Ok, I'm going to start working on recipes that you can use for Thanksgiving. One of my favorites, tried and true, is this Pumpkin Roll recipe. It's simple and is great to make ahead, even a week ahead.

Just yesterday, I made it using fresh pumpkin puree vs. canned pumpkin puree and was wowed by the difference. I thought the flavor would be different (the fresh is milder) but didn't think the difference in texture would be so dramatic. The canned pumpkin puree yields a more cake-like texture, while the fresh pumpkin gives you a much denser, more bread pudding like texture. Lon, who's not the biggest pumpkin fan, really liked this version (fresh pumpkin).

We brought it over to my brother's apartment for our friend, Janny's birthday party, where my brother also prepared strawberries. Lon decided to hollow it out and put some of the cream cheese frosting (from the pumpkin roll) in. Needless to say, the inside out cheesecake, was divine.