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! 
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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! 
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One thing is for certain this year: our celebrations and holiday look quite a bit different. I’m hopeful though that this slower season will still elicit tons of joy, new traditions, and the making of memories we’ll have for years to come. As we kick off the holidays, I’m taking a more purposeful approach to how I entertain, cook, gift and celebrate – with a huge focus on shopping small and local. Which is why I’m super excited to announce a big project I’ve been working on – a #shopsmall virtual holiday pop-up with my friends at UpNext. I’ve partnered with UpNext and eight of my favorite small batch brands to create a holiday gift guide that features curated and limited-edition products for gifting and entertaining. I’m sharing a little bit more about each brand in today’s post, there’s a little something for everyone in this small batch collection!
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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! 
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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! 
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Chilly New England weather has given us a few sneak peeks of the season ahead, and this year more than ever I find myself prepping my house (and mental state!) for the long winter ahead. I’ve started to set aside some craft supplies for indoor toddler entertainment, my to-be-read book stack is looking healthy for cozy nights by the fire, and I’ve been stocking my pantry and linen closet a bit more purposefully with essentials. And those essentials are looking a little bit more stylish this year thanks to the Scotties Triple Soft tissues designed by Genevieve Gorder!
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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!
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I love to play around with different ideas for decorating a holiday table, it’s one of my favorite ways to get inspired for the season ahead! My friends at Christmas Tree Shops andThat! asked me to pull together a fresh look for the turkey day table, and I hopped right to the challenge! My approach to a table design is to find an inspiration piece and build around it – sometimes that means filling my shopping cart up with tons of affordable and stylish items and then narrowing down what works together. That’s something that I love about visiting Christmas Tree Shops andThat! – it’s a bit like a treasure hunt.
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I was reminiscing recently about how much I missed going to a bar and having a draft pumpkin beer poured with that delicious cinnamon sugar rim. It’s a taste of fall that I enjoy for a few short weeks every year. I took an informal poll of my instagram followers, calling for everyone to share with me their favorite fall pumpkin beers. A few people felt strongly that pumpkin beer does not even qualify as real beer and several others sent passionate votes for the classic Shipyard Pumpkin or specialty pumpkin varieties from breweries across the US. I decided to tally up the votes and do a taste test of the top recommendations with some friends outside on a warm fall day for the purpose of blog post research! I’m sharing our very scientific findings in this best of fall pumpkin beers and ciders review: 
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Have I mentioned how much I love cheese? I like really really really love cheese. So when my friends at Martha Stewart Living challenged me to create a tasty Fall-inspired recipe Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese I was on board. Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese is made with milk from grass-fed cows that are raised on small, family-run Irish dairy farms, and that milk makes their cheeses so flavorful and creamy. I particularly love the Dubliner Cheese because of the balanced sweet and nutty flavors – similar to a cheddar in texture but with the bite of parmesan. Are you hungry yet?
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