We love hosting holiday gatherings. Every year we look forward to making savoury nibbles and yummy baked goods, mixing classic cocktails with a festive twist and creating a warm and inviting space for friends and family to relax, laugh and enjoy. But the reality is, with our little ones this year, it’s not as easy to whip up a holiday menu that is sure to impress – especially if company has arrived on your doorstep unexpectedly (seriously people, how hard is it to text with a heads up?!). We’ve put together a few of our favourite “company’s coming” nibbles that are quick, simple, yet oh-so-delicious. Give one of these a try the next time your in-laws say they were “just in the neighbourhood.”

Cheese board
This may be our number one go-to when hosting a small or large gathering. Generally speaking, we always have cheese in the house for a quick snack or an impromptu gathering. Select an assortment, arrange them on a board, add some spiced nuts, jellies, grapes and crackers and/or bread and you’ve got yourself a crowd pleaser!
 
Charcuterie
Charcuterie pairs nicely with a cheese board. Simply put, charcuterie is an assortment of meats. Pate, terrines, confit, ham and a variety of other delectable meats can all be found on a charcuterie board. It requires zero cook time and it’s absolutely delicious!

Chocolates
‘Tis the season for sugary treats! You can’t go into a grocery store these days without seeing chocolate box mountains bursting out of the doors. Grab a few on your way in, stash them in your cupboard and pull them out whenever needed. One of our favourites is Peace by Chocolate!
 
Baked goods
What’s great about baked goods is you can make them whenever you have the time and freeze them for safe-keeping. Cookies, squares, loaves and pies can all be frozen and brought out at your leisure.

 



What’s your favourite holiday entertaining hack? Happy hosting!

​'Tis the season for cozy sweaters, scrumptious baked goods and yummy drinks! A few posts back we shared our favourite hot chocolate recipes. In keeping with the theme of classic holiday drinks, today we’re featuring our simple yet oh-so-good mulled wine recipe. Whether you’re snuggling up with loved ones or hosting your annual holiday bash, this drink is sure to please. It’s the perfect addition to a cold winter’s night and is best served around the fireplace! Enjoy!

​Mulled Wine
Serves 4 x 6 ounce mugs
 
Ingredients
 
1 bottle red wine
¼ cup honey
1 orange or two clementines, sliced
6 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise pods
 
Directions
Place all ingredients in a pot and bring just to a boil, immediately reducing heat and simmering for 30 minutes. 

​I was flipping through the December 2017 issue of Style at Home magazine and came across one of the most unique and beautiful mantles I have ever seen. Lifestyle blogger Monika Hibbs designed a gingerbread display for her mantle and it was truly stunning. 

I showed my husband, Craig, the beautiful design and he immediately said, "We can do that!" My husband is a chef and restauranteur by trade, but also a true artist. Not only can he create delicious food, he can also make a dish look absolutely beautiful. He acquired his artistic ability from his parents. His father had an eye for photography and his mother paints beautiful works of art. All that to say, I knew he could turn our mantle into a showstopper. 

I expected to make little gingerbread houses. Craig suggested we create Paris - one of our favourite cities to visit. Now I was excited!  

To accomplish the Parisian landscape we first had to make the batter. Admittedly, this is where my contribution began and ended. We made a structural gingerbread batter. We added some spices to make the batter smell like a classic gingerbread, but it's not meant to be consumed. This batter is no joke! Look up "structural gingerbread recipe" online and you'll find lots of examples.
​ 
We popped the batter in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Once chilled, we rolled out the batter to 1/4 inch thick. Craig then cut out the designs. He freehanded his structures, but you could use a stencil, depending upon what you'd like to create.

​Once the structures were baked and cool, Craig piped icing onto the gingerbread. Again, this icing isn't the sweet, delicious icing you're used to. It's meant for creations like this and doesn't really taste like anything. 

In the end, Craig made the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur, Place D'Invilides, Arc de Triomphe, and Notre Dame - all places in Paris that have special meaning for us. 

I couldn't be happier with this deisgn. It's personal, unique and beautiful. Thank you to Monika Hibbs and Style at Home for the inspiration!

Want to see more of my husband's creations? Follow @chefcraigflinn on Twitter and Instagram. 

How are you decorating your mantle for Christmas?

​We’re feeling a little extra festive this holiday season as we get ready for our first Christmas with Georgia and Hudson. Christmas has always been our favourite time of the year, so we’re looking forward to making it as special as possible for our babes. We realize that at four and five months old, these memory-making activities are more for us than them, but thanks to two camera-obsessed mommas, we’ll be sure to share with them all of the special moments we’re creating this year. 

                                                              Peekaboo Book: Chapters Indigo

​A Christmas story
We love love, love, love a good Christmas story. From the whimsical illustrations to the rhythmic verses, even at four months old, Georgia seems absolutely captivated by The Night Before Christmas (I do a fantastic Santa voice!). We’ve stocked up on children’s Christmas books this year!

All of the lights
Before we had children, we loved driving around to check out the beautiful twinkling lights at night. So we’re keeping that tradition going with our little ones. Hudson is an absolute star when it comes to sleeping in the car, so a relaxed drive for him and a quiet tour of the city lights for his parents is a win-win! 

