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Valentine’s Craft Headquarters
We’ve finally made it through January, the longest month in history and onto the first Friday in February. The only problem? It’s 30 degrees out and sleeting rain. So, I’ve mustered up every Valentine’s Craft I could think of and currently word vomiting it out into this blog while my kids are putting glue all over the supplies. Honestly though, on a day we’re stuck inside, in the basement playroom no less while our contractor finishes up our kitchen renovation I’m okay with glue, paint and whatever keeps us sane. Hopefully you’ll be able to do a few of these while we all wait out the ice storm this morning…
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(the worlds easiest) Sausage and pepper sheet pan dinner
Sheet pan dinner’s are the best!! Anytime you’re looking for a quick, easy, mess free dinner I would totally advocate you try and make a sheet man dinner. They basically require no dirty pots and pans and (my favorite) limited effort for something that’s very delicious. This sheet pan dinner ended up becoming sausage and pepper subs which I enjoy, although you can probably tell that *spoiler alert* that’s not real sausage. Since I don’t eat meat I cooked my sausage along with the veggies and cooked the rest of the sausage on a separate cookie sheet. I also added a side of crispy brussels spouts which for some reason…
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Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Did you know that broccoli cheddar soup is one of the only soups that has a cult like following? Okay, that may not be 100% true but I did used to work at Panera Bread in high school and it sure felt that way. While my broccoli cheddar isn’t quite like the Panera version, in my completely biased and untrained opinion it tastes just as good! Since we’ve been undergoing a kitchen reno I’ve been trying to make some easy, one pot (or as close to one pot as possible) meals to limit the amount of dirty dishes, so this soup Sunday feast was actually pretty darn close. I also…
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Fogg Forest – Norwell, MA
If you’ve driven down RT. 123 through Norwell Center you’ve passed by the Fogg Forest and chances are you may not have even noticed, sometimes I’m distracted by the llamas that live right there too! In 2019/2020 the Fogg Forest went through a bit of a upgrade when a new fence was installed at the entrance and the town acquired the Carleton property, which added an additional 40 acres to the already 100+ acre Forest. The sign from Main Street in Norwell for the Fogg Forest is a bit confusing, it look me a minute to figure out where to park, but ultimately the deal is pull through the fence…
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Tidmarsh – Plymouth , MA
This week was one of the hardest weeks I could have ever imagined. On Tuesday December 28th we laid to rest our beloved dog Bruschi, the sweetest, cuddliest and best friend I could have EVER imagined over the last 14 years. We knew the day was coming but I still couldn’t have prepared for the saddest that was about to hit our house. After the loss of Bru the thought of being home literally hurt my heart so we threw ourselves into nature and explored a few places that I’ve been wanting to check out in the area. On Wednesday we visited Tidmarsh in Plymouth, a Mass Audubon location that…
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Chewy Gingerbread
I think my kids learned something about gingerbread when they helped me make these gingerbread cookies. It was that gingerbread can actually be edible, and not just something hard as a rock that comes out of box to make a gingerbread house with. These cookies are quite the opposite, they would definingly not hold up if you’re looking for a recipe to use to make a house for your little gingerbread men. Gingerbread is such a classic flavor during the holidays, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread coffee, gingerbread gingerbread…it’s everywhere, but this recipe can complete with the best of them! These definitely will require a trip to the grocery store, unless you…
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Peppermint Meltaways
Ahh peppermint, the flavor I have a love/hate relationship with all during Christmas season. I made these cookies for the first time a few years ago, and thought the texture was really cool, because I’ve never made any cookies where cornstarch plays such a large roll, and people really liked them so they were added to my regular rotation. The dough is very basic, there isn’t even any granulated sugar, just powered sugar. The only piece you may be missing from your cabinet is the peppermint extract, but once you buy it it’ll last you forever. It’s such a strong flavor that a little bit goes a really long way!…
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Raspberry Almond Shortbread Thumbprints
These cookies right here are one of my fav-o-rite! They are so so good! I always wonder after making them why I don’t use raspberry jelly more often! They take a bit more time then some of the other cookies I make because these ones have to chill in the fridge for an hour, but believe me, they’re worth it. The glaze for these cookies is just as yummy as the cookies themselves. I included both the ingredients for the dough and the glaze below. The amount of water that you add to your sugar for the glaze really depends on how sifted the sugar is, sometimes 2 tsp is…
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Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
I’m a big fan of crinkle cookies, not only because they’re really yummy but because they are so versatile. Are you thinking to yourself, lady, what are you talking about, they’re just cookies, well think again! These cookies are great in all forms, red velvet, chocolate, lemon , candy cane, I’ve even seen a Grinch version dyed with some green food gel. Whatever way you like I’m sure they’ll be delicious! I usually opt for the chocolate version but this year for my Christmas cookie platter I wanted to include a cookie that was red since I already had chocolate M&M on my menu. These ones came out so good,…
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Pecan Snowball cookies
Take five very common pantry ingredients, add in 2 cups of minced pecans and what do you get? One of the most well know Christmas cookies around, snowball cookies! These scrumptious little bites are also referred to as “Mexican wedding cookies” but you don’t need a Holiday or a wedding to enjoy them! If you’re a fan of shortbread cookies these ones may be right up your alley. Snowball cookies could always be found on the spread during Christmas at my Nanas house. Actually I’m pretty sure every type of cookie on the planet could be found there during Christmas, but these ones were always a crowd favorite. One of…