Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner and what kind of Thanksgiving would it be without a pumpkin pie? A table without this beloved pie is the most blasphemous idea I can think of on such an important day. It comes but once a year and so we need to make sure we do it 100% right. In my family, we started making a pumpkin pie and an apple or peach pie but then we quickly realized that everyone wanted to eat the pumpkin pie, so now we just make two pumpkin pies and call it a day. This year though I’ve had the great idea of making a double crust pumpkin pie with a layer of chocolate because we all know that two crusts are always better than one. You can quote me on that. It’s a great pie that can be made ahead of time, which is great because you’re always going to be very busy on the big day and the last thing you want to be worrying about is making a pie on the day of. The solution: make it ahead of time, chill until ready to eat and then sit back, relax and enjoy the day, as you should.
…
I’ve recently gotten into a love affair with making fudge. Mainly because you don’t have to turn on the oven and it’s incredibly easy to make. I also love it because it’s so versatile; you can flavor it a thousand different ways, without any effort at all. All of these reasons makes this the best holiday treat to make and give out as gifts to all of your family and friends. Keep this in mind when you’re in need of some last minute holiday gifts. I can promise you that if you package this up and you gift it to someone, it’ll be the best gift they’ll receive. Let’s talk more about this particular fudge, yes? It’s a fun flavor that is guaranteed to remind you of your childhood. I can bake a fancy dessert all day long, but I will never stop craving funfetti cake from a box. I don’t know what it is, it’s just amazing. I crave it every year for my birthday. This Funfetti Fudge is basically that boxed cake mix in fudge form (without the boxed mix). This month for my collaboration with 
I know we just got through Labor Day and that technically marks the final days of summer, but if you’re in Southern California it feels like summer is just getting started with this heatwave of never-ending proportions. Can it just cool down already, please? At the same time though, I’m already seeing Halloween decorations and pumpkin recipes everywhere I turn and I’m like, “Labor Day was literally three days ago, can we get a little breather before we start thinking spooky time?” I’m a fickle individual, what can I say? If you’re in other parts of the country and you’re experiencing the opposite effects of what I just described, and you just want to hang on to those last fleeting moments of the sunny season, then this dessert is for you. It’s like if the classic strawberry shortcake went on a much needed tropical vacation to the Bahamas and decided to get a makeover; one that Rupert Holmes himself would approve of. If you get that really bad, really cheesy reference, then we can still be friends. It’s classic piña colada cocktail meets quintessential strawberry shortcake (minus the strawberry) with pineapple and coconut and rum instead and I don’t think any of us will mind too much. Grown ups deserve to have fun with dessert as well and I think that if we can just hang on to summer a little bit longer before we dive straight into pumpkin spice mania, then we’re doing our small part for society.
…
Chocolate, peanut butter and banana are a three way match made in heaven. It’s like they were destined to be together forever in perfect harmony, and it’s definitely a flavor combination I can live with forever and ever without any complaints. My question to you is simple; how do you take a classic banana cream pie — a beloved pie that will always be held with much esteem by many people — and make it even better? If your answer to my question is to reinvent said banana pie with the addition of chocolate and peanut butter, then you’re 100 percent correct. You win at this thing called life. Chocolate crust with a layer of dark chocolate ganache filled with vanilla pudding and fresh banana slices, then topped with a fluffy peanut butter whipped cream and sprinkled with chopped honey roasted peanuts and chocolate shavings…no, you’re not imagining this, it’s actually a reality. You don’t have to pinch yourself because you’re already awake. It’s a dream come true and a must on your summer to-make list. It’s rich pie that will knock you out. Make it this week and share with your family and friends. They’ll be forever in your debt and that’s an advantage you can keep up your sleeve until the most opportune moment. 
…
Today is my middle sister’s birthday, and if there is one thing my sister loves (more than me obviously) it would have to be bananas. Well, fruit in general, but bananas are up there in the top two category. Second to cantaloupe, but I still haven’t figured out a cantaloupe cake and something tells me…maybe I don’t want to? So until then, banana cake it is. I don’t think anyone will complain too much about it, let’s be real. It’s all going to work out though, as one of my sister’s favorite desserts happens to be banana pudding because it has all the things she loves, bananas, whipped cream, and vanilla pudding. She could give or take the wafers, if I’m being honest, but it wouldn’t be a banana pudding without them so I’m keeping them in. Sorry, Nick. This Banana Pudding Cake is classic southern dessert meets birthday layered cake. It’s over the top, it’s completely out of this world, but it’s most definitely necessary. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Whether it just so happens to be your birthday today as well, or you’re wanting to celebrate summer, or want to party along with us in order to celebrate my sister’s birthday, this cake needs to make an appearance in your kitchen as soon as humanly possible. Don’t let summer pass you by without having made this cake, you promise? If this doesn’t convince you, then maybe last year’s 
