Sugar and spice and everything nice! That’s what I thought when I first tried Fancypants Baking Co’s Spiced Chocolate cookies. They’re crispy little chocolate treats with a hint of cinnamon and cayenne – the perfect bite to satisfying a craving and warm you up on these cold winter days. I loved them so much that they inspired me to make homemade spiced hot chocolate to pair them with – a sweet and spiced pairing that warms up your core!
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Spending lots of weekends at home this winter (for obvious reasons!) has gotten me on an inspired snack-kick. I love thinking up new recipes for hearty appetizers to make while watching movies or football or hanging out around the fireplace. My friends at Coleman Natural shared their No Sugar Bacon with me, and it inspired this easy snack that’s packed with flavor: crispy bacon wrapped potatoes with chives and ranch dressing.
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I like to take advantage of that fresh start feeling in January and use it to motivate healthy eating habits, especially coming off an indulgent holiday season. For me, it’s all about getting fresh, local ingredients into my meal plan. I have SIX tasty recipes below full of crisp, fresh, local Little Leaf Farms greens, plus ideas for reducing food waste, how to make cost-saving homemade dressings, and how to get out of a lunchtime routine rut. Get inspired with the recipes and ideas below!
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I’ve got an easy, no-bake, make-ahead holiday dessert recipe to share! It’s a layered cookie trifle, made with layers of whipped cream, chocolate mousse, and chocolate chip cookies. The ingredients get layered in a big bowl, and then finished on top with some of Fancypants Bakery snowman cookies for a festive decoration (I added some rosemary sprigs for little wintry “pine trees” too!). Get the full recipe below: 
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I have gotten really into making shrubs for my cocktail recipes over the past few months – I love that they can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a long time! With the holiday season in full swing, I knew a cranberry-infused shrub was next on my experiment list. It’s as easy as combining the cranberries with equal parts water, apple cider vinegar and sugar in a jar and letting it all hang out in the fridge for a few days. When you’re ready to make your drink, add a splash of your infusion to a glass of chilled Prosecco and top it off with fresh rosemary sprigs and more festive red cranberries (frozen ones will keep your drink extra cold!). Get the full recipe below, and PS: These monogramed cocktail glasses are from my limited-edition collection with Wren Home! Shop the collection on wrenhome.com
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My ideal December weekend activity: Christmas carols on the stereo, a crackling fire in the fireplace, and festive cocktail in hand while I hang out with family and friends. This holly jolly gin punch fits the bill for festive cocktails, combining gin (I like Barr Hill), cranberry juice and ginger beer and fragrant, juicy orange slices. You can make the cocktail as an individual serving, or multiply the measurements by the number of guests and mix it in a pitcher for a party-size batch! Scroll down the easy recipe (and PS: my festive shirt is on major sale here!)
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It’s that time of year again, my annual Thanksgiving recipe round up! I’ve got over 40 recipes from my archives with all of the tasty inspiration you need to get from cocktail hour to dessert. The best side dishes, from timeless classics to unique varieties, and tips for how to make every part of your meal come out delicious. Get inspired and build your Thanksgiving menu! 
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If I could only pick one thing to be on my Thanksgiving Table, I think stuffing would be at the top of my list. I get to eat it once a year (maybe twice if there’s a Friendsgiving on the calendar) and I make it count but loading it full of savory flavors. I love it so much that sometimes I even make two varieties – a traditional recipe and a wildcard stuffing. I’m sharing tons of ideas for making a unique Thanksgiving stuffing with different flavor combinations and mix-ins that you can choose to make it a dish of your own. 
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Give me a side dish that combines sweet and savory, and I’m a happy girl! This Thanksgiving side dish does just that – sweet potatoes get baked and then scooped out and mixed with butter, candied pecans and browned and crumbled chorizo sausage before getting placed back into the potato skins and baked for a second time. The dish only has 5 ingredients, and yet the combination of flavors packs a punch! Ditch the old school marshmallow covered sweet potatoes and give them a fresh upgrade with this chorizo and pecan topping – get the full recipe below:
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Green bean casserole is one of my sneaky favorites at Thanksgiving, partially because it’s a dish I really only eat at the holiday so each bite has nostalgic flavors. I’ve made a few riffs on Thanksgiving green bean recipes over the years and had an idea to dress up those crunchy veggies with the savory, rich flavors of French onion soup. The recipe starts with caramelizing the onions, which takes quite a bit of time! The good news is you can prep the onions in advance, get them caramelized the day before, deglaze the pan and add in the green beans, and then store the dish covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. On Thanksgiving Day, just add the cheese on top and bake it in the oven – it may need 5 extra minutes of cooking time to get the onions and green beans bubbling hot again. I like to make this in a dish that can go from oven to stove to table, it’s one less dish to worry about when hosting (I use this stainless steel pan). The onion flavor is sweet and savory from the caramelization, and the melted cheese on top gives the dish a salty balance – it’ll make you want an extra helping of green beans on your Thanksgiving plate! Get the full recipe below:
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