Have you ever had one of those nights when you play something that reminds you of someone, of a special time, of a trip? Where you can hear a song, smell a smell, taste a treat and automatically think of someone you love, or someplace you wish you were? Regrettably, tonight is one of those nights for me. This time of the year is always hard, I feel like. It’s the end of the summer, end of a lease, and we’re all packing up possessions and memories and leaving to trek new territories and new experiences. And this time this year seems to be especially difficult for me, having just lost a very special person in my life. A year can feel like a lifetime when you’ve dedicated yourself to another person. My family and, most notably, my addiction to sweet treats are my lifesavers in times like these. Without a doubt the Rentschers wrote the first Awkward Family Photos. Those are pickaxes.

For years I have remained hidden under a pastry loving pseudonym in blog form, crafting recipes and snapping photos of my creations for strangers all while subjecting them to my witty banter that I consider hilariously funny. Finally, I have decided to create a new blog. An old friend and I once created a cooking show in which we sang an introduction song themed "What's Cookin', Good Lookin'?!". From this alone I hope you now all realize the type of child I was.

I hope to use this new space as a way to keep family and friends, near and far, updated in my daily happenings and hopefully do what I love in sharing some of my favorite recipes along the way. I draw most of my inspiration from a few of my most favorite food blogs: SmittenKitchen and Orangette, in addition to some of my favorite chefs. I hope that you all will check out their sites aside from my posts because they are my go-to for everything happening in my kitchen. In just under a week I’ll be moving from this:

to this:

And while it may not be glamorous from the outside, the new apartment is pet friendly so Whitey can tag along for some new adventures too. With still so much packing ahead of me, soon my room will be empty. But until then, there is zucchini bread to be made. Molly and I picked up some fat zucchinis this Saturday at the farmer's market, something that I love about summer. Although it didn’t turn out to be my favorite recipe it was still that sweet, cinnamon-y bread that I love. Next time I might tweak something, somewhere in the recipe to make it a bit more moist. But for as simple as it was to make it was definitely a delicious treat for the rainy Saturday we had. Enjoy. http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/26/summer-of-the-bats/

Courtesy of SmittenKitchen