Recipes to Make your Thanksgiving Easier

I know that, at least in my family, it can be a struggle to get everything put together and cooked on Thanksgiving day, with that darn turkey taking up oven space all day. Being able to make up a few awesome side dishes the night before could seriously come in handy. I scrounged up a few tasty recipes that can be ready-to-go come Turkey Day!

Green Beans with Almonds – Especially for the holidays, when everything is already stressful enough, simplicity is key. Just a little fresh garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and chopped almonds to give his modest side dish some flare.

Bleu Cheese and Pine Nut Puffs – This is an awesome alternative to tradition dinner rolls.

Herb- and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms – Who doesn’t love stuffed mushrooms? These sound extra delicious!

Mashed Potatoes with Savory Thyme Granola – Personally, I think these would be better without the granola, but everything else about them sound incredible. I just don’t think crunch in my mashed ‘taters sounds very appealing.

Cheesy Garlic Rolls – I don’t know about you, but I don’t think there are two more wonderful things in the world than garlic and cheese. Another awesome twist on traditional dinner rolls.

Swiss Corn Bakes – These are like little quiches of cheesy deliciousness.

Butterhead Salad with Smoky Ranch – The real delight here is the recipe for the ranch. You could toss it with any of your favourite salad ingredients.

Hope these tasty, quick treats help to make your holidays a little less stressful. Pass the recipes around to your guests for some extra help!

DIY Halloween Costumes for your Kids

Coming up with the perfect costume for your little one can be tough. And if funds are on the tight side, that can make things even tougher. Here are a few quick, simple, and cheap costume ideas for your kiddos.

Spelling Bee – leotard, pipe cleaners, hangers … not much goes into this getup, but it sure is cute!
Rocket Man – We all know your kid is out of this world, so why not show it off with the awesome rocket man costume?
Superhero – Superman, Batman, Spiderman … They’re all so overdone. Make your kid into their very own super hero!
Butterfly – This butterfly costume’s great, especially if you have a great eye for detail. Since you’re making the wings yourself, your munchkin can be any kind of butterfly they want!
Mad Scientist – What’s cuter than a little mad scientist, come on? And really, couldn’t get much easier.
Little Miss Sunshine – Both a great movie and a pretty good adjective for your little one. Very little prep for this costume, too.
Raining Cats and Dogs – If you like concept costumes, this one’s great. All you really need is a little hot glue for the stuffed critters on the umbrella!
Angel – So maybe our kids aren’t always so angelic, but at least they can look the part for a night! These wings are ridiculously easy and look great!
Pig in a Blanket – Another great conceptual costume, I’m thinking this would be the best for kids under 2. If they get worn out from trick-or-treating before you get home, they already have the blanket to snuggle with!

For more information (and pictures!) on how to put together the snazzy costumes featured, check out this awesome site! RealSimple From everyone here at Sweeney & Sweeney, we hope you have a wonderful, safe, and fun Halloween this year!