I feel like January has been a bit of a struggle for just about everyone I know. It can be hard to find your rhythm again after the holidays and the quiet days around the New Year. On top of that, I find that parenting toddlers during cold winter weather is about 100x harder than warmer months – we have been cooped up, and I’ve just about run out of play-doh. By the time bedtime rolls around I’m ready for a vacation. Tropical getaways aren’t in the cards for me this week, so my solution for resetting is a little bit of hygee and indulgence after she goes to bed. I’ve been curling up with a good book under a warm fluffy blanket and having a little sweet treat to take the edge off a crazy day. My friends at TruMoo just shared their new After Dark line with me and it’s been a perfect fix for my sweet-tooth while I flip through my latest chick-lit novel. 
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I have a nagging resolution that I have made for the past few years and never really did anything about: updating my make-up routine. I’m slightly embarrassed to say my make-up bag contents are nearly identical today (at 34 years old) to what I was using in college. Those products that I’ve probably been using for the better part of a decade are about as simple as they get, and I keep telling myself that I’m going give my routine a revamp to feel more age-appropriate. My friend Amanda is a talented make-up artist and esthetician, and she offered to give me a little make-up therapy session to finally tackle this resolution of finding a refreshed make-up routine. I learned SO much from our lesson that I had to share her wealth of tricks, tips and favorite products here – it was too good not to share!
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I am recovering from the bonanza of calories that came with testing my Super Bowl recipes and have this meal in mind for a healthy-option to get me back on track! One-pan meals have so much appeal to me for weeknight dinners because I know the second we finish eating it’s a race to get the kitchen cleaned up, and start Jane’s bedtime routine. Anything that I can do to cut down on the clean up process is a huge win. I’m also a fan of these sheet pan type meals because they use up leftover vegetables from other recipes. A half an onion, a few pieces of broccoli – whatever I have in the veggie-drawer can get tossed on the pan and roasted with seasoning for tons of flavor that elevates the produce leftovers.
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The countdown is on for snackstravaganza 2019 (aka Super Bowl Sunday). I brainstorm new recipes every year for the big game, and this year is no exception. To make all of your snack-prep easy, I’ve pulled together two dozen of my favorite snack ideas to add to your Super Bowl party menu — from spicy bites to savory treats, easy to prep main-dishes and sweet desserts with a little football-spin. Scroll down to see all 24 recipes ideas, and be sure to tag me in pictures if you make some on Sunday night for your football festivities!
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I have been filling your feeds with delicious, indulgent, and yes, high-calorie snacks for the Super Bowl next weekend. We’ve made pizza muffins, flavorful queso, and loaded potato skins on latkes! I have one more recipe to add to the menu: Buffalo Chicken Meatballs. These spicy little meatballs are made with ground chicken and carrots and are baked in the oven; I won’t go so far as to say they’re healthy, but they’re a great option to add to your game day menu as an option for guests who are watching their calories. I’ve been making these recently not just as an appetizer, but also as an easy dinner served over broccoli and rice or even on a salad with some crumbled blue cheese on top. The recipe easily doubles, and you can make them in advance — just throw them in a saucepan over low heat to bring them up to temperature. Get the full recipe below: 
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If you are still on track with your healthy-eating New Year’s resolutions, you might want to look away. I have a new recipe for your Super Bowl menu that is rich and cheesy and full of flavor and spice: Green Chili Corn Queso Dip. It is the easiest thing in the world to make — you just combine all of the ingredients in a small pot and simmer them until they’re melted together. The queso gets tons of flavor from chopped green chilies, and delicious texture from folding in corn salsa. You can control the heat and add jalapeños to the mix too — depending how much your snack audience likes spice! I served this to my family when they were visiting recently and we used a variety of items to dip: salty blue corn chips, Trader Joe’s cornbread crisps, and soft pretzel bites (I got these at Wegmans — they were my favorite!). Get the full recipe below:
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I am working on my menu for next Sunday – the ultimate day of snacking is in my sights and I love to be ready with all of the tastiest bites I can think up! No game day is complete without dip on the menu – and I love to make a giant snack board with all of the fixings for dipping on Sundays. I have a few tricks for how I style these grazing boards, and wanted to share some of my best tips with you so you can recreate them at home for your own football parties!
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I always get asked by people: “what do you do with all of the food you photograph?” The answer is almost always: we eat it! I try to test a lot of my dinner recipes in the afternoon so I can photograph them and then reheat for dinner. If I’m working on bigger event-spreads, I try to make them on the weekends so I can invite family over to taste test and share in the photoshoot-feasting. I was testing recipes for the Super Bowl the same weekend as Jane’s birthday party, and decided to give this recipe a whirl so we could also serve it at the celebration. They’re just about the most toddler-friendly Super Bowl snack I could think of — we called them Pizza Muffins. They’re tiny, handheld, and filled with warm cheese, mini pepperoni, and a touch of tomato sauce. The kids loved them and the adults gobbled them up. The best part is that they were so quick and easy to make, we whipped up a fresh batch the following day too! These are going to be a favorite in our Super Bowl snack menu and at toddler parties in the future. Get the full recipe below:
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It’s my first download post of the new year, which feels crazy since January is nearly over. This month has been zooming by thanks to lots of fun activities and celebrations that have been keeping us busy! We kicked off the year with our annual New Year’s Day brunch party, I had a little getaway weekend in Newport to celebrate my birthday (34! Gasp!) and this past weekend we got snowed-in with family and had a fun little party for Jane’s 2nd birthday. In a blink of an eye three-weeks of January have passed and I feel like I forgot to do all that new-years-y stuff like write down resolutions. That’s what these posts are for though, to catch up and share all of the stuff in my brain that needs to be written down, so read on for some resolutions, my reading list, upcoming book events and more:
I think I blinked and two years went by in an instant! Jane turned 2-years old this weekend and I’m still processing just how it’s possible that time could fly that quickly. We celebrated with a little party — Curious George themed because she’s Georgie-obsessed. The snowstorm cut our guest list in half, but we had a great time despite the weather. Jane loved the balloons, and is still running around the house in circles with them trailing behind her. My sister brought the most amazing cake-pops that matched the Curious George theme, my mom made her a beautiful party dress, and we had a little homemade cake with a sparkler on top. The sparkler left Jane in total awe and amazement when it was lit. It was a perfect cozy day to celebrate our Janie-bean! 
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I'm Kate, and I like to
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