I have been having so much fun brainstorming these themed grazing boards for holidays this year! My Valentine’s Day cheese board was a big hit, I loved sharing my Oscar Night snack board, and I’ve even made a kid-friendly version full of toddler approved bites.With Easter coming up, I knew I had to make one with tons of spring-y veggies and pastel-colored candies! read more

We have been dealing with some picky-toddler eating the past few weeks. Jane has a one-track mind, all she wants to eat are “snacks” — aka popcorn, pretzels and crackers. I’ve been brainstorming ways to get some other foods in the mix, but who can really blame her? Snacks are the best. With Easter coming up, I got the idea to go-big on her snack request and build a themed bento-box with tons of tiny little bites for her to choose from. I had these cute vintage-inspired egg cartons leftover from some projects I did last year, and tucked in some plastic easter eggs to hold various treats. I started with her crunchy staples (she could live on popcorn!) but also added in some carrots and berries and mini-sandwiches and cheese slices cut into shapes with star cookie cutters. I even put a few bunny and carrot cupcake toppers in to make it extra festive. read more

One of my favorite parties I’ve ever thrown was a small New Year’s Eve Dinner Party. Every year we host a big New Year’s Eve party, but this particular year I was SUPER pregnant with Jane (like, exactly a week from my due date). I was determined to still throw the party, and my smart husband suggested we scale back the guest list to just a few close friends since I might be sort of tired at 39 weeks pregnant. After a bit of debate I finally agreed to the dinner party but was still planning to cook a fancy meal to celebrate the occasion. A few days before the party I was beyond exhausted and realized I had probably overestimated my capabilities – we made the call to order a bunch of trays of food for the party and have our friends pick it up on their drive over. We dressed up the take-out on pretty serving trays and set the table with festive details  — and guess what? It was one of my most memorable New Year’s Eve parties we’d ever thrown. read more

One of my favorite occasions of the year is coming up next weekend: The Oscars! It’s the best excuse to snuggle up on the couch, live-tweet my expert opinions about ball gowns and celebrity hairstyles while wearing a sweatshirt and yoga pants, and of course: eating special on-theme snacks! I had so much fun sharing my Valentine’s Day Grazing Board, that I thought I’d create another one full of movie-theater sweets and red carpet themed snacks. I’ll be accepting my Academy Award for Best Supporting Snack Tray any time now, don’t you think? read more

We are just about a week away from Valentine’s Day and I have all of the sweet, heart-shaped, pink and red, love-dovey inspiration to share today! My husband and I don’t generally make a big deal out of Valentine’s Day. We usually exchange cards, and use it as an excuse to abandon healthy-eating for the night and replace our usual meal-plan with something a bit more delicious. The idea I wanted to share today definitely falls into the delicious category: a Valentine’s Day grazing board. read more

I am working on my menu for next Sunday – the ultimate day of snacking is in my sights and I love to be ready with all of the tastiest bites I can think up! No game day is complete without dip on the menu – and I love to make a giant snack board with all of the fixings for dipping on Sundays. I have a few tricks for how I style these grazing boards, and wanted to share some of my best tips with you so you can recreate them at home for your own football parties! read more

‘Tis the season as they say! The holiday entertaining season is in full swing, and I am so excited to be partnering with my friends at Wegmans Food Markets to share some of my favorite holiday-shortcuts to make hosting gatherings a little bit easier this time of year. Last week I got to visit the Wegmans store in Natick, MA and got a little tour from the executive chef to see all of the new goodies they have for the holidays. read more

This is my favorite time of year for setting a beautiful table. I set this table for a fun event I’m hosting with Boston Interiors on December 6^that their Natick store where I’ll be sharing some of my best tips for styling a holiday table. You won’t want to miss it, there will be swag bags, giveaways, tasty treats, and I’ll be signing books after my table styling demo. Plus you can get a little holiday shopping done with 20% off all holiday gifts, and pick up some of the pieces I used in this tablescape. You can RSVP at www.bostoninteriors.com/events. read more

‘Tis the season for celebrations, and my favorite time of year to entertain! Our calendars are full of events from Thanksgiving to New Years, with friendsgiving, cookies swaps, gift exchanges, and holiday parties in between. I like to get prepared for the season with a few timeless tips that help me entertain effortlessly all season long. I have been relying on lots of the ideas in Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Entertaining Guide and am sharing a few more of my best tips here today: read more