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30 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes to Save Time & Stress This Season

This article was updated in August 2023 to include more of our favorite recipes.

There are some dishes that have be made on Thanksgiving day. Turkey cannot be roasted—or deep fried—ahead of time, mashed potatoes will not stay fluffy, and Pot-Stuck B…

This article was updated in August 2023 to include more of our favorite recipes.


There are some dishes that have be made on Thanksgiving day. Turkey cannot be roasted—or deep fried—ahead of time, mashed potatoes will not stay fluffy, and Pot-Stuck Brussels Sprouts will not remain crisp.

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How to Celebrate Easter Without Eggs

The most egg-centric holiday of the year is right around the corner, and if you haven’t heard, eggs are expensive this year. Like, really expensive. If a walk down the refrigerated section of your local grocery store fills you with fear, or the idea of…

The most egg-centric holiday of the year is right around the corner, and if you haven’t heard, eggs are expensive this year. Like, really expensive. If a walk down the refrigerated section of your local grocery store fills you with fear, or the idea of dyeing a bunch of eggs just to leave them out at room temperature to spoil makes your stomach turn, worry no more. We’ve compiled a list of a few swaps you can make this spring to celebrate Easter without the eggs-istential dread.


1. Make an egg-free cake

This Fudgy, Flourless Instant Pot Chocolate Cake from Jessie Sheehan is a wonder for two reasons: It bakes in an Instant Pot to save you time and energy, and though it contains no eggs, it’s still fluffy and rich. The pressure and steam of the Instant Pot helps create the lush moisture and bouncy texture we’ve come to expect from the best chocolate cakes, and this one definitely delivers.

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Why All Your Holiday Cocktails Are Better Off With Bitters

We’ve teamed up with ANGOSTURA® bitters to brighten your holiday gatherings with their flavorful line-up of celebration-worthy bitters. Think: nutty cocoa bitters, warming orange bitters, and their good ol’ fashioned aromatic bitters—add a dash (or thr…

We’ve teamed up with ANGOSTURA® bitters to brighten your holiday gatherings with their flavorful line-up of celebration-worthy bitters. Think: nutty cocoa bitters, warming orange bitters, and their good ol’ fashioned aromatic bitters—add a dash (or three) to your favorite seasonal sipper.


Once the weather officially shifts and I can don my cozy apparel full-time, I’m nearly ready to embrace the hap-hap-happiest season of the year. I save the best step towards the holiday spirit for last: a celebratory seasonal beverage (or two). Those festive sips wouldn’t be complete, historically or nowadays, without the addition of ANGOSTURA bitters, a staple ingredient that’s been helping deck the halls for nearly 200 holiday seasons and counting. Here are a few holiday cocktails on my list this year—new and old—that are better off with bitters.

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The Sweetest Things to Dip in Chocolate Fondue

Winter is the time when chocolate fondue shines, and we are here for it. New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day are the occasions when everyone says, “Oh yeah, I have a fondue pot! I should use it!” It’s romantic and celebratory, plus who wouldn’t want to …

Winter is the time when chocolate fondue shines, and we are here for it. New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day are the occasions when everyone says, “Oh yeah, I have a fondue pot! I should use it!” It’s romantic and celebratory, plus who wouldn't want to dip anything and everything in a chocolate waterfall? It also elicits good conversation, like “You have chocolate in your teeth” and “Can you pass me another marshmallow?” Really moving stuff. Ahead, find out how to make our easy chocolate fondue recipe so you can go from thinking “A fondue pot? I will never use this” to breaking it out mid-workday for a sugary pick-me-up.


How to Make Chocolate Fondue

Chocolate fondue can seem intimidating, messy, overly fancy, and not something for the average home cook. But that really couldn’t be further from the truth. For starters, our go-to chocolate fondue recipe calls for only two ingredients: chopped high-quality chocolate or chocolate chips and heavy cream (plus a little bit of salt). You can use dark, milk, or white chocolate, though ideally not all three together. Oh, and you don’t even need a fondue pot to make it! You absolutely can use one, especially because it lends itself to easy dipping, but a saucepan will work just as well.

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17 Delicious Recipes to Serve for Kwanzaa This Year

At the heart of every Kwanzaa celebration is delicious food. The week-long festivities, which originated in 1966, are a way to embrace and celebrate the African diaspora. On the final night of Kwanzaa, family members and friends gather together for Kar…

At the heart of every Kwanzaa celebration is delicious food. The week-long festivities, which originated in 1966, are a way to embrace and celebrate the African diaspora. On the final night of Kwanzaa, family members and friends gather together for Karamu, a potluck-style dinner featuring dishes from West African culinary traditions, among others. A typical feast might include okra stew, gumbo, jambalaya, collard greens, and other favorite dishes.

Like all holidays, families each have their own take on how to celebrate Kwanzaa. And because it’s a relatively new holiday, the ways to celebrate it are still evolving and changing with every generation of Black Americans who celebrate. Just bring your loved ones together for a good meal and embrace the traditions that feel right.

