Friends and family, yours truly is one short cake, pie, or stock trading scandal away from becoming Martha Stewart. A few Saturdays ago I spent most of the day baking, and I spent a good chunk of my last Saturday morning throwing together a lobster costume.

1. Scour through your closet and drawers to find a mildly dumpy red sweater
2. Thrift a child’s bright red hat from your nearest Target, and proceed to wear it for a day and a half to stretch it out on your large head
3. Snatch some ping pong balls from a friend’s house, one who is the best beer, um, soda pong partner and color ‘em in with a permanent black marker
4. Hot glue red pipe cleaners and beady little eyeballs to your stretched out hat
5. Find a couple claw shaped oven mitts on the internet ($5 for a pair mind you!), buy them, and e-mail your sisters to question your sanity – not because you just purchased lobster claw oven mitts but because they’ll make a great addition to your kitchen collection
6. Grab your best girl friend, and hit the town knowing you don’t have to fend off any males on Halloween because your costume probably does it for you

Either that or you're hanging around your best friend's boyfriend in a train costume.

I have so many wonderful recipes and stories that need telling, and when my life pauses just for a second and I can finally breathe again, I promise I will share them with you. Think caramel, hearty stews, and pie. Not in the order, or certainly not together, but I have a lineup of recipes begging for their spot in the limelight. Until then, wishing you all a wonderful start to November, although crazy mine is shaping out not half bad.