A recent trip to Costco yielded one of those huge, ten pound bags of carrots. There are two adults in our house...which means that's a lot of carrots. My husband, being very practical and logical, graciously questioned why we needed ten pounds of carrots. I assured him we did - and that none of them would go to waste.

A few weeks ago during one of my all too often food daydreams, a lightbulb suddenly went on in my head. "Why not put that coffee candied bacon I made a while ago on a s'more?!?!" OK, I know the concept of bacon in desserts may be overdone, and I'm sure plenty of people have already thought to use it on a s'more, but it was a revelation to me. Excitement (and drooling) ensued, and I was off to buy bacon.

Whether or not I'm ready, it's now officially fall! It’s the season when nearly everywhere you turn, recipes are popping up for pies, muffins, breads and cookies with that sweet, spiced pumpkin flavor. Despite feeling like summer flew by a little too quickly, it’s my favorite season - and I can't help but join in the autumn obsession.

I get frustrated when things don't work out on my first attempt. When I'm experimenting or learning something new, I expect to skip the whole "learning" phase and jump right to the "I'm an expert" phase. Obviously, it doesn't work out that way and I'm usually left swallowing my fair share of humble pie.

It has been a busy few weeks. Apparently in the midst of the busyness, September showed up. Is it just me, or does it seem like this month came out of nowhere? Last I knew, I was brainstorming a thousand different summer recipes, and the hubs and I were researching the grill we were finally going to buy.

My husband and I have been asked a few times since we had our kids, "What did you guys find you really needed those first few months?" or "I want to bring so-and-so something they really need. What should I get?". I'm definitely no expert in the realm of motherhood. However, I do have the benefit of not having to look too far back in my memory to answer those questions (I use the word "memory" loosely, of course).

Figs. For some reason, I have been obsessed with them in the last few weeks. I snagged a package at Trader Joe's not long ago, and now all I can think of are fig recipes. I've enjoyed them roasted with a spoonful of mascarpone, with yogurt in the morning and on top of cornbread. You may even see a fig-based cocktail coming to the blog soon. Yup, obsessed.

I've been in a "fruit plus herb" rut lately. I love that combination (grapefruit and thyme, cherry and sage, etc), and you'll likely be seeing much more of it on the blog, but it was starting to feel like those were the only flavor pairings I could think of. When I was given the chance to come up with a cocktail recipe using Hangar 1 Straight Vodka, I promised myself I'd do something other than my go-to fruit and herb combo.

Woohoo! It's Friday! That means it's a great day to eat cake for breakfast. Don't worry, though - it's coffee cake, which falls in the "desserts that have somehow become completely acceptable for breakfast" category.

Like any good coffee cake, this one boasts a thick layer of crumb topping. Messy? Yes...but so worth it. There's cocoa added to the topping for extra chocolatey goodness. If that's not enough for you, there's also a layer of Nutella running through the middle of the cake.