7 Stocking Stuffers for Foodies

Just the other day, hubby and I were both agreeing how much we love Christmas stockings – we both think they’re the best part of Christmas! It’s so fun to see a bunch of little things that *Santa* knows you’ll love.

Since we’ve been married, our tradition has been to focus on the stocking and we gift each other something for the house. This year, we upgraded our gas fireplace insert to look like an actual fire. Our old one looked like a little camp fire. (PS totally worth it! We’ve used the fireplace a whole lot more in the past few weeks than we had the old one in the past few years.)

5 Christmas Cocktails

Admittedly, I am very simple when it comes to a cocktail. If you want a solid moscow mule or a vodka + [enter whatever your 1, only 1, mixer is], I’ve definitely got you covered. Lately, I’ve been wanting to shake up our gatherings by offering one signature drink for our dinner parties. Ya know, the kind where I can memorize the ingredients, whip a drink together and make it look effortless?

Here are 5 suggestions from some of my favorite bloggers for your Christmas celebrations:

  1. Inspired By Charm’s Jingle Juice Holiday Punch

2. Cake n’ Knife’s Christmas Sangria

Gingerbread Waffles for Christmas Morning

Even as an “adult,” there is something really magical about Christmas morning. I love that slow-to-rise sleepyness that accompanies the holiday, when you don’t have to rush right out of the house for family obligations. I like that hour or two before the craziness starts to enjoy the holiday. Growing up, I always looked forward to opening my stocking while waiting for my mom to whip up Christmas morning breakfast (usually cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs – yum).

These waffles are truly waffles for a celebration. They are decadent and they feel so elegant. And let me tell you, if someone makes you these gingerbread waffles, they most definitely love you. They’re not hard to make, I don’t want to scare you! But they have more ingredients than the typical waffle recipe, but I promise they’re worth that little extra magic they bring to the table on Christmas morning.

Butter Herb Roasted Hens for Christmas Dinner

So, I have a thing for individually-made anything. Also, I really couldn’t think of one main dish that we always have for Christmas. Turkey? Ham? As I’m over here still trying to think about what the heck our Christmas dinner traditions were growing up, I’m going to tell you all about these butter herb roasted individual hens! 

You know how I love those recipes that just fill the house with the most divine scents and this is definitely one of them. And I mean, aren’t they just the cutest little things you ever did see?!

Easy & Fragrant Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Are you thinking, “Hailey, do I really need a recipe to roast potatoes?” Uh, yes. Yes, you do. This roasted potato side dish will fill your house with the most amazing scent. Think, melted butter and garlic and herbs and just straight up deliciousness.

The secret? Melted butter, red onions, a lot of garlic, and parmesan. I could make this every single night and be perfectly content with my life.

The 3 Things (and $100) I Spent on Myself for Christmas

Before we really dig into this post, let’s just level-set here: it’s not like I don’t buy myself things year-round. I do. Probably far too often, but I find I always come up with a viable reason: I replaced a black sweater like this last month, this has a hole, this doesn’t fit, this isn’t my style, I need this for a blog post, etc. But there was something new about saying, “I’m going to spend $100 on myself for whatever I wanted for Christmas.”

I let go of the, have-to-have-a-reason, and said I’ve got $100 for anything I wanted. Could be 1 thing, could be 10 things. I settled on 3 things.

 

 

Baked Brie for a Festive Appetizer

If you don’t get all heart eyes over cheese, I’m not sure we can be friends? It always feels like Christmas is an excuse to get things dressed up: the house, the table, and now, the cheese. This baked brie with cranberry apple compote is on point for Christmas! It’s wrapped in puff pastry and the tangy brie combines so well with the lightly sweet compote. Serve it up with sliced green apples and crackers – it’s great with both!

A Table Ready for Christmas

You know what I always think really makes a meal an event? A really nice table. You know, the one where you walk into someone’s house and think, “wow, they really took time to set a table for us,” or “how does she have the time to set such a gorgeous table?” or “how the heck do they pull off a table like that, I wouldn’t even know where to start.” I love those kinds of tables. I’m always impressed by that kind of thought and, if we’re being honest, that kind of style.

So can I tell you, that this table, ready for hosting Christmas Eve, since we don’t host Christmas, really is something I’ve been planning and plotting since Thanksgiving? It’s really taken me that long to get it right. And, once it’s dressed, it’s going to look like that until the holiday. Because I’m only doing this one once!

 

One-Bite Mini Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Guys, I really love pumpkin spice. The day that the PSL becomes available, I feel like the fall season truly kicks off. Bring on the sweaters and scarves, and #pumpkinspiceeverything. But – I do not like pumpkin pie. But – I love these pumpkin pies!

I think the crust-to-pie ratio makes me like these minis, but I also love how silky the filling is. How quickly these come together doesn’t hurt, either!

Some of my friends and family aren’t really fans of pumpkin pie either, and I’m definitely more known for my apple pie. But there’s something magical about these little one-bite pumpkin pies that seem to be a crowd pleaser. Topping them with a bunch of whipped cream doesn’t hurt either!