Will you please still talk about your marriage, vacations, politics and all the other things I've come to look forward to hearing about?

here, here...I don't care about food (no offense), I like to hear about your life:)

agreeing with mara...cupcakes and life!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......... I still want to hear about life!

Mara, Lisa, rubytuesday, Jess - Yes, you will still hear about my life, probably more than you'd like to, but it will be framed around or in relation to food. In the last three years, more than half my posts reference food and cooking in one way or another, and I point this out to say: things will change less than you think. But almost certainly for the better.

congrats Smitten!

Awesome! This is the perfect direction for you and I'm going to get some kitchen inspiration, which I desperately need right now.

I'll be there. Best to you.

Congrats! It sounds awesome.

Heading over there now to have a look....

Hi Deb - I've been lurking here a long time and never posted. I found your new site a few weeks ago when you linked (I think) to a co-workers site. I love it. I already have a list of your recipes that I want to try. Good luck and keep up your amazing writing! I for one will be following you to the kitchen.

Ps. What about your archives?

Thanks everyone! I'm really excited about this.

Phc - You continue to blow my mind with your enthusiasm for cooking (that cake!) and real-life tasks with a tiny one at home. Totally inspiring.

Tammi - Sometime after 9/15, I'll simply remove the redirect I have from thesmitten.com to this site. I'll import my archives from the last year onto my server, and they'll remain online, albeit likely not refreshed.

Love the new site!! Can't wait for the perfect "fall day" to make the garlic soup!!

also...I'd like to think we'll be kept up to date on the hopefully soon---pitter patter of little feet!! I have a feeling blogging about that journey could be one of your most entertaining yet :-)

Okay, Deb, I feel better. Check ya at Smitten Kitchen!

I'm so excited to hear about your other blog- I had no idea! I too have been "lurking" for a few months now, and LOVE reading your recipes and looking at the gorgeous food pics! I was even inspired enough to make (from scratch) cheese fondue and keylime pie with a home-made graham cracker crust for my boyfriend's birthday last week- which he loved. Thanks for the ideas and keep up the great writing!

Love it!

We'll miss you over here...but glad you found another passion to write about (you can kinda tell it was brewing with how much you wrote about food...hindsight). Have fun and see you over there!

I found your new blog a while back, and I'm so excited for you! I must admit that your food-related posts were my favorites on this blog.

already found the other site through "Bake or Break"! when was that put up anyway? I love it when you write about food and i love the pics...will definitely be reading the kitchen blog!!

Okay, I feel better too - I'll feel even MORE better though if you promise to post the recipe for the penne with vodka sauce dish that is on your Flickr page....

I'm excited about Smitten Kitchen! Glad to hear we'll still get the goods on the everday life of Alex & Deb! Also, can we ask you for cooking advice, ideas for meals, recipes, etc., because I've been dying to ask if you have a recipe that involves peaches...?

Are you still going to post pictures of your hot hot husband? If so then I'm in

ooh...i second that request for a recipe that involves peaches...i have a whole basket of freshly picked peaches on my kitchen counter that is ready to be used!

Oh, it looks beautiful! And I do hope you'll write about life and post your beautiful pictures of your family (expanding someday?) and the city. Best to you -- I enjoy your site silently, but with great interest!

Good for you! I love the other site and I'm glad I ran across it!

Deb shared this site with me probably close to a month ago...

I feel lucky to have known about it..

and

O-M-G I ACTUALLY KEPT A SECRET.

I should totally win a prize!

Thanks for all the feedback! I've been really nervous about this, so the so-far warm reception is very soothing.

Beverly - Don't wait! It's that awesome. No little pitter patters for some time, but I will most certainly talking about it when it's time. Can you imagine what insane cravings I'll have?

Jess - Penne with vodka sauce post and recipe is over here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/08/the-abhorred-and-the-adored

Tree - You may certainly ask any questions on the new site, just as you would here. You'll even be able to put HTML in comments! (This excites me, I admit.)

My absolutely favorite thing to do with peaches is to make a crumble:

Peel and chop into chunks however many peaches it will take to fill 2/3 of the way your baking dish of choice. I often use a deep-dish pie plate, and it might take 4 large or 6 small to do the job. No need to get it perfect.

Toss the peaches with a squeeze of lemon juice, a couple tablespoons of flour, a couple tablespoons of sugar, and a dash of whatever spices you like with your peaches: 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg and a tiny pinch each of allspice or cloves is usually delicious. (Other things to add if you have on hand: blueberries - frozen are fine, no need to defrost them, strawberries or raspberries.)

In a separate dish, melt one stick of butter. Mix it with about 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup oatmeal, and maybe a ¼ cup of slivered almonds, and another dash of cinnamon. It should get crumbly, if it doesn't, keep adding flour and/or oatmeal until it does.

Crumble on top of the peach mixture. Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes or until a little toasted on top. Watch it carefully.

It's as good hot as it is cold the next day with yogurt, and I really wish we had some RIGHT NOW.

z. - Great, now he's going to be even MORE full of himself. I kid! I kid! He's the most humble guy out there. Can't we keep him like that?

Cupcakes - Shouldn't bragging rights be enough of a prize? Huh, no? How about some pictures of Tim being drunk and trashy? Because you know, they shouldn't be THAT hard to come by. Heheh.

i knew something was up, the number of comments on ur post has been decreasing for many weeks now. u sure u are not renewing the contract or is it that they are not renewing :). hey, don't mean to offend you, just letting u know what i think. good luck with the new website. i will be checking that too.

I will definitely miss this site but I am incredibly excited about the new one, since we share the passion to cook. Please keep your same email address!

