Thanksgiving

How to Make 11 Awesome Thanksgiving Desserts That Your Kids Will Love

November 8, 2017 by Danielle

Finding a dessert that makes all of the kids happy can be a difficult challenge. So we’ve rounded up 11 awesome Thanksgiving desserts for kids that meet a handful of kid-friendly requirements!

Kids are weird. No, no, listen. They really are. One minute they hate whipped cream, and the next they’re trying to shoot it straight into their mouths because they love it so much. And trying to find a dessert to make them happy can sometimes be difficult during the holidays when the options aren’t cake, brownies, or ice cream. So we put together a few of our favorite Thanksgiving desserts for kids so everyone has options this holiday season. But make sure you have plenty of whipped cream.

11 Thanksgiving Desserts for Kids

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk from A Crafty Spoonful

This pumpkin pie is great for those who may have dairy allergies. It tastes just like regular pumpkin pie but is made with coconut milk instead. And no, you can’t taste the coconut in the filling. Pair it with some coconut whipped cream and you are set for the holidays! This recipe is also perfect to use for mini pumpkin pies as well if you don’t want to make the whole pie.

Candy Apple Dump Cake from A Crafty Spoonful

Still have leftover Halloween candy you’re hoarding away? I’m not judging. But if you want to get rid of some of it, this is the recipe to try! This dump cake is not only easy, all you need is one pan (no separate bowls) to make it! Less dishes = winning in my book. And the kids go crazy over the chocolate + apple combo.

Mini Pecan Pie Bites from A Crafty Spoonful

Oh, these sinfully sweet little bites of heaven are the perfect grab-on-the-go dessert for the littles. The butter cracker hooks the kids and the chocolate drizzle on top of the pecan filling keeps them coming back. Plus, there’s not too much mess with this recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites from My Suburban Kitchen

For those with a more sophisticated palate, these pumpkin cheesecake bites totally hit the spot. They’re very portable, just like the mini pecan pie bites, and pack a punch of flavor with a combo of gingersnaps and pumpkin.

Four Ingredient Pumpkin Pie Dip from My Suburban Kitchen

What kid doesn’t love dip? And this deliciously sweet pumpkin pie dip is the perfect way to enjoy those holiday cookies or a few graham crackers. Just make sure there isn’t any double dipping.

Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Trifle from Flour on My Face

Who doesn’t love a good layered trifle? Kids can dig in and eat a layer at a time or go for the gold and scoop all the way down for a few layers of goodness in one bite. Plus these are a fun recipe to let the kids help assemble!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Cake from Flour on My Face

In case your child has a gluten allergy, or if they’re just avoiding gluten as part of an elimination diet, you need to try this pumpkin cake. You can still stay festive and enjoy all the flavors of the holidays even when you’re gluten-free!

Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake from Flour on My Face

Speaking of cake, if your kids are more in a cake and frosting kind of mood, this pumpkin pecan bundt cake is a delicious option. I’ve made mini bundtlets for individual kid portions before and it’s turned out great!

Pumpkin Spice Dessert Bars from {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker

Another quick and easy go to that you can make ahead and bring with you are these pumpkin spice dessert bars. They’re made with pumpkin and applesauce AND have a delicious cream cheese frosting!

Individual Apple Pies from The Love Nerds

What’s Thanksgiving without apple pie? In our house we always have pumpkin and apple pies in addition to the other dessert options so these individual apple pies are perfect for the kids table. A classic recipe with a fun spin.

Favorite Pecan Pie from Unexpected Elegance

And if your kid loves the classics, you can’t go wrong with a pecan pie. Some kids are turned off by this tasty dessert but for those who want to venture out and try new things, this is a great recipe to start with!

What are your go-to Thanksgiving desserts for kids?

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Filed Under: Baking, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Dessert, dessert recipes, desserts, easy kid friendly desserts, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving desserts, Thanksgiving recipes

Here’s a Quick Way to Make Turkey Napkin Rings for The Kids Table

November 1, 2017 by Danielle

Looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving table festive? These turkey napkin rings will do just that! Grab a few supplies and get crafting!

Looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving table more festive? Well, these turkey napkin rings will do just that!

