Here at the Gardening Cook , we love to celebrate with holiday decor and food! Each of the holidays is special here on the blog.
Our site has loads of decor ideas, recipes and gardening tips for each season and holiday of the year.
From special cocktails for New Year’s Eve, through to patriotic recipes, spooky Halloween projects and pretty Christmas decor projects, every holiday is so much fun.
These easy projects will dress up your home for the holidays and give your friends some special food treats in no time flat!
If you are looking for some ideas for food and decorations for the holidays, one of these ideas may interest you.
Want an easy weeknight meal you can make in one pot? If so, you will love this pollo a la crema recipe. This dish features chunks of white meat chicken with mushrooms, onions, and green peppers in a Mexican cream sauce. The recipe is also known as “pollo con crema” and “pollo en crema”. There…
Mother’s Day is right around the corner. This easy DIY kitchen gift basket makes the perfect personalized gift for anyone’s mother who loves to cook. It is filled with fun, whimsical, and useful kitchen items made even more special because it includes items geared to your mother’s tastes. This easy cooking gift basket makes the…
Today’s world is full of stress and a lack of time. Sometimes, this causes people to be thoughtless and inconsiderate. But it is never so stressful that it lets me forget that I am thankful for my mother. One simple remedy for what can often be a rude world is to remind people to use…
These Easter coconut and cheese cupcakes will be a nice finishing touch to your Easter dinner, and the kiddies will love them. My friend Regina, who used to blog at Molly Mel, has been baking up some sweets for the upcoming Easter holiday. Aren’t they cute? Easter is such a fun time for us all….
This Easter grapevine door swag welcomes in spring with the arrangement of dogwood flowers, bunnies, butterflies and Easter eggs. It also welcomes in my guests in a pretty pastel spring way. My front door is one of the few places that always gets a holiday make over. When Jess was younger, I used to…
This Mason Jar Easter Bunny project is a great alternative for celebrating the holiday. It comes together in just minutes and would also make a great table centerpiece for your dessert table. Easter is such a fun time of the year. It brings out the joy in children and tells us all that spring is…
These Rope wrapped eggs have a pretty farmhouse, rustic look that is perfect for both spring and Easter. I love pretty home decor projects that can be used for an upcoming holiday but aren’t TOO seasonal. This project came after a trip to my local Dollar Store to pick a package of their over sized plastic Easter…
As Easter approaches, many families are looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate the holiday. One popular activity is an Easter egg hunt, but why not add a twist to the traditional hunt with some Easter egg hunt clues and riddles? In our blog post, we’ll be sharing ideas and tips for an Easter…
These best of luck wishes and good luck quotes are fun to share with friends or on social media to send good luck wishes to all. St. Patrick’s Day will soon be here, and that brings with it thoughts of luck. Motivational quotations on photos of nature are a favorite with the readers of The…
This cute St. Patrick’s Day Door Wreath is whimsical and welcomes both my guests and spring with the pretty yellow and purple flowers. The door decoration features a leprechaun hat to give it a whimsical look. It is the perfect way to welcome guests for St. Patrick’s Day. My front door is one place that…
This Leprechaun Hat Centerpiece gives me a chance to celebrate both St. Patrick’s Day and spring in one pretty project. The centerpiece can be made with either silk flowers or fresh flowers for two different looks. I love to make craft projects out common household items. In this case, my project started with something that…
These creative St. Patrick’s Day recipes will help you celebrate in style this year. St. Patrick’s day is a day steeped in tradition. This year, on March 17, millions of people will wear green and celebrate the luck of the Irish at parades, with good cheer and even drinking a pint of green beer. Cooking up…
Your kids will love to make this sweet snowman Christmas cake. The cake will be the hit of your Christmas buffet. He is made of a chocolate base and covered in butter cream frosting and then decorated. The cake is easy to make and kids will love to help you decorate it with their favorite…
These cute M & M&M gingerbread Christmas tree cookies will make a great addition to your Christmas buffet table. They would also be great for your annual cookie exchange. Gingerbread is a common taste during the holidays. From cookies and houses made of gingerbread, there are lots of options. See my tips for the perfect…
These are 10 of the Best Family Christmas Movies that we watch in our home year after year. Are you a fan of watching Xmas movies over the holidays with family? At our house, the tradition starts on Thanksgiving and continues right up to New Year’s Eve! These are some of my favorite Christmas movies….
These Funfetti peppermint chocolate truffles are my latest addition to a growing batch of truffle recipes. Truffles are as much a part of my holiday traditions as decorating a tree is. I love to make all kinds of these bite-sized Christmas treats. They are fun to make, look so great on a holiday dessert table,…
My latest creation is this Grinch Paintbrush Ornament. Yes, folks, it is getting to that time of the year. This is the time when my mind goes into overdrive trying to come up with ideas for fun craft decor items to make for the Christmas holiday. Keep reading to see how I turned an ordinary…
This Burlap Wine Bottle Bag is an inexpensive way to dress up a bottle of wine for a Christmas gift. Many of our friends are wine drinkers, and I love to purchase one of their favorite wines to give to them for the holidays. Adding this homemade bag also adds an extra special touch to…
Christmas wreaths are commonly used on front doors, but can also used on mantles and in other areas of the home and garden such as garden gates. Aside from poinsettia plants, Christmas wreaths are one of the most popular ways to decorate your entry for the holiday season. And nothing quite sets the mood…
The sight of a Christmas cactus blooming is one of the joys of the season, for me. This plant is one of the traditional Christmas plants that are often seen for sale this time of the year. This holiday cactus plant is sold with buds on it each year, but how do you get this…
This boxwood Christmas wreath makes a nice change from the traditional fir wreath often seen this time of the year. it’s easy to make and you can use items from your own yard. I enjoy decorating with Christmas plants during the holidays and am always on the lookout for something a bit out of the…
These Christmas plants will have your home full of color, beauty, and good cheer this year. Even though the outdoor garden season has ended for many of us, that doesn’t mean that holiday plants can’t be front and center right now. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. It is fitting that the most popular Christmas…
A holiday cactus is a short-day plant which produces flower buds when daylight hours decrease. Fortunately for gardeners, this happens when much of the garden is not blooming, just in time for the major holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. There are three different types of holiday cactus plants, Christmas cactus – Schlumbergera x buckleyi,…
With October comes the cooler temperatures, falling leaves, and, of course, pumpkin carving time. For the perfect carved Jack O Lantern, be sure to familiarize yourself with this list of the best pumpkins for carving. When it comes to choosing pumpkins for carving projects, not all pumpkins are equal. As a matter of fact, there…
One of my mother’s time-honored traditions was to serve a pumpkin cake each year, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, with her special toasted coconut frosting. She is not with us now, but that does not mean the cake will be missing! My whole family takes turns making the cake for our Thanksgiving celebration. The pumpkin…
This steak recipe with a Cuban mojo marinade combines spices with orange juice, olive oil and grill mates seasoning for an easy and spicy main course dish. I love the sweet, tangy and savory flavors. It makes grill night or a camping trip meal something special. We grill every Saturday’s night at our house. My…