I pray your Thanksgiving was full of family, friends, great food, heartfelt conversations, downtime, and so much more!
If you still have turkey or ham leftovers, check out my healthy leftover turkey recipes and these creative recipes for leftover ham.
I’m still basking in the afterglow of having our boys home and my oldest son’s girlfriend too. What a great time we had together; read on for a few pictures and a recap of our time together.
Today’s newsletter has four great new recipes, FREE delivery driver thank you sign, a few sale items, and some inspiration.
CONGRATULATIONS to our giveaway winners Cheryl S and Lisa L! Your Emile Henry pie plates should be on your doorstep soon!
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Browse the Table of Contents below to navigate this post easily.
Delivery Driver Thank You Sign (FREE)
It’s time for delivery drivers to work overtime! I’ve had my station loaded throughout the summer with all of our purchases for the remodel, I’ve even had drivers leave me thank-you notes!
So print out your own and be creative in making your own, thank-you snack station, for your delivery drivers!
Check out the post for tips and tricks, and get the free printable by downloading here!
What I’m Making’ & Bakin’ | 4 New Recipes
As a foodie, the holiday season is my FAVORITE time of the year, and if you are here, I bet it’s one of yours, too! Be sure to browse through the archives for holiday drinks, appetizers, and sweets to get your creativity going!
Let the Christmas baking begin with Marble Sugar Cookies, Lemon Shortbread, plus we all need an easy dinner recipe, so try this Slow Cooker Cube Steak and your new favorite holiday appetizer!
Best Cranberry Jalapeno Dip Recipe (with Cream Cheese)
Prepped in minutes, this is the ultimate cranberry jalapeno dip, a sweet, spicy and tart blend of flavors! Whether poured over cream cheese or mixed in, it’s the perfect festive appetizer! A spot-on copycat of Costco’s cranberry jalapeño dip!
Easy Slow Cooker Cube Steak Recipe with Gravy
Prepped in minutes, this slow-cooker cube steak is a perfect weeknight meal! Savor tender, flavorful cube steaks with mushroom onion gravy!
Bonus: No onion soup mix or cream of mushroom soup needed!
Easy Marbled Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe
Are you tired of the same white-iced sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles? This year, try these beautiful and easy marbled Sugar Cookies recipe instead!
A simple cut-out sugar cookie recipe with powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar.
Best Easy Lemon Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Lemon Shortbread Cookies are quick, easy, and melt-in-your-mouth cookie! Shortbread are the best cookies; the bright lemon flavor is a great addition to any Christmas cookie tray, Easter dessert table, or anytime!
Try my famous Scottish Shortbread cookies, these Lemon sandwich cookies, marbled sugar cookies and these pan-banging sugar cookies!
I love it when readers send me pictures of their creations! Check out Kemie’s beautiful rendition of the marbled sugar cookies below!
Have you tried…
- …air fryer halibut? It’s so moist, tender and delicious!
- Creamy loaded baked potato soup (a copycat Outback recipe)
- And these Orange Scones are popular year-round! Add some cranberries for a seasonal burst!
What Readers Are Saying about…
Best Cheesesteak Sandwiches
This recipe is so good and so yummy! A family favorite for sure! With our busy teenagers I end up making this about once every 3-4 weeks and now have their friends requesting it! I actually use the carne from Aldi and it works perfectly! I too do onion and whatever color bell pepper, add a bit of garlic just because! Thanks for sharing it and making our lives easier!
Ericka
Best Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches Recipe (Shaved Steak)
30 minutes to the best shaved steak sandwich recipe! Tender, shaved beef, caramelized onions, lots of flavor thanks to Worcestershire Sauce and melty cheese — piled on top of a buttery, toasted French roll.
Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches for everyone!
My Favorite Wireless Thermometer (ON SALE)
I was so excited to see this Meater Wireless Thermometer on sale this week! This is my favorite, I love it and I know you will too!
Recommended Tools
- Meater Wireless Thermometer, know the temp of your meat without opening the oven, bbq or air fryer!
In the here and now | Real-life stories
I took most of the week off, and really entered into this time with our boys and family. I slept in a bit, watched a lot of movies, and even went to see a movie in the theaters; feel like it’s been forever since we’ve done that.
I baked a ton (my real passion!) and made dinners, snuggled in front of the fire and we even tromped up to the mountains to get our Christmas tree on a bitter-cold and snowy day.
A bitter-cold and snowy storm came in Thanksgiving evening — we spent much of the next morning checking out road conditions in the mountains to determine whether we’d go and cut down our tree or wait. About 11:30, while not warm (a whopping 21° F), the roads had cleared enough, and snow had stopped we felt safe to drive. So I made a thermos of my famous hot chocolate, donned our warm coats, and off we went.
I’m so glad we did, our oldest and his girlfriend went with us and we found our best tree ever! Then to my hearts delight, they wanted to decorate it! It was so fun seeing them pull out all of our old ornaments and the ones for the boys and talking about them and we watched White Christmas, our Christmas tree decorating show.
What Caught My Eye | Sales and Deals
Check out the below items HERE! Plus, previous week’s finds!
What I’m Loving | Holiday Mantel
A few things caught my eye this week!
- I love my realistic Norfolk pine garland (my hubby had to go and feel to it confirm it was artificial) and these fun bells and these too, with these simple stocking hangers to hang them from!
- Also bought this red metal sleigh bell and this bigger cream one.
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Weekly Inspiration | Holiday Hallmark Movies & Happy Endings
“I love this time of year for many reasons — celebrating the birth of Jesus, gathering with friends and family, baking and eating Christmas cookies, giving and receiving presents, decorating our home with lights and greenery, singing Christmas carols, and…watching all the Hallmark Christmas movies.
True, the Hallmark Christmas movies are sometimes silly and almost always corny, but there’s something else they all have in common that keeps me coming back for more–happy endings.
I realize most Hallmark movies are not very believable and that’s one of the reasons I like them so much. I know that in real life high school sweethearts don’t always reunite; and children don’t always learn the true meaning of Christmas and families don’t always make up and spend Christmas morning together. But I also know that even through life on this earth can be difficult and messy and painful at times, as Christians we are promised the Happy Ending of all happy endings. The Ultimate Happy Ending!
Because Jesus came to earth as a baby, lived a flawless life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again, we get to spend eternity in heaven with Him where we’ll experience happiness like we’ve never known before.
Even Hallmark can’t top that happy ending!”
The above is an excerpt from The Christmas Devotional | Hope & Humor for the Holidays by Michelle Medlock Adams and Andy Clapp
I so enjoyed this Christmas devotional book, and this one made me laugh, because I am just like her! I love all the corny Hallmark and now Great American Family Christmas movies!! Our world is hard enough; these movies make me smile and giggle, and some even shed a tear.
Knowing that the holiday season can be so hard for so many people, I pray that you seek the Light of the world this Christmas season and find comfort and joy in the little things. If you are struggling, I would consider it an honor to pray for you; shoot me a quick email!
With joy,
P.S. If you missed last week’s Fresh Fridays, recipes, sales, tips, ideas, and more!
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Aline Brown
I really enjoy your blog each week, but most of all I enjoy seeing you and Brad.
Awe, we love you Aline!