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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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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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Making homemade mulled cider is one of those feel good fall traditions that just feels so right this time of year. It’s such a simple thing to do, mixing cider and spices and fresh orange slices, but it elevates the whole experience. Today I’m collaborating with my friends at Truvia to share my go-to mulled cider recipe, with fewer calories and less sugar! It’s simple enough to make on the stovetop, but it can easily be made in a slow cooker, too, so you can revisit it all day and keep refilling your mug. I made mine with Truvia Brown Sugar Blend so it’s sweet, but tart, spicy but citrusy and just the very definition of delicious. For an adult twist, you can add a generous splash of good brandy or spiced rum to your mug, which I find particularly appropriate on chilly fall evenings or when you get home from trick or treating with the kids and need a little warm up from the inside out. And, because it’s made with Truvía Brown Sugar Blend, a yummy blend of Truvía Natural Sweetener and brown sugar with 75% fewer calories than traditional brown sugar, you can sip to your heart’s content with a lot less sugar.

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Fall in Upstate New York is effectively synonymous with apple season. On weekends you’ll find the local apple orchards packed full of people filling baskets with their freshly picked bounty and the local cider mill with lines a mile long waiting for fresh cider and donuts. We get really crazy about the change in seasons around here and apples definitely take center stage in fall. I love these chocolate dipped apples on a stick as really fun seasonal treat that doesn’t require hours of peeling, coring and rolling of dough. If you have kids, let them pick out and sprinkle on their own toppings! I like a mix of mini chocolate chips, granola, shaved coconut and almonds, but you can switch out the toppings for whatever your crew will most enjoy.

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After a seriously prolonged heat wave that felt more like summer than summer did, it finally transitioned into soup and sweater weather over the last few days. This morning the air has that special crispness that only fall can bring and my big ol mug of coffee was even more welcome than usual. As recently as last Wednesday, I had the AC cranking and this morning I had to kick on the heat to warm things up a bit. Have I mentioned how wonky our weather can be here in Upstate New York? Ha! At any rate, let’s talk soup! In particular, nine seriously scrumptious ideas for topping your soup to take it from so-so to insanely delicious. This would be a really fun idea for a party, too! Serve up a few different soups and a bunch of toppings and let friends and mix and match their favorite flavor combinations. Or just take your weeknight dinner to the next level the quick and easy way with a really over the top bowl of soup. Either way, you’re winning in either scenario.

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In the little village nestled in a valley where I went to college, there was a coffee shop where we used to flock on crisp fall nights for big cups of steamy, creamy chai tea latte. In truth it was probably the first “real” coffee shop I ever frequented and it smelled of good coffee beans and freshly made espresso in a way that makes me nostalgic just thinking of the place. Not a fall season has gone by since where I haven’t longed to be there with a big mug in hand. Today I’m once again teaming up with the folks at Truvia, this time to bring you the most delicious homemade chai tea latte recipe you’re ever going to try. After a few years of attempting it, I think I’ve finally settled on the right mix of spices and tea and milk to make a seriously solid cup of chai. Because it’s sweetened with Truvia Natural Sweetener it also has delightfully less sugar and fewer calories than the chai you pick up at the drive-thru and is far more delicious.

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You wouldn’t know it based on the sunshine and 80 degree days we’ve been experiencing, but in my mind it’s officially sweater weather season! Fall in Upstate New York is a serious thing of beauty. On the weekends it means apple picking and trips to our local cider mill where their apple cider donuts are famed for all the right reasons. During the week it means crisp cool mornings and extra large cups of coffee while I’m checking my morning email. Also, it means adding pumpkin to anything reasonable like donuts, cocktails and cheesecake parfaits. Or in today’s case, oatmeal energy bites! These are one of my favorite quick and easy little breakfasts these days. A couple of these, a piece of fruit and coffee makes the perfect start to the day. They’re also a great dessert, a great mid-day snack and loaded with protein and good-for-you ingredients. I make them year round without the pumpkin, but this pumpkin spice version is perfect for fall. Give them a try, I think you’ll love these!

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Give this four bean veggie chili recipe (that is also a vegan chili recipe) a try for your next tailgate party – it’s the best veggie chili recipe you’ll ever try! It’s Super Bowl week and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m completely excited. For one, we’re hosting the festivities this weekend and I …

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