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Man do I love a holiday cocktail. I shared how to make this drink for one on Instagram (@mydailydelish) but this recipe shows how to easily serve a crowd. This yummy concoction marries the sparkliness of champagne with the rich, fruity notes of pomegranate, creating a drink that's not only visually stunning but also a celebration in every sip. Now doesn’t that sounds amazing?!   You can customize this by swapping the blood orange for regular navel orange or grapefruit, and cranberry juice is just as delicious as pomegranate, it will just change the flavor a bit. But feel free to move things around depending on what you have in your fridge! CITRUS + POMEGRANATE CHAMPAGNE SPRITZ Serves 6-8 Ingredients: 1 cup pomegranate juice Juice of 3 blood oranges 3 T pure maple syrup 4 cups champagne ⅔ cup cointreau Directions: Combine all ingredients except the champagne in a large pitcher and stir. Once mixed, top with champagne and give a gentle stir. Serve over ice. When serving, run the orange peel around the rim of each glass and dip into a small plate of white sugar.

As a non-recipe follower myself (the irony, I know!), I have indeed attempted a lot of tomato soup recipes. So many of them have tons of good reviews but they never live up to that classic tomato soup flavor I really crave. Slightly sweet, savory, a little spicy, creeeeeeamy… This dish delivers. I promise, promise. It is packed full of flavor, thanks in part to the fact that all the vegetables are roasted first. Roasting the veggies opens up their natural sweetness and adds an incredible depth to the soup. This is the perfect soup to dunk some crusty bread into. Try this and tell me what you think! Feel free to top with parmesan cheese, sharp cheddar, bacon or whatever else your heart desires. Roasted Tomato Soup Prep time: 10 minutes, Cook time: 30 minutes. Yields 4 servings INGREDIENTS: 5 heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes Handful cherry or grape tomatoes 3 carrots, roughly chopped 10 garlic cloves 2 small white onions Olive oil 1 t salt ½ black pepper 1 T sugar Red pepper flake to taste 2 ½ cups chicken broth ⅔ cup heavy cream 1 t balsamic vinegar DIRECTIONS: 1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the vegetables and garlic on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add red pepper flake to taste start with ½ teaspoon. Roast the vegetables for 25-30 minutes until slightly charred and caramelized. 2.) Once the veggies are cooked, sprinkle on 1 tablespoon of white sugar. Add the vegetables and all of the juices/oil into a stock pot. Pour in the broth, heavy cream and balsamic vinegar. 3.) Use an immersion blender to slowly blend the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, allow the ingredients to cool slightly then blend in a blender. 4.) Taste, and add additional salt, pepper, sugar or balsamic depending on what you need. A little goes a long way!

A classic Aperol Spritz is one of my favorite cocktails. It’s not too sweet, it’s sparkly and incredibly refreshing. This holiday twist is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this drink. Start by making cranberry rosemary syrup on the stove (by the way, this is delicious when spread on bread for your day-after-Thanksgiving sandwich). Once it’s strained and cooled, you can add it to your cocktail mix. Enjoy, and don’t drink too many! CRANBERRY ROSEMARY APEROL SPRITZ Yields 8 drinks Ingredients: Simple Syrup: 16 oz bag of fresh cranberries 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary 1 cup sugar 2.5 cups water Sprinkle of salt Batch Cocktail: ⅓ cup cranberry rosemary syrup 3 cups prosecco 2 cups Aperol 1 cup seltzer water Garnish with orange slices and additional rosemary Directions: 1.) To make the syrup: Combine all syrup ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Careful- the cranberries pop when they split open! Cook for 10 minutes and use a wooden spoon to mash the cranberries into a thick sauce. Once the mixture has cooled on the stove, strain into a glass jar and store in the fridge. 2.) Combine syrup and Aperol in a pitcher over ice. Gently stir before adding in Prosecco and soda water. Garnish and enjoy!

