño-Lime Dressing

With fall weather just creeping in, it's a perfect time for being outside and continuing to fire up the grill. I was inspired to head out to the grill by a recipe for Grilled Chicken and Corn with Jalapeño-Lime Dressing in the August issue of Food & Wine. Something about the photo kept drawing me in each time I flipped through the issue, and a quick scan of the ingredient list convinced me this was a recipe I needed to try. Of course, I couldn't just make it as written; I tweaked it a little to include my garden bounty and some other ingredients I thought would work well with the jalapeño-lime dressing.

Brussels Sprouts And Bacon Dumplings From Dumplings All Day Wong

I have a really fun cookbook to share with you guys today. It's called Dumplings All Day Wong: A Cookbook of Asian Delights from a Top Chef, and it's written by former Top Chef contestant Lee Anne Wong. As the title would suggest, the book is full of dumpling recipes.

My Go-To Summer Pasta Dish

It's been a good summer, hasn't it? As much as I like to hold on to summer forever, fall is my favorite season so I'm not upset it's coming. But before embracing the new season, I want to take a little time to reflect on this one.

Scenes From Sugar Rush 2014 At Harvest

Starting with pain perdu; continuing with a summer composition of peaches, blueberries, and cornmeal crepes; Turkish ice cream and blackberries; and a new spin on childhood cereal favorites; and ending with a rich, decadent chocolate tart, Sugar Rush is a dessert lover's dream come true.

The five-course dessert tasting was held last Wednesday evening at Harvest in Harvard Square. Harvest's pastry chef Brian Mercury organized the event and invited other local pastry chefs to participate. Everyone prepped at their own restaurants and then helped each other plate in Harvest's kitchen.

Hazelnut Pain Perdu by Brian Mercury of Harvest
with house-made ricotta fro-yo, honey mousse, and fennel jam
paired with Villa des Anges, Rose of Cinsault, Old Vines, Vin de Pays d'Oc, France

Pairing Chocolate And Wine At Chocolate Therapy, Dedham, Mass.

The other night I attended a wine and chocolate pairing at Chocolate Therapy at Legacy Place in Dedham. I've been to Chocolate Therapy several times before -- it makes a great pit stop during an afternoon of shopping, whether for a bite of chocolate or a coffee -- and was excited to see how the chocolates paired with wine (let's be honest… wine and chocolate are two of my favorite things).