My favorite part of dessert during holiday parties are the Italian cookies! Here is an assortment of the many cookies, all equally delicious in their own way!

My husband and I haven’t been out to eat in several months, and we miss things like breakfast at local diners. So we started a new tradition of making pancakes every Sunday morning. This is our recipe. For the Winter Warmers fun!

My most favorite cake of all Russian pastries is the honey cake we call is Medovik. It's a moist soft delight packed with sweet aromatic flavor. There are tons of variations of this beauty, some use condensed milk others like to go a healthier route by substituting with sour cream. Overall you can't go wrong with a good holiday honey cake!

Feliz Navidad!

I have always loved Easter eggs with dioramas. My Christmas equivalent is vintage ornaments with a depressed starburst. You just know that something fun is happening in there! The same is true for a cream puff! This panel is a combination of an Aunt’s love for and my fond memories of Hawaii, Grandma’s use of botanicals for holiday and everyday decorating (now taken over by my sister), and the whole family’s taste for pineapple.

Mom would start baking Christmas cookies right after Thanksgiving. She would make a new treat each day, putting them in colorful tins & “ hiding” them in the cellar cupboard. We, of course, would always go sneak a few. She, of course, knew it! We continued this throughout adulthood. ❤️Cookies are my very, very most deliciously favorite part of the Holidays❣️💚❣️

I “know” that this dessert is traditionally made with chocolate cake, but that is not my favorite flavor. Because I prefer caramel, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc., that is how I chose to illustrate my cake.

I folded the origami animals, but credit for their designs goes to origami_fun.com, maryannfraser.com, and Pucca’sArron from diy.afmsg.net for the owls; Perry Bailey and Frantisek Grebenicek for the squirrels; and Ching-YunHung, Fumiaki Shingu, and one unknown (sorry!) for the deer.

A sweet sipper to warm up your Holiday celebrations. This is merriment in a festively decorated glass. Cheers!

Before I learned how to make Mom’s Hungarian Rhapsody (which recipe I can never share for fear of the utmost, most horrifying torture), this recipe was my go-to for a fun, festive, raspberry cookie.

This recipe is another oldie but goodie, I think from an aunt who loved pistachios. Back in the day when Mom entertained frequently, this cake could be quickly put together from what were her pantry staples. The only trick is to use the largest Cool Whip you can find, both to ensure that the frosting isn’t grainy and to have enough for filling and topping. I’ve also served this cake for Easter because the color works so well for that occasion, too.

Lots of yummy and colorful veggies make the Farmers' Market a beautiful place to be! Eat your colors and be well!

Rocket salad, Burrata apulian milk cheese and many crispy slices of radishes!

There are so many ways to enjoy the autumn harvest of root veggies! Chop and drizzle them with olive oil. Then sprinkle with fresh herbs and cook them any way you like. Try adding a squeeze of citrus to the mix!

I only have a vague recollection of going on a hayride. But, if I ever do it again, I hope that someone is waiting for me afterwards with this treat.

Roasted and a bit spicy vegetables always make my meals more interesting, but my favourite recipe is Quinoa salad with roasted kumara and feta cheese. *Sweet potatoes are also known as kumara in New Zealand.