I almost didn’t post this recipe. How do you make parsnips look gorgeous and attractive?  How many people actually appreciate parsnips? How can parsnips compete with all the cookies and candy recipes out there?Continue reading
It’s bananas that I am already planning our Christmas menu! Â I feel like I have barely recovered from Thanksgiving. Â The good news is that Christmas dinner is very low key. Â We start with a small cheese board while we’re opening gifts. Â Dinner commences with chicken soup with tortellini, followed by roast tenderloin and 2-3 side dishes. Â My mom makes the soup and meat and I change up the sides every so often. Â But I always keep them very veggie-centric so we don’t feel bad about indulging in too many Christmas cookies later.Continue reading
This post is sponsored by Moink Box. All opinions are my own.
My sister was gifted a “23 and Me” or Ancestry.com (I can’t remember which one) learn-about-your-DNA kit. I honestly thought that was the silliest idea ever since we are 100% Italian. My father was born and raised in Italy and my mother’s four grandparents were all born in Italy. Slam dunk. My sister went through the motions anyway because, why not?
So when she called me after she received her results with a bit of excitement in her voice, it was like life imitating art (i.e. this would play out like one of the commercials.) “You’re not going to believe this,” she said.
Who isn’t stepping foot inside the kitchen again for the rest of their lives??? Â I used to say that after my first few Thanksgivings. Â But let’s be real, come 4 o’clock the next day, I am ready to eat a meal that isn’t pie pretending to be breakfast. Â That said, I thought I would ease you back into the kitchen with popcorn. Â Don’t act so underwhelmed. Â This is the best popcorn ever!Continue reading
Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving! Â I hope you all had a great holiday. Â Mine was just lovely and it was so special to spend the day with my girls who are home from college in the kitchen with me. Â The weather was crazy warm and my husband and I were able to enjoy a beautiful beach walk while the apple pies were in the oven.
Let me just say, I hope you’ve committed to a menu by now. Â This is no time to be deciding between the Harvest Chopped Salad or the Butternut Squash Salad! They’re both great and there’s no wrong choice. Â Pick one and make the other one for Christmas. Â The only thing you may not have settled on is whether or not you should do a cocktail. I am here to convince you that yes, you should do a fun drink because we are fun people you and I, and we can’t let this Thanksgiving business make us too stressed out. Â So, let’s have a drink!
I always put out a few light bites with cocktails on Thanksgiving one hour before we sit down to the big meal. The challenge is finding things that won’t make people full, but are just enough to tide us over to dinner time, especially if we skipped lunch. Plus, if you’re having an alcoholic drink, it’s a good idea to consumer some food at the same time.
This post has been edited from the original which was published on November 17, 2011.
It’s always hard to accomplish your Thanksgiving tasks when you don’t know how many people you’re having over!  I think I have the final count and we’re only going to be 22 people this year, including my two daughters who will be home from college. I am so excited to have all my kids in the kitchen this year prepping and cooking with me. I had a stroke of genius six years ago, which was to tack my Thanksgiving to-do list on the refrigerator and have everyone sign up for three tasks. Even my husband helps out!
My last class is today, but I have a few fun things to keep my busy until Thanksgiving.  Today at 2:30 pm PST/5:30 pm EST, I will be making a green bean casserole on Town & Country’s Facebook Live.  Please join me!  Friday, my friend John from the Preppy Kitchen and I will do a Facebook Live together around 10:00 am PST.  Then I am working on a special project with a great company and shooting some videos for them, so lots to do!  I’ll be getting busy on Sunday when I start making applesauce and cranberry sauce. I always plan Thanksgiving day down to the last detail because I don’t like forgetting things and a schedule makes me feel more relaxed, which equals more fun for me! But just because Thanksgiving is the star of the show this week doesn’t mean that I can forget about normal life on very other day. So I think about regular meals and activities, too. Here’s what my schedule will look like from Sunday until we eat on Thursday at 4:00 pm (-ish). This shouldn’t make you feel exhausted, but merely show you what you can do ahead for your own Thanksgiving! The Chalkboard Mag published a really great blogpost last year with tons of tips from lots of food experts (including me!) I highly recommend giving it a quick read.
My Thanksgiving ebook is now available! Â This PDF contains all my Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks, in one document! Â You will have everything you need to plan and execute your best Thanksgiving ever. Â Click here to access the Thanksgiving ebook.
