Confession: We Love Starbucks Holiday Drinks

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—that is, if you’re the type, like me, who has already made a dent in their holiday shopping list, started hanging string lights, baking sugar cookies, and playing the Hallmark Christmas movies on TV all day. lon…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—that is, if you’re the type, like me, who has already made a dent in their holiday shopping list, started hanging string lights, baking sugar cookies, and playing the Hallmark Christmas movies on TV all day. long. (Yes I know about Thanksgiving, shhhh). It’s also coffee lovers’ favorite time of year. Starbucks has just announced their lineup of seasonal holiday beverages, which will be released on November 4th, 2021, and they will inspire a playlist of Mariah Carey and Harry Connick Jr. from here until 2022 commences.

Starbucks 2021 holiday drinks include fan favorites that we’ve seen for years and years, like the Peppermint Mocha Latte, which is made with chocolate syrup and peppermint syrup; Toasted White Chocolate Mocha made with caramelized white chocolate and topped with whipped cream, red sprinkles, and edible white pearls; Caramel Brulee Latte featuring rich caramel brulée sauce, whipped cream, and a topping of caramel brulée bits; and the Chestnut Praline Latte, which is made with a caramelized chestnut syrup and topped with praline crumbs.

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Peek Into a Mumbai-Meets-Oakland Diwali Celebration

Home for the Holidays is a special series featuring our favorite food and home experts and their diverse homes—and holidays—from around the world. From Los Angeles to Mumbai and Hong Kong, we get a peek at how each family approaches the most special o…

Home for the Holidays is a special series featuring our favorite food and home experts and their diverse homes—and holidays—from around the world. From Los Angeles to Mumbai and Hong Kong, we get a peek at how each family approaches the most special of seasons—in a way that’s uniquely theirs.


Sana Javeri Kadri has a striking childhood Diwali memory. “I knew Diwali was around the corner when I’d come home from school one day to find the ceilings being washed,” recalls the founder of direct-trade spice company, Diaspora Co.. “We would have moved out all the furniture in the room and people would be throwing buckets of water at the ceiling.” It was one of several pre-Diwali cleaning routines that got the entire household in the mood for what was to come: days of feasting and gathering.

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Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Prepare to be comforted! Nothing hits the spot or soothes the soul quite like a warm bowl of creamy potato leek soup. It took some tinkering, but we finally created a plant-based version that’s the perfect balance of easy to prepare (just 9 ingredients…

Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Prepare to be comforted! Nothing hits the spot or soothes the soul quite like a warm bowl of creamy potato leek soup. It took some tinkering, but we finally created a plant-based version that’s the perfect balance of easy to prepare (just 9 ingredients and 1 pot required) and super flavorful!

Enjoy it on chilly days or any time you’re craving a warm, satisfying meal.

Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup from Minimalist Baker →

The Thanksgiving Menu of Our Wildest Dreams

What do you want to eat for Thanksgiving? That’s the question we asked our resident experts this summer (because, yep, that’s when food publications dream about November). Like a pile of raked leaves that you want to jump into, the answers grew and gre…

What do you want to eat for Thanksgiving? That's the question we asked our resident experts this summer (because, yep, that's when food publications dream about November). Like a pile of raked leaves that you want to jump into, the answers grew and grew and grew. It's the potluck to end all potlucks. It's the Residentsgiving.

Everyone is bringing a dish—from Carolina Gelen's on-the-fly yogurt dip to Mandy Lee's creamy kimchi gratin, Rick Martinez's roast turkey al pastor, and Samantha Seneviratne's chocolatey pecan pie. There's something for everyone. Which leads us to the most important question of all: What do you want to eat for Thanksgiving? We've got even more inspiration (and butter, of course) at our holiday hub. And like every year, our editors are always here to help on the Hotline.