Plus it’s an easy craft to get the kids involved in and they’ll be able to tell everyone around the table how they helped.

This is a craft you can easily do ahead of time if you already have the napkins you’re going to use. So check one more thing off of your holiday list and start crafting!

Don’t want to make them yourself? Buy a set of 4 for $10 on Etsy!

Turkey Napkin Rings

What you’ll need:

fall-colored pipe cleaners including light brown
brown and orange construction paper (red if you want to make a waddle)
googly eyes
glue gun
paper or cloth napkins

What you do:

1. Cut brown paper widthwise into 2″ strips. Cut as many strips as you need napkin rings. Set aside.

2. Grab pipe cleaners and start making feathers. Bend pipe cleaner in half and then make two loops. Use ends to wrap everything together so the loops stay closed.

3. Repeat with rest of colors (I used 4 colors). Using the excess of one colored pipe cleaner, wrap all feathers up together.

4. Using a light brown pipe cleaner, make a circle by spinning the pipe cleaner around in a spiral. Tuck in the end of the pipe cleaner so that it stays together and is not visible.

5. Grab your glue stick or glue gun and adhere brown circle to the feathers. (side note: I became frustrated with my glue stick and opted for the glue gun but my kids used the glue sticks.)

6. Grab brown strips of paper and fold in half lengthwise.

7. Wrap around napkin and cut off any excess (ends of paper should overlap by about an inch).

8. Tuck one end of the paper into the other end to secure it.

9. Add a dab of glue on the seam of the tucked in paper and adhere turkey body to the napkin ring.

10. Add googly eyes, beak, and anything else you might want to include onto the face of the turkey.

You’re all set! Now repeat this until you have enough napkins for everyone coming over. Once everyone is ready for dinner all they have to do is tear the back of the paper to access their napkins or simply tug the napkins out.

How awesome is that?

What’s your favorite turkey craft?

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This post was first published on October 30, 2013

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Thanksgiving Tagged With: children's crafts, crafts, Crafts for Kids, Fall Crafts, Kids Crafts, pipe cleaners, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving crafts, turkey crafts, turkeys

Wow Guests with These Easy DIY Thanksgiving Door Decorations + a DIY Cornucopia Wreath Tutorial

October 25, 2017 by Danielle

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DIYHolidayWithSCJ #CollectiveBias

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’re making sure our home is in tip-top shape for guests. As the holidays get nearer, you never know who might stop by at any given moment. And the first thing they see when coming up to our home is our front door. So we’re sprucing things up with these easy DIY Thanksgiving door decorations and a simple DIY Cornucopia Wreath.

When we first moved into our new home, the one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was the ugly solid brown door that stood in the doorway of our home. I didn’t care for it much and it always bugged me that it didn’t show off the awesomeness that is our home. So when my husband found a door in the exact style we were looking for on clearance at Home Depot, we picked it up right away and he installed it. Instead of leaving the trim around the door brown, we brightened things up with a deep red color to really make the door pop.

To keep the door in tip-top shape, we rely on our go-to cleaning products to spruce things up. With the door being the first thing all walk through to enter the home, it can get a bit beaten up over time and gather dust and grime from the outside elements.

Since our new door has three windows in it, we keep Windex® Original close by. It has an Unbeatable Streak Free Shine and starts working on dirt and grime even before you wipe*. Trusted for generations, Windex® Original cleans and shines glass, mirrors, and more!

Pledge® beautifies and enhances the appearance of your hard surfaces and our finished, sealed door always looks so much better after we wipe it down with Pledge®. Pledge® Lemon Clean can be used on furniture all around the house to quickly clean, condition and protect –all while leaving behind the classic, fresh lemon Pledge® scent. It also features Allergen Trappers® to remove dust and up to 90 percent of the allergens found in dust. That means in addition to cleaning the front door, we can clean up the other household hard surfaces including wood, laminate, stainless steel, leather, marble, granite and plastic.

Scrubbing Bubbles® Fantastik® 32 oz. All-Purpose Cleaner is the perfect cleaner for our door threshold. It gets a beating as the kids run in and out of the home so we need a powerful antibacterial solution cuts to the center of grease and grime and dissolves it on contact and disinfects the area. And the no-rinse solution means you don’t have to spend as much time cleaning.

