Welcome to the weekend, friends! Just a couple more weeks until Christmas and I am so ready for it all. (Okay, I may not actually be ready, but I am certainly excited!) We’ve been enjoying our advent tree and taking turns reading a few pages from A Christmas Carol each night. I’m making plans for holiday baking as soon as the boys’ holiday break begins.

ON THE BLOG this week: Soup that is filling and flavorful is a winner every time, and that puts white bean, sausage, and cabbage soup high on the request list at our house. Buttery, cheesy, flaky drop biscuits filled with shredded zucchini and carrots are a perfect match for all the soups you’re craving.

Almost 20 years ago, I was handed one of the most delicious cookies I had ever tasted. The Pignoli Cookie is unique in flavor and texture; completely unlike anything I had tasted before that day.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Fudge is filled with sweet, chewy bits of coconut and then topped with a generous sprinkling of coconut.

Cream Cheese Mints melt in your mouth with a sweet peppermint flavor. Kept pure white or colored however you like, pressed into molds or simply rolled and pressed with a fork, however you make these mints, they’re one of the easiest candy recipes of all time.

Creamy Corn Dip is a creamy, spicy, slightly sweet snack for any time of the year. With loads of great flavor from cilantro, lime, chili powder, and cumin, this is an irresistibly dippable version of Mexican street corn.

Made in the oven or in the air fryer, these Cajun Brussels Sprouts are another crispy, flavorful snack that I just can’t stop making.

Tart cranberries and sweet apples are baked inside a brown sugar and oat crisp for a perfect not-to-sweet cranberry apple crisp.

Caramel, pecans, and dark chocolate are combined in this simple homemade caramel turtle bark candy. If you like chocolate turtles, you’re going to flip for this easy shortcut recipe!

What I’m CRAVING: Have you tried sponge candy? Until a few years ago, I’d never heard of it. But then my friend Rebecca introduced us to it and it’s become a holiday favorite. I’ve never tried making it though, so this recipe is on my must-try list this year!

My FAVORITE THING this week is the game Pun Intended. I picked this up as an advent gift for my boys and it was

Welcome to the weekend, friends! The cooler weather has certainly arrived here in Ohio and the chilly mornings have me dreaming of snowy days and cups of hot tea or peppermint hot chocolate piled high with whipped cream.

ON THE BLOG this week: Tart cranberries and spicy peppers mingle in this sweet and spicy Cranberry Pepper Jelly. Everyone goes crazy for this spicy jam at the very first bite!

Palmiers, Elephant Ears, French Hearts, Palm Leaves: whatever you like to call them, these cookies are in the running for my all-time favorite treat. Palmier Cookies are light, airy, buttery sugar-sprinkled cookies that only require two ingredients.

You’re going to LOVE this Creamy Cranberry Jalapeno Dip – it’s even better than Costco’s version that is so popular. This dip is lightly sweetened and balanced with just a hint of heat from the peppers. Served with crackers and pretzels or spread on toast, this is an unforgettable holiday treat.

Fluffy sweet potatoes with crisp edges are tossed with crumbled bacon and drizzled with balsamic glaze to make these roasted sweet potato bites.

Crispy roasted chicken thighs with red potatoes baked right along with the chicken make a delicious weeknight meal. The skin-on chicken thighs roast slowly and baste the potatoes as they cook. This process creates so much delicious flavor and could not be simpler.

Rich and delicious is the best way to describe creamed Brussels Sprouts with garlic and parmesan. Sprinkle them with bacon and you won’t want to share. If you are wondering where creamed Brussels Sprouts have been your entire life. Wonder no more, and go make these!

Five-minute fudge recipes are my saving grace this time of year. This creamy dark chocolate peppermint fudge is topped with crushed candy canes for a wonderful Christmas treat.

Peppermint mocha ice cream is a great way to enjoy your favorite Christmas flavors in a cold and creamy bowl of ice cream. Ice cream isn’t just for summer! My ice cream maker gets a year-round workout as I churn our favorite flavors of each season together.

What I’m CRAVING: This gorgeous raspberry pastry caught my eye this week and I immediately put puff pastry on my shopping list. It’s gorgeous and

Welcome to the weekend, friends! I hope that your Thanksgiving was everything you wanted it to be this year. (And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m wishing you a wonderful weekend too!) We had a great visit with family and I’m happily enjoying some couch time and games with my boys this weekend.

ON THE BLOG this week: Tangy cranberry pancakes topped with maple syrup make getting out of bed on the weekend a little bit easier. I’ll be making these a couple more times for certain before cranberry season comes to an end.

Speaking of syrup, brown sugar and butter can be simmered together to create a caramel toffee-flavored homemade syrup like nothing you’ve ever tasted. This sauce is no substitute for maple syrup, Brown Butter Homemade Syrup is awesome all by itself.

Crisp baby spinach, spring mix lettuces, tart apples, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds, and the ultimate honey cider salad dressing are combined to create this fantastic Spinach Apple Salad.

Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls are for those of us who love traditional cabbage rolls almost as much as we hate the time it takes to roll and bake them. Bites of juicy ground beef with fluffy rice and tangy tomato sauce are made even better in this simple one-skillet meal.

Just in case you haven’t yet tried it, many of you went absolutely CRAZY over this Cranberry Jalapeno Dip for Thanksgiving. “The sweet heat that you can not stop eating” is the best way to describe this creamy cranberry jalapeno dip. I am snacking on some this afternoon as I write this and I’m willing to bet I’ll be making more this weekend.

Oven-roasted cabbage with balsamic and roasted onions is nothing short of a crazy obsession for me at this point. Try it once and you will understand.

Do you have leftover turkey? Try adding it to this potato and vegetable soup for a hearty meal that you’re certain to savor. With some rolls and jalapeno honey butter on the side, this is a dinner I’m already looking forward to eating tomorrow.

What I’m CRAVING: Truthfully? Not a whole lot. Funny how a day of feasting does that to us, doesn’t it? Though I’m likely to be polishing off the rest of the Strawberry Pretzel Salad with every meal until it’s done.

My FAVORITE THING this week is Bananagrams. I played this game all week with both the adults and the

Welcome to the weekend, friends! Can you believe it’s Thanksgiving week already? We have family in town and I’m looking forward to lots of great food and games.

Want a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner? Find out what you can make-ahead and follow the timeline to get it all done on time! Are you a list maker? Do you love having a plan for everything and then checking things off? If so, this post is for you.

ON THE BLOG this week: Are you looking for the perfect pork roast recipe? Roasted all day, left falling apart and tender enough to cut with a fork; this Italian Pork Roast just might become your favorite pork roast with the very first bite.

These creamy, buttery, cheesy mashed potatoes are what food dreams are made of, I suggest making extra, to avoid arguments over who gets seconds.

Tasty and pretty these green bean bacon bundles with their buttery, sweet glaze and a hint of warmth are a dinner-time treat.

Savory, and sweet with a touch of heat comes together perfectly in this sausage and apple stuffed acorn squash. My friend Margaret told me about this recipe a while back and I’ve looked forward to trying it ever since. As soon as the winter squash hit the stores, this was on our meal plan. You’re going to love it.

From the crunch of the sugar crust on the bottom to the juicy cranberries to the flaky cake layer on top; Nantucket Christmas Cranberry Pie is cranberry dessert heaven.

Have you heard of Milk Punch? This old-school cocktail is made with bourbon, whisky, or brandy. It is a very lightly sweetened drink that starts with milk and half-and-half, it’s flavored with hints of vanilla and nutmeg.

Slightly chewy with a sweetly tart combination, cranberry oatmeal bars are full of cranberries and apples topped with brown sugar and oatmeal crumbs.

Smooth, creamy, and filled with the warm spices of the holiday season Eggnog Ice Cream is the perfect fireside treat. While ice cream is often considered a summer treat, eggnog ice cream is a winter favorite. This lightly spiced ice cream evokes a cozy feeling and we enjoy it through the holiday season.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Maegan transformed a tube of crescent rolls into these absolutely irresistible cinnamon sugar cruffins and I can’t wait to try them.

Welcome to the weekend, friends! It’s been rainy and drizzling all morning and I’m loving it so much. I know that many people are far less excited than I am for the arrival of winter, but it’s hard to contain my excitement some days. While I don’t love the cold as much as I love fall and spring, the changing of the seasons remains one of my very favorite things about living in Ohio.

ON THE BLOG this week: Coconut Lovers be warned, this coconut rice krispie treat is going to star in your food daydreams for years to come. I adore coconut and I also LOVE a great rice krispie treat, so this combination is pretty much my idea of snacking perfection.

Who doesn’t love a quick and easy recipe full of creamy ricotta and spinach, tucked into jumbo pasta shells and smothered in marinara sauce?

The smooth creamy texture of brown sugar ice cream with its rich caramel, toffee-like flavor makes this the perfect ice cream to take me into fall.

Rich, chewy fudge brownies filled with melting Andes mints and plenty of chocolate chips are brownie perfection.

For a side dish that checks all the boxes, smokey, sweet, savory, and salty, serve these caramelized carrots with bacon.

Light and fluffy, absolutely Perfect Pancakes are a recipe that everyone needs to have in their pocket. I’ve been making this pancake recipe for as long as I can remember and every single person who has tried these pancakes has loved them.

With all the flavors of pumpkin pie stirred into a creamy bowl of oatmeal, this quick and easy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal is our favorite fall oatmeal.

This Date Nut Roll brings me directly back to my childhood. I remember watching my grandpa roll this on the kitchen counter every holiday when we visited.

What I’m CRAVING: This Thanksgiving Charcuterie Board by Modern Honey might be the prettiest themed board I’ve ever seen. I want this for a holiday centerpiece now.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these paper liners for the air fryer basket. I’m certain my friend Sandra is reading this and laughing herself silly because I admittedly thought they were a bit “extra” and couldn’t possibly be worth buying when she first told me about them. 

Well, I’ve had to eat those words, b