Hi, everyone. I'm sorry. I needed some time away to decompress. Perhaps you've read the paper about what's been going on at my day job. Let's just say I've been a little stressed and leave it there, shall we?

But that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about you - all six of you - or that I wasn't feeling ridiculously guilty for punking out. Especially since I have the bestest friends in the whole wide world, who love me and actually conspired to get me a Kitchenaid mixer for my 30th birthday. (Incidentally, this is the mixer that would have prevented the Great Oreo Mixer Smoke-Out of 2007. Thank goodness for kitchen accidents.)

But now, Burghilicious is back, and with a couple new ideas for this humble little website. There's going to be a lot coming your way, like Scheidt's Cincinnati-style chili (perfect for when the Stillers cream the Bungles again), the Flaccavento Italian Feast, magical mint ice cream and more.

In the meantime, there's a ton of foodie fun in the 'Burgh this November, so plan ahead. Mom always warned you not to skip meals.

Pittsburgh Restaurant Week
While they weren't busy lighting up buildings or throwing big birthday parties, my friends* at Pittsburgh Celebrates  convinced 60 area restaurants to create $35 three-course prix-fixe menus to attract new diners. The offer is on November 3-9. During the last restaurant week, I sampled the Elysian Fields lamp at Eleven, tried out Kevin Sousa's envelope-stretching walleye at Red Room and stuffed myself silly at Nine on Nine. This time around, I'm hoping to sample at least two new places. Click here for the full list of participating restaurants.

Urban Apple Festival
This now-annual apple celebration returns November 7-8. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun I had last year. I baked pies, tested pies, ate pies and took home apples, cider and great recipes. I also experienced the rapture of blue cheese and apples together, and I will never be the same. The Pro-Am pie competition is on again, so start testing your recipes now. Festivities are just $5 for grown-ups and $3 for kids - with dancing, music, games and of course, oodles and oodles of apples.

Friendsgiving
Sounds a little like Thanksgiving, and you know what that is... but Friendsgiving is Thanksgiving with your friends. As a Pittsburgh transplant, my friends here are my family: the family I chose, and that chose me. So we've started a tradition of getting together a few weeks before Thanksgiving and making a big dinner with all the fixings: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, sausage yummies, you name it. It's an opportunity for people like me** to do the fun part of Thanksgiving in preparation for some years down the road when it's our turn to host the fam.

*I call them my friends because I used to work with at least half the staff there, and now I see them at the new(ish) Cultural District Crazy Mocha just about every day.
**People like me are 30 years old - or older - yet still sit at the kids' table at Thanksgiving, and hence do not get to cook. We do, however, get to drink the wine now.