These days I find myself doing a new kind of baking that I am entirely unprepared for.  That's right, there's now a bun in the oven.  Our baby girl is due the end of January, and we could not be happier.  That said,  we left our beloved San Francisco and moved back to my kind of town: Chicago.  Since no one is willing to hire a woman who is 7 months pregnant, I am officially on maternity leave.  Initially, I thought I would have so much time on my hands that I would be climbing the walls of our deluxe apartment in the sky while also pulling my hair out.  I've never been more wrong in my life.  My days and nights are filled with an ever expanding to do list.  Fortunately, I'm having fun while checking things off.  Many friends and family members have asked me to bake for them, and I readily agree. 

<a href="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pumpkin-cheesecake.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-323" title="pumpkin cheesecake" src="http://www.karolineskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/pumpkin-cheesecake.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="461" /></a>

Recently, Noah and Torine celebrated their Jackson Hole nuptials with all of the friends in Chicago who couldn't make it to the event.  They asked me to bring dessert.  So, I whipped up a new favorite: Julius' Pumpkin Cheesecake.  It's the perfect dessert for so many reasons.  Quick and easy, it feeds a crowd, looks stunning, has a festive holiday flair going on, and tastes like a dream.  Perhaps I will find some time to post the recipe...but lately, I'm just not holding my breath about that sort of thing.