What are your Christmas morning traditions? One of ours is this brunch casserole that my mom makes every year. In addition to being downright delicious, it’s also perfectly festive thanks to spinach and roasted red peppers. If you don’t have a favorite breakfast for Christmas morning, I hope you’ll give our casserole a try this year. Of course, it’s a good dish to serve guests on non-holiday days, too. Happy holidays!
Christmas Morning Casserole
1 lb. hot bulk sausage 1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. basil leaves
8 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups grated Provolone cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish. Brown, crumble and drain sausage in large skillet. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until onions become semi-soft. Arrange sausage mixture in greased baking dish. Sprinkle half of the chopped pepper over sausage; top with all the spinach. Sprinkle one cup of Provolone cheese on top. In a large bowl, combine flour, Parmesan cheese, salt and basil. In another bowl, combine eggs and milk; beat until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture, beat until well blended. Pour over spinach. Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until knife inserted into the casserole center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining red pepper and Provolone cheese. Return to the oven for two additional minutes just to melt the cheese. Let stand five minutes. Cut into squares–serves 8-10.
How many holiday get-togethers are on your calendar over the next two weeks? I love any excuse to buy a new outfit or dress for special occasions, which means I typically forget to look inside my own closet for inspiration. This year I thought it would be a fun challenge to take just one signature piece–the same mint-colored Ann Taylor feathered top from last week’s post–and show you how to create three entirely different outfits for your holiday festivities ahead. Keep reading to see each look!
Festive Cocktail Party
A cocktail party is the perfect time to dress up a little more than usual in the spirit of the holidays. I would never be caught pairing traditional green with red, but mint paired with an orangey-red hue? It’s appropriately festive and fresh without the cheese factor. Black and gold accessories tie the look all together.
For Christmas Day, a laid-back look fits the bill. I love just a bit of the mint fringe peeking from underneath a structured navy blazer. Finish it off with the perfect fitting skinny blue jeans (I can’t stop wearing this AG pair), leather riding boots, a high ponytail, gold hoops and one fun ring.
New Year’s Eve calls for over-the-top glamour. I mixed in a gorgeous gold Yves St. Laurent pencil skirt with a beautiful floral brocade texture and stuck with black tights and high heels to let the skirt and top do the talking. A few unique vintage accessories, like this beaded Taj Mahal clutch I was lucky enough to score this summer, add to the fun factor.
Outfit details: Vintage Skirt (similar here and here) | Via Spiga Heels (similar) | Ann Taylor Earrings (c/o) | Vintage Cuff and Clutch
I absolutely love entertaining and any excuse to throw a party, but our annual holiday party has become my favorite night of the entire year. We love gathering a bunch of good friends at our home for a fun cocktail party to celebrate the season and come full circle on another year. Keep reading for a few snapshots I managed to capture of this year’s holiday soiree (between running around), including a few party planning tips.
My seasonal decorating style is carefully considered, but not overdone. I like to keep it simple and festive, without going over-the-top holiday. I wrapped fresh garland around the entryway to the dining room, hung a spruce wreath on the door with rope, and laid extra trimmings from the garland on the bar table. I get all my greenery and flowers at Whole Foods.
I always set up the food buffet style on my farmhouse table and clear away the chairs, allowing guests to walk around to fill their plates. We stationed a low centerpiece in the middle, created by tucking a combination of wintry flowers, greenery, and berries into a vintage wood sugar mold rented from A La Crate Vintage Rentals. Votives at either end of the row of flowers added twinkling light. This was all John’s handiwork—I provided the materials and direction, and he used his well-tested skills from years spent in his great aunt’s flower shop!
In the office, we set out a make-your-own Old Fashioned bar on a low bookshelf, along with white and red wine and a selection of local beer. Old Fashioned cocktails are a classic Wisconsin drink. Sharing ingredients and instructions for one signature drink also frees you up to socialize and take care of other hostessing duties. Here’s the recipe:
Old Fashioned Cocktail
Few dashes Angostura bitters
2 maraschino cherries
2 orange slices
Brown sugar cube
7-Up
2 ounces bourbon or brandy
In a lowball glass, add four dashes bitters, one stemmed cherry, an orange slice, a sugar cube and a splash of 7-Up. Muddle ingredients. Fill glass with ice and top with 2 ounces bourbon or brandy. Top with 7-Up and garnish with a cherry and an orange slice (pre-threaded onto cocktail sticks for guests).
