Pumpkin pie. Ginger almond cake. Deep dish apple pie. Triple chocolate pumpkin pie. Pear almond cake. Apple raisin bread pudding. Cheesecake-filled pumpkin cupcakes.Seriously, what desserts I will prepare for the holiday is all I can think about. I've collected recipes for weeks on end and spend my free time weighing the merits of each, all in the hopes of editing the list to five (pumpkin and apple pies as well as three others).

It seemed like our 15 millionth fight that week. We were upset, voices were raised and eyes were rolled. The exchange was so terse that Denali left the room and took a nap on the living room rug.It was a mess. We were a mess. We didn't want to be these people. We didn't think we were these people. We were supposed to be nice people. Nice to each other.

I'm not really a spontaneous person. If you read this blog while I was engaged, I'm sure you figured out that I like to plan things. Everything, actually. I like to know what's going to happen, when, why and how.So imagine my surprise on Saturday when I'm sitting on a bench in Michigan City debating whether to get a hotel room and spend the evening playing the nickel slots.

One month. In just one month, Mark and I will celebrate our first anniversary. It's a bit hard to believe - partly because it didn't seem that long ago that I was stressing about bridesmaids dresses and partly because the first year of marriage is as hard as people make it out to be. When you celebrate, it's not just about the year together - it's about actually making it a year together.

It's the fault of the host of 5 Ingredient Fix on the Food Network. She just had to make creamed corn. Real creamed corn with kernels off the cob and the juicy milk removed from the cob. It reminded me of the homemade creamed corn that my great aunt made when visiting from Florida. The creamed corn that got me in trouble because my finger was constantly in the pot, stealing taste after taste.

We'd all like to think we know what we're getting into when we get married. We'd like to think that we really know the person. I'm sure Mark would have like to met my snarky side a few more times before we got married. You know, so it wasn't such a shocker. But what don't I know about Mark? For example, I don't know what song Mark associates with my image - No. 5 on the list of

I'm independent, stubborn, sarcastic. I have a habit of being a bit snarky, and I can get upset when people don't see things from my perspective. It's who I am.It's who I've always been.So it really threw me for a loop the past couple weeks when Mark started saying, You've changed. You're not the same girl I married. You never used to get mad about things like this.

It was cute. And fuzzy. And I absolutely had to have it.So I looked at Mark. I looked at him with those eyes, and I pushed out my lower lip a little.Can we please get it? I pleaded. Puhlease.

Hi, my name is Kim and I suffer from acid reflux. I have the kind of acid reflux that you forget about. You eat fatty foods. You eat fried foods. You even eat spicy foods, and live a glorious culinary life. Until that day.

My skin was red and irritated. It almost seemed scaly like winter hands but it's too early for that. There were strange little bumps that seemed out of place on my hand.

My mouth was in heaven. Cilantro, lime and basmati rice all cooked together to create what was supposed to be Chipotle-style rice for my make-your-own burrito bar.It was so much more.

That charge from Starbucks? Coffee beans - a food and household item - and an approved cost to be deducted from the checking account. Nope, I sure didn't have a latte. I definitely didn't catch the dog in our bed. Never. I know how angry that makes you. Of course, your friend can come over. I love him.

It's very easy to pick on a husband. He forgot to do the dishes -- his assigned chore. He didn't put the toilet seat down at 3 a.m., and you have a wet bottom at 4 a.m. He spends Saturday afternoon doing research on whether the Mini Cooper or Honda Civic SI will get him somewhere faster.

I fell in love with Rachael Ray in 2002. I was a college senior in a less-than -desirable apartment with an even more less-than-desirable roommate. But I did have cable. And every night, I would find peace for a half-hour in my room as I watched the bubbly cook who made food that seemed tasty, easy, affordable. Quick, too - perfect for a student balancing a job, a position at the college paper and an internship.

Whine, whine, whine. That's all I could think as I read through the list of 15 Things Men Lose to Relationships. The author alleges men give up all these things, things they like, to be with women - video games, money, pizza ... fun. Yeah. Right. Being with a woman is no fun at all. You get nothing,

A six-bottle wine chiller. Priced at $149.95 at Crate Barrel, it was the most expensive item on our wedding registry. Its place only created to satisfy my in-law's request for more expensive items.