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Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars (Vegan + GF)

 Friends, they’re here! Your new favorite fall dessert has arrived. After the success of our Apple Butter Cheesecake Bars and Strawberry Cheesecake Bars, we knew what we had to do: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! All the best parts of creamy cheesecake a…

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars (Vegan + GF)

 Friends, they’re here! Your new favorite fall dessert has arrived. After the success of our Apple Butter Cheesecake Bars and Strawberry Cheesecake Bars, we knew what we had to do: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars! All the best parts of creamy cheesecake and sweet and spicy pumpkin pie combine in a glorious, decadent, and surprisingly easy dessert. Not only that, but they’re gluten-free and plant-based too!

Whether you’re making them for the holiday table or whipping up a batch for yourself when the pumpkin spice craving strikes, we’re sure you’ll love them!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars (Vegan + GF) from Minimalist Baker →

17 Costco Black Friday Deals That Don’t Require a Membership

For some, the ideal post-Thanksgiving day involves a lot of napping. But if you’re a big shopper, you’re probably pulling out your computer, heading to your favorite online stores, and voraciously adding products to your cart.

Black Friday is like the…

For some, the ideal post-Thanksgiving day involves a lot of napping. But if you’re a big shopper, you’re probably pulling out your computer, heading to your favorite online stores, and voraciously adding products to your cart.

Black Friday is like the Super Bowl of savings as online and brick-and-mortar stores start the holiday shopping season by slashing prices. This year, the annual sales event lands on Friday, November 26, and you can expect great deals in the weeks leading up to it, too.

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21 Experience Gifts for People Who Don’t Want ‘Things’

My husband and I have an understanding when it comes to gifts: Instead of getting each other physical items, we gift experiences. I mean, I’ll still welcome a nice piece of jewelry any day but I’d rather take a weekend trip or tune into a crafting clas…

My husband and I have an understanding when it comes to gifts: Instead of getting each other physical items, we gift experiences. I mean, I’ll still welcome a nice piece of jewelry any day but I’d rather take a weekend trip or tune into a crafting class. In fact, some of the best gifts I’ve given him are experiences, such as a personalized video from a basketball player on the New York Knicks via Cameo and a tie-dying class from Uncommon Goods.

While there might not always be a physical present to unwrap, experience-based gifts are truly the gifts that keep on giving. You’ll make new memories and laugh until your bellies hurt, and you’ll still wind up with physical momentos afterward such as photos from a trip, a finished arts and crafts project, or a delicious meal that you cooked together.

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Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples and Dates

Prepare your tastebuds, friends! While crafting this season’s collection of holiday sides (there’s good stuff coming), we realized we wanted a quick, fresh, and versatile salad featuring fall ingredients. Enter: this Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad (with …

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples and Dates

Prepare your tastebuds, friends! While crafting this season’s collection of holiday sides (there’s good stuff coming), we realized we wanted a quick, fresh, and versatile salad featuring fall ingredients. Enter: this Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad (with kale, apples, and dates — oh my!).

Not only is this salad a delicious combination of savory, sweet, crunchy, and tart, but it comes together with just 10 ingredients in 20 minutes

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Apples and Dates from Minimalist Baker →

Zoe Adjonyoh’s Ghanian Dinner Party Is All About the Music (& Jollof Fried Chicken)

When you’re “half” Irish, “half” Ghanaian and British, and also a new American immigrant, what does a dinner party look like? No, not a hot mess. Food is many things, and one of the most important things it is for me is a reference to the core of who…


When you’re "half" Irish, "half" Ghanaian and British, and also a new American immigrant, what does a dinner party look like? No, not a hot mess. Food is many things, and one of the most important things it is for me is a reference to the core of who I am, who and where I belong to, who and where I have been. Despite the incongruous geography that might otherwise set cultures apart, in both my Irish and Ghaniana ancestral roots there are in common: deep colonial oppression; religious fervor; that "it takes a village" mentality with family as a core centre; great music; great dancing; great storytelling and oral traditions filled with lore and fable; and great cuisine, despite the lack of a "respected" or lauded culinary canon. These are all the things that subconsciously speak to me when designing a dinner party and menu.

Ain't no dinner party like a Ghana Kitchen dinner party.

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