Perhaps the best compliment as a host? We started the party at 6pm but our guests didn’t leave until WAY after midnight. Always a success when your guests stick around because they’re having so much fun!
When Ann Taylor invited me to style a festive outfit for the holiday party season and share a few entertaining tips, I jumped at the opportunity! I immediately decided to mix and match, opting for a party-perfect pant in floral and a minty feathered top. Yes…that’s not one, but two statement pieces in one outfit, but I love the end result: A bright, playful look that breaks out of the typical holiday dress rut and is perfectly comfortable for hostessing duty. I balanced the pant and top with a metallic belt and sparkly sandals, a bracelet, and tassel earrings that mirror the top’s delicate fringe. Click through to see my dinner party details, including more images of the Ann Taylor pieces that inspired the entire look.
When it comes to holiday decorating, whether for a cocktail party crowd or a more intimate dinner party, my mantra is a little can go a long way. My entertaining approach is to make things feel carefully considered, but never overdone. And maybe just a little unexpected. Inspired by the bold floral print of my pants and a cheerful floral arrangement I tucked into an old wood sugar mold, I rounded up some vintage clip-on earrings and brooches (in flowery shapes) and fastened them to plum velvet ribbon to create napkin rings. I love the idea of incorporating jewelry on the table–it’s both fancy and whimsical and really stands out when paired with white napkins and set atop modern ceramics. It’s like pairing a sparkly statement necklace with a soft tee and jeans, where a glam touch meets relaxed basics.
To further play up the combination, I considered adding gold chargers underneath the plates, but decided I liked the clean contrast of the white directly on the black table. Then I just added my favorite vintage tumbler glasses for the final touch–their gold Hollywood Regency floral motif provided a final nod to my original inspiration.
What do you think? Will you try fancy pants for any of your holiday RSVPs this season? With all the fun ways to remix these pants, I could easily put my dress routine on hold for a while. And I can’t wait to pair the feathered top with worn-in skinny jeans for an entirely different look!
*This post was sponsored by Ann Taylor, but the views and opinions expressed are my own.
Using vintage jewelry is an easy way to dress up your place settings for the holidays (or any time of year). I thought I’d share the super simple DIY of the vintage brooch napkin rings featured in this morning’s holiday party post. Quite possibly the easiest do-it-yourself project ever, there’s no paint, glue or masters in crafting needed here. All you need to make these fun, jewel-decked napkin rings are vintage brooches and clip-on earrings found at flea markets, Anthropologie’s velvet ribbon, and a pair of scissors…
Simply cut the ribbon into pieces about 18-inches long, wrap each piece around a folded napkin and tie into a bow, then clip the earrings and brooches onto the other side. Mix and match the brooches, pairing colors and shapes that work well together.
A fun idea: For a girls-only dinner, let your girlfriends trade with each other to re-match the earring sets so they can take them home as a party favor!
When it comes to holiday decorating, whether for a cocktail party crowd or a more intimate dinner party, my mantra is a little can go a long way. My entertaining approach is to make things feel carefully considered, but never overdone. And maybe just a little unexpected. Inspired by the bold floral print of my Ann Taylor pants and a cheerful floral arrangement I tucked into an old wood sugar mold, I rounded up some vintage clip-on earrings and brooches (in flowery shapes) and fastened them to plum velvet ribbon to create napkin rings. See my Vintage Brooch Napkin Rings DIY here! I love the idea of incorporating jewelry on the table–it’s both fancy and whimsical and really stands out when paired with white napkins and set atop modern ceramics. It’s like pairing a sparkly statement necklace with a soft tee and jeans, where a glam touch meets relaxed basics.
To further play up the combination, I considered adding gold chargers underneath the plates, but decided I liked the clean contrast of the white directly on our black harvest table. Then I just added my favorite vintage tumbler glasses for the final touch–their gold Hollywood Regency floral motif provided a final nod to my original inspiration.