The hottest commodity on Thanksgiving isn’t the wishbone, my friends… It’s oven space. My mom’s side of the family gets together every year at Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle’s house (shout out to Steve and Terri!) who literally have to clear out ALL of their downstairs furniture to fit us in. It’s amazing, it’s loud, the drinks are kept cold on the back deck, and the spread is always perfect. We generally get a mass group text saying “let us know what you’d like to bring!” but everyone has their role and generally brings the same item year after year. My move is always green beans. Since we have about 40 people most years, the oven space is coveted, to say the least. This green bean casserole can be made entirely on the stove which helps when it comes to planning your day. This green bean casserole isn’t mushy, but instead each green bean crunches in your mouth. The bacon bits are thick cut and could be the star of the show themselves. The sauce is thick and luscious, and just the tiniest bit spicy. I love love love this recipe and hope you’ll give it a try this year! NO OVEN REQUIRED GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE Yields 8-10 servings, 30 minutes total Ingredients: 8 slices thick cut bacon 4 T butter, separated 1 white onion, diced 5 garlic cloves, minced ½ t red pepper flake 1 t dry parsley 1 t dry thyme 1 t salt 1 t pepper 3 T flour 2 cups chicken broth 1 ½ pounds green beans, washed and trimmed 1 cup crispy onions Directions: 1.) Cook the bacon. I like to add my bacon slices to the air fryer and cook for 5-7 minutes at 400, but any way you like is fine. Once the bacon is cooled, dice them into large pieces and set aside. 2.) Add the diced onion to a saucepan over medium-low heat along with 1 T of butter. Cook for 6-7 minutes until softened. Remove half of the onions and set aside. 3.) Mix in the garlic and all of the spices (red pepper flake, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper) to the saucepan. Soften the garlic for 2 additional minutes. 4.) Add in the remaining butter and flour. Stir together to make a roux. Allow this to cook for 2 minutes before slowly stirring in the chicken stock. Whisk in the chicken stock until you have a thick and delicious sauce. Taste at this point and add additional spices if necessary. 5.) Add the green beans (I cut the larger ones in half) into the sauce and cover with a lid. Lower the heat to low and allow the beans to cook through until slightly softened but still crunchy. Check after a few minutes and add a tablespoon or two of water if you need to thin out the sauce. 6.) Once the green beans are cooked through, assemble on an oven safe platter. Pour all of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle bacon bits, the remaining sautéed onion, and crispy onions on top. Serve warm. No oven is required, but you may need to warm it up before serving!

I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like, but I’m partial to the mashed variety (and the fried ones.. and the roasted ones… and the baked ones…). I’ve been making mashed potatoes in my instant pot for years because it saves SO much time and mess. If you haven’t yet tried my OG mashed potato recipe- here ya go . It really is so much easier though. They boil in far less time and you don’t have to deal with the starchy water overflow. This recipe uses dried garlic powder as well as oven-roasted garlic, which gives double the heavenly garlic flavor. Use fresh rosemary or dried, whichever you have on hand. I guarantee this will be the star of the Thanksgiving dinner spread! ROASTED GRLIC AND ROSEMARY MASHED POTATOES Yields 6-8 servings, total time: 20 minutes + roasting time for garlic Ingredients: 6 large russet potatoes 2 garlic bulbs, roasted 2-3 cups water 2 t rosemary, separated 1 t dried garlic powder Salt and pepper 4 oz cream cheese 1 cup half and half or milk Directions: 1.) Roast the garlic. Slice the tops off of the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves. Cover with olive oil, salt and pepper, and wrap in foil. Roast in the oven at 400 for 35 minutes. 2.) Wash and peel the russets. Chop each potato into 3-4 pieces. 3.) Add the potatoes and water to the instant pot, along with garlic powder, salt, pepper and 1t rosemary. Cook on manual for 8 minutes. 4.) Once cooked, manually release the pressure then drain the potatoes. Careful! The steam is hot. 5.) Warm the cream cheese and milk on the stove on low heat. Squeeze the caramelized garlic into the pan and use the back of a fork to mash the garlic and cream cheese. Slowly drizzle the warm mixture into the IP with the potatoes. Add in additional rosemary. You may not need to use all of the milk mixture. Go slow until you have the texture you like. 6.) Remember, potatoes are bland on their own. Taste before serving and add additional s+p until its perfect.

Okay, okay. I know there are a lot of people with a looottt of opinions when it comes to gravy. Just know that I know that. I hear ya. This is not your mama’s gravy. But damn it’s good and you should probably try it.  This recipe comes together simply. First you’ll roast whole heads of garlic in the oven. Once the garlic cloves are softened and caramelized - well, your house will smell heavenly - but also, you will have built the base for this gravy. Pro tip- if you’re also planning on making my roasted garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, add two additional garlic heads into the oven. You can swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth to make this vegetarian as well. ROASTED GARLIC GRAVY Ingredients: 2 whole garlic bulbs Olive oil Salt + pepper 3 T butter 3 T flour ½ t paprika 1½ cups chicken stock Directions: 1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice off the top of two entire garlic bulbs, revealing all of the delicious cloves. Smother with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place each garlic head in aluminum foil and wrap up tight. Roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes. 2.) As soon as the garlic is roasted and slightly cooled, carefully squeeze the garlic into a small bowl and mash with the back of a fork. 3.) Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, then mix until you have a thick roux. Add in the garlic paste. 4.) Slowly drizzle in the chicken stock and stir continuously until you have a congruent, luscious final product. Stir and let it thicken for around 5-7 minutes. Be generous with the salt and pepper at this point, and taste. Add paprika to your liking. Serve over your entire Thanksgiving plate and enjoy!

