During this time of year who doesn't enjoy all things pumpkin. Pumpkin spice bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin soup. Years ago I had this terrific pumpkin soup that was served in an over sized cappuccino cup complete with a delicious creamy foam and I think I've tried every recipe known to man trying to replicate it. This one has come very close. It's savory, warm, and just plain good. A perfect recipe for large crowds but even better for one. As always I have a couple of tips, if you can't find fresh curry leaves ground curry will work, you can use ground ginger in place of fresh as well and I have tried this with sweetened coconut milk but the unsweetened is definitely better.

This time of year is filled with plenty of reasons to serve dessert. Instead of dragging home something from the warehouse store, it's nice to put a little effort into home entertaining. And in this case, the effort is definitely minimal. This is a nice dessert that comes together quickly, from ingredients I generally have on hand. I already had homemade cranberry sauce in the refrigerator, but I'm sure canned sauce would do in a pinch. I'm not a big fan of cream sherry, so I substituted Grand Marnier and was very pleased with the result. Next time, if I'm thinking ahead, I may top each serving with a few strands of candied orange zest.

If there is someone in your family who won't even taste brussels sprouts, count your blessings--it just leaves more of these for you to eat. I usually roast brussels sprouts in a hot oven--with olive oil, salt, and pepper--but this has me re-thinking my old ways. Sweet but not cloying, with a definite nutty undercurrent, these are festive sprouts at their finest. The recipe serves 8 to 10, which also makes it perfect for holiday entertaining.

I used my food processor to grate the zucchini. It did not drain too much during the 30 minutes. It is taking much longer than the 1 hour and 10 minuted to bake the 2 loaves. I have tasted the end of one loaf and it is delicious. Worth the wait. Next time I will squeeze more water out of the zucchini.

A couple summers ago my grandfather was over run with Zucchini, I must have tried every Zucchini recipe known to man just to use them all but one of my favorites was always Zucchini bread, I especially enjoyed those recipes that were more savory instead of sweet. A few weeks ago I found myself with a few Zucchini and decided to look for something new in the way of Zucchini bread. This recipe has a quite a few more ingredients than I’m used to but it is so worth it. I also put my own little twist on it by baking it in a muffin tin for individual portions instead of a loaf pan. This bread is great in the morning with that first cup of the day and even better at dinner time accompanying a simple pasta dish in place of garlic bread.