Hello, my name is Stephanie and I'm a chocoholic. I've been a chocoholic for about 26 years now (ever since I started eating solid food), and there's no hope for me. And feeding my addiction (no pun intended) is this fantastic cookbook, Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger (yes, THAT Scharffenberger of the gourmet chocolate brand). Not only was it named one of the best cookbooks by Food & Wine Magazine, but it's filled cover-to-cover with the most delicious and decadent chocolate recipes ever created by man (and a higher power too, I suspect). Well, guess I'd better double my weekly CA meetings now.

I learn new things every day while writing my blog posts. For example, today I learned that the pomelo is a relative of the grapefruit that grows in Asia and Malaysia. That's great, you say. But what does this have to do with, well, anything? Well, I say, this has to do with the scent of this luscious smelling 'Ribbons of Love Candle' from Archipelago Botanicals. Not only is it scented by the heretofore mentioned pomelo, but grapefruit and clementine as well. Better yet, Archipelago Botanicals will donate a percentage of their profits to help in the fight against breast cancer. And caring about others and being more socially conscious is something we ALL can use a little more schooling in.

I love this time of the year. The crisp fall feeling in the air, the approach of Halloween (one of my favorite holidays), and better yet--pumpkin flavored foods galore! Pumpkin lattés, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin bread. If it's made out of this delicious orange gourd I'm devouring it. That's why I can't wait to buy this Pumpkin Cupcake Pan. What could get you in more of a mood for autumn than making pumpkin flavored muffins that actually LOOK like pumpkins too?

I enjoy taking 'shrooms at the dinner table. Taking them and shaking salt and pepper all over my food, I mean. Get your mind out of the gutter! Seriously though, how cute would these delightful little fungi look on your dinner table? Not only are these Mushroom Salt and Pepper Shakers practical (being a salt-aholic, I will personally be bogarting the salt shaker) but they also add a whimsical touch to your table setting, like you're dining in a magical fairy land of some sort. Which is kind of like taking 'shrooms in and of itself, now that you mention it....