Three of the three tiny humans in my house have been sick this week. And all the mamas said '“Ughhhh.” I know well enough by now that sickness is inevitable with public school and young children, and while I haven’t cracked the code on how to keep us healthy all the time, I have decided that chicken stock is one of my best weapons in the fight. I was craving a flavorful broth with a twist this week, so I whipped up this riff on pozole verde. This is NOT pozole (no hominy for me!), but it certainly feels similar. As far as meals go, this is a pretty easy one to whip up. You start by broiling a bunch of peppers and onions, and then sear the chicken in a large dutch oven. Blitz up your delicious, crispy roasty-toasty peppers and dump it in with the chicken. Add stock and then let it simmer to perfection. That’s it! I know a lot of you will hate it when I say this because you want exact directions, but you can really use any combination of peppers for this (promise). I went with jalapeños, poblanos, bell peppers and Anaheim chiles, but whatever you can get your hands on will be just fine. If you are nervous about how spicy this will be, remove some of the seeds before blitzing. Overall though, when this came together, I would rate it a 2.5/5 on the spice scale. Really not too hot at all, but of course each pepper is different. Reminder that the heat comes from the ribs and seeds, so just remove some before moving forward and you’ll be good to go. You will need a food processor for this or an immersion blender as a second choice. SPICY POLLO VERDE SOUP Yields 4-6 servings, 20 minute prep time, 1-3 hour simmer time INGREDIENTS: Olive oil 4 boneless skin-on chicken thighs 3-4 jalapeño peppers, depending on size 1 green bell pepper 3 poblano peppers 1 Anaheim Chile pepper 1 white onion 6 cloves garlic 6 tomatillos 6 cups chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste Large handful cilantro Cilantro, lime, tortilla chips to garnish DIRECTIONS: 1.) Drizzle olive oil in a large dutch oven and turn to high heat. Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs, then sear each side in the hot pan. Lower the heat once you have a golden brown crust on each side, and set the chicken aside. 2.) While the chicken is searing, very roughly chop the peppers, onion and garlic. Place them plus the whole husked tomatillos on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil on high for 2-4 minutes, depending on your oven. You want these to be black and charred, but not burnt-burnt. Pay attention if your broiler is sassy and keep your eyes on things! Toss them around the pan and broil the opposite side. 3.) Add all of the peppers, onion and garlic to a food processor and pulse until everything is finely minced. Do this in two batches if necessary. Remove the whole tomatillos and toss them into the dutch oven. Allow the tomatillos to continue searing and browning. Stir to avoid burning. 4.) Pour your gorgeous sofrito verde in your dutch oven and cover with chicken stock. Scrape up the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and mix in all of the delicious chicken fond. Nestle the chicken thighs in, cover with a lid, and simmer on low until you’re ready to eat. The chicken will finish cooking through within 15 minutes, but the longer the better as far as flavor goes. I recommend letting the soup simmer for a couple of hours if you’re able to. Shred the chicken with two forks upon serving and add salt and pepper to taste. 5.) Garnish with fresh lime wedges, cilantro, avocado, sharp cheddar, radish, chopped onion, tortilla strips, or any combination of those!