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The Best Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Wine for Holiday Toasts

When I first quit drinking alcohol, the only thing about it that I feared I would miss were champagne toasts. I associate sparkling wine with Christmas, when my mother usually hosts a huge, festive feast. For years, one of my jobs as her co-host has be…

When I first quit drinking alcohol, the only thing about it that I feared I would miss were champagne toasts. I associate sparkling wine with Christmas, when my mother usually hosts a huge, festive feast. For years, one of my jobs as her co-host has been to make sure everyone got a glass of champagne as soon as they walked in the door, which meant I spent at least half an hour watching the animated bokeh effect of the bubbles as I made sure the red and clear Waterford cut crystal champagne flutes she uses only once a year didn’t overflow.

As Christmas rolled around the first year that I didn’t drink, nearly a decade ago now, I replaced champagne with sparkling cranberry cider, but it wasn’t the same. Even though I didn’t miss the effects of alcohol, I missed the taste and the fine, tickling bubbles of a decent sparkling wine. Luckily, non-alcoholic sparkling wine making has come a long way in the past ten years, and bubblies without the buzz have improved tremendously. Recently, I had the delightful task of tasting and reviewing over seventeen offerings that are available now for your holiday parties, New Year’s toasts, or whatever you might be celebrating all year long! Here are my recommendations:

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A No-Stress Way to Make the Smallest Gathering Feel Special

Much is uncertain about this holiday season, deep as we are in the second year of a pandemic that has thrown a wrench into social gatherings of all kinds. Omicron is racing around, and it’s looking like a lot of the “going out” plans are suddenly turni…

Much is uncertain about this holiday season, deep as we are in the second year of a pandemic that has thrown a wrench into social gatherings of all kinds. Omicron is racing around, and it’s looking like a lot of the “going out” plans are suddenly turning back into “very much staying in” plans. Whatever you’re doing, like death and taxes, one thing in life is certain: There will be a lot of dishes to deal with.

If you’re having a cozy New Year’s feast for two, or a smaller at home dinner party rather than your big holiday plans, you can still have it be special and different. This year, rather than worrying about dusting off your fine china, or doing the same old same old linens, why not…rent your party tablescape? It might sound opulent, like we-only-do-that-for-weddings, but in fact a number of companies have popped up that offer just that service. You rent your plates, cups, forks, knives, tablecloths, and napkins, then scrape off your plates, dump out the champagne flutes, and return it all. Like Rent the Runway, but for your kitchen. No muss, no fuss—all your party pieces get dropped off to your door and returned the same way. And you don’t even have to deal with the dishes.

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Embracing My Family’s Quirky Holiday Traditions From Far Away

Christmas at my mom’s begins with the tree. I wouldn’t call it a tradition so much as her obsession with erecting the perfect hulking evergreen—so tall that its tippy top brushes against our living room ceiling—and decorating it just so with white ligh…

Christmas at my mom’s begins with the tree. I wouldn’t call it a tradition so much as her obsession with erecting the perfect hulking evergreen—so tall that its tippy top brushes against our living room ceiling—and decorating it just so with white lights and ornaments, some as old as her adult children, others new additions to replace the broken bulbs of years past. Like the accumulated Christmases under our belts, each ornament has its own story to tell.

Behind the tree there is a sliding glass door, and just outside, a deck that hangs over the open woods, which serves as an annual Christmas tree graveyard. There, the beloved trees will inevitably find themselves on the 27th of December, tossed out just as fast as they were dragged into our home, before their needles even have the chance to turn brown and descend on my mom’s spotless wooden floor.

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Pack Your Bag for Holiday Party Season!

For the last couple of years, the holidays have looked a little different. If you’ve decided to travel to be with your loved ones this season, you’re simultaneously trying to keep track of whom you’ve bought presents for, which ones you’ve wrapped, and…

For the last couple of years, the holidays have looked a little different. If you’ve decided to travel to be with your loved ones this season, you’re simultaneously trying to keep track of whom you’ve bought presents for, which ones you’ve wrapped, and where, oh where, did you stash them?

Inevitably, you’ll also be invited to a few “last-minute, low-key gatherings”—sometimes, more than one in a day!—where the host insists that you don’t have to bring anything, but you can't possibly show up empty-handed. You'll need something un-fussy that can be prepped in big batches, toted around from day to night without spilling or souring, and plenty crowd-pleasing so there's none left over to bring back home. We've been there!

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A Build-Your-Own Crispbread Bar for Peak Holiday Snacking

We’ve teamed up with Wasa—makers of Swedish-style crispbreads crafted with simple, wholesome ingredients—to put together a snack-able spread that’s sure to be the star of your holiday gatherings. Featuring Wasa’s delightfully crunchy and deeply flavorf…

We’ve teamed up with Wasa—makers of Swedish-style crispbreads crafted with simple, wholesome ingredients—to put together a snack-able spread that’s sure to be the star of your holiday gatherings. Featuring Wasa’s delightfully crunchy and deeply flavorful Multi Grain and Gluten Free Crispbreads (click here to shop 'em), this customizable crispbread bar from our Resident Cheese Plater Marissa Mullen is un-brie-lievably easy and bound to impress.


The holidays are fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate a festive occasion—be it a full-on holiday party or cozy night in—than with a customizable crispbread bar adorned with season-perfect pairings? I love the flexibility of a build-your-own snack bar: Not only is it super easy to assemble for stress-free entertaining, but it also requires less prep time than your normal cheeseboard because the board doesn’t need to appear quite as abundant. Snack bars allow your guests to venture off on their own personal pairing adventures—choosing from a variety of cheeses, cured meats, pickled veggies, mustards, chutneys, and other antipasto.

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