I bring Swedish gourmet coffee and fine Anthon Berg chocolate.
Thanks a lot! I cannot wait to make this!
Sure you do…you start with some candles, a couple of glasses of wine… 
I’m bringing a bottle of Sam Adams Utopias. I’m very excited to try it myself.
Porn.
Or garlic-n’-cheddar mashed potatoes.
Maybe both. Let people’s minds wander…
Yes, they are so scrumptious! I had every intention of homemaking it, but I just went to the grocery store, and while I was there, I inquired of the bakery as to whether you can special-order them. The answer was yes, and so now I’m scheduled to pick one up on Thursday. Too easy!
I wish we could.
Two and half years later, three rounds of clomid, two IUIs and three IVF’s and no luck.
On a brighter note I bought a huge batch of Trader Joe’s chocolates to bring to the inlaws.
Oh, I’m sorry, LavenderBlue…I didn’t know you were having problems.
Here’s hoping the New Year brings the stars in alignment for you!
My fault. I shouldn’t mentioned it here. Sorry. Thanks for the good wishes.
I want daere’s pumpkin cheesecake recipes. Please come back and tell us which one you liked best.
No worries, LB. All is well. 
I believe Emeril makes a pumpkin cheesecake…you may want to visit FoodTV.com and search for it.
almond toffee (homemade, and a new recipe, so wish me luck)
pecan pie
dill dip
a ham
Sorry for the late reply… Whilst in the middle of making cheesecakes, my refrigerator broke. So much Fun!
The winning pumpkin cheesecake was from Cook’s Illustrated (no surprise). It is lighter in texture and flavor than pumpkin pie - with the nice creaminess and tang of cheesecake. The original recipe does not call for the sour cream topping customary for cheesecakes - however, since mine cracked, I added the sour cream topping from another recipe. My family said they preferred the cake with the topping, but YMMV. The recipe is below:
Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake – (from Nov 2003 Cook’s Illustrated - Makes one 9-inch cake)
Crust
5 ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into pieces (I used about 6 graham crackers and an equal amount of purchased (dry) gingersnap cookies - and also the spices below)
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, cut into chunks & softened at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
-
FOR CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray. Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until finely ground. Transfer to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan, spread into even layer, and press into pan bottom and edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.
-
FOR FILLING: Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot. Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside. Dry pumpkin by lining a baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels, and then spreading pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press with hands until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels and fold; peeling back towels. Flip pumpkin onto baking sheet or into a bowl; discard towels. (I didn’t think the pumpkin looked wet when I was spooning it out of the can - but I was able to blot a lot of water out of it with the paper towels.)
-
In standing mixer with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Add one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until combined; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.
-
Wrap bottom and sides of springform pan with cooled crust in double layer of tin foil and set into a roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours (due to possible variations in cooking time, start checking the cake around 1 to 1 1/4 hours into baking). Set roasting pan on wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and cool on wire rack until barely warm, about 3 hours. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.
I didn’t have a roasting pan, so I didn’t bake mine with a water bath. It turned out fine, but it cracked… So, for sour cream topping, mix 1 1/2 cups sour cream & 2 Tablespoons of sugar. Spoon mixture equally onto cheesecake and spread level. Return cheesecake to 325 degree oven and bake to firm sour cream topping slightly, about 10 minutes.
I took wine. I was just invited the day before and had no time to prepare anything.
The soup was a big hit – I got there about an hour and a half before we were going to eat, so we all immediately had a nice bowl of soup to hold us over until then – yummy!
I brought a bottle of vodka, but that was for later consumption by the hosts, and not part of the meal proper.
I brought sweet potato and sour cream terrine as well as red beans & rice and a bottle of wine.
We left with such generous goody baskets that it was more than we came with! I must say I am particularly thankful for my friend Ken’s quart of mushroom soup.