Cookie Exchange Party Recap

If you follow me on Twitter, Snapchat (@franacciardo), or Instagram, you're well aware of what went into planning and preparing for my party yesterday! The cookie exchange was at 3:30 yesterday and 12 of my best friends came, along with their mothers, and a few of my mom's friends came too, rounding out to about 30 people total. The afternoon was incredibly fun and such a special tradition that I am lucky to share with my mom. It was wonderful to spend the day with the people I love most and enjoy some delicious treats too. The table filled with cookies (everyone had to bring 6 dozen!) was borderline overflowing, and I think I ate enough to get my sugar fill for an entire year. 

My mom went all out with the food, and everything was delicious. Deviled eggs, cocktail meatballs (to die for), and artichoke puffs were some of the big hits, along with my favorite cheeses, fruits, veggies, dips, nuts, and more. The cranberry cocktails were so festive and cute too, for the adults of course. My personal favorite, you'll be so surprised ;) , was the hot chocolate bar towards the end! We had people over until 8:30 last night... safe to say I was up for a while doing homework.

I wore this skirt, this top (sold out, similar here), and a similar bracelet with these flats!

Of course, Carin was there too!!! Check out her post today as she recaps the party as well.

xoxo

My Favorite Holiday Traditions

If I haven't made it obvious enough already, the holidays are really my favorite time of year, and for me, some of the most special things about the season are the things that I get to look forward to year after year!

I almost always do a gift exchange with a group of friends. This year I am doing a gift exchange with my friend group at school, but in the previous recent years, I did one with DWC, which was such a fun way to bond as bloggers over the holidays.

I love the process of decorating our house. My mom makes a huge deal out of getting out all of our decorations and setting up our nutcrackers around the house and my dad and I always put the lights on our Christmas tree together. Because my dad lives in Rhode Island now, it's even more special to get to celebrate the holidays with him! I'll be in Rhode Island, Boston, and New York all over Christmas break this year and I am so excited.

My mom and my Christmas cookie exchange is this weekend, and I know I've already talked a little bit about that on the blog. It's something we used to do almost year year when I was younger, but this is the latest one since my freshman year. I am honestly so exciting for Sunday afternoon to spend with my friends, their moms, and a few of my mom's friends too. Cookies, a hot chocolate bar, Christmas decorations and music... what more could I ask for to celebrate the holidays with some of my favorite people!

Also, this is completely random, but I loved this post on Julia's blog the other day. (Think of this as an ode to skipping This Week's Top 10)

What are some of your Christmas traditions? Check out Caroline's post today to read all about her traditions too- we are nearing the end of our collab!

xoxo

{M&B}: Holiday Party Outfit

For our second outfit of the week, Caroline and I are sharing a little bit of a dressier look! In lieu of my cookie exchange this weekend, I'm excited to be sharing a fun holiday party outfit. I love plaid and fur for this season, and this skirt is seriously ideal for the holidays, making this outfit one of my new favorites! It's actually a pretty versatile piece I have found and I really am looking forward to getting most wear out of it as possible this season.

3-Ingredient Peppermint Fudge

I am so excited about today's post. I love Christmas recipes, chocolate, and anything that's easy to make in the kitchen, so when Caroline and I whipped up this recipe for day three of our collab, I knew it was going to be good! This easy and delicious fudge is perfect for the holidays and doesn't require any skill or expertise in the kitchen. I know for me, the idea of making fudge always seemed a little daunting, but I was pleasantly surprised with how easy this whole process was!

What you'll need...

Tin foil

Cooking spray

2 bags of semi-sweet chocolate chips

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

Candy canes

What to do...

There are pictures of the whole process below, but these are the step by step instructions:

1. Line your pan or pans with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Caroline and I used two pans because we each wanted a tray for ourselves, but I think using one would make a thicker, more delicious fudge.

2. Pour the chocolate chips and condensed milk into the pan and constantly stir until