I have been scratching my head for quite some time now, trying to think of a good way to use the Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel Seasoning that seems to be sweeping the internet these days. I grew up in an avid bagel-loving family, and the everything bagel flavor is my absolutely favorite. I’ve seen it used on avocado toast, stirred in mac and cheese, and a friend of ours used it on a loaf of homemade challah bread (oh-em-gee was that delicious). As I was brainstorming some appetizer ideas to make for my own personal Oscars viewing party this weekend (me: on the couch with a cocktail and snacks), I found the perfect occasion to sprinkle this tasty seasoning mix: on Pigs In A Blanket.
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I’m working on my snack game for Sunday’s big night of red carpet viewing and all that Hollywood glamour. Oscar night at my house requires about the same level of appetizer commitment that the Super Bowl does in most other homes. I’ve been playing around with some ideas for quick and easy bite-size-tartlets, and these little guys were a winner. The base of the tartlets is made out of pre-made pie dough (use store-bought dough or thaw leftover dough from the freezer), pressed into mini-muffin tins. The dough is pre-cooked, and then filled while warm with a combination of rich goat cheese, sweet apricot jam, and crunchy pistachios with a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. Get the full recipe below, and be sure to check out the other awards show viewing party recipes I’m making for the Oscars — Ruby Red Carpet Cocktails and Everything Bagel Pigs in a Blanket.
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I haven’t thrown an awards show viewing party in a few years, but on a recent trip to Target I saw some cocktail napkins that were begging me to come up with some fresh ideas for this year’s Oscar night. Whether you’re throwing a big party for your girlfriends to come over and watch the awards, or you’re tweeting a play-by-play of red carpet dresses in your pajamas (cough::cough, me), the most important viewing accompaniment (besides a fully charged phone) is a signature cocktail. Champagne is always a nice touch, but recently I have been mixing up this quick cocktail on weekends and thought it would be perfect to serve for Sunday’s big event. I’m calling it my ruby red carpet cocktail, because it combines fresh ruby red grapefruit juice with vodka and some elderflower soda. 
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Dinnertime can be a straight up struggle around my house these days. The hour when food needs to be prepped for our evening mealtime seems to align perfectly with official toddler meltdown hour. In an effort to avoid a matching mom-meltdown, I keep a few tricks up my sleeve for speedy dinners. One of them, is adding a cooked rotisserie chicken to my grocery order from Peapod, and repurposing it in a few different meals throughout the week. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite quick-fix ideas for using up leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge today, as well as a brand new recipe I added to the mix recently while we’re on our New Year’s healthy eating kick. Each one of these ideas uses up about half a chicken, so you can pick two to mix and match for your weekly meal plan:
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That healthy eating momentum is still going strong in our household (minus a few boxes of Girl Scout cookies that seem to be disappearing alarmingly fast from our freezer). I am so used to defaulting to carb-heavy sides like rice or pasta or potatoes to pair with dinner proteins, so coming up with low-carb veggie side dishes has been a challenge — but a fun one to experiment with.
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When Valentine’s Day falls mid-week, I tend to be in a bit of a scramble to come up with a special weeknight treat to celebrate the occasion. With just about every special event, my celebration-style always revolves around food. I make special dinner, pick up a favorite beer or wine depending on the menu, and of course we need something sweet to cap off the meal. This year I decided that I would find a way to dress up a boxed brownie mix for a quick-fix dessert that still feels celebration-worthy.
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Can I tell you my new favorite thing? Polls on instagram. They’re the best. I’ve done a few informal polls recently to figure out exactly what my followers want more of, and the answers have been incredibly helpful. The biggest takeaway I’ve gotten is that dinner is clearly a struggle in lots of households (often at our house too!). Quick, easy, and healthy-ish dinner ideas are in demand, so I’m doing my best to come up with some fresh ideas to fulfill the need!
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I am compensated by Keurig Green Mountain® for sharing my view; all opinions, images, and content are my own.
I’m a total Valentine’s Day nerd, I love the pink hearts and the sentimental cards, and I really love the excuse to indulge a little bit with some sweet treats! It seems that over the past few years, the idea of a “Galentine’s Day” party, to celebrate with your best girlfriends, has become almost more popular than the actual Valentine’s Day occasion. I get it, my girlfriends are way more into flowers and cute cards and heart sunglasses than our husbands likely are. Why not celebrate with them? I have some sweet ideas to get you inspired to throw your own Valentine’s Day coffee and cookies party with your best buds or your own sweetheart!
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Last week I had a few gals over for a Valentine’s Day craft-session and some cocktails. It was on a Monday night after dinner, so I just had a cheeseboard out to nibble on and decided we needed something deliciously indulgent and sweet for the Valentine’s Day theme. I’ve been toying around with an “everything-but-the-kitchen-sink” cookie recipe idea for awhile, and thought this was the perfect occasion to make them with a Valentine’s Day twist. The cookie recipe has all of the basics elements of a big gooey chocolate chip cookie, but takes it to the next level with a variety of delicious mix-ins. I put toffee bits, crushed pretzels, dark chocolate morsels, and a few different kinds of seasonal M&Ms inside these. You could easily swap in nuts, caramel chips, any kind of chopped up candy bar or chocolate. They were good, like, I had to hide them from myself and my family (mostly Jane) level-good. Make up a batch this weekend and find some valentine’s to share them with! Get the full recipe below: 
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Anyone that knows me well knows that I am a sandwich fiend. I love a good deli sandwich; it’s one of my very favorite things to eat. Admittedly, the deli selection in this part of the state is dismal, and pales in comparison to the amazing delis I grew up with in New York. So I have gotten quite serious about making my own top-notch deli sandwiches at home.
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