It’s finally starting to cool down here in the south, which means soup season is here, my friends! This soup has all the elements of delicious plate of lasagna with about a quarter of the work. All the ingredients simmer together in a hearty bowl of soup, and then you get to add in a dollop (or four…) of creamy, ooey-gooey mozzarella and ricotta. The final product is the perfect cozy dinner that replicates the recipe we all know and love. Feel free to swap the sausage for ground beef if that’s what you have in your fridge. RICOTTA LASAGNA SOUP Yields 4-6 servings. Total time: 35 minutes INGREDIENTS: 1 T olive oil 1 white onion, diced 4-6 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb Italian sausage 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 6 cups chicken broth 1 T salt ½ T black pepper 1 T dried parsley 1 T dried basil ½ t red pepper flakes ½ t dried rosemary 1 T brown sugar 8-9 lasagna noodle sheets, broken into 3 inch pieces 1½ cups ricotta cheese ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese Additional salt and pepper DIRECTIONS: 1.) Coat a large stock pot or dutch oven with olive oil and place over medium hear. Add diced white onion, minced garlic and sausage. Break up the meat until fully cooked through. Add in the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and seasonings and bring to a simmer. 2.) On the side in a small bowl, whip together the ricotta cheese and mozzarella. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3.) When you’re nearly ready to serve dinner, break apart the lasagna sheets and drop them into the pot. Stir well to ensure the noodles aren’t stuck together. Cook the pasta through for 8-10 minutes. 4.) Serve by ladling the hot soup into a deep bowl, and add a dollop of the ricotta mixture. Garnish with parmesan cheese and fresh basil if you have it on hand.

One big change since my last post… We moved South! Our little family of five is now based out of Greenville, South Carolina. We’ve been here since mid-April and are loving it! Today we checked out a farmer’s market down the road, and I was able to grab a delicious armload of peaches and blackberries. Here is a simple cobbler recipe I come back to again and again. The cobbler batter goes on the bottom, and the caramelized peaches and blackberries go on top, creating and ooey gooey crumbly bite. Let me know how much you love it in the comments! Serves 8, prep time: 10 minutes, cook time: 40-45 minutes INGREDIENTS: Fruit Filling: 5 large peaches with skin removed 1 cup fresh blackberries 1 T lime or lemon juice ½ cup white sugar 2 t cornstarch ¼ t salt ¼ t pumpkin pie spice cinnamon works fine too Batter Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 cup white sugar 2 t baking soda ¼ t pumpkin pie spice ¼ t salt ¾ cup milk Additional Ingredients: 5 T butter Flaky sea salt 1 T raw sugar DIRECTIONS: 1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once at temperature, add 5 T of butter cut into pats onto the base of a large pie pan. Allow the butter to melt. 2.) Remove the skin of 5 peaches. Break the peaches apart with your hands, or core and cube. Add the peaches to a sauce pan over medium heat along with the blackberries, citrus juice, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat. 3.) Mix the dry ingredients of the batter in a large bowl. Slowly drizzle in the milk until it creates a thick but fluffy mixture. 4.) Pour the batter on top of the melted butter. Next, ladle on the peach and blackberry mixture and its juices. 5.) Bake the cobbler for 35 minutes. Remove the cobbler and add in a few additional berries. I like to slice them in half lengthwise and gently place on top. Sprinkle on the raw sugar, then return the pie plate to the oven for an additional 8-10 minutes, until the batter is all the way cooked through. 6.) Sprinkle flaky salt on top of the final product. Serve warm with ice cream for the perfect summer treat.

If I had a resolution for the new year (which I don’t), it would most likely be to cook with more mushrooms. I’m not much of a mushroom girlie, but I know I should  like them. Does that make sense? This is my start. I’m trying to incorporate them more to keep growing my palette. This pasta is so simple but delivers a fancy final product. The most difficult part of the entire recipe is waiting for the bacon to crisp. That’s literally the most complicated step. The way the fresh rosemary and tender mushrooms come together with the crispy bacon is total perfection. If you’ve been nervous to make a more traditional carbonara with egg and no cream, this is a great one for you to practice on. It’s fool proof and the final product is a delicious glossy pasta that isn’t overly heavy, despite the addition of bacon. I hope you dive in and love this one! The only person who has tasted this besides me used the words “outstanding” and “completely delicious” to describe this, so you have at least one other person’s word besides mine. Enjoy!! ONE POT MUSHROOM ROSEMARY CARBONARA Yields 4 servings. 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 4 pieces of thick cut bacon 1 sprig fresh rosemary 4 oz button mushrooms, sliced 12 oz linguine ⅔ cup fresh parmesan cheese 1 whole egg 2 egg yolks 3 cups boiling water Salt and pepper to taste Directions: 1.) Boil 3 cups of water on the stove in a pot. 2.) Chop the bacon into 1-inch pieces and add to a separate pan over medium heat. Dice a full sprig of fresh rosemary, and add the majority of it to the bacon, reserving a small amount for garnish. Add a half a teaspoon of black pepper on top, and cook until the bacon is brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. 2.) Add in the sliced mushrooms and cook for one to two minutes. 3.) Place the linguini noodles on top of the bacon, then pour 2 cups of the simmering water over top. Stir until the noodles are mainly covered. Add the lid onto the saucepan and allow the noodles to soften and cook, stirring occasionally. This should take about 6 minutes. Add additional water if necessary. 4.) Meanwhile, grate ⅔-1 cup of fresh parmesan and add to a bowl. Stir in one egg and 2 egg yolks until you have a thick paste. 5.) Once the noodles are cooked, remove from heat and stir to let the steam escape. After one minute of resting, pour in the parmesan and egg mixture. Stir constantly until the pasta is completely coated and there are no clumps remaining. Add additional hot water if necessary to loosen the sauce. Garnish with additional fresh rosemary, parmesan and salt and pepper. Enjoy! Pro tip: If you’re worrying about scrambling the eggs, well, don’t. Once you let the pasta sit for a minute or so and take it off the heat, you will be ready to add the cheese mixture. Stir and toss the pasta quickly to incorporate it before the eggs cook. The pasta should be glossy and luscious.