​Deck the halls
Any chance to decorate any space is always a favourite activity. From garland on the stairway to stockings hung by the chimney with care, we’re filing our abodes with fun and festive accents. And there are few things better than cueing up some Christmas tunes, pouring a (slightly smaller than other years) glass of wine and decorating the Christmas tree. Seeing their eyes light up with the twinkling lights and sparkly bulbs make it even more magical this year. 

                                                                          Pajamas: Chapters Indigo

​Family pajamas
Insert cheesy comment here. Is it just us, or does it seem like matching Christmas pajamas has become a must-do at Christmas? From the classic buffalo check to fun and festive reindeer rompers, we have completely embraced the matching threads and mandatory family photo. 

                                                                       Ornament: Amos Pewter
Mementos
We wanted Georgia and Hudson to have one (or 10) keepsakes from their first Christmas. Along with Christmas pajamas and blankets, the “Baby’s first Christmas” ornament is a favourite of ours. Those special, personalized pieces will take centre stage on our trees this year.
 
We’re loving every moment of this holiday season with our little ones. What are some of your favourite family traditions?
 
Happy holidays!

Christmastime is finally here! This time of year makes us want to cozy up in comfy pajamas, watch  Christmas movies and make our awesome hot chocolate recipe! It's seriously so good and super easy to make. We're sharing our recipe with you and showing you how to change it up so you can have peppermint hot chocolate, spicy hot chocolate, or Kahlua hot chocolate, depending upon your mood. We'll be having all three this month!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk
1 square dark chocolate or chocolate of your choice (we used Lindt)
1 tsp vanilla
1 candy cane
pinch of sea salt

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
Once warm, add the milk, chocolate square, vanilla and salt. Turn heat up to medium, stirring often.
Crush the candy cane and add it to the saucepan.  Continue to stir until hot enough to drink.
Pour into your mug and top with whip cream, chocolate flakes and crushed candy cane!

Spicy Hot Chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk
1 square dark chocolate or chocolate of your choice (we used Lindt)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of cayenne (add to taste)
pinch of sea salt

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
Once warm, add the milk, chocolate square, vanilla, salt and cayenne. Turn heat up to medium, stirring often.
Continue to stir until hot enough to drink.
Pour into your mug and top with whip cream and chocolate flakes.

Kahlua Hot Chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk
1 square dark chocolate or chocolate of your choice (we used Lindt)
1 tsp vanilla
1 oz Kahlua
pinch of sea salt

Whisk together the cocoa, sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
Once warm, add the milk, chocolate square, vanilla and salt. Turn heat up to medium, stirring often.
Continue to stir until hot enough to drink. Stir in Kahlua or alcohol of your choice!
Pour into your mug and top with whip cream and chocolate flakes.

Note: The dark chocolate square makes it a richer hot chocolate. If that's not your cup of tea (or hot chocolate) just skip it!

Enjoy!
xo Jacqueline and Lindsay

​When our baby girl was born, my husband and I knew we wanted to capture those early days with professional photos. Everything was basically a blur when we first brought her home, so photos were the ideal way to freeze that moment in time. While I was excited to have a mini photo shoot, I was also very nervous. Georgia is our first child and she came into this world with some serious pipes. I had no idea how this would go, but had my fingers crossed for a smooth session. Check out what I took into consideration when planning our first family photo shoot.
 
Timeline
 
The reality is, after giving birth, you may not be up for sitting pretty and having your photo taken. But a lot of photographers prefer to do the shoot in the first few weeks of your baby’s life as they’re mostly just eating, pooping and sleeping at that point. Georgia was an absolute star when we did our pics and I’m so grateful we got to capture her early days when she was so tiny in our arms.

Location
 
We chose to do the photo shoot in our home and I’m so glad we did. This is where we are most comfortable and we were able to get shots of the nursery and Georgia in her crib. Choose the space that will be the best option for you and your babe.  

Look at the photographer’s work
 
I personally had no great desire to see my baby girl sitting in a flower pot with some type of floral adornment upon her head. Or wrapping her in some type of pea in a pod-like swaddle and surrounding her with an assortment of produce. I wanted simple. Amanda of Welcome Arms Photography was the perfect choice for us. She is a natural light photographer who captured us, quite simply, swooning over our baby girl.
 
Pick the time
 
Amanda was completely willing to set a time that would be most convenient for us. We hadn’t really gotten into much of a rhythm by that point in Georgia’s life, but I knew we wanted time to slowly roll into the morning and had more than enough time to get ready. I did not want to feel rushed!
 
Enjoy a little primping
 
At first, the thought of doing my makeup for the first time in a handful of weeks and actually putting some effort into my hair sounded exhausting. But once I looked at the finished product, it was just the pick-me-up I needed. I felt beautiful (and clean!) and I knew it would likely be quite some time before I did that much grooming again.
 
Remember your NEW breasts
 
This seems like an odd reminder, but it’s one I didn’t take into consideration until after the photo shoot. I must admit that in some of the pictures, B1 and B2 (as I so affectionately call them) are seriously stealing the focus away from Georgia. I chose to wear the dress I wore for my baby shower and let’s just say it fit a little differently once she came into the world. Throughout the shoot, I was constantly adjusting the straps and moving around to try to make sure I wasn’t giving a free show.
 
Have fun!
 
Lastly, just enjoy yourself. Amanda was super relaxed with us and it helped me feel calm and comfortable throughout the shoot. It was a great experience and I love that we have these images forever.