i love 2016.

Some may remember 2016 with a bad taste in their mouths, but I'll always remember it as the year I wed the love of my life and saw what might be the most beautiful country in the world.

deconverted.

White and green chicken chili. I LOVED cilantro* for the longest time. Something changed.

*I just typed chilantro and thought about leaving it. :)

and bad mistakes, i've made a few

Easy chocolate peanut butter fudge. Do you have 4-H in your neck of the woods? I did, and it helped me learn at least one valuable lesson.

#ad wreathed in smiles #LoveThisHolidayTwist

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I think I always got pretty excited about decorating for Christmas, but now that I have my own home, those feelings are amplified.

♪ overrated ♫

I'm going to make a bold statement: Pie crusts are overrated.

have beans, will travel

What's a girl to do when she wants to contribute to her family's Thanksgiving meal, but she's on the road for three days before the event?

fa la la #SingWithPost #CerealAnytime

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I wish I was a better singer. I can carry a tune, but my voice is weak and I have zero confidence.

safe but scrumptious

I usually like to go all-out on the desserts I contribute to our holiday celebrations--I strive to make something decadent and rich and new and exciting.

some tips for you

Here's the thing: I still don't really like beef.*

*Imagine the chagrin of my stepdad, who is a beef cattle farmer...

my favorite gifts #ShareTheHoliday

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In trying to remember what my favorite gifts were to receive as a child, the things that come to mind are unsurprisingly all toys and games (LEGOs were always a hit!). I don't have to think very hard about what I prefer to get these days...EDIBLES!

sweet dreams(icles) #HowDoYouEmergenC

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I am not a good patient (or very patient in general, for that matter).

fire in the hole! #MakeHeartburnHistory

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Nothing spoils a delicious meal like heartburn. If you've never experienced it, count your blessings!

a cool change #HowDoYouWasa

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Sometimes I'll find an easy recipe that yields something really delicious and I'll just go ahead and make it for dinner until neither my husband nor I can stand the sight of it anymore.

sit still! #ToPetsWithLove

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Have you ever tried to get your dog to pose for a picture? It's a comical and most often fruitless endeavor.

get your grape on

Purple is my favorite color, and I think I've talked about that before.

sweet heat

Some of you may recall that last year, we overdid it on the tomato plants in our garden.

This year, jalapeños took over.

envy apple envy

Does your grocery store carry Envy apples? If not, you're out of luck. If so, buy some immediately!

seasonal switch

Peaches are out, apples are in. That's just the way the seasons work, folks.

classics are classics for a reason

There are as many recipes for brownies as there are stars in the sky. That might be an exaggeration, or it might not.

the obvious answer

What do you do when you have two sausage links on the verge of getting slimy and green peppers popping up in your garden faster than you can feasibly consume them?

The obvious answer is, of course, to make sausage and peppers.

(brown) butter me up

I don't take advantage of the tasty complexity of brown butter frequently enough.

The sad truth is that it's because I'm lazy.

branching out #giveaway

I'm really trying to hop aboard the pumpkin train, though it left the station without me many years ago. While I've given up on mushrooms and beets, I think there's still hope for this pretty and versatile winter squash.

the doctor is in #CollegeFootballChampSweeps

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Football season is upon us. I know this because my local television stations are showing two or three commercials promoting the next game during every break and the ads that come up while I'm playing games on my tablet are all football-related. Also, my husband is very excited.

boosted breakfast #CarnationBreakfastEssentials

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I've never been a breakfast-skipper. At least, I can't remember ever doing it, unless something major intervened.

almost too pretty to eat #CallAnEatible #SkittlesHomegating

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What I'm about to write may come as a shock to some of you, so gird your loins: My college didn't have a football team.

kowtow to the cow tale #SplashofDelight

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I actually used to get upset when I found a Cow Tale in my bag of Halloween candies. Now I love them!

pl(um cr)umble

I love a good portmanteau!

piggly wiggly

Maple and bacon taste good together, this much we know. We recently took a little vacation to Duck, NC, and had some maple bacon donuts, further proving the point.

richie rich-otta

I'm in a snack cake frenzy, folks!

fall feelings

It's funny how I yearn for warmer weather when it's the slightest bit cold but then can't wait for summer to finish its barrage of heat.

birthday parties ≡ sprinkles

My niece is 5 years old. I can hardly believe it.

happy harvest

I know I've mentioned it before, but I LOVE getting packages. I especially love when those packages contain food.

The latest box of tasty goodies that was left on my porch contained a plethora of produce from the vegetable garden at Monticello!

plum job

This cake marks two firsts: Not only have I never baked with plums before, but I've also never tried a David Lebovitz recipe!

Now that I've done both, I feel confident in saying I'll do both again, early and often.

pickle it all!

I've been a quick-pickling machine this summer! Cukes, zukes, squash, carrots, and onions--nothing is safe!

involuntary involtini

On a whim, I bought an eggplant. I didn't have a plan for it, but when I came across a recipe for eggplant involtini, the metaphorical light bulb came on.

grandma knows best

As a rule, I always preheat my oven.

I suspect that it's almost completely unnecessary thanks to all of our modern technology, but I do it anyway...with one exception.

think pink

I'm pretty picky about most things onions.

weapons of choice

I thought I might do something a little different with this post and reveal some of the kitchen tools that have been most useful to me lately.

peach perfection

My friend recently made an amazing peach pound cake to round out the 5★ meal that she and her husband served us, and I haven't been able to get peaches out of my head since then!

give it a swirl #mixinmoments

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Sometimes my creativity machine gets dusty from disuse and needs a little jump-start.

nosh on

Homemade granola is a)easy, b)highly adaptable, and c)delicious.

how about them apples? #SecretLifeOfMotts

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mott’s®. The opinions and text are all mine.

#SecretLifeOfMotts

Though I admittedly usually associate apple juice with my school lunches of childhood, it certainly shouldn't be limited to that!

“The Secret Life of Pets © 2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.”

solo sausage

What do you make for yourself when you eat alone?

More specifically, what do you make when you want something other than an egg or a bowl of cereal?*

*Am I the only one who considers those things a perfectly acceptable option?

the trifecta

Do you know about gilding the lily? Do you ever do it?

I do. Remorselessly.

making mischief and memories #BigGPets #ad

We were starting to consider leaving Marleau out of his crate in our absence for short stints, like when we pop out to the store or even when we go to bed. This was in the hope that we could eventually only put him in there when we traveled.

Then he pulled a place mat with a glass sitting on it off the dinner table when we were in the next room and we decided he wasn't quite ready.

it's all about compromise

My husband is someone who would happily dine on meat and bread at every meal. Don't misunderstand...I mean just meat and bread. I, on the other hand, would just as soon compose my plate of 90% veggies.

cereal all the time #CerealAnytime

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Did you have a favorite cereal as a kid? I'm sure that mine varied from month to month week to week day to day, but I know a bowl of Fruity Pebbles was always a treat!

yellow bellied

It's incredible how quickly a wee, 2-inch squash can grow into the size of my foot!

moosen and meese

If you're on the hunt for a dip that's as easy to make as it is delicious to eat, look no further.

dressed for success

This is a partnered post with Naturally Fresh® Brand Salad Dressing, but all opinions are my own.

Sometimes you come across a food company that sincerely cares about the products they're putting out there for our consumption.

Naturally Fresh® Brand is just that kind of company.