Easy DIY Thanksgiving Door Decorations

Now that our door is all nice and clean, it’s time to spruce things up even more with a few easy DIY Thanksgiving Door Decorations. This DIY Cornucopia Wreath is not only easy to make, it can be saved to use year after year!

DIY Cornucopia Wreath

What you’ll need:

Wheat wreath (found at Home Depot)
chicken wire
twine
hot glue gun
hot glue sticks
plastic/fake fruit and veggies

What you do:

1. Cut a wide triangle out of the chicken wire and form into a cornucopia shape.

2. Using the twine, wrap around the cornucopia frame and secure twine to the form and itself with hot glue.

3. Continue wrapping the twine all the way down the form to the smallest tip and then secure the end by sticking it back in the end of the form.

4. Secure the cornucopia onto the wheat wreath with hot glue.

5. Add decor in and around the cornucopia by hot gluing it in place. Make sure to balance the size of each piece and the colors.

6. Hang on the door and step back to enjoy your handiwork!

We grabbed a fun scarecrow and stacked two of the pumpkins from our trip to the pumpkin patch next to it to complete the Thanksgiving door decorations.

Keeping things simple yet welcoming is key. The front door doesn’t need too many decorations so choosing the pieces you use wisely will help keep a nice balance.

Be on the lookout for Windex® and Scrubbing Bubbles® Fantastik® product promotions on display in Home Depot stores until 10/31/17, and Pledge® products on display starting 11/1/17. You can find all products in the cleaning products aisle at your local Home Depot store.

What do you do to spruce up your front door during the holidays?

*Claim Based on Windex® Original lab testing against leading competitor glass cleaners per AC Nielsen 52 weeks ended 7/29/2017

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Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, For the Home, Holidays, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Fall, Fall Crafts, Fall Decor, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving crafts, Thanksgiving decor, Wreath, wreath tutorial

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk

September 18, 2017 by Danielle

Looking for a dairy-free pumpkin pie filling? This pumpkin pie with coconut milk is perfect for those who are dairy-free or who just don’t have condensed milk in the pantry!

I am a huge pumpkin pie fan. Like I’ll do just about anything for a slice. It’s my favorite pie and I look forward to Fall every year because of the fact that pumpkin pie is everywhere. But sadly I have never actually made a pumpkin pie. Let alone a pumpkin pie recipe with coconut milk.

So I decided to rectify that right away and this year tackled making a pumpkin pie. Except when I went in my cupboard to get the ingredients I realized I had no evaporated milk. Then when googling alternatives for evaporated milk I realized I could sub coconut milk in and it’d be even healthier! Win win for everyone once I got the perfect recipe figured out.

So now I just need to figure out a gluten-free, dairy-free crust that’ll work for this gluten-free, dairy free pumpkin pie filling. Got any ideas?

Oh, and by the way? This pie? To die for! You can’t taste the coconut milk at all. Just rich, creamy pumpkin pie filling. And it’s even better with a dollop of whipped cream. If you prefer to go all organic and natural try your hand at pumpkin puree. It’s super easy to make and is great in a lot of different dishes.

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk

2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup light coconut milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 425.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl and mix in the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Gently stir in pumpkin and coconut milk.

Pour into pie shell. Be careful not to overfill the shell.

Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

If crust is browning too quickly, wrap edges with foil.

Let cool completely before serving and serve with a dollop of whipping cream.

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk

2 cups pumpkin puree
2/3 cup light coconut milk
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Preheat oven to 425.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl and mix in the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Gently stir in pumpkin and coconut milk.
pumpkin pie with coconut milk measuredPour into pie shell. Be careful not to overfill the shell.
Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
If crust is browning too quickly, wrap edges with foil.
Let cool completely before serving and serve with a dollop of whipping cream.

What’s your favorite pie flavor? Have you used coconut milk in pumpkin pie before?

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Filed Under: Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Napkin Ring Placeholders

November 9, 2016 by Danielle

This shop featuring Thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HandsOnCrafty #CollectiveBias

While spring may be my favorite season, I love the fall for the way it brings friends and family together in thanksgiving. We celebrate the month of November by sharing what we’re thankful for and spending time around the table together. And every year for Thanksgiving, we head over to my mother in law’s house to share a meal.

