Happy Hour: Pomegranate Rosemary Vodka Tonic

I always wanted to be one of those people who had a signature drink.  Something I'd get every time I went out to the bar or had a drink with dinner.  That way whenever the waiter or bartender asked for my order, I'd have it at the ready.  

And it'd sound cool when I ordered.  Every early 20-something drinking their rum and coke would be super jealous.  It couldn't be anything frilly.  No soda.  No juice.  No Redbull. 

After years of experimenting, I settled on a vodka tonic with lemon about a year ago.  It's not exactly the most impressive drink, but it's not the most embarrassing one either.  

So, to spruce up my favorite go-to cocktail for Christmas, I added some fresh pomegranate juice (I know, I said no juice, but this is a special circumstance) and rosemary and it is soooo good!  The pomegranate juice is really more for color and festiveness than anything else, but you can really taste the muddled rosemary.  

People will definitely be impressed if you shake some of these up on Christmas Eve!

Cheesy Green Bean Casserole

Green beans were one of the few vegetables my sisters and I could all agree on as 'the vegetable' when I was little - Darcie was a little picky.  Just the plain old canned version.  The ones that squeak against your teeth.

Actually, I still like them, but when you're asked to bring the beans to a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, you can't really just show up with a can.  Well, you can and if you did, you'd be my hero, but if you're like me, you feel the pressure.

And while I like canned green beans just fine, I felt like using the fresh ones this go around.  I snapped off the ends of what felt like 80,000 green beans Thanksgiving morning and mixed them with some cheesy buttermilk ranch sauce.

Of course, you can't even call it a green bean casserole if it doesn't have the french fried onions.  So there's some of those mixed in with the panko bread crumbs and a little extra cheese for good measure.

If you want to switch up your sides a little bit for your Christmas dinner this year, this recipe is going to be the one.  It's different, but it's not too different.  It's the good kind of different.

Mocha Yule Log

It seems like I just can't get away from people that 'don't like pie.'  And I don't get it.  And really, I don't like that kind of talk towards pie.

To me, it's kind of like saying, 'I don't like vegetables,' or any other major food group.  I mean, have you tried all the types?

And don't tell me you don't like crust, because there are lots of types of crust.  Also, what part is it that offends your tastebuds?  The flakey, buttery, slightly sweet delicious part?

Every Thanksgiving we have the 'pie debate' and every year I come away baffled.  My confusion only heightens when people compare pie to cake.  They are totally different!  You cannot compare the two.  You just can't.

If you don't like cake either, you better just leave now.

I make a yule log every year and it's good.  Not to brag or anything, but it's really good.  The only problem is that it doesn't always turn out.  I can't quite figure out why it cracks some years and others it's fine, but that's what happens.  So then I have to turn it into a trifle.  Also delicious.

This year, I thought I'd try out a new recipe to see if it would roll into that perfect shape better and still taste amazing - and well, it did.  (I swear, I'm really a pretty humble person.)

13 Holiday Sides, Appetizers, Desserts and Cocktails

I really don't like when people call Thanksgiving 'Turkey Day.'

Part of this is because I think we should just remember that we're supposed to be thankful tomorrow (and every day), but more importantly, it's really not about the turkey. 

It's about the pie.  And the sides.  And the cocktails.

If you're at a loss for what to bring to your in-laws' tomorrow...well, you're quite the procrastinator, but I applaud you for taking the 'it-will-all-work-out' mentality to heart!  Here are some last-minute sides, appetizer, cocktail and dessert ideas for you.*

And remember to have a happy Thanksgiving!

*Click on the pictures for the recipes.

1. Chestnut Mashed Potatoes

2. Sweet Potatoes au Gratin

3. Confetti Quinoa

4. Artichoke w/Lemon Rosemary Butter Sauce

5. Jalapeño Popper Dip

6. Baked Brie

7. Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

8. Apple Cider Moscow Mule

9. Cranberry Margaritas

10. Eggnog

11. Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

*Or try Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie or Sweet Potato Pie.

12. Cranberry Pecan Pie

13. Salted Caramel Apple Pie

*Or try Aunt Betsy's Apple Pie or Dutch Apple Pie.

Whole Roasted Chicken

I've yet to host a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.  I usually make a pie or two but other than that, I pretty much just show up.

After making this chicken though, I am ready!  (Assuming that cooking chicken is the exact same as cooking turkey.)

Normally, I don't even like to cook meat that much.  It's not because I don't like to eat meat, but I don't like to clean it.  Poultry in particular.  I'm going to be upfront with you.  This recipe involves touching the chicken.  A lot.

That being said, it's totally worth it.  Really just the delicious smells coming from your oven make it worth it.  The perfectly cooked, super moist, crispy skinned dinner is a great bonus.

Seriously, if turkey is this easy, be prepared for the best Thanksgiving ever at my house!

Butternut Squash Fettuccine with Fried Sage

Austin and I have been together a long time.

I don't mean to say that we're going to be winning any awards or setting any records or anything, but Austin's turning 27 today!  We went on our first date when he was 17!

I'm not a math savant or anything, but I'm pretty sure that's 10 years!

One date that I remember in particular was prom, because duh! Who doesn't remember prom?

