Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Well, just like everyone else on the interwebs, I'm about to get obsessed with pumpkin.

BUT - I'll have you know that I have yet to have any pumpkin influenced coffee.

So there.

In case you haven't noticed (or you live in one of those places

without seasons like Florida or Southern California), IT'S FALL!

Who am I kidding, pumpkin spice everything is already here.

Slow Cooker Rueben Dip

Last weekend was the best.  After so many weekends of work and crazy,

I was finally, finally, FINALLY able to take a couple of days off and spend some much
needed quality time with my husband and my friends.
 

Good friends, good food, good times.

One friend visited from California.  Another WON A DANCE COMPETITION. 

That happened.  She's awesome.

Not only did she put on her dancing shoes and pull off a win,
she organized an Afterglow at our favorite local bar.

 With so much to celebrate, and the location making cocktails practically a guarantee,

she also convinced the owner to let us put together a little potluck.

 

And thus, we arrive dear friends, at the point of this rambling entry,

my contribution to the celebration was a reimagining of a classic deli sandwich.

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

I have worked 180 hours in the last two weeks. 

We took on a huge project at my real life job, and as a result, have almost been living at the office. 

This left no time for cooking, baking, writing about cooking and baking, or running.

This also means that I've been eating take out or nothing at all for almost every meal. 

 

I miss my kitchen.

 

Labor Day, fittingly, is my first day off in a couple weeks. 

We celebrated yesterday with the family at my mother-in-law's

and I decided to finally write the recipe for the potato salad I took. 

 

I'm not a huge fan of classic potato salads, so I came up with this alternative a few years ago. 

I took inspiration from the classic loaded baked potato you can get at any steakhouse. 

How do you make a baked potato better?  Add bacon.

How do you make garlic yummier?  Roast it.