Let's start the new year off right, shall we? This Honey Almond Baked Brie is what you should make on New Year's Eve, whether you're having a party or just want to put on a fancy (but effortless) celebratory spread for the family. But mo…
No one wants to play bartender at their own holiday get together, but you do want to impress your guests with fabulous cocktails. The answer is these make ahead holiday cocktail recipes, which are perfect for your Christmas Eve or Christ…
Santa has a long night of delivering gifts ahead of him, and while he appreciates the effort you and your children put into those cookies, a helpful elf has reported that he might also like a warm drink -- with a little extra something s…
My family made the switch to clean eating this year and, well, it's so tempting to cheat during the holidays. But I don't want to reverse all of the good I've done -- and the inches I've lost -- since we made the change. So I'm excited t…
As much as I love to cook, there are a million other things that I'd rather be doing on Christmas morning. Unwrapping gifts. Drinking hot cocoa. Watching my nieces terrorize my 9-month-old son with a singing, dancing Snoopy doll. Ah, the…
Break out the spatula and grab a tween (or, heck, a 6-year-old), because I’ve got nine of my absolute favorite homemade holiday food gifts that will wow your favorite teacher, aunt, or UPS delivery person. All of these food gifts are dea…
At Cool Mom HQ, we're suckers for easy crafts that keep the kids busy, especially during the holidays. But the Cool Mom Eats team? Well, we say if you take time to craft it, you should be able to eat it. These 10 easy, delicious holiday …
Every year, I have grand visions of making a bakery-worthy display of elaborate holiday cookies using a candy thermometer, piping bag -- the whole deal. But inevitably, the holiday crush, well, crushes those aspirations. So this year I'm…
I have to be honest that I don't love decorating gingerbread houses with my kids... the mess, the crazy sugar high from all those gumdrops, and the inevitable tears when it all collapses. That's why I prefer gingerbread people! So much m…
My name is Jane and I don’t love baking holiday cookies. There, I said it! I absolutely love cookies , but I’ve just never been a spend-all-day-in-the-kitchen-making-sugar-cookies type of gal. But you can’t have the holidays without cook…
If you're new to food allergies or will be baking for people who have them, we're here to help you transform your favorite baked holiday treats into goodies everyone can enjoy. Much like we did for our post, the best allergy-free replace…
Quite a few of us at Cool Mom HQ have kids obsessed with baking, Master Chef Junior, Top Chef Jr. , and Nerdy Nummies , to name a few. And on the top of their holiday wish lists? Cooking and baking supplies made just for them. No complai…
If there's one thing that brings all serious food lovers together -- whether we love to cook or just to eat -- it's a never-ending desire for more. Whether it's wanting to try every jar of deliciousness at the specialty food store, colle…
With the start of the Chinese New Year -- in 2017 marking the beginning of the year of the rooster , in 2018 the year of the dog , and 2019 the year of the pig -- food is a huge part of the holiday, playing a significant symbolic role. A…
I know what you're thinking. Will anyone actually eat the dozens of leftover candy canes from stockings, class parties, and gingerbread houses? Won't kids just take three licks and then abandon the candy, leaving me to find them stuck to…
My daughter is at that magical age when she wants to take part in every possible Christmas tradition. Before bed the other night, she asked me what we were going to leave for Santa in case he arrives hungry (“that’s what they do on TV, M…
As much as I love to cook, I do not want to spend Christmas morning (or afternoon for that matter) in front of a hot stove. And if you're celebrating Hanukkah, which overlaps with Christmas this year, I'm sure you feel the same. Not when…
This month is full of reasons to stock up on festive dinner recipes. Sure there are special meals to be shared on Christmas and Hanukkah, but there are also the nights when out-of-town family arrive and when the neighbors (and their 10 k…
If you're new to the Hanukkah tradition or Jewish fare in general, I have a couple of words for you: jelly doughnuts. Oh, and another word: latkes. (That's a fried potato pancake, for those of you who don't know.) Hanukkah and Christmas …
There's nothing like the perfect cocktail -- or two! -- to make your holiday party a little merrier (and greatly increase the chances of an end-of-night singalong). While we love eggnog (with or without booze), mulled wine , and mulled c…
My mom worked at a school when I was growing up, and to this day, some of the gifts she received -- like Mrs. Anderson's pumpkin bread and Mrs. Hutcheson's spiced tea mix -- are among my favorite holiday traditions. Now, as a busy mom on…
I'm a big fan of eggnog, but with eggs, cream, whole milk and sugar, it's no joke. Especially if you make yours boozy the way that I like to make mine. So, yea, it's a once a year treat in my house, which is too bad given how much the ki…
This year, I chopped and prepped many of my holiday dinner ingredients ahead of Thanksgiving. I still had plenty to do in the kitchen the day of, but it was more relaxed -- my mom and I peeling apples (and sipping champagne) instead of c…
Cookies, cakes, gingerbread, oh my! The holidays are here and they're made even sweeter by the treats that mark, oh, pretty much every holiday occasion. If you're baking sweets to give as gifts, bring to your kid's holiday party at schoo…