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.
This honey apple cake is full of the flavors of autumn. Why not serve it as a part of your Thanksgiving dessert table? What do all these have in common: falling leaves, hoodies, carving a pumpkin, corn stalks, decorating, apples? Of course! It’s fall. My favorite time of the year. And what could make it…
These easy chicken fajitas are super tasty, super easy to prepare and one of my favorite 30 minute meals. This is such a busy time of the year. The summer is over, kids are heading back to school and there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to…
The kids in the neighborhood will love coming to your house this Halloween if you make these spooky Halloween Goodie bags. I just love this time of the year. The temps are cooler, the leaves are changing and I know that the holiday season will soon be here. Keep reading to find out how to…
This budget friendly fall patio makeover can be put together in just a few minutes and sets the mood from Halloween right through to Thanksgiving. I am giddy right now. The temperatures have finally dropped and the leaves are starting to change color. MY TIME OF YEAR! Living in NC is hard on a gardener…
These DIY Halloween wooden decorations have been a favorite yard decor idea for our family for years. When my daughter was much younger, I was very much into all sorts of crafts. I especially loved decorating for the various holidays because she loved what I came up with for decorations. This project takes more time…
These 15 money saving BBQ tips will trim the fat on your grocery bill but still make sure that your gatherings are something for your guests to remember. It is finally that time of the year again. Memorial day, the Fourth of July, and Father’s day are just around the corner. This means that the…
Today’s featured recipe comes to us from my friend Regina who used to blog at Molly Mel. Regina regularly submits Brazilian recipes for us to sample, but today she has chosen a Portuguese dish that is often served at Easter time. It is called Bacalhoada, but is more commonly known as Salted Codfish casserole. Salted…
One of my favorite candy tastes is chocolate coconut and almonds. Fortunately, this coconut and almond candy recipe is a cinch to make. A delicious coconut base, topped with an almond, and covered in chocolate is like a party in my mouth. Today, I am trying my hand and making a homemade version. The recipe…
Looking for a tasty dessert to bring to your next holiday party? Try making one of the 13 Christmas fudge recipes below! The holidays are the best time for making fudge, because of all the creative flavors. Below you’ll find everything from classic types of fudge like peanut butter fudge, to speciality Christmas fudge flavors like…
That dreaded 5 or 10 pounds seems to creep on this time of the year. Here are my favorite 20 tips to help you avoid holiday weight gain. The holidays are here, and for many this means a week so entertaining, indulging and basically forgetting to eat well. Extra junk calories seem to be everywhere,…
This festive DIY blue spruce stocking wreath is quite different from the circular shaped wreaths so commonly seen at Christmas time and you can make it yourself. The colorful Blue branches also add a great pop of color to your front door. A great wreath makes a wonderful welcoming accent to your front door for…
It’s an expensive time of the year! There seem to be so many uses for our dollars when the holidays roll around. These frugal tips will make your holiday season something to remember without breaking the bank. The whole essence of a successful holiday season does not lie in the amount of money you spend,…
One of the fun things about the holidays is sharing with family and friends. These holiday graphics are a great way to do that. It’s fun to find images and then edit them to add a cute meme or saying. Here are some of my favorite holiday graphics. You may share them on Facebook, but…
This sweet DIY miniature gumdrop topiary is a colorful and fun addition to your holiday table. I normally use gumdrop candy to decorate my gingerbread house. Today, we’ll use them to make an edible topiary tree decoration. The only problem will be keeping it decorated until the end of the evening of your party! Do…
These candy cane peppermint kiss cookies are a variation on the normal kiss cookie that is so often seen this time of the year. They are also lighter than the traditional kiss cookie and perfectly festive. They are a great choice for a cookie swap or to take to your child’s school party. I’ve made…
This holiday potholder mitt DIY project would make a great kitchen decoration. It is also a great idea for a homemade Christmas Hostess gift for a person who loves to cook. The project is easy to make and uses some items you may already have on hand. Note: Hot glue guns, and heated glue can…
Our Thanksgiving menu planning is done, and now it’s leftover time! This hot turkey sandwich is my favorite way to use up the leftover turkey that seems to abound after the holiday meal. I actually love the leftovers and buy a turkey much larger than I need so that I can make the taste last…
This 4 layer Mexican dip is very easy to make, but don’t let that fool you. The flavor is fantastic! The recipe combines jalapeñ0 chilis with canned chili, and cream cheese. It’s topped with Mexican cheese and cooked in the microwave. If you need a quick party appetizer, this one fits the bill perfectly! Bring…
Christmas will be here before you know it. If you are looking for a special DIY Christmas gift for a gardener, these giant jingle bells will ring in the festive season in a natural way. They are easy to make and are a great gift idea for anyone who loves to potter in the garden….
This fall table DIY project was a special treat for me to do. It features a very special plate that was given to me last Christmas by my daughter, Jess. I love to reuse items to make them into new projects. It makes me feel thrifty and pleases me to get more than one use…
These sweet Pilgrim hat cookies are the perfect choice to tempt the little ones (and the young at heart!) this Thanksgiving. They are easy to do and will have them wondering where they all disappeared. It is such fun to have some treats for the Thanksgiving menu that the kiddies will love. Perfect for Thanksgiving…
This candy corn glass decoration is easy to do and looks great on any table. This is the time of the year when my candy dishes are full of candy corn. Nothing seems to say fall like a dish full of the sweet orange, yellow and white treats. I decided to use the leftover Halloween…
One of my favorite cocktail recipes is a Classic tequila margarita. It is one that I choose just about every time that I go out. One would think it would be the same from restaurant to restaurant but this is definitely not the case. I once got one in a Chinese restaurant in Australia and they…
This Mexican chili dip could not be easier to make. It is one of my favorite “go to” recipes when I am invited to a pot luck party. The bowl is empty before the party even gets going. It is that delicious! Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and then just…
This beer braised pork roast is my latest in a long list of crock pot recipes. There is nothing like coming into your home after a long day at work to the aroma of a pork roast that has been simmering all day long. And if it has simmered in beer…all the better! Keep reading…
The secret to perfect BBQ short ribs is easier than you might think. Pre-cooking is the key. My husband is a rib man. He often chooses them on the menu when we go out to eat. I make BBQ ribs all the time but normally it is a rack of spare ribs that we cook,…