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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Quick Bites
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Stove Top Potpourri for Hostess Gifts

Where are my last minute gift givers?! I always find myself scrambling for a few little things just a few days before the holidays. Typically, we start Christmas shopping in October to slowly check off our lists. And then, come December ~22nd I realize I forgot one or two little things I needed to add or realized I needed a hostess gift.

These little stove top potpourris are one of my favorite hostess gifts – love a consumable! I also love the excuse to make a batch of these so I have some stove top potpourri for Christmas Eve, the one holiday we host each year.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Lifestyle, Quick Bites
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$15 Trader Joe’s Hostess Gifts

This time of year, I’m always trying to come up with some cute and clever hostess gifts that don’t kill your bank account but also feel like a thoughtful gesture. It’s the thought that counts!

I love a consumable gift, especially for a hostess gift, and when I saw this olive oil set from Trader Joe’s I knew this would be a great part of a gift! The set comes with three oils, one each from Italy, Greece and Spain. Together they would make a great present, but you can separate them and get 3 gifts out of the $10 set.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Dessert, Holiday, Quick Bites, Recipes
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Chocolate Covered Clementines with Maldon Salt

This time of year, I go all in on the clementines! I love that the winter is a time for citrus to shine. I also go all in on the quick and easy treats, like these chocolate covered clementines. I actually will confess to you – these are tangerines. Trader Joe’s ran out of clems!

You know from my “recipe” for no-bake shortbread cookies, I love a good, easy, quick hack for a treat. All you need is the chocolate hard shell – this one is my favorite, and some Maldon salt. The salt flake is the key. Y’all know how much I love salt, and I take it very seriously. When you finish a dessert with salt, you want a large flake and the Maldon flakes are the best.

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday
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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.)

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday, Recipes, Side Dish
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An Easy Kale Salad for Christmas Eve

Getting the menu right for a holiday is all about balance. I try not to, for example, have too many carb-heavy dishes because you don’t want your guests to feel bloated. Plus, I’m really all about the sides. Plus, the sides can be so colorful! I love the sweetness and the crunchieness of this salad paired with the creamy bolognese pasta I’m serving up on Christmas Eve.

Can I let you guys in on a little secret? I don’t like kale. Well, I didn’t. And I was like, “you have to massage your kale? Too much work.” This coming from the girl who goes to 4 grocery stores every weekend just to shop for the week. I mean, really? So anyway, I made this salad, and I massaged the kale, because nobody has time for bitter kale, and I actually apparently really like it!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Recipes
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90 Second Cocktail Sauce Recipe

T-minus 5 minutes to guests’ arrival and you’re putting out the shrimp cocktail and realize – there’s no cocktail sauce! Or you just want to be a show off and be able to say you made your own cocktail sauce. Either way. This 90 second cocktail sauce recipe is perfect for shrimp cocktail and, I gotchu.

You know I love recipes that you can customize yourself, I’m all about that you-do-you-boo-life. So, scroll down, grab the recipe, memorize the proportions and then you do you!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday
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Creamy Bolognese Pasta Sauce Recipe

Entertaining guests is something hubby and I love to do year round, but there’s really something special about hosting a holiday. While we don’t host Thanksgiving or Christmas, Christmas Eve is our one night we get to host a special holiday for friends and family. I love to take the approach of a more casual evening, with simple foods and flavors that really warm you up and make you feel cozy.

This year’s menu is so super simple – shrimp cocktail, this creamy bolognese sauce, a few simple side dishes and mini pumpkin pies. It’s all about the company. Well, and a little bit about the music, too.

The mix of beef and sausage brings a little something extra special to the dish, and if you wanted to really shake it up, you could use spicy sausage – watch out! I should note, too, that any ground meat could work, so you can change it up based on what you like. I recently saw a bolognese with lentils, must try that next!

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Holiday
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5 Cute Cookies & Milk for Santa Sets

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is leaving cookies and milk out for Santa (and carrots for Rudolph, of course), along with a letter to Santa. I remember every year really thinking about what I hoped Santa would bring and tuck under the tree for me, writing it in a letter, putting it out along with cookies (a bribe?), and waiting for the magic in the morning to see a bite taken out of the cookie and the milk gone. A little dose of magic and such a sweet memory!

I love these little cookies & milk sets for Santa, and what a cute little gift to give to our friends with kiddos with my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.

 

Vineyard Vines Set, $65.00

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Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Uncategorized
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Gift Guide: For the Baker

Bakers gonna bake, right?! I wish I was really a baker, you know, like someone who actually knew what they were doing beyond their handful of go-to recipes. But I am so blessed, my jeans not as much, to know a few bakers in my life. Here are a few suggestions for the bakers in your life!

 

  1. A gorgeous baking sheet set. 2. A cookbook to up the ante. Is it actually a baking book? Hmmm…. 3. Creme brulee set. Because everyone needs a kitchen torch. 4. Pie weights! 5. A stand mixer. 6. A bread maker, but only on the condition to be a taste tester for every batch. 7. A beautiful pie dish. 8. A cool spice or ingredient, like fancy flours, vanilla powder, high quality vanilla.

Are you a baker? What else would you wish for?!

Posted on by Hailey Matesic Posted in Uncategorized
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Gift Guide: For the Cook

I think this guide is the one I’ve been looking forward to the most! These gifts are great for the cook in your life. You know, the one that is always trying new recipes, and trying new gadgets, and is just at home in the kitchen.

Okay, they’re all the things that I would love to get but would never buy myself. Which is what makes a gift great, isn’t it?

  1. What’s Gaby Cooking cookbook. I love her laid back, fresh, Cali style. 2. An immersion blender. Everyone needs one. I have this set and love it. 3. A great All-Clad pot in a size that works for a lot of different things, from pasta, to chili, to stew, to cranberry sauce. 4. Paella set. 5. A good quality knife. I have this Shun knife, which is meant for veggies, and is amazing. 6. A cutting board that holds a tablet. So handy. Also love this one from Food52. 7. Sous vide cooker. 8. Air fryer. 9. A chopper. Such a practical gift, I never had one until a friend gifted me one, and I love it! So nice to have one, especially when I’m cooking so many different things at once. 10. A pasta maker or pasta maker attachments for the KitchenAid stand mixer.