Once a month, my extended family has Beer Night. Beer Night started with my late grandfather and all of my uncles, gathering at a different local brewhouse and sharing an evening together. Over the years it morphed into a family dinner, with as many local aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins joining in as possible. Generally, there are about 25 of us that get together in my aunt and uncle’s home over the bay (fun fact, I shot one of my cookbook photoshoots at their home!). It’s potluck style, and usually I bring - you guessed it - a potato side. The last two times however, I’ve been asked to bring a dessert. My nemesis! Because of that, I worked on developing a new cookie that contains all the things I love. A flaky salty top, a bit of dark chocolate, the perfect texture from the oats and the peanut butter, and little bits of crunchy pistachio throughout. I worked on these a few different times and feel confident that I finally have a second cookie I can make by heart! (My first being my salted chocolate chunk cookies, which are still the number one item on my blog!). Hope you enjoy these Kitchen Sink cookies unless you have a peanut allergy… then please stay away! Or simply remove the peanut butter and pistachios. KITCHEN SINK PISTACHIO DARK CHOCOLATE COOKIES Yields 26-28 cookies Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 15 minutes per batch. Cool time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 1 cup room temperature butter (2 sticks) 1 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 1 T vanilla extract 2 eggs 2 cups flour ½ t salt 1 t baking soda 1 t cocoa powder (optional) 1½ cups rolled oats ½ cup peanut butter ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped ½ cup - 1 cup chopped dark chocolate, depending on preference Flaky salt Directions: 1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2.) Cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar for 2-3 minutes in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and 2 large eggs and beat until well mixed. 3.) Slowly add in the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder. Mix until combined. Adjust the mixer to low speed, then add in the oats, peanut butter and chopped pistachios. On a cutting board, roughly chop 2-3 oz of a dark chocolate bar, until you have a half of a cup. If you don’t have a dark chocolate bar, feel free to use dark chips. Gently mix in the chocolate shards. 4.) Scoop the dough onto a parchment sheet lined baking sheet, and bake for 13-15 minutes until set and golden browned. 5.) Top each cookie with flaky salt and any additional chocolate shards. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then dunk into cool milk and shut your eyes and enjoy the best cookie you’ve ever had.

Another one pot meal for all the busy folks out there. I used to think it was sacrilegious to boil pasta noodles in the sauce, and maybe it is, but this dish is just sooo dynamite, it’s worth breaking the pasta-god rules! Pappardelle noodles can handle soaking up the sauce, because they are nice and hearty and thick. You could sub ground beef for the sausage, but I prefer this version. Spicy Italian sausage would be delicious as well! Create the sauce first and then slowly cook the noodles until they become soft, perfectly chewy and al dente. Serve with a crisp caesar and sip on the leftover red wine. Yum! SAUSAGE PAPPARDELLE Yields 3-4 portions, 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 cups boiling water 1 pound pork sausage 1 t fennel seeds Red pepper flake to taste 4 cloves minced garlic ¼ cup red wine 14-oz can tomato sauce 16-oz pappardelle noodles Fresh basil Parmesan cheese Directions: 1.) Boil 2 cups of water on the stove. In a separate pan, crumble the pork sausage with the fennel seeds and red pepper flake, along with the garlic. Once the pork is cooked through, add in a heavy pour of red wine, along with the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. 2.) Add the noodles to the pan, and pour over the boiling water. Place the lid on the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the noodles cook through. Add additional water if necessary. 3.) Once the noodles are cooked, stir on medium heat to coat and thicken the sauce. Top the pasta with fresh basil or parsley, and garnish with parmesan cheese. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.