We went to a nice restaurant on Main Street before heading over to the dance and I got the butternut squash ravioli.  I don't always remember what I eat for each meal, but I remember this because Austin tried a bite and that was literally the first time he realized that vegetables could be sweet!

He's been a big fan ever since.

I like the sweetness of this pasta recipe especially with the contrast of the crunchy, butter fried sage leaves!  And, as Austin says, 'it tastes like candy!' (Happy Birthday!)

Caprese Picks

The first time I went to Europe, I ate a lot of caprese sandwiches.  Mostly because they're delicious and also because they're cheap.

We were traveling around for about a month and I needed to save my money for more important things than food.  Things like alcohol and Ritter Sport.  (I was 18 at the time, although I don't think my priorities have changed much.)

The nice thing about Europe though is that you can buy a very cheap caprese sandwich and it will still be on some of the best bread you've ever eaten.

And, I still like a caprese anything.  Caprese sandwich.  Caprese Salad.  Caprese on a toothpick.  It's all good.

Watermelon Baby Carriage

At this point you've all seen the 'Pinterest fails.' And, they're really funny, sure.

But they're also kind of sad.

Nothing upsets me more than spending a lot of time and energy on something and then having it look like a scary mess on the plate.  Not a hot mess.  A scary mess.

This watermelon baby carriage was a Pinterest find, but it actually worked!

If I'm being totally honest with you, I didn't actually make this.  My mom did.  But since my mom is a real person and not a Pinterest liar, I think you can still trust that it is doable.

Also, when you're hosting a baby shower, it's pretty much a must.  Every. Single. Guest will comment on it and say how amazing you are as a hostess.  Promise.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Shooters

Everything is cuter when you serve it in a shot glass.  Well, except for shots.  Shots are very rarely cute or at least the people taking them are very rarely cute.  (Contrary to what you think while you're taking them!)

But food in shot glasses?  Adorbs.

Pretty much every party, gathering, or event I've gone to, at least 3 people bring hummus with them.  Maybe that's just the crowd that I run with, but either way, it must mean that people like it.

What I don't like about hummus is that everyone reaches into the same bowl with their veggie sticks or pitas or whatever.  It takes about 6 seconds for that nice little swirl of hummus to be destroyed and then it looks completely unappetizing.

So, put a little dollop in a shot glass, drop your veggie sticks into it and problem solved!  Everyone gets to eat it and no one has to share or wonder which kid poked their finger into the bowl!

How to Throw a Baby Shower

Any day now, I'm going to be an Aunt.  Aunt Sarah.

I wonder how long it's going to take until that sounds normal!  Maybe by the time the kid (we don't know the sex yet) can talk, it won't seem so weird.  But for now, it's a little strange.

Since you all understand how family trees work, by now you've figured out that my sibling (in this case, my sister) is pregnant.  And when you have a sister that's preggers, that means you'll be throwing a baby shower.

There's a lot that goes into a baby shower and the first thing you need to decide is what direction you want to go.  Namely, do you want games where your guests are grossed out because they're forced to sniff diapers and look at weirdly-shaped, partially-melted candy bars.  Or, do you not want to do that?  Those are really the only 2 options in my mind.

Even though you may choose not to have games, that doesn't mean you don't provide entertainment!  Here are some tips to hosting a baby shower without games that is still fun and avoids those awkward lulls in conversations:

1. Obviously, the biggest thing: have food and drinks.  Even if you're not serving a meal, there should be plenty to snack on.  The shower that we hosted for my sister was an afternoon 'tea party' with lots of finger foods, drinks, and dessert.  (Recipes will be coming your way!)

2. Decorate.  Your decorations don't have to be super intricate or expensive, but lay out some tablecloths, make some sort of signage so people know where to go, and display the food and gifts in nice way.  My mom just borrowed some of the onesies that my sister already had and hung them up on a clothesline outside our front door so people knew they were in the right place.

3. Play music!  I can't stress this one enough!  Really, this goes for any party.  Whenever you're having people over, there are going to be natural breaks in the conversation and when that happens, you don't want dead silence.  You just don't.  It makes people want to run away and hide.  So find a good playlist and have it going in the background.

4. Entertain.  This really involves everything from when you greet your guests at the door to when they leave after everything has wound down.  You need to tell them where to put their gift and jacket, facilitate the different 'activities' you have planned (games, eating, opening presents, etc.), mingle constantly, and refill food and drinks.  Especially at a baby shower, where all of the people there will probably not know each other, look for the person that's sitting by herself and talk to her, but more importantly, introduce her to another person that doesn't know anyone else. 

5. Make favors.  My mom and I made a salt scrub so the guests can have something to remember the shower...get it?!  I'll share the instructions soon!

That's all I've got for you, but I'd say the shower my mom and I threw for my sister was pretty successful.  So, I guess I'm kind-of like an expert now.

How to Host a Summer Barbecue

Barbecues are the best type of entertaining.  They're super easy - since you're outside, you don't have to clean the whole house (just the path to the bathroom); very minimal decorations are required; and people aren't expecting anything formal.

The biggest element to having a successful barbecue is the food.  Obviously!  That's why people came in the first place.

I'll share my family's classic bbq recipes over the next few posts so you have specifics, but I thought I'd give you some general tips first.