I admit it, one of the first things I said to my good friend Meghan when she told me she was going to have a baby (after CONGRATULATIONS, of course) was something along the lines of, “Oh my God! You can’t have a glass of wine with dinner for 9 months!” Obviously my biological clock has not begun any kind of count down yet if what I’m worried about is wine, and not 2 AM feedings, onesies, or college funds so for now I’m quite content to be honorary auntie Erin. But for those of you who are expecting and find yourself feeling a little twinge of longing for a dirty martini from time-to-time than you definitely should add Margarita Mama: Mocktails for Moms-To-Be to your baby shower registry.

Alyssa Gusenoff has compiled a funky cookbook full of non-alcoholic versions of your favorite party time cocktails including sangria, mojitos, and watermelon margaritas. There are even new mocktails with oh-so-cute names like the “Momsicle” (a mixture of pineapple, pear, blueberry, and lime juices served chilled over a glass of sparkling water), “The Perfect Pear of Jeans” (a frothy concoction of blended pear, lemon-lime soda, and lime juice), and the “Nursery Nightcap” (a warm cup of decaffeinated herbal tea with a shot of vanilla syrup).

In addition to all of the great drinks, Margarita Mama is also sprinkled with helpful hints and pregnancy factoids. For instance did you know that basil may help with morning sickness? Me either?! So whip up a Caprese Salad for your girlfriend, rent Baby Boom, and don’t forget to make a mental note to add this title to your “to be gifted” lists. The upcoming mommies in your life will definitely thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Controversy abounds on who exactly invented the Whoopie Pie, but having grown up in Maine I’m going to take a local stance and declare that they were invented in my home state. Of course if you’re from Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or any other New England region you’re also welcome to proudly make this claim because Mr. Wizard probably couldn’t unravel this culinary mystery.

What I do know is that I grew up on chocolate Whoopie Pies with fluffy white filling and to this day my mother will honestly call me in order to specifically discuss a delicious dessert that she happened to pick up at a grocery store, bake sale, or farm stand. The absolute best Whoopie Pie that I ever tasted came from the Maine company, Wicked Whoopies. Wicked Whoopies was actually featured on Oprah’s “Great Gift” show back in November of 2003. My heart still resides with their blueberry Whoopie Pie, and I’ve yet to taste its equal. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear as though they make that flavor anymore, but trust me — it was to die for.

My second favorite flavor is pumpkin anything so when I came across the recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies in Rachael Ray’s October issue I promptly added the ingredients I needed to my grocery list. Of course my mother called me to make sure I’d seen it too. She was just as excited as me to try it! Fortunately, this recipe is ridiculously easy. I suggest you make a batch for everyone that you know, or at least your office mates. These pumpkin treats will win anyone over and than they’ll owe you favors forever.

Making Whoopie	Scoop & Bake
Collectively Cool	Mmm…Cream Cheese Frosting
Edible Bribes

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Originally Published in the October 2007 Issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray)

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1 2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.

Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.

My grandmother gave me a copy of Marjorie Standish’s Cooking Down East cookbook for Christmas. It’s full of simple New England style recipes including one of my absolute favorites, Shredded Wheat Bread. Whenever I’m home and my mother makes this I eat it like it’s going out of style and without fail she gets annoyed with me because I always toast freshly baked bread. Everyone has their “bad habits,” right?

I woke up early on Saturday morning determined that Shredded Wheat Bread was going to be the first item I mixed with my new Pink KitchenAid and after a quick conference with “Mummy Dearest” on the phone I began measuring ingredients. I’d only baked bread once before this attempt and it didn’t come out at all so I was very anxious to have this particular cooking experiment be a success. The KitchenAid mixer is officially amazing. I seriously stood in awe with my mouth wide open as 5 plus cups of flour were mixed into a gorgeous mass of dough. My arm would have literally fallen off before I ever stirred all of that in.

Making bread is time consuming. It rose for two hours, then had to be punched down, and given time to rise again. After that I shaped the dough into loaves and sat them on the counter until they doubled in size. I finally had my first slice of freshly baked bread around 2:00 pm in the afternoon, but it was so worth it and almost as good as my mom’s.

Secret Ingredients	Yeasty Beasties Activate
Whirl, Whirl, Whirl, Whirl	Allow to Rise (You Can Take a Nap)
Eureka!	Whack it Down and Divide in Half
Shape Into Loaves	Wait Until They Double in Size

Butter

Slice & Toast (If You Dare)

On Christmas Eve Eve my mother and I made a number of desserts including a Chocolate Yule Log.  I’ve wanted to make a Yule Log ever since I was a little girl and I saw one on a holiday episode of the NBC show Sisters.  For those of you who were fans that was the episode where everyone gets food poisoning from drinking Georgie’s homemade eggnog, Frankie punches out Mitch, and Teddy wanders around in the snowy backyard talking to Charles Dickens’s ghost.  To each their own I suppose.  Anyway, 10 years later my mom and I finally got around to whipping one up.  It was an utterly harrowing experience culminating in my mother being covered from head to toe in cocoa powder and me forgetting to add in all of the cake flour.  It seems that too many cooks in the kitchen and too much “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” yields a less than ideal baking environment, but by some miracle the cake came out and was actually quite good. Obviously flour and measuring are seriously overrated.