Brian T. Marquis

Celebrations/ DIY/ Halloween/ Side Dishes

DIY Floating Candles like in Hogwarts Great Hall

October 3, 2023

The last time we had floating candles in our house, we were throwing a Harry Potter-themed Halloween party. That was one of my favorite parties to-date. For spooky season, we’re trying some out of the box floating candles and having a lot of fun along the way. This year, we bought this set of floating candles on Amazon. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small…

October 3, 2023 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Halloween/ Side Dishes

Paper Bats: Halloween DIY

October 1, 2023

A previous version of this post for Paper Bats: DIY Halloween was published in October 2013. We took new photos and updated some of the written content. Bats are everywhere! Need a quick idea to set up your Halloween entertainment space? Make some paper bats to adorn your walls and ceilings. I can’t take the credit on this one. Our friend, and Lilies and Loafers blogger, Ashley, did this last…

October 1, 2023 By Brian

France/ Side Dishes/ Travel

Sixteen Things to do in Nice, France

September 29, 2023

Our weekend in Paris kicked off our week-long adventure through France. Our next stop is where we would be spending the rest of our week basking in the sun (and heat!) of Nice. We had an amazing time. Like our Paris itinerary, I filled our days with tourist attractions, but made sure to take it at a slower pace and throw in relaxation all around. Here are some things to…

September 29, 2023 By Brian

France/ Side Dishes/ Travel

Paris in Thirty Six Hours

September 27, 2023

We recently traveled to France and spent a short time in Paris before heading to Nice for the remainder of our week. While we wished we had some more time in Paris, I built a just-right itinerary to hit all the spots in the short time we had available to us. This is how we saw a piece of Paris in thirty six hours. The idea of this trip has…

September 27, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Breakfast and Brunch/ Celebrations/ Dessert

Farmhouse Buttermilk Cake

September 20, 2023

Once again, I found myself trying to get rid of extra buttermilk. I went back to my list of buttermilk recipes, but I didn’t feel inspired. I wanted to try something new. I perused Pinterest and stumbled on this farmhouse buttermilk cake recipe and knew I needed to try it! Just stop reading and click the previous link to look at the recipe! I was stressing about something and this…

September 20, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Breakfast and Brunch

Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Brioche French Toast

September 13, 2023

September 5, 2023 has arrived! Trader Joe’s around the country have released all of their pumpkin products. Using one of those pumpkin products, we made this delicious pumpkin brioche french toast. Last year, we used our go-to french toast recipe (thanks Martha!) with Trader Joe’s brioche bread. It was fantastic. By the time we made that, we missed the opportunity to try their pumpkin brioche bread with this recipe. Once…

September 13, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Celebrations/ Dessert/ Halloween

New England Apple Cider Donuts

August 23, 2023

Every fall, I am on the lookout for an apple cider donut. One of my favorite things to do when we pick pumpkins is to grab a dozen apple cider donuts, sit in the pumpkin patch, and share them with the kids. It’s a whole vibe. Between the whole family, you must empty the box. I’ve tried baked apple cider donuts, Bon Appetit’s apple cider donuts, a loaf cake, and…

August 23, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Cooking Through Cravings/ Lunch and Dinner/ Side Dishes

Orange Chicken Fried Chicken Sandwich: Cooking Through Cravings

August 16, 2023

Oh my gosh. This orange chicken fried chicken sandwich was so good. There are notes, but overall, this was a really good sandwich. I love anything Fatima fries. Chicken, shrimp, fish tacos; there’s really nothing she can’t fry. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by Lilies and Loafers. This recipe can…

August 16, 2023 By Brian

Disney/ Family Fun/ Travel

Our Ultimate Disney Vacation Recap

August 2, 2023

We took our first big, family vacation to Disney World! Everyone had such a great time and it really was an amazing trip. This is our Ultimate Disney Vacation Recap where I will share all the things about our trip. My goal for this recap is to share the tips I found along the way, helpful things to pack, and our general experience staying at a Disney World Resort. What…

August 2, 2023 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Parenting

Disney Vacation Goody Bag

July 19, 2023

We went on our first family vacation via a plane! We were anxious, excited, and we’re mentally prepared to parent in a different city. We were excited mostly for the destination: Disney World! As the family trip planner, I set up everything, including a special surprise for everyone. I gave everyone a Disney vacation goody bag. This trip was to celebrate Liam’s 5th birthday. A big milestone. Huge! So part…

July 19, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Cocktails/ Margaritas

Rose Gold Margarita

July 5, 2023

It’s been a minute since we added a new margarita to our line up. We have Disney to thank for that. Yes, you read that right. We’re fresh off a Disney vacation and we cannot stop thinking about the rose gold margaritas we were sipping poolside at the Polynesian Resort. Overall, the food in Disney was meh. There were a few hits, but otherwise, it was not a great selection.…

July 5, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Lunch and Dinner/ Vegetarian

Blackened Salmon and Corn Salsa Rice Bowl

May 10, 2023

My new favorite salmon dish is here. It’s light, yet satisfying, savory, and flavorful. Who knew that a blackened salmon with corn salsa would slap? Blackening the salmon is the hardest part, mostly due to the smoke it causes (just us?), then everything else is really easy. Whenever my sister-in-law visits, we’re always trying to figure out what hearty vegetarian dish to make. We usually stick with salmon or some…

May 10, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Lunch and Dinner

Meatball Pizza

May 3, 2023

A previous version of this post for Meatball Pizza was published in July 2012. We added some word content as this was just a picture post — not sure what we were doing in 2012, ha! In the first few years of living together after college, Fatima and I lived on meatballs and pasta, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and cereal. Not only were we busy with work, we were just…

May 3, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Comfort Food/ Side Dishes

Food to Eat After Oral Surgery

April 26, 2023

I just had my wisdom teeth removed. On the oral surgery scale, it’s like the least troublesome. But any small disruption in my daily routine is like the end of the world haha. I knew that I’d be limited to certain foods in recovery, so I planned my surgery in an off time of the year; between holidays and right before summer. Once I got through the first few days,…

April 26, 2023 By Brian

All Recipes/ Comfort Food/ Lunch and Dinner

Cheesy Gordita Tacos

April 19, 2023

We love a taco night. Who doesn’t? Fatima and I had one of those weeks where we wanted the best, dirty-delicious takeout food. We were stressed, our kids were sick, and all we wanted was Smashburger, Taco Bell, nachos, and every fried blooming onion I could find. Instead, Fatima whipped up these cheesy gordita tacos to keep our cravings at bay. If you don’t know, you buy cheesy gordita tacos…

April 19, 2023 By Brian

DIY/ Side Dishes

DIY Food Photography Boards

March 29, 2023

As we grew the blog, I needed to elevate our photography mis en scene. Since you eat with all your other senses before you taste food, our photos needed to look good. Eventually, we bought some backgrounds. I love them, but I could not justify their cost when I wanted to change them out. So I made these DIY food photography boards; some with wallpaper and some with paint. I…

March 29, 2023 By Brian

Older Posts

Newer Posts

Lilies and Loafers contains sidebar and in-post advertising in addition to some contextual affiliate links. An affiliate link means that if you click through and purchase an item, we may receive a commission on the sale. Commissions are built into the retail price, and you will never pay more than retail price for that item. Advertising is not part of our content decisions unless a post or giveaway is sponsored. Sponsored content will always be noted. Our opinions are always our own. Learn more here.