My mother in law loves creating a beautiful table scape and, after making these napkin rings a few years back, I’m in charge of the napkin rings and place holders. And my daughter loves helping out so I always try and find something a. that she can do and b. that’s easy and quick since we usually have to make at least 20 of them.

Well this year my mother in law will be heading out to Boston to celebrate with my husband’s brother so we’re still trying to figure out what our plans are. But no matter where we go, we’ll be prepared with these awesome thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders that my daughter and I put together this past weekend.

She was dying to get started and make them so we got a head start and prepped about 10 of these bad boys (no names yet on half of them). We’ll be ready for whatever house we end up at on Turkey Day.

Thanksgiving Napkin Ring Placeholders

What you’ll need:

Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape
Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape
Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape
1 piece 8.5 x 11″ card stock (solid or patterned color)
scissors
chalk marker in fall colors
fake fall leaves
cloth or disposable napkin

What you do:

1. Grab the Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape and, with your paper in the portrait position, place a row of green tape about 1/2 inch up from the bottom of the paper. Repeat once more with a second row of green glitter tape directly above the first.

2. Cut a straight line about 1/2 inch from the top of the second row of green glitter tape. This will be your napkin ring base. Repeat as many times as you need to in order to get the desired amount of napkin rings.

3. Grab the leaf and write the name of the person this napkin ring placeholder is for.

4. Position the Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape in the middle of the two green tape lines. Place the leaf in the center of the paper and use the brown glitter tape to secure it. Leave a small tail at the end of the brown tape to secure the placeholder around the napkin.

5. Wrap the napkin ring around the napkin and secure in place with tail of the brown glitter tape and reinforce with some Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape underneath the overlapping paper.

Tada! You’re all set!

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your home?

I was able to find all of the crafting goodies I needed, including the Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape, in the craft aisle in Walmart. So easy to find everything in one place! With a perfect combination of versatility, function & fun, Scotch® Expressions Tapes turn everyday projects into simply inspired creations. I love how simple and easy it was to make these Thanksgiving napkin ring placeholders with my daughter and how fun and sparkly they ended up! How awesome is that?

Filed Under: Crafts/DIY, Holidays, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Thanksgiving Tips and Tricks: Party Like A Pro

November 24, 2015 by Danielle

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sam’s Club. The opinions and text are all mine.

Ahhh… turkey day is nearly upon us and, if you’re like me, you’re about to lose your mind due to the long list of things you need to get done before the big day. Not to mention Christmas right around the corner! Well, in an effort to ease my mind and give myself a bit of time to prep I decided to head out to Sam’s Club® and search for great tips and tricks for planning the perfect Thanksgiving party.

Holiday entertaining can be the ultimate challenge. But with affordable, gourmet selections from Sam’s Club®, you’ll be party planning like a pro for the best holiday season ever. Get started at FoodNetwork.com/party, your one-stop source for great tips, recipes and behind the-scenes videos with Sam’s Club® Members.

You can also get tips directly from the pros! Check out Chef Robert Irvine, host of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible Ambush as he ambushes an unsuspecting Sam’s Club member to help solve problems and party plan like a pro. In this video, Robert provides his ideas for the perfect center plate protein to make sure your next dinner party is a smash!

In addition to great food from Sam’s Club, I’ve also asked bloggers what their favorite ways to help save them time (and sometimes money!) when hosting or attending a Thanksgiving party. If you’re like me and need a game plan to keep your mind at ease, read along to find out all of the great tips I discovered.

1. Create a checklist

One of the easiest ways for me to stay on track with big meals or events is to have a checklist. A place I can put everything I need to do and have the satisfaction of checking off each little box as I go along. Luckily, Tonya Staab wrote a Thanksgiving checklist featured on Blissfully Domestic that should help each of us prep and plan for this Thanksgiving.

2. Prep ahead

One of the easiest things to do when prepping for Thanksgiving is to do things in advance. Rachael Nash Wunderlich of Adventures in Wunderland suggests to make pies and put together casseroles the day before, then on thanksgiving day you just rotate the casseroles in to bake and all you really have to worry about is the turkey and potatoes.

