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.
‘Tis the season for fudge, brownies, and truffles. These Fudge Brownie Truffles combine all of my favorite tastes in one delicious brownie-flavored bite. They are so tasty that they’ll deserve pride of placement on your holiday dessert table. The holidays give me an excuse to cook up a batch or two of my favorite treats. I know…
Today’s project uses some old barnboard-style wood to make an easy and very inexpensive Thanksgiving Centerpiece for our dining room table. My husband and I are in the middle of renovating our kitchen and other areas of our home, so we have a lot of bits and pieces of wood that are just lying around…
This DIY Grocery Bag Dispenser Tutorial gives me a place to keep my used plastic bags and is super easy to make, too. Are you a grocery bag hoarder? I have always been one. They have so darn many uses, that it is a shame to just throw them away when you come back from…
It’s time for some apple pie oatmeal bars! They are packed full of flavor and are a perfect choice for enjoying the cooler autumn days. Apple desserts (like these apple crumble baked apples) just scream fall! It’s fall, y’all! For me, that means three months of nonstop baking, decorating, and general holidaying. I just…
This no carve autumn leaf pumpkin project is fast and easy to do and looks great when done. Carving pumpkins is a lot of fun, especially when you do it with children, but it is also messy. Fortunately, there are many alternatives for a carved pumpkins that will still set a fall theme around your…
This 7 bean soup mix is the perfect cold-weather recipe. It is rich and hearty and has a lovely spicy herb blend to give the soup a lot of flavor. Cooking with dried beans is so popular that they even have their own National Day. January 6 is celebrated each year as National Bean Day….
If you are looking for the perfect way to end a busy week night meal, here are 10 of my best bars recipes. My favorite type of desserts to make are bars and squares. The main reason is the simplicity of making them. Many bars recipes are no bake, and even the ones that require…
Cooking in parchment paper is a method of cooking fish, chicken or other proteins in their own cooking bags. It is also called “en papillote” (French for “in parchment”) or “al cartoccio” (Italian for baked in foil or aluminum.) Typically, folded parchment paper is used but al foil, paper bags or other materials can also…
Since my husband is the lover of heat in recipes and I like things a bit more savory, these recipe for Mexican style stuffed peppers is my compromise that suits us both. My husband and I often eat out at our favorite Mexican restaurant. When we do, you can guarantee that at least one of…
If you are looking for a tasty appetizer to start off your next BBQ, you can’t go past this recipe for mango salsa and homemade tortilla chips. Summer is getting closer and that means that grilling season and get togethers are right around the corner. Keep reading to find out how to make both the…
One of my favorite things to do with my fiends when we entertain is to have a progressive dinner party. We go from one house to the next, with each friend contributing something to the dinner party menu. My blogging friends and I decided to have a Cinco de Mayo progressive dinner party online this…
This spicy bacon wrapped chicken bites recipe is perfect for Cinco de Mayo! My husband is a heat freak. He loves really spicy foods of all types and he believes hot sauce belongs in every recipe. Me…not so much. I like a bit of heat but not as much as he does. So, finding the…
This light seafood piccata with pasta gives me all the taste of a restaurant version of the dish but is so much lower in fat and calories. My husband and I love seafood and often choose it when we eat at our favorite restaurants. But, so many times, the restaurant version is full of heavy…
This drizzled peanut butter cup fudge is so easy to make and absolutely foolproof. If you are looking for me in December, you will likely find me in my kitchen making fudge. I love to eat it. I love to make it, and I love to take pictures of it. Keep reading to learn how to…
This recipe for slow cooker spiced wine with oranges and cranberries is the perfect way to ring in the New Year at our house. It is a great addition to my collection of party-time crock pot recipes. It’s time to bring out the big guns for your New Year’s party. And by big guns, I…
Do you want a perfect holiday ham on your table this year? Read on for some tips to make a very special treat for your family. For years, our family always had turkey at both Thanksgiving and for our Christmas meal. But a few years ago, I switched things up and decided to prepare a…
These eggnog muffins will be sure to become one of our holiday favorite brunch additions in years to come. Christmas morning is always special at our house. We open our Christmas gifts throughout the day, not just in one mad rush. We also stop mid morning for a nice Christmas breakfast or brunch. I LOVE…
This coffee lovers gift basket is the perfect personalized Christmas gift to show someone special how much you love them. They are very easy to make by following my tips. Deck the halls with lots of baskets…gift baskets that is! I just love to come up with all kinds of gift baskets to treat my…
Thanksgiving menu planning is in full force right now. These pecan pie cookies are the perfect addition to your meal plan. They have the delicious taste of a traditional pecan pie, in a small size, without all the calories. My husband is a pecan pie fanatic. He loves everything about it. Except for the calories,…
This project for a festive ice skates door swag dresses up my entry for the holidays and has a country feel to it that I love. We changed our front door this summer, and now have an oval glass panel on the front entry. The shape means that I no longer use round wreaths for…
One of my fondest holiday memories, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, is my mum’s butterscotch pie. Our whole family looks forward to it for the holidays. The pie is rich and creamy, sweet and mum use to make batches of them every year. My mother had to make extras, or there would be none left…
This turtle chocolate pumpkin cheesecake will become a family favorite to be shared from season to season. It’s a dessert made in turtle chocolate heaven. This one appeals to me so much. I lost both of my parents in less than two years. Mum’s favorite pie was pumpkin, and dad’s favorite candy was Turtles. When…
Looking for side dish to add to your fall lineup? Try these cinnamon apples and a pear salad. They are easy to make, super tasty, and combine will with a pear salad. ‘Tis the season for easy meals in my house. I adore this time of the year, but it’s a busy one for sure….
These pumpkin swirl mini cheesecakes are the perfect compromise for him and delicious to boot! They make a great addition to any cheesecake recipe collection. One of my mother’s favorite desserts at Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie. I’ve never been much of a fan of a whole pie, (I usually eat just the filling of the…
This autumn makeover is perfect for Halloween and with a few adjustments in a couple of weeks, it will go right through Thanksgiving. I love everything about autumn. When the temperatures start to fall, I know that good things are right around the corner. Having three fun holidays in a row gives me so many…
These candy corn pretzel balls are a delicious bite of sweet, salty, creamy fall delight. They are the perfect addition to your Halloween or Thanksgiving menu planning. Ah yes….fall. My favorite season. There are so many reasons to look forward to fall. The cooler temperatures…all the gorgeous colors in the leaves, pumpkin decorating, and oh…