It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas Archives

All Recipes/ Beverages/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Comfort Food

Starbucks Medicine Ball Tea

January 20, 2024

January is Hot Tea Month! What a fitting time of year to celebrate a mug of coziness. I have a favorite tea for you. Otherwise known as Honey Citrus Mint Tea on the menu, Starbucks’ Medicine Ball Tea will warm you from the inside out. Throat feeling a little soar? Not feeling your best self? You can also make this legendary tea at home! My mom filled our Christmas stockings…

January 20, 2024 By Brian

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/ 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/ Breakfast and Brunch/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Valentine's Day

Red Velvet Waffles

February 14, 2022

A previous version of this post for red velvet waffles was published in November 2012. We overhauled the post with new photos, formatting, and text. If you don’t eat something red velvet on Valentine’s Day, is it even Valentine’s Day? We love our red velvet desserts (truffles, whoopie pies, icebox cake), and the perfect thing to wake up to on February 14th, besides cinnamon rolls, is red velvet waffles. This…

February 14, 2022 By Brian

Celebrations/ Christmas

Christmas Card 2021

December 24, 2021

Christmas Eve is upon us. I still have a handful of gifts to wrap, sugar cookies to make with Liam for Santa, a gingerbread icebox cake to make, and a bunch of things to prep ahead of Christmas breakfast tomorrow. I always remembered Christmas Eve to be relaxing ahead of a night of fun with family. For this year’s Christmas card, we wanted something chill and relaxing. We captured exactly…

December 24, 2021 By Brian

Celebrations/ Christmas/ DIY

DIY Maui Map Ornament

December 24, 2021

It only took four years, but I finally got around to making a Maui map ornament! In 2017, my entire family flew out to Maui to celebrate my cousins’ wedding. It was the best two-week vacation we’ve had so far. Well, Cabo was also great… Around Christmas 2017, I started to work on the ornament. The original map I brought back with me was waterproof! It made sense for the…

December 24, 2021 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas

Cozy Hot Chocolate Bombs

December 13, 2021

With Fatima’s due date around the corner, we’re celebrating Christmas closer to home. One of the things I loved about last year’s Christmas, was the hot chocolate bombs I brought up to my parents’ house. This year I decided to try to make them from scratch so I could gift them to everyone in our family. Our first cup of hot chocolate this season was the Friday right after Thanksgiving.…

December 13, 2021 By Brian

All Recipes/ Autumn/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dessert/ Thanksgiving

Sweet Potato Pie

November 25, 2021

Reintroducing Fatima’s sweet potato pie. This post was first published December 11, 2012. Reposted with updated photos. Sweet potato pie is like music to my ears. Brian never had sweet potato pie so I needed to make him one. He’s had sweet potato fries, mashed sweet potatoes, but never a pie! Like much of my family dinner menu, this pie is a family tradition in my house. In the time…

November 25, 2021 By Fatima

Appetizers/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dessert/ Snacks

Christmas Party Boxes

December 25, 2020

The holidays this year will be very different for almost every family around the world. While we won’t be able to fill our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day up with family gatherings IRL, we rallied around some creative ideas to keep us engaged and connected. My aunt thought it would be fun to put together Christmas party boxes to drop off at each family. These Christmas party boxes were filled…

December 25, 2020 By Brian

All Recipes/ Celebrations/ Christmas/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert/ Family Fun/ Parenting/ Side Dishes

Christmas Cookie Board

December 24, 2020

This Christmas cookie charcuterie board is meat-free. A classic charcuterie board, however, may display meat, cheese, and/or fruit. Today, charcuterie boards have evolved into themed presentations: donuts, pies, Christmas cookies, muffins, and candy. TBH is this even a charcuterie board? The perfect cookie charcuterie board is filled with all of your favorite cookies: gingerbread, peanut butter blossoms, decorated sugar cookies, and even store-bought cut and bake ones! A cookie board…

December 24, 2020 By Brian

All Recipes/ Christmas/ Comfort Food/ Dad Bakes Cookies/ Dessert

Milk Bar’s Corn Cookies

December 23, 2020

I organized another Zoom baking day with friends! There was banana bread, molasses cookies, sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, and so many more. I wanted to make Milk Bar’s corn cookies, but my ingredients weren’t delivered in time. I stuck with a classic chocolate chip cookie. My corn powder arrived on Monday and I was able to make these corn cookies! Usually Christmas is filled with family gatherings on Christmas…

December 23, 2020 By Brian

Older 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.