A Side of Sweet

Bacon Wrapped Brussels Sprouts Skewers

Having bacon wrapped brussels sprouts skewers, drizzled with maple syrup because bacon makes everything better! Easy to make and just four ingredients.

Easy Bacon Appetizer Ideas

This recipe for bacon wrapped brussels sprouts skewers comes with a million potential bacon cliches, which I shall now list for you in the form of hashtags. #TeamBacon #BaconWrappedEverything #BaconMakesEverythingBetter, #365DaysofBacon, #AllTheBacon, #BaconForDays…

Help me out here, there have to be dozens that I missing! 🙂

Fast and Easy Appetizer Skewers

These skewers are easy to make and will disappear in a blink on your special day. I should know since I was well on my way through my second skewer when I realized that I needed to show a little restraint so the guests could enjoy them as well! I love brussels sprouts in their own right; however, when wrapped in bacon they will convert even the most veggie-hating guest in your midst…. Read More »

Holiday Travel Tips + Travel Outfit Ideas

Holiday travel tips and some travel outfit ideas to look (and feel) great while getting there. You don’t need to choose between style and comfort!

Holiday travel. We are always trying to save money on flights and maximize our time with family, so we end up on horrible redeye flights that leave at midnight and get in at 5am. It’s so brutal. It’s not like there’s much time to catch up on sleep either, with trips home already being too short. For me, keeping sane comes down to packing smart, and staying comfortable without looking sloppy.

Here are some holiday travel tips and a few travel outfit ideas for looking (and feeling) great while getting where you need to go!

Thanksgiving Copper Foil Place Cards DIY

Copper is the new gold! These copper foil place cards are easy to make and perfect to decorate your Thanksgiving or Christmas table this year.

Copper is having a serious moment. It’s replaced gold as the favorite metallic for decor and styling. You can find everything from copper flatware to copper furniture.

For our Friendsgiving this year, I focused on a navy and copper color scheme for our table decor. I used copper foil to decorate the name cards for our guests in this easy DIY. It’s easy to find online and one packet should last you for many projects…. Read More »

Spray Painted Pumpkin Thanksgiving Decorations

Copper spray painted pumpkin decorations are an easy and cheap DIY for your Thanksgiving table, but they still look so chic!

If you’re like me, table decorations are all about getting the biggest ‘wow’ factor without spending a ton of time or money. To decorate our Friendsgiving table, I found mini fake foam pumpkins that I bought on Amazon. I was really impressed with how realistic they looked once they were spray painted. The nice thing is I’ll be able to use them again next year. They look great as coffee table decorations, or on a entryway table or mantle.

The entire project cost just $15 and took about 15 minutes of hands on time…. Read More »

How to Host a Fabulous Friendsgiving

How to Host a Fabulous Friendsgiving – everything from a copper and navy table design to easy menu ideas, including a spicy cranberry cheese dip recipe!

Thanksgiving is my FAVORITE day of the year. In fact, if I had my way, I’d celebrate it at least monthly all year round! We got an early start on the Thanksgiving season this year by hosting a Friendsgiving last weekend. I just love throwing a good party, and I tend to completely immerse myself in the planning leading up to an event. Amazing food was a given, but I also wanted to have a lovely table setting that would wow our guests and make the mood really festive…. Read More »

NY Times + Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

A recipe for freaking fantastic chocolate chip cookies by Jacques Torres, via the New York Times. Absolutely worth the planning and fancy ingredients!

A few years ago, I published a recipe for chocolate chip cookies and called them the best I’d ever made. At that point, this was true. I still make that recipe all the time. I almost always have a bag of them individually partitioned in the freezer ready to pop in the oven for those unexpected guests.

That being said, they are no longer the best cookies I’ve ever made. This recipe is both the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever made and the best I’ve ever eaten. They are perfectly soft but still chewy and féves, or discs, of chocolate, make every bite packed with melty chocolate. They are insanely delicious…. Read More »