Brian T. Marquis

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Christmas Cookies

December 21, 2022

Around Christmas every year, we’d have my Nana bring her box of handwritten recipes to our house and we’d bake all sorts of things for everyone in my family. Christmas cookies, fudgy bars, pies; if sugar was the first ingredient, we baked it. I had my parents over a few weekends ago to do the same. It brought back so many fun memories. I am happy to continue this tradition…

December 21, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ DIY/ Gift Guides/ Side Dishes/ Valentine's Day

DIY Gift: Cookie Jar

December 21, 2022

A previous version of this post for DIY Cookie Jar was published in February 2013. We took new photos and adjusted the recipe. Valentine’s Day (and the week leading up to it) gives us a sweet excuse to make delicious treats. This DIY cookie jar is a perfect gift to hand out to your friends and loved ones. Although Fatima and I would love to hand out jars of MarquisRitas, we…

December 21, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Peanut Butter Blossoms

December 12, 2022

A previous version of this post for Peanut Butter Blossoms was published in December 2012. We took new photos and adjusted the recipe. One of my favorite flavors, as you are well aware, is peanut butter. What better way to celebrate the holidays than to mix peanut butter and chocolate? These peanut butter blossoms are really easy to make *cue eye rolls* trust me, they are! Remember when I tried…

December 12, 2022 By Brian

#LoveSummer/ All Recipes/ Breakfast and Brunch/ Celebrations/ Christmas

Authentic French Toast

December 7, 2022

A previous version of this post for Authentic French Toast was published in May 2013. We updated the recipe with new photos. For Mother’s Day Fatima and I made a delicious breakfast for my mom. She only had a few requests for the menu, one of them being french toast. I love french toast. Rather than making the same egg mixture for her, I wanted to try something new. Enter Martha…

December 7, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ Christmas/ DIY/ Side Dishes

Chalkboard Ornament

December 5, 2022

A previous version of this post for DIY Chalkboard Ornament was published in December 2013. We took new photos and updated some of the written content. Here’s a thought, let’s make a chalkboard ornament! Take all that chalkboard paint you bought earlier this year and spray your ornaments. We got these ceramic ornaments from Michaels for about $1. Let them dry and write a message or draw a picture! This…

December 5, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ Christmas/ DIY/ Side Dishes

DIY Faux Gingerbread Houses

November 30, 2022

A few weeks ago, an Etsy ad jumped into my Pinterest feed pushing a faux gingerbread house to me. These weren’t just any old gingerbread houses. These were dollhouse-sized replicas of historical homes. They were gorgeous and way out of my price range. But they gave me an idea. Can I make these in real life? And then I saw a video of someone making faux gingerbread houses on Pinterest.…

November 30, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

November 23, 2022

A previous version of this post for Chocolate Chip Cookies was published in June 2014. We took new photos and updated the recipe. Have you ever had some Pot Belly chocolate chip oatmeal cookies? Wow. Just wow. Soft, warm, and delicious. Not that our recipe would replace the real thing, I think I got this recipe close to Pot Belly’s. When we made our large chewy chocolate chip cookies, I thought they tasted…

November 23, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Halloween Decorations and Costumes 2022

October 31, 2022

I cannot believe this is our fifth year celebrating Halloween as a family…and it’s Blair’s first Halloween! We (I) got so many new Halloween decorations to display around the house. This year, Liam was adamant about being Spider-Man. I did not put up a fight because that meant we could reuse his birthday costume. Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of revenue from…

October 31, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Cocktails

Apple Cider Mimosa Cocktail

October 30, 2022

This weekend, we caught up with a close friend over homemade brunch. We had fresh fruit, made sweet potato hash, pumpkin brioche french toast, and enjoyed an apple cider mimosa…or two. We have plenty of apple cider recipes on our blog: sangria, donuts, loaf cake, and margaritas. We might have more apple cider recipes than pumpkin! Surprisingly, we didn’t have one for an apple cider mimosa. Apple Cider Mimosa Let’s…

October 30, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Boo Baskets

October 29, 2022

What are Boo Baskets, you ask? They’re like Easter Baskets. Instead of a ‘bunny’ delivering them, a ‘ghost’ delivers these baskets. Boo Baskets are just another excuse to fill something up with candy and goodies to give to kids. This year, I was feeling extra festive and wanted to send my nephews and niece some goodies for Halloween. Target’s Halloween pails were only $1 and we found a lot of…

October 29, 2022 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Halloween/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Fall Crafts for Kids

October 21, 2022

After the success of our summer crafts for kids, I needed to continue arts and crafts for Liam, but themed for the fall and Halloween. Our son has been loving the arts and crafts sessions we do on weekends, school holidays, and rainy days. We get to practice cutting, gluing, taping, and working our imaginations. But my main goal is for these projects to be fun. Here are some of…

October 21, 2022 By Brian

Halloween/ Side Dishes

Unboxing Halloween

October 14, 2022

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the lead up to Halloween even more. I think it’s just the whole autumn vibe I love about this time of year: the cozy lattes, crisp and cool air, carving pumpkins, leaf colors etc. Oh, and the decorations. On our YouTube channel, we started a new series called Unboxing Halloween! Lilies and Loafers has affiliate relationships, so we may get a…

October 14, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dessert/ Halloween

Ultimate Guide to Cookie Decorating

October 12, 2022

It’s been a few years since I started decorating sugar cookies for fun. From finding the best sugar cookie recipe to the best royal icing coloring gels, all my tips are scattered over a bunch of posts spanning different holidays. I’m always coming back to my own posts for recipes and tips, so I thought, “Why not put this all in one place?” So here’s my ultimate guide to cookie…

October 12, 2022 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Dessert/ Halloween

Halloween Dirt Cups

October 10, 2022

Did you watch Hocus Pocus 2? That weekend it came out was fall perfection, minus the rain. To celebrate the sequel, we went over to our friend’s house for a viewing party. For dessert, we brought cute and spooky Halloween dirt cups. I can’t remember the last time I made Oreo dirt cups. Literal decades. Yes, plural. This was one of my favorite Halloween desserts growing up. You typically layer crushed…

October 10, 2022 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Six Summer Crafts for Kids

September 14, 2022

Liam loves arts and crafts. Throughout last year’s school year, he brought home so many crafts. We didn’t know what to do with all of them. So when camp ended a few weeks ago, we wanted his days between camp and the start of the new school year to remain structured. So in addition to reading his favorite books, writing in his workbooks, and three-thirty p.m. movies, I held art…

September 14, 2022 By Brian

DIY/ Family Fun/ Millennial and Parents/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Gallery Wall for Preschool Artwork

September 7, 2022

We are a family who celebrates everything. The first time using the potty. The first time sleeping in your own bed all night. The first time sleeping in your own bed consistently at night. Your first art project. Fatima and I want our kids to be proud of themselves; to find that inner motivation to keep going. When Liam brought home his first art project from school, we hung it…

September 7, 2022 By Brian

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