baked! pumpkin-cream cheese danish.

i love when my real-life friends start blogs. my friend jennifer just started one that i read all the time, and my friend stephanie has been blogging since january -- the product of a new year's resolution that's gotten better and better with age. jennifer's blog, remember the pancakes, is a chronicle of her life as a wife and mom; steph's blog, over vanilla skies, is a virtual inspiration board of pretty photographs, thought-provoking quotes and mouthwatering recipes.

steph is a true foodie, one who actually cooks often and doesn't, like me, subscribe to what i like to call the "special k dinner." in my home, the special k dinner (cereal and whatever beverage i have on hand) happens at least twice a week; meanwhile, in steph's, she and her husband whip up things like coq au vin  and french onion soup -- from scratch! -- all the time. honestly, if steph wasn't such a wonderful friend and human being in general, i'd feel a little intimidated. instead, reading her food posts makes me feel inspired.

that's how i felt when i saw her recipe for pumpkin-cream cheese scones. when i feel any sort of emotion, i like to bake -- and i had company this weekend, company who happens to love pumpkin as much as i do, so i thought, why not?

let me tell you, this recipe is a keeper. steph's posted it in detail, complete with photos, over on her blog, so i'll direct you there. but if you like pumpkin -- and, you know, flaky, buttery pastry -- i really encourage you to make them. they're delicious. perfect with a cup of chai tea on a fall morning.

photo, my own; see a step-by-step photo tutorial on over vanilla skies.