Need help on those potatoes? Check out these mashed potato tips from Dish over Dinner. Or do what I do and make a twice baked potato casserole (recipe coming soon!) that you can prep in advance.

Prepping doesn’t stop with food. Consider setting up the buffet with dishes and decor while placing post its and labels to indicate where dishes should go on the big day. Put out anything you can in advance so you aren’t rushing to put things together on the day of the party. We also set the table a few days before too.

3. Keep drinks and dessert simple

One of the easiest ways to reduce stress is to keep it simple. Delegate some items so that you aren’t burdened with many different dishes. One tip Joann Wooley of Sign4Baby thinks helps a lot is to have your guests be in charge of dessert and beverages.

Now if you really love to bake and that’s your thing then consider delegating out some side dishes instead. Consider this chocolate espresso pecan pie from Baby Birds Farm for your main dessert and then have guests bring other pies to add to the mix. That way you can spend more time on other aspects of the meal.

And drinks can be kept super easy. Ask guests to bring their favorite bottle of wine and then for the kids make this easy crock pot apple caramel cider featured on Catching Up With Kate.

4. Remember food allergies

Its important to remember that not all guests can eat everything on the table. Try to accommodate guests food allergies says Melonie Gallegos. It may be a small change you make to a recipe or simply preparing a dish without one ingredient but your guests will sure appreciate it!

Know of a guest who’s gluten or dairy free? Try this delicious pumpkin pie I made with coconut milk. Cook it up in a dairy-free, gluten-free crust and you have an allergy friendly dessert!

5. Make sure to think of the leftovers

No one wants to miss out on the delicious left overs so consider buying 2 turkeys if you are hosting a big family gathering suggests Joann Wooley. Or plan to make a double batch of that favorite casserole everyone loves. And make sure to pick up plenty of goodie bags and dishes from Sam’s Club so you can send leftovers home with your guest. The one thing I always regret each year is not taking enough leftovers home!

7. Don’t Overcook the Bird!

Now I’ve only cooked two turkeys in my life. One with a brine, the other without. And the only thing I was concerned about was dry turkey. So I did a bit of research and found that cooking the turkey with it’s breast down for half of the cooking time allows the bird to cook evenly without overcooking the white meat. By flipping it back over 1/2 way through I can still get that gorgeous golden brown crisp skin everyone loves.

8. Keep it Simple

I had to laugh when a fellow blogger suggested to simply purchase everything already made. Heather Delaney Reese of It’s A Lovely Life mentioned that her best Thanksgiving ever was the year they bought everything at Sam’s Club (and split the cost with friends). Sam’s Club has a truly impressive array of holiday foods from the entire meal-in-a-frozen-box to just the sides (fresh or frozen) to just the ingredients for a homemade feast. Now I’m all about home cooking 99% of the time but when it comes to these giant meals for parties keeping it simple just makes it easier on everyone.

9. Entertain your Guests

There really can be too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to prepping Thanksgiving parties. So make sure you have something for your guests to do (or eat) while you’re finishing up.

Make sure there’s a ball game on for the guys and the black Friday ads out for those who shop early. Some bloggers may have mentioned getting into arguments with their mother-in-law. Jillian Warner of Mommy Testers tip is one we should keep at heart – keep your mother-in-law out of the kitchen! Or simply give her all of the salad fixings and set her at the table to get to work.

10. Enjoy yourself!

With all of the prep and work that goes into a Thanksgiving meal, remember to enjoy yourself and the time you have with your family. Don’t sweat it if something goes wrong. Because you’re with people who you care about and just want to have a good time. Plus… if dinner is a huge disaster there’s always dessert!

How do you keep Thanksgiving stress-free?

Don’t forget to enter the “Holiday Party Planning” sweepstakes running from 10/22 – 12/31/15 and make the holidays just a little brighter! The Grand Prize winner will receive a $500 gift card and 1 year Plus membership ($100 value). 5 1st Place winners will receive a 1 year Prime membership ($100 value). 5 2nd Place winners will receive a Wolfgang Puck 10 piece Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set ($29.99 value). And 10 3rd Place winners will receive a Kitchen Aid 3pc Chef Knife Set ($15.98 value).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., 21 years or older. Ends 12/31/15. To enter and for complete details and odds, visitwww.foodnetwork.com/party.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sam’s Club. The opinions and text are all mine.