Also, how do feel about making a cake for a Vegas wedding?

Thanks for posting the recipe! I knew it looked familiar - I saw Rachael when she was on Oprah a few months ago and she did this recipe. I lost my first print out and have since been looking for it - you just saved me from googling it!

Did you ever find out if the rust spots on La Cocotte are normal, or are you going to have to pay an exorbitant shipping fee to return it? :-)

So how are you going to take the story of the two months you tried to be a raver, and frame it around food? Perhaps by framing it around the absence of food? Or the 5 AM Dean & Deluca fruit platter? (That was my raver heyday idea of a pigout.) I WANNA READ IT!!!!!!!

*giggle* @ Tim

BRIBERY !

i LOVE it!

I think I'd follow you anywhere on the net!

I just read your entire food blog (your stuff anyway) As I went there I was expecting to be a little disappointed, but oh no no no! Now I'm hooked again and so looking forward to trying some of your recipes in the future.

I too still want to hear about your life and love, but I also think that this new avenue is very intriguing as well!

Keep up the good work!

Floridagal - No, not renewing was my choice. iVillage was also generous to offer to host the food blog, too, but I wanted to establish myself independently. And evidently, I like writing for free.

Jen - Email address will remain the same. Vegas wedding, huh? I'm sure it would be a blast, but probably should get started with a NY-area one first. And friends, who will forgive my imperfections. (Yeah, right!)

Jess - It's a fairly standard crumble recipe (there's a million different options: some people skip the nuts and outs, just using flour; some people opt for demarra sugar instead of brown; other options are to use partially whole wheat flour or toss in a teaspoon of baking powder to lighten it up) and my ego demands that I point out that it is not from Rachael Ray. I thought she didn't bake, anyhow!

A very kind person who reads this site emailed me over the weekend and pointed to an Amazon review where the person said that they loved their cast iron pot, but was disappointed because the edge of the pot would get rust spots if not dried by hand. Guess what it was for? Le Crueset! This ended up reassuring me of what I suspected; this can happen with all of them, and to just hand-dry it. I admit that I'm attached and really didn't want to give it up, anyway.

Hurricane M - What were you, raving with Little Mr. Dean & Deluca? Oy. Maybe one day I'll make my own lollipops filled with bubble gum; that'd be a great way to hatch such an atrocious story.

Shelly - Thank you.

Deb, I am sad! I can't view your new site from my work. I will have to read you in the evenings!!

Hi Deb - I'll miss you around these parts; your blog was the first one I stumbled across in my own pre-wedding adventures! I accidentally found the Kitchen through Nosh With Me, and I'm a fan. Best of luck!

I must admit that I'm a bit devastated about your departure from this site, Deb....but since I do love hearing about all of your misadventures, cooking and otherwise, I will gladly tune in at the new site. Although I must admit....it is difficult to hear all about your amazing food adventures while trying to stomach two straight weeks of Special K!

I was referring to the penne with vodka cream sauce recipe, not the peach crumble! ;)

Hillary - That's terrible! I don't think I'm stating anything but the obvious here, but considering the number of discussions on iVillage about sex positions and vibrating "girl's best friends," I'm shocked that my petite lime tarts are cause for your web filter's heightened alarm. I bet your company uses Websense; they're quite evil. Can you use an RSS reader? I've recently converted to Bloglines and don't know why it took me so long.

RA - I'm still around, just another location and slightly new focus. Like I said yesterday, I think things will change less than people think, and only for the better.

Farrah - You're doing that Special K diet? The commercials terrified me, though I'm sure it works better than my diet of wine, salad and chocolate. Good luck!

Jess - D'oh! My inability to be coherent before 9 a.m., reaffirmed.

Congrat! I'm going to miss Smitten, happily ever after, but I am so relieved that you are continuing to write. Here's to re-inventing yourself and all the fun and joy it brings!

Oh, good for you! I'll switch my URL to you. How lovely!

It's really cool of you to comment on everyone's comments! :-D

I'll follow you anywhere Deb. In a non-stalking sort of fashion, of course. The new site looks amazing and I am delighted that the focus on food comes just in time for fall. You just keep getting better and better! Kudos to you!

Deb, I've loved reading all your archived stuff...but look forward to the new! Best of luck...and thanks for posting the peach crumble recipe. We have an insane amount of peaches at the house and need to do SOMETHING with them all! That recipe sounds simply wonderful.

I have been reading your blog for so long and I am happy that you are following your true passion. However, I will miss Smitten and your always interesting...and well written :) stories.

ok.
deeeep breath.
Deb, you know you were my first blog, and thru your archives I learned that a life lived in hindsight is no excuse for a life.I've told you that awakening got me where I am now, on my way to my A.S degree, and I directly attribute it to you, and your willing open heart that you have shared.
It has been amazing being here as you've blossomed into a confident, mature woman, and I am so proud of you. When Tina and I relocate from Florida to Ny in a couple of years (when Elle graduates HS) I plan on buying you a drink, lady.
I will be a staunch supporter of yours, tho I feel the quality you bring to your writing and photo's is professional level, I know the joy of freedom from "I must do" will add an extra dimension to all you create. I will be there when your small, exclusive, mail order gourmet business gets off the ground, b/c I can full on see that happening (think, oreo's).
I really love your sweet heart, Deb, you are one fantastic lady. Congratulations on your new endeavor.

good to you, and glad to hear that you have found the passion that drives you to post every day ... and also gets the creative, and gastronomic, juices flowing ... and will be trying a few of these 'creations' I'm sure ...