White Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn

Tis the season to be jolly! And if by being jolly you mean eating approximately 10,000 calories daily of Christmas cookies and assorted holiday desserts, then I am your poster girl for jolly. Ooof.

So as I sit here munching on the latkes my roommate’s mother sent over, it occurs to me that you probably have some sort of New Year’s plans. Maybe you’re going to a big fancy party. Or maybe you’re hosting one (good luck and godspeed)! Or maybe you’re just going to sit on your couch under a warm fuzzy blanket, watch the ball drop behind Ryan Seacrest’s increasingly surgically altered profile, and fall asleep at 12:03. In any event, you’re gonna need something to nosh on, no?

That’s what I thought.

Spinach and Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake

I wish I could tell you that, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, I subsist on a diet consisting only of sweet potato casseroles, honey baked hams, and the occasional figgy pudding. That’d be festive, right?

What with all the holiday themed posts out there right now, you’d think those types of foods were the only ones gracing we bloggers’ tables right now.

But let’s be real. Even during the holiday season, I’ve gotta feed myself. And as much as I wish that I could make breakfast, lunch, and dinner out of the cookies that are literally spilling out of Tupperwares in my kitchen…yeah, that’s probably not the best idea.

This recipe is neither a Christmas cookie nor a crafty gift idea. It is, however, warm, comforting, and–dare I say it?–even a tad healthy. I understand you’re probably buried under ribbons and bows, horrifically behind on your card writing, or trying to single-handedly feed your entire block (perhaps even all of the above), but file this one away for when the holiday dust settles–I promise it’s worth it. And it makes great leftovers!

Gingerbread Scones

The holiday blog hop is here once more! This time, we were tasked with creating something delicious with peppermint, gingerbread, or eggnog. What’s a baker to do?

White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Cookies–Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!

It’s finally time to reveal my cookies from the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!! Thanks to Julie and Lindsay, over 600 food bloggers from across the country (and even across oceans!) joined forces to gift each other with delicious treats this holiday season. Each of us was tasked with baking three batches of one cookie, then sending a dozen to each of our three designated matches. In return, we received three different batches of cookies from three other bloggers! Oh, the excitement. The sugar high!

Vanilla Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Well, ladies and gents (are there any guys who read my blog? Besides maybe you, Chris), the holidays are officially upon us. In the space of a week, I’ve gone from the girl who was outraged at the onslaught of pre-Thanksgiving Christmas (get that Holly station off my XM radio!) to the girl who’s got Mariah Carey on repeat thanks to Pandora (you can’t get better than “All I Want for Christmas Is You”).

With the rapidly approaching holidays comes another installment of the Holiday Blog Hop! (You can view my last post here.) This Vanilla Cranberry Baked Oatmeal is a twist on a breakfast that’s irrevocably tied to memories of some of my closest friends–in fact, some of them are a bit jealous that there’s only little old me to eat this batch!