When it comes to holiday dinners for a crowd, keeping it simple has always been my style. But now that Alison Roman has said it -- and well, made it into a best-selling book title -- "Nothing Fancy" is officially an acceptable way to fee…
If crunchy Christmas cookies, boozy fruitcakes, and chocolatey yule logs pale in comparison to a bowl of delicious, hand-crafted ice cream, then we've got an awesome gift idea for you: Check out our long-time favorite eCreamery ice cream…
Kristen and Liz have talked a lot about self-care and how important it is for parents on their Spawned parenting podcast. I know it's a big issue for me, and for lots of us. Parenting culture seems to push and push us to do more and more…
All year long, I love to support independent bakers, chocolatiers, wineries and small retailers with my limited shopping dollars -- but I love them even more when they're offering food gifts that give back to people in need through worth…
I love that this time of year, I can accomplish both my food shopping and a lot of my gift shopping at at Trader Joe's, all at the same time. Lucky for me, Trader Joe's has some of my favorite affordable grab-and-go gifts that make it wo…
If you ask us, the best part of the holidays is spending time with family and friends. Though we don't quite party the way we used to pre-kids (sigh), it's nice to drop in on those we love, and part of the fun is bearing gifts -- because…
I am usually a big advocate for letting Thanksgiving have its own precious time before shifting my focus on to Christmas. But, with Thanksgiving falling so late in November this year, those of us who celebrate Christmas will want to have…
A few years back, we had the pleasure of hosting A Me-Time Holiday Party for some friends and fans at Sbraga, a super cool and totally delicious spot in Philly. Top Chef fans might recognize that name; this award-winning restaurant is ow…
I'm a huge fan of basically any pie recipe for Thanksgiving, but I admit I'm always looking for options that aren't pumpkin on our buffet. Yes, it's tradition and there are lots of ways to change up pumpkin pie and make it more creative …
Every year, the USPS gets tons of letters to Santa from children from all over the country, many of whom come from low-income families where the holidays present quite a hardship. Well, this year, the USPS is helping to make these kids' …
I'm a big fan of gourmet gift boxes , but a lot of our favorites can be pricey. And shipping...oof. The more affordable options often seem kind of banal to me, or just don't have the quality I want. So when I was sent a box from Olive & …
We love finding cool, creative advent calendars each year, and this year we're geeking out over the new Infinity Harry Potter Advent Calendar Liz found over at Merchoid. Potterheads, don't let this one disappear (through the forces of mu…
Wish you could slow the kids down just a little bit on Christmas morning? Then check out BugabooCity's free printable Christmas Secret Decoder Wheel that will pause the tearing of wrapping paper long enough for your kids to play detectiv…
Decorating gingerbread houses is an annual tradition here, but other than the candy the kids inhale as we decorate, I admit we've never actually eaten the rock-hard house itself, especially after it's been out on display for a few weeks.…
I know so many people who are eating dairy-free these days: kids with dairy allergies, friends on Whole 30, vegans, and some who are somehow finding themselves a little less tolerant to dairy as they age. ( Ahem , speaking for a friend, …
For many of us, sweets and baked goods are a highlight of the holiday season. (I admit it!) And because a lot of people are in a giving kind of mood, a holiday bake sale can be lucrative and fun. As a veteran of many bake sales (those sc…
We're scrambling to track down the last-minute holiday shipping deadlines too right now! After all, most of us busy parents are doing more and more of our shopping for the holidays online -- usually late at night, after the kids are in b…
The truth is, I've looked at a lot of lists of practical stocking stuffers around the web and... I never like them much. Because no, chocolate bars are not "practical" gifts, as much as I like getting them. And no, deodorant is not a coo…
Hosting Christmas dinner is so much fun -- but all that fancy food can definitely add up, putting a strain on your budget. Fortunately we've got some great money-saving tips for throwing a memorable, wonderful, fabulous holiday meal on a…
Baking Christmas cookies with the kids always sounds like a good idea until you're elbow deep in cookie batter with too many sticky hands trying to "help" and eat the raw dough. So if you have about as much patience as I do for this type…
We've talked so much about how cooking and baking can really connect us with our past, our traditions, our families, and there's no time we feel that more than right now, over the holiday season. There's something about rolling our sleev…
My favorite kind of cakes are the ones that beg to be eaten morning, noon and night. The kind of cake that gives equal permission to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine – and Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake does…
I know everyone makes fun of recipes that start with long, drawn-out intros about life and love and cooking and family and the smell of cocoa powder and blah blah blah. But in the case of my dad's perfect peanut brittle recipe, which he'…
I've had the best time perusing the ever-growing list of offerings from Masterclass this year from our holiday gift guide and...wow. We included a really fun one in our list of gift ideas for men who are hard to shop for . But if you're …