I pride myself on being a pretty savvy holiday shopper. I start making a list of gifts over the summer that I keep on my phone and often refer back to when I find sales or discounts, and I go down that list item by item during the big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. This year I was actually a little late to the game with my gift-giving plans so I am still doing some shopping, and of course, looking for those good deals!I just signed up for an AAA membership for the first time this year (after my car broke down on the highway this summer I’ve been stressed about it happening again, but I have some peace of mind now that I’m a member – phew!). What I just learned though, is that AAA has way more than just roadside assistance, and that membership can get you lots of perks. This month, there are tons of special offers you can access through AAA Northeast for your holiday errands.  Here are a few ways you can save during the AAA 12 Days of Savings: read more

I just sat down to write this post and had to do a double take when I realized it was the very last day of November. The holiday season is already flying by and it seems like it just started. This week I have lots of holiday updates to share in my download — I’m listing all of my festive upcoming book events (I really hope to see you there!), linking all of my gift guides for your holiday shopping, and sharing a great charity to consider supporting this season. Hope you have a very merry weekend — we’re getting our Christmas tree and I can’t wait! read more

Every year I round up my favorite books for holiday gift giving — they’re inexpensive, thoughtful, and easy to wrap! You can find one for just about everyone on your list (PS: Amazon is offering $5 off a $20 purchase of books for the rest of the month of November — get them while the deal is still going on!).

I’m usually done with my Christmas shopping a few days after Thanksgiving because I love prepping the perfect gift for everyone in my family and plan so far ahead. This year has been a busy one though, and I’m a little bit behind on my shopping! Which is why I’m so grateful to partner with Garnet Hill this holiday season to find some of those gifts for the people still on my list. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pieces from Garnet Hill to help you with your shopping too (and they’re having some great sales too – 40% off select cashmere on Cyber Monday, and 25% off and free shipping on almost everything else on their site through 11/27!). See my gift picks below: read more

Guys are always the hardest to shop for on my holiday list, so I’ve done my research this year and found tons of ideas for the perfect gifts.

This post was created in partnership with Hood Cream. All opinions, images, and content are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that support this site!

I got to go to a really cool event last week with Hood Cream in Boston to get prepped for some holiday cooking! The event was a combination of a cooking class and demo with Chef Chris Coombs (of Deuxave, dBar and Boston Chops). Chef Coombs is the chef and spokesperson for Hood Cream was there to share some of his professional tips and tricks. read more

The holiday season is coming at us fast! It tends to be my busiest time of year, since I write so much about food and entertaining. In fact, over here in blogger-land, I’m actually already in the midst of it – ‘tis the season for recipe testing and gift guide sourcing and prepping holiday content. I sometimes find that I spend so much time working on creative holiday ideas for my blog, that I don’t leave enough time to actually focus on slowing down to enjoy the holidays. I’m trying to change that this year — knowing just how precious this time is with little kids – and was putting some thought into how I can make it feel special. read more

It’s been a busy few weeks here with the cookbook launching, the first book signings, and lots of planning for holiday content to wrap up the year. Crazy to think that October is more than halfway over, but time flies when you’re having fun.  Speaking of time, it’s time for a little download of all of my favorite things, new recipes, and random thoughts! read more