Back in mid October, I bought a huge box of these gorgeous Empire apples:

The folks at Allred Orchards assured me they would be best if I ate them quickly, or at least refrigerated them. Of course I didn’t, since that would have meant cleaning out my fridge, which I don’t ever do if I can possibly help it. Anyway, they ended up looking sad and wrinkly.

Well, maybe not sad. They’re still a pretty color. But they are definitely wrinkly.

So I turned them into applesauce.

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The people at KIND bars asked me to give a shoutout for their holiday campaign, Snack & Give Back. I love KIND bars, so how could I say no? . . . especially when they offered to send me samples . . . which are gone now, as you can see.

Bobbi Brown and Arianna Huffington are both in on the campaign, too, which is a bonus, as I look up to these women, who are also moms, in their careers.

KIND and these fabulous ladies have put together two custom-designed and personally-curated cubes filled with their favorite KIND bars. A portion of sales will support their favorite charities.

Arianna Huffington’s GPS for the Soul Cube encourages moms to disconnect from the stress of a hyper-connected life and regain balance by taking a snack break. A portion of sales from each cube will support the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit organization committed to defending press freedom worldwide.

Flavors include: Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew + Antioxidants, Almonds & Apricot in Yogurt, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt and Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio + Antioxidants.

Bobbi Brown’s Eat Pretty Powerful Cube promotes beauty from the inside-out by encouraging moms to snack on foods rich with natural nutrients and antioxidants. A portion of sales from each cube will help to fund a new KIND Kitchen at the Broome Street Academy, a free public charter high school in New York City.

Flavors include: Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Cashew & Ginger Spice, Dark Chocolate Cinnamon Pecan and Madagascar Vanilla Almond

This here is a photo of the very last bite of the Madagascar Vanilla Almond bar, which is featured in Bobbi’s KIND bar cube.

I promised a post on these pumpkin waffles today, so here they are!

What’s everybody making for Thanksgiving? I’ve got my day cut out for me: three loads of laundry, two batches of cranberry sauce, two pumpkin pies, and this amazing looking Apple Sour-Cream Crumb Pie that I saw in November’s issue of Martha Stewart Living. Then tomorrow I need to throw down six dozen Parker House rolls.

So, enough with all the chit chat. Here is the recipe, and then I’ve got to get to work!

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Okay, so I’m not quite sure why this is called a tortilla soup, when clearly there are no tortillas anywhere to be seen, but I’m just gonna go with it. It’s what my Blentec cookbook is calling it.

Have I mentioned how much I love my Blendtec? Well, it’s worth repeating if I already have. I love my Blendtec.

I love it.

And this soup is my #1 reason why I do.

It’s simple. It’s raw. It’s vegan. And it tastes like heaven.

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My friend Jon can make me laugh for an hour straight if he does his impression of a southie for me. Not many people can accurately imitate a Boston accent, and since I grew up thirty-five miles south of the city, I have a good ear for it and can tell when someone is off. Jon is nearly pitch perfect. And it’s hilarious.

But I think I love hearing his southern accents even more. He grew up there and can demonstrate several different drawls from around where he lived. The best is when he breaks into telling me about his first job scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins. Butter Pecan was pretty much the only flavor anyone ever ordered—the other thirty flavors were just there for show.

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