Holiday Guest Prep Made Easy With Maytag Washer & Dryer Set

Holiday guest prep made quick & easy with my washer & dryer!

This post is sponsored by Maytag. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

Can you all believe that the holiday season is almost here? If you happen to be anything like me, that means that LOTS of holiday entertaining & house guests are in the very near future. I am getting a jump on that holiday guest prep now before all the craziness of the season has settled in with a little help from my Maytag top load washer & dryer set.

I gathered up all my cozy holiday throws & toss pillows, the tree skirt, & table runner from storage and tossed them all into my Extra Large Capacity washer. After spending almost a year packed away in totes in our storage unit, they were getting a bit musty. 

Small Batch Spice Thumbprint Cookies

These thick & soft Small Batch Spice Thumbprint Cookies are perfect for when you have a craving for a fall inspired treat, but don't want to bake up an entire batch of cookies...

Confession: I absolutely love me some cake mix cookies. Fact: If I make an entire box of cake mix cookies, I will end up eating almost all of them by myself, you all. No joke. 

My solution to this little dilemma is to only to use half of the box of cake mix & make myself a small batch of cake mix cookies. I can always tuck away the other half of the mix to bake up another small batch later on or to use in another recipe altogether.

A couple of weeks ago as I was getting myself into full-on fall mode, I had a craving for some thick & soft spiced cookies. I happened to have half of a box of spice cake mix in the cabinet, so it was a no-brainer to whip myself up a batch of fall inspired cake mix cookies using that. I had happened to use the other half of that mix in these soft & fluffy Banana Spice Streusel Muffins I baked up earlier in the month.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo

This creamy & decadent Brown Butter Pumpkin Alfredo sauce with fettuccine is perfect fall comfort food...

Up until today's post, I had never made brown butter before... or used it in a recipe. And honestly? I have no clue why. For some odd reason, I had always been intimidated by the thought of making it. Maybe it is because I had it in my head that making brown butter was some sort of delicate, fancy French cooking technique that I was sure to mess up. (I mean, the French do refer to it as beurre noisette- sounds fancy, right?) But that couldn't be farther from the truth, you all.

Brown butter is so super easy to make! It literally consists of one ingredient- unsalted butter. And if you can simply swirl butter in a pan for a few minutes, then can you too can successfully make brown butter. ;) Looking back, I feel silly now that I avoided trying to make it for so long. 

For my very first recipe on the blog using brown butter, I decided to add it to a decadent, creamy homemade Alfredo sauce. But this isn't just any Alfredo sauce, folks. It is a dreamy, comforting pumpkin Alfredo sauce that is perfect for fall...

5 Places to Visit in the Finger Lakes (That Are Not Wineries)

The Finger Lakes region of New York is so much more than just wine country! From quaint downtown areas with wonderful local shops to waterfall chasing to a growing craft brewery scene, here are 5 Places to Visit in the Finger Lakes That Are Not Wineries...

The Corning Glass Museum tour, Watkins Glen State Park hike, & Farm Sanctuary tour were all provided courtesy of TBEX North America 2018. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

I obviously have nothing against wineries. In fact, I think most of you all know by now that I love myself a good winery tour & tasting while traveling. ;) But I do think that when most people consider planning a trip to the Finger Lakes that they assume that they have to be wine lovers in order to enjoy the area. Today's travel post is to show you all that the Finger Lakes region of New York has so much more to offer than just great local wineries.

From quaint downtown areas with wonderful local shops to waterfall chasing to a growing craft brewery scene, the Finger Lakes is so much more than just wine country.  Now that isn't to say that you couldn't pop into a winery or two (or four!) for a tasting while in the area, but you most certainly do not have to be a wine aficionado to truly appreciate the Finger Lakes of New York.

Although I only scraped the tip of the iceberg during the few days that I visited the area, I am sharing 5 of my favorite must-visit places in the Finger Lakes (sans the wineries) with you all below...

Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup

A favorite fall soup gets a tasty vegetarian & vegan friendly update in this creamy Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

If you have been following along with me for a little while now, then you probably already know that fall is by far my favorite time of the year. I love it when the air gets a little crisper, the leaves on the trees start to turn vibrant shades of red, orange, & yellow, and I get to break out my favorite flannels & fall boots. But perhaps my most favorite thing about fall is the seasonal flavors that it brings with it- pumpkin spice, apples, autumn squash, chai tea, & warm, cozy bowls of creamy soup.

One of my favorite fall soups happens to be a good homemade butternut squash soup. I decided to take the traditional butternut squash soup recipe & give it a veggie packed, dairy-free update with a little help from some of my favorite Silk products that I picked up at my local Target the other week...

Apple Cheddar Pull-Apart Bread

Sweet apples, mild cheddar, warm spices, & a touch of maple sweetness come together perfectly in this easy to make Apple Cheddar Pull-Apart Bread...

I know that when most people think of their favorite fall flavors to pair with crisp apples that caramel and cinnamon & sugar probably come to mind first. But for me, I prefer the sweet & savory combination of apples with a good white cheddar cheese. In fact, fresh apple slices & creamy cheddar are a staple on my charcuterie boards during the fall months.

I decided to take this delicious combo and wrap it up into a warm & cozy pull-apart bread that would be perfect with a warm cup of chai tea on crisp fall afternoon or as part of a weekend brunch menu. Sweet apples, mild cheddar, & a touch of maple sweetness & warm spices come together perfectly in this easy to make treat...

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

With its rich & chocolaty cake layers frosted with a fresh raspberry buttercream, you certainly cannot go wrong with this crowd-pleasing Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake for your next party or celebration...

Let me start this post off by first offering an apology to any of my Instagram followers who may have seen the teaser photo I posted back in August for this insanely decadent cake. You all have been waiting almost two months for this recipe, and I didn't mean to make you all wait that long for this one. But you know, life & work & the kids starting back to school got in the way. But today the wait is finally over, my friends!

I actually whipped up this cake for my son's 20th birthday party in August. And yes, I did say TWENTY. I mean, how does that even happen anyways? When they say the years go by fast, they are not exaggerating, you all. One day you are planning a Blue's Clues themed party for their first birthday, and then the next thing you know they have officially left their teen years and are in their twenties. I can't even wrap my head around it sometimes.