I think I’m having the opposite of a Dry January (who decided to make that a thing – rude!). Mixing up a special cocktail has become part of our stay-at-home weekend rituals now. With more time hanging around the house, I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with new combinations. This drink has a flavorful simple syrup that was inspired by some beautiful blood oranges I found at Trader Joe’s last week. The blood oranges get simmered with a simple syrup mixture, and fresh rosemary sprigs and spiced cinnamon sticks. It’s a fragrant mixture that has all of my favorite cocktails notes — herbs, citrus, and a touch of spice. The syrup gets chilled and mixed with gin, then topped with bubbly prosecco or champagne — it makes for a festive bubbly drink! Get the recipe below: 
read more
When I was writing my cookbook, New England Invite: Fresh Feasts to Savor the Season, I worked with my publisher to find images for the cover that exemplified each season. We had the quintessential lobster bake for summer, fresh veggie crudité for spring, and for the winter we used a holiday green salad dotted with juicy red cranberries. The wintery, festive salad was made for holiday entertaining and after a few years on the shelf I thought it could use an update with some crisp Little Leaf Farms greens!
read more
Avert your eyes if you’re on a diet! I’m combining two delicious ideas today – spinach artichoke dip and garlic knots – into one super-savory snack! I made these comfort food bites using a warm spinach artichoke dip filling stuffed instead fresh pizza dough. Serve them with some of the extra spinach artichoke dip on the side for dipping, because go big or go home, right? I’m going to be cooking up a batch for these for a fun weekend snack to have in front of the fireplace, see the recipe below! 
read more
Oh man do I love Thanksgiving! What is better than a day dedicated to family and food? I have a giant round up of all of the best turkey day recipes I’ve created over the last several years to inspire your holiday menu. There’s everything from appetizers to desserts to cocktails, and all of the side dishes in between that you need to plan a drool-worthy Thanksgiving feast. Scroll down for over 35 ideas and recipes! 
read more
I like to be well-prepared for Thanksgiving leftovers (my favorite!) so I baked up a batch of these easy, fluffy pumpkin milk buns – made with Organic Valley Grassmilk. They’re a really tasty option to serve for dinner rolls on turkey day, and they make the most delicious slider buns for a heaping Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich the next day. Get the full recipe below! 
read more
Nearly every time my family gathers together I make this classic homemade mac and cheese (it even made it into my cookbook!). I’ve used it as the base for tons of variations — with everything seasoning, stuffed and baked in apples, and mixed with hidden veggies to trick my toddler! It’s been a bit since I’ve shared my traditional recipe, and gave it an update for the holidays. The festivities can officially start once a big scoop of this cheesy pasta gets served on your plate — get the recipe below! 
read more
A hearty fall soup is the perfect meal for a chilly day. This version of a classic corn chowder has an extra flavor boost from fire roasted corn, bacon, bell peppers, and a touch of heat from chipotles in adobo sauce. Get the full recipe below! 
read more
Every year I like to take a look at the classic Thanksgiving recipes and imagine new ways to mix up the flavors for a fresh twist. I’ve created dozens of veggie recipes, countless stuffing combinations, but I often stop short at fussing with mashed potatoes. Why mess with perfection? Well, recently I was craving potato leek soup and made a batch for dinner — it hit the spot and as I was enjoying it a lightbulb when off. Why not give my classic mashed potatoes a potato-leek inspired treatment? The flavors of the traditional mashed potatoes are still there in this recipe, but the sautéed shallots and leeks kick up the flavor just a bit for something really special. Get the full recipe below! 
read more
While almost everyone is gearing up for the big turkey day meal at the end of the month, I’ve been over here cooking and testing recipes for the holidays since early fall. The funny thing about writing a blog is that you start each holiday and season a little bit before everyone else to have content ready, and sometimes that means cooking Thanksgiving dinner sides in September. So, as we lead up to Turkey Day I am craving something a little bit lighter than mashed potatoes and stuffing. A big salad with my favorite Little Leaf Farms greens is my go-to dinner when I’m looking for healthier options, and I love to give them a fresh twist to make use of seasonal ingredients. This squash and farro salad is my current favorite! 
read more
I mixed up this tasty bourbon pear punch over the weekend when we celebrated Halloween outside with a few friends (I feel the need to add, everyone had masks on unless we were sipping cocktails, safety first!). You may notice in the picture that there is snow on the ground, mixed with crunchy fall leaves, and I’m wearing a t-shirt — New England at it’s finest, a jumble of seasons in just a few short hours. With the election day this week, I think I may be mixing up another round of these — we can all use a drink, right? Prep the spiced pear simple syrup in advance so it has time to chill before you mix up a batch of this seasonal spiced bourbon punch, cheers!
read more
