Growing up, we didn’t have a set tradition of baking specific cookies for Santa. We usually left Santa whatever cookies we had baked last because at Christmas the cookie jar was never left empty. Rarely did we bake sugar cookies though, because most of my family, myself included, did not have the patience to chill, cut, and ice sugar cookies. While this recipe for sugar cookies does require an hour of chilling, it is otherwise relatively quick to bake. The dough is easy to mix and cut, and topping with colored sugar significantly cut down the time from measuring to eating. Enjoy! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Print Sugar Cookie recipe.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

I cant think of anything better than cuddling up in flannel pajamas, with Winston, next to the Christmas tree and watching a classic Christmas movie! Earlier this year I shared my Quarantine Approved Movie List and since we are still in a global pandemic (boo) I am expanding my list. I started listing out my favorite Christmas movies and quickly realized I only like Christmas movies prior to 2006 (whoops). Maybe it is because I watched these movies as a kid, but my list of Favorite Christmas Movies really makes me seem an old lady. If you have a hard time finding these older movies  Vudu has most for free with ads and Reelgood is a great source to find where to stream. Please share your favorite and hopefully more recent Christmas movies so I can check them out! xoxo

Image via Alex Phillips.

A Christmas Carol (1938)

Holiday Inn (1942)

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Miracle on 34th St. (1947)

White Christmas (1954)

Babes in Toyland (1961)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas – animated (1966)

Frosty the Snowman (1969)

The Year without Santa Clause (1974)

A Christmas Story (1983)

A Christmas Carol (1984)

Scrooged (1988)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)

Home Alone (1990)

Home Alone 2 (1992)

The Santa Clause (1994)

Miracle on 34th St. (1994)

Jingle All The Way (1996)

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1998)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Love Actually (2003)

Elf (2003)

The Holiday (2006)

My favorite dish on Thanksgiving day has always been cranberry sauce, well second to the pie of course. My dad always makes the most delicious Thanksgiving cranberries and his recipe is so simple! Use 1 pound of cranberries in the sauce and it serves 4-6 people, so if you have a larger crowd you might want to double the recipe. I also like my cranberries a little more tart so I cut the amount of sugar in half (the orange juice is plenty sweet for me) if you like sweeter cranberry sauce, use a full cup of sugar. The Grand Marnier is also optional, but it does add a great sharp orange flavor to the tart cranberries. Check out my Pumpkin Pie and Pecan Pie recipes to complete your Thanksgiving meal. Enjoy! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips. 

Print Cranberry Sauce Recipe. 

Juice of 2 large oranges 

1/2 cup sugar

1 pound of cranberries 

Zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier

In a saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil. Add cranberries, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add orange zest, peans, and Grand Marnier. Best when served warm.

M&M cookies are my all-time favorite type of cookie! While I really love just about any kind of cookie, for as long as I can remember I have been especially fond of M&M. I love using the seasonal M&M colors to turn this classic cookie into a festive dessert. I especially love the Christmas and the Valentine’s Day M&M colors, but Halloween, Fourth of July, and Easter have some great seasonal M&Ms as well. After perfecting my Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, I started experimenting with the addition of M&Ms. There were many iterations of M&M cookies, but I found that when I use a 1-inch cookie scoop, 6 M&Ms placed in a flower pattern is the perfect ratio. This way you have a bite of M&M with every bite of the cookie. My Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe has proven to be a great base for many variations of cookies and it works particularly well for M&M.  Enjoy! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Print the M&M Cookies recipe.

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups flour

1 bag of Regular M&M’s

Cream the butter with sugar until fluffy.

Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

Combine and sift all dry ingredients, then beat into the butter mixture.

Use a cookie scoop to place dough on a cookie sheet about an inch apart.

Place 6 M&M’s on each cookie in a flower shape.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. I use a convection oven, and they are done in 8 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Looking for more cookie recipes? Check out my posts here:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Heart Cookies 

Dress: J.Crew // Shoes: Marc Fisher // Earrings: J.Crew

New Years Eve is tomorrow and I have been trying on all the black and gold outfits in my closet. A few weeks ago I shared this gold skirt and then I saw this black bow dress. I am still trying decide on my official NYE outfit, but love the simplicity of a black dress with gold accents. This dress fits true to size (wearing a 0) and hits just above the knee. The peplum hem adds a little movement to the dress and the bow back is a fun surprise. I paired this black bow dress with gold heels and these sparkly pearl earrings. Shop this look and my favorite NYE looks below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Turtleneck: J.Crew // Skirt: J.Crew // Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff // Shoes: Charles David // Earrings: J.Crew

This weekend we are attending the last of this year’s Christmas parties and my mind has already shifted to New Years Eve parties. I don’t love NYE, but I do love the excuse to add something metallic to my neutral wardrobe! I started with these super fun earrings from J.Crew, then this gold metallic skirt caught my eye and I couldn’t say no. This skirt fits true to size (wearing a 0) but be warned that there is very little stretch and it is not cut for wider hips. This skirt fits me a little tight through the hips, and would probably fit better with Spanx, but it fits perfectly in the waist. I paired the gold metallic skirt with my favorite black turtleneck, black pump and the gold earrings the originally caught my eye. These earrings look much heavier than they are and actually do not pull on my ears at all. Shop this look and some of my favorite black and gold pieces below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.