Filed Under: Holidays, In the Kitchen, Party Ideas, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: holiday tips, Meal Prep, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving tips, Tips

Fall Harvest Party Ideas

November 15, 2015 by Danielle

We love to travel. And we love to entertain. So we’re sharing our Fall harvest party ideas along with two regional recipes featuring our sponsor, Ritz. Read ahead to find out how to marry your favorite destinations all on one tablescape!

Hosting our family for a fun party is always a fun way to celebrate the holidays. And I do enjoy hosting people over at my home. With the weather changing and the leaves starting to fall, I almost get a glimpse of seasons changing. Living in San Diego, I have to travel to another part of the country to truly see seasonal changes. I don’t mind it. I love living in San Diego and love travel so it’s a win-win for me!

One place that definitely sees the change of seasons, and somewhere I haven’t been yet, is Atlanta. Now I don’t know why but I’ve never visited the south. Not that it isn’t on my list of places to go! I would love to do a little tour of the southern states one day with my family. At our fall harvest party I created a delicious dish to remind me of where I’m from and a dish to represent a place that I want to visit. And with such great rates on airfare from Southwest Airlines, I’m sure I’ll visit soon!

In celebration of fall, I created a fall harvest tablescape incorporating the colors and seasonal decor of fall. I was inspired by the squash and pumpkins we had left over from Halloween and used them to create the colorscape for our table. I love being able to use various items over and over again throughout the season. And the cinderella style pumpkin was the perfect way to raise my serving platter.

I tried to keep the food simple but delicious. I always have some sort of fruit for the kids so I went with some tangerines and placed them in a pumpkin basket I had. Since the tangerines look very similar to pumpkins the kids got a kick out of them. To make serving a group of people easier, I also made a street taco (on a Ritz) bar instead of making up individual carnitas bites. That way the guest can choose what type of meat they use and what toppings they want to enjoy.

Now I know that street tacos don’t scream fall, but in San Diego mexican food makes it’s way into just about any celebration. But one thing that does scream fall is pecan pie. After having it for the first time a few years ago, I’ve come to love the flavors in a pecan pie. So these pecan pie bites not only remind me of the upcoming holiday, they’re also the perfect dessert for parties because they’re easy to eat and simple to make.

This whole spread was absolutely delicious and pleased a variety of palettes including the kids. And if you’re a parent you know how hard that is! You can find the recipes for my carnitas bites and mini pecan pie bites here. And voting is now open for the best travel-inspired Ritz creation! You can vote for either of my recipes at LuvRitz.com.

What are your favorite flavors of fall?

Filed Under: Holidays, Party Ideas, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Creating The Perfect Thanksgiving Tablescape

November 11, 2015 by Danielle

Today we’re sharing our tips on creating the perfect Thanksgiving tablescape. Insight for this post was provided by GE Café™ Series.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m starting to plan out our Thanksgiving table. I love being able to create a festive tablescape for the holidays even if we don’t host Thanksgiving at our home. It keeps things fun for dinnertime. Why leave all the fun to my mother-in-law, right? And why not keep the house festive all month long? Plus if we get unexpected guests we can entertain easily without worrying about decor.

I haven’t talked much about our new home but one of the things that frustrates me is the fact that we don’t have enough room in our home, nor do we have an adequate kitchen, to host a holiday meal… yet. Luckily we have plans to remodel our kitchen and dining room so that we have the space, and appliances, to accomodate entertaining along with our every day meals.

So for now I focus on what I can control – the decor and festive tablescapes!

Last year we went with a simple centerpiece to decorate the table so this year we’ve continued with the simple approach. By using pumpkins and squash we picked up at the pumpkin patch right before Halloween, I was able to repurpose a few of our fall decor into a nice tablescape that was festive and coordinated with everything else I had.

Keep The Center Simple

Since we typically keep a buffet of food in the kitchen, the center of the table is for decorative pieces to keep things festive. By utilizing some gourds and squash and placing them along with some leaves on top of a burlap runner, I can create the look of Fall without too many pieces. I was able to utilize the orange leaf print table cloth that I use for Halloween again for our Thanksgiving tablescape. I’ve also used a cinderella pumpkin here to serve not only as a centerpiece, but as a place to put the pie for dessert at the end of the meal.

When you want to keep conversation flowing, keep the centerpiece low. That allows guests to converse across the table. If there are a few taller pieces, make sure they’re seperated out so there are spaces between to make eye contact. Also, if you’re using candles, make sure they’re unscented. There’s nothing that’ll ruin a dinner more than a scented candle when you’re trying to eat food.

Have Fun With Place Settings

I love creating fun place settings for my guests to enjoy. This year we found some party poppers from our most recent trip to one of our favorite cooking sho that had a festive turkey theme. These are great conversation starters when guests sit down because they want to open them and discuss what they got inside. Sure they’re normally at the kiddy table but why can’t the adults have fun too? I’ve also created fun place cards and napkin rings to keep the table fun and entertaining for everyone.

While I do keep our plates and silverware near the food at the buffet, I leave a bowl for the guests to take to the buffet with them for their salads so they have room on their plate for other foods. Don’t you hate when you put the salad on your place first and it takes up a ton of room? No? Just me? I also like to leave a napkin at each place setting. I’m always that person who gets to the table after getting her food, sits down, and has to get back up to grab a napkin because I forgot it or didn’t have any hands free.

Keep Versatile Pieces

It’s a great idea to have some key pieces from your tablescape to utilize from one holiday to the next. Consider investing in some timeless colors or colors that work with various seasons. Green can work for the fall and winter seasons depending on what you pair it with. Orange works for Halloween and Thanksgiving. And red can work from Christmas to Valentines Day to patriotic hoidays. I also keep a few basic colors of place mats as well on hand to switch it up. Cream, green, and blue are in my current rotation.

Now that I’ve taken care of our tablescape, I can focus on testing out a few of our favorite recipes to contribute to our holiday meals. And next year I’m hoping that I’ll be preparing a holiday meal in our new kitchen. With the research I’ve done on appliances, I’m starting to narrow down exactly what I want. And first things first, out with the electric stove and in with a gas stove!

Since I love to cook, I am aiming to purchase appliances that will last a while and keep up with my passion in the kitchen. I also have to keep in mind my husband’s love of baking. Luckily I can “Take Food Further” through the power of GE Café™ appliances. These appliances bring the expertise of the restaurant, home, during holiday timing.

With the GE Café™ Series I’ll be able to get the details designed to help the meals I make become masterpieces. From slow roasts to quick sears, from soups to sauces, the advanced cooking technology and intuitive design of our ranges can take every meal further. And boy do I need that! With each burner specialized for precise boiling, simmering and searing I won’t have to put up with the frustration that I feel with our current kitchen.

How do you simplify the holidays?

Disclosure: Insight for this post was provided by GE Café™ Series.

Filed Under: Entertainment, Holidays, Party Ideas, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: Holiday Tablescapes, Tablescapes, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving decor, Thanksgiving tips

Party On A Ritz: Carnitas Street Taco Bites

November 3, 2015 by Danielle

These carnitas street taco bites featuring our love of travel and food are brought to you by our sponsor, Ritz, . Read ahead to find out how to marry your favorite destinations all on one tablescape!

I’m planning a fall harvest party for my family and cannot wait to share a few of the recipes I’ll be serving at the party. With the help of Ritz, I’ve created two delicious destination dishes that include one inspired by local foods here in San Diego, and another dish inspired by a Southwest Airlines destination I’m dying to travel to.

One thing these recipes have in common are that they’re both very simple to put together and the dessert can be made ahead for easy serving at the party. I love make ahead dishes! Not only do they make planning easier, timing is also easier with a few make ahead dishes at the party.

I’ve also submitted both of these recipes to be featured on LuvRitz.com in a contest they’re hosting with Southwest Airlines. I have a chance to win a $500 Southwest Airlines voucher if I receive the most votes on my recipes! How awesome is that? Read ahead to check out my recipes and don’t forget to vote for me:

I’ve lived in San Diego all my life. Born and raised with deep roots in this city. I’m 3rd generation San Diegan and my husband is 4th generation. It’s pretty rare to find one of us around town and we’re pretty proud of the city we live in. One thing I absolutely love about this city is the copious amounts of good mexican food available around town. From our favorite taco shops, to our go-to mexican sit down restaurants, whenever I have a craving for the food I love, I am always close by.

I don’t just head out for mexican food either. Being raised by a dad who’s half mexican and half english rubs off on you, even if that means eating tortillas and drinking tea for breakfast. And some of my relatives make the best carne asada and mexican rice out there. I remember my dad’s stories of his father making fresh tortillas for him and his siblings and how he wished he had a chance to learn how to make them too.

Needless to say, I enjoy preparing mexican inspired dishes in my own home today. And that includes street tacos! But when I’m serving food at a party I love making things bite size. So for our upcoming fall harvest party I decided to miniaturize our favorite street tacos and put all of our favorite flavors on a Ritz. All of the deliciousness of carnitas street tacos in one bite!

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

Ritz crackers
Carnitas, shredded
Guacamole
Onions/cilantro

Grab a Ritz, top with shredded carnitas, guacamole, and onion/cilantro mixture. Place in mouth, chew, and enjoy!

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

Ritz crackers
Carnitas (shredded)
Guacamole
Onions/cilantro

Grab a Ritz, top with shredded carnitas, guacamole, and onion/cilantro mixture. Repeat on as many crackers as you’d like. Place in mouth, chew, and enjoy!

Stay tuned to see more of my fall harvest party next week! In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of the tablescape I’m planning.

What are your favorite bite-size meals for parties?

Love this recipe and want more? Here are some great dips to dip your Ritz into!

Pin this article for later!

Click the Pin button on the image below to save for later.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Sides, Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Party Ideas, Recipes, Thanksgiving Tagged With: appetizers, bites, carnitas, pecan pie, Ritz, Southwest Airlines, Thanksgiving

Simple Holiday Bento Box Ideas

November 2, 2015 by Danielle

My kids have fallen in love with bento boxes (affiliate link). I started making them when I started packing my lunch (even though I work from home) and they look forward to seeing what I’m going to pack them next. Gone are the days of wanting the same thing for lunch every.single.day like before.

Now I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t do elaborate bento boxes for my kids lunches. Instead, I choose one thing to make special or cut up and then the rest just goes with the theme of the bento I’m doing. And I always include foods my kids will actually eat. Because even if the baby eats seaweed, the big kids refuse it.

Luckily coming up with simple holiday bento box ideas isn’t difficult. And when you really get down to basics like I do, you can turn just about any classic lunch into a cute bento idea. Just grab a protein, a snack, some fruit and a few veggies and you’re on your way to an awesome bento lunch for your kids.

You can find these simple ideas featured today on Bentgo’s blog.

How do you add a little holiday cheer to your bento box?

Filed Under: Health & Wellness, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Kids Health, Lunch, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: Bentgo, bento box, bento box ideas, kids lunches, Lunch, lunch for kids, Lunch Ideas, Thanksgiving, Turkey

11 Thanksgiving Desserts for Kids

What are your go-to Thanksgiving desserts for kids?

Turkey Napkin Rings

What’s your favorite turkey craft?

Easy DIY Thanksgiving Door Decorations

DIY Cornucopia Wreath

What do you do to spruce up your front door during the holidays?

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk

Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Milk

What’s your favorite pie flavor? Have you used coconut milk in pumpkin pie before?

Thanksgiving Napkin Ring Placeholders

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your home?

1. Create a checklist

2. Prep ahead

3. Keep drinks and dessert simple

4. Remember food allergies

5. Make sure to think of the leftovers

7. Don’t Overcook the Bird!

8. Keep it Simple

9. Entertain your Guests

10. Enjoy yourself!

How do you keep Thanksgiving stress-free?

What are your favorite flavors of fall?

Keep The Center Simple

Have Fun With Place Settings

Keep Versatile Pieces

How do you simplify the holidays?

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

Carnitas Street Taco Bites

What are your favorite bite-size meals for parties?

How do you add a little holiday cheer to your bento box?

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