adventures in baking- pumpkin cheesecake

A few things led to today's adventure...
1. Mr. J has been having a horrible week (year) at work lately.
2. I try to do little things that make him happy. (Like replacing the toilet paper when I use it all, so he doesn't have to do the walk of shame- too often.)
3. He loves pumpkin pie.
4. I do not.
5. Well, I like the taste. I just don't like the texture.  But you know what I do love? CHEESECAKE.
Sweet, smooth, velvety, melt in your mouth New York cheesecake.
6. mmm cheesecake.
Sorry! I'm distracted. Drooling on the keyboard, dreaming about cheesecake.
7. Then it hit me! Why not combine cheesecake & pumpkin and have a PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE?

The following recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Wine Rack

Awhile back I found this beautiful wine/bar/rack at yard sale for $25. Sadly, I don't have room for a wine rack of it's size.  OK, so I probably would have found room and loved it to pieces had it been able to fit in my tiny car.  However, it was steel and glass and definitely not, under any circumstances fitting into my car. Bummer. So, I started looking a thrift shops and other yard sales for a smaller, counter top version.  I found one that held 3 bottles at GoodWill, so I scooped that up for $1.99 and my baby sister found one for $1.99 at a consignment shop, that held two bottles.  However, neither of these held enough wine for their size.  Then, I went to St. Vincent's thrift store, and found one of the ugliest wine racks for $2.99. I, of course, brought it.   

Check out this beauty.

Even Sion was cautious of this.

But! it was just what I was looking for! It holds *9* bottles of wine.

It's compact in size.  

and, unfortunately blessed with this.  What do you even call this?

Miss Lyssa, who was with me at the time, didn't quite approve of my purchase. But it was my $3 to spend, so she let me bring it home.