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I started baking with my mom when I was a tiny little thing. On Thanksgiving it was helping roll out pie crusts and then playing with the scraps of dough for hours. For Christmas it was unwrapping Hershey Kisses to make her world famous peanut butter blossoms. When my boys came into my life, we would bake cookies nearly every weekend, logging hours in the kitchen. Baking with kids is something I’m pretty passionate about, and over the years I’ve worked out a few hacks and easy baking recipes for kids that make it more fun and less stressful than you might imagine. Keep scrolling for my best tips!

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Some of you may remember that last fall we added a record player to our dining room, which is the absolute heart of our home. I immediately began stock piling Christmas albums on vinyl (duh) and it’s become a teensy bit of an obsession now for our friends to check out whatever new finds I’ve added into the rotation when they come over for parties or to play cards on the weekends. While I am still eyeing a bunch I want to buy this year, here is my current list of favorite Christmas albums on vinyl!

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Full disclosure! The inspiration for this project was born entirely from my pal Kelly’s DIY colorful Christmas village that she created last year. Last week I found myself in the wood aisle in Michael’s sourcing pieces for another project and I decided to check out the wooden houses since I had Kelly’s project bookmarked and wanted to start a village of our own for our family this year. Lo and behold, I also spied these tiny little birdhouses and instantly knew I needed to transform them into ornaments. A tiny hanging Christmas village made from birdhouses?! I couldn’t resist that level of cute and so out came the glitter and the glue!

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One of the questions I get a lot from my friends is my recommendation for the best Christmas cocktail to serve up at all their various holiday parties. Apparently my reputation precedes me! Making seasonal holiday cocktails is my favorite, but jazzing up a classic White Russian recipe in particular is kind of my thing. Over the years I’ve made sugar cookie White Russians, gingerbread White Russians and my super popular salted caramel White Russian recipe. This year I’m raising the bar with this white chocolate peppermint White Russian recipe that tastes a bit like Christmas itself swirled into a glass.

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As a vegetarian I tend to love Thanksgiving sides best of all. Have you tried my vegetarian stuffing yet?! It’s insanely good. But these? These scalloped sweet potatoes are epic. They’re creamy and the right blend of salty and sweet from the mix of cheeses and sweet potatoes. Best part is, you can prep them the night before and just pop them into the oven when it’s time.

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We host Thanksgiving every year at our home and it’s something Bob and I both look forward to all year. Keeping the Thanksgiving celebrations going all weekend long is one of my favorite ways to spend the holiday weekend as we transition into the holiday season. It’s my favorite time of year and filling the house with friends all weekend long makes my soul happy. So today we’re talking Thanksgiving leftovers! Namely, how to use them up along with how to host your friends for a day after Thanksgiving party featuring a menu starring all your favorite leftovers. Today I’ve teamed up with Dixie Plates to share my seriously epic leftover stuffing dumplings and how you can turn your Thanksgiving weekend into a weekend-long holiday extravaganza!

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My love for entertaining comes from a deeply rooted passion for bringing people together in celebration and in love. It’s for that reason I love the Friendsgiving trend of recent years as a way to welcome the friends you love to your table and into your home. Today I’ve teamed up with Bed Bath & Beyond to inspire your own Friendsgiving feast, but with a slight twist. We’re ditching the turkey in lieu of brunch with a spread of food that will have you passing over your roaster pan in favor of the waffle maker. My hope is that you’ll spy something here (like perhaps my spinach and broccolini goat cheese quiche recipe) that will move you to send out a group text that says something along the lines of, “Hi, friends. Come on over. Let’s do brunch.”

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Thanksgiving is in a couple weeks so my pals Michael, Chelsea, Eden, Lexy, Julie and Courtney and I decided to team up for a little progressive dinner party today! We’re all sharing posts that will collectively add up to one super tasty and stylish Friendsgiving dinner, so hop around and pin everyone’s posts. On my end, I’ve deconstructed the classic green bean casserole into perhaps the tastiest amuse-bouche you’ve ever eaten – mini green bean casserole puffs! They’re the perfect one-bite appetizer that will leave you wanting about fifteen more. If you have a larger crowd, double up the recipe! You’ll be glad you did.

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Since moving into our house a couple years ago, my mom, Bob and I co-chair Thanksgiving every year, getting together weeks in advance to pour over the menu. The three of us are the head chefs in the family with our second oldest, Ethan, coming up the ranks as a cook in-training now that he’s studying culinary arts in high school. This year we’re playing with a slightly nontraditional menu with a few stand out sides and desserts. Wondering what we’re making? Here are 12 things I might make and stay tuned for some of the Thanksgiving recipes I’ve been playing with already!

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With a little over a week left until one of my favorite days of the year (yes, we’re obviously talking about the 4th of July again), I’m starting to get the itch! The itch to blow off work, sit by the water, make lots of festive desserts and crafts, watch fireworks and generally soak up summer in full force. While I’m not typically one who is into themes when it comes to entertaining, I will gladly take all the red, white and blue you can throw at me come this time of year. Today I’m sharing 21 super festive red, white and blue ideas for desserts, decorations, cocktails and appetizers all perfect for your upcoming parties and picnics!

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After Christmas, hands down my favorite holiday of all time is the 4th of July! I’m a sucker for all the summery nostalgia from the fireworks to the 4th of July desserts to the stars and stripes to the requisite ice cream cones and backyard picnics. I recently teamed up with Walmart to host the most festive modern Americana inspired 4th of July party and today I’m sharing all the details! I loaded the backyard with great finds from Walmart, created the prettiest spread of 4th of July decorations and loaded up on the appropriately themed menu items like red, white and blue desserts and watermelon cut into stars. My favorite part is that just about every single thing you see here, from the place settings to the decor to the food to the fashion selections, can all be found at Walmart!

Read More about Give Me Liberty! A Modern Americana Inspired Backyard 4th of July Party