Crockpot Corned Beef & Cabbage

I know you're getting ready for Christmas tomorrow and you're fully in the swing of Christmas things right now, but I wanted to get you prepared for the new year too.

You're probably thinking about ham or turkey or prime rib or whatever you eat on Christmas.  You're probably not thinking about cabbage.  I don't blame you, but I didn't want you to be unprepared when Friday rolls around.  Christmas is over.  You start putting away the decorations and get ready for the next holiday.

This is all in an effort to be prepared.

As far as I understand, corned beef and cabbage is a traditional Irish dish.  One that we ate every New Year's Day and St. Patrick's Day growing up (still do, actually), being the good quite distant, Irish immigrants that we are.

My sister shared this particular slow-cooker recipe for corned beef with me last year and it blew me away.  I had no idea that corned beef could be moist!  Seriously, no idea.  This one is though.  It's so satisfyingly salty and tender.  There's next to no prep that goes into it.  Quite honestly, it makes me want to eat it more than 2x a year.

Cranberry Eggnog French Toast

For the past couple months I've really been enjoying a healthy dose of eggnog in my morning coffee.  I used to think I hated that, but apparently I was wrong because when I tried it again this year, I slurped it down.  Now, I'm already dreading the day they pull the nog from the shelves.

When I was a tot, I hated eggnog in general.

I really wanted to like it, mostly because my cousin, Beth (who I thought was the coolest person in the entire world), drank it.  And I tried.  I really did, but the stuff is pretty weird.  It's so thick that it feels like you're drinking straight whipping cream and the flavor is not exactly kid-friendly.

So if you're still on the fence about the nog, I get it.  I don't even blame you and I probably won't even make you try it again.

Even if you're not the biggest fan of eggnog, this overnight french toast recipe is pretty mild.  And because eggnog is already sweet, you don't have to add any extra sugar like other overnight french toast recipes.

Even though the taste of the eggnog is mild, that, in combination with the cinnamon and fresh cranberries, makes it a perfect dish for Christmas morning!  Did I mention, you can make it the night before?!

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!

7 Up Salad

In case you didn't know this about me, I'm from Utah.  Technically, I lived in Indiana until I was 11, but since I would never be able to find my childhood house without a GPS, I don't really consider that home.

I feel like I am really from Utah.  It's where I went to middle school, high school and college.  It's where I learned to love the outdoors and where I got married on a cliff edge.

And in Utah, we love our green Jell-O.  Actually, I don't know if that's at all true, but that is the stereotype and I'm just going to go with it.  So it's just a little bit ironic that this recipe is not something my family found upon our migration to the West, but rather something we brought with us from the Midwest.

Doesn't really matter where it's from.  It's delicious.  A little weird, yes.  And yes, you'll probably get strange looks the first time you serve it.  But remember, it is delicious.  We've been having it as part of our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for as long as I can remember, and now you're welcome to add it to your spread!

Sweet Potato Casserole

On Saturday, Austin and I had the best intentions to go snowshoeing, but when we got up into the mountains, we realized there was really no need for the snowshoes.  So we went for a hike instead.

Once we were back there, it turned into a blizzard though!  We had to keep our heads down as we walked about 4 miles back to the car to keep from going snow-blind (not really, but seriously it was snowing hard)!

Then, this morning we woke up to the thinnest layer of snow covering the ground.  Quite frankly, not the white Christmas I'm hoping for, but that's what we're getting used to in Utah.  My point is: I'll take it.  The littlest snowflakes make me want to start up a fire, sip some cocoa and watch Miracle on 34th Street.

I'd also like to eat some holiday food.  When it comes to holiday food, sweet potato casserole has always been and will always be my favorite.

Sweet potato mash that's been made even sweeter topped with a pecan streusel - I mean, what's not to like?

7 Christmas Cookie Recipes

When we were little and would go up to the farm every year for Christmas, everyone brought cookies.  There were way too many to ever fit in the fridges or even on the counter and tabletops, so they all stayed outside on the screened-in porch.

You had to go brave the cold in your socks to get one.  We were pretty brave though.  We would eat every single caramel cup before Christmas day.  

My parents, grandparents, great-grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and sisters all knew that I was making frequent trips to that side of the house, but even still, I was pretty sneaky, so I don't think anyone really knows just how many I ate.

I still love Christmas cookies but now I don't have to sneak them.  Takes some of the fun out of it to be totally honest with you.  Maybe I'll recapture some of that childhood Christmas magic if I start stuffing cookies in my pockets this year!

1. Vanilla Bean Snickerdoodles

2. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

3. Lemon Glazed Ginger Cookies

4. Pecan Fingers

5. Molasses Cookies

6. Frosted Sugar Cookies

7. Chocolate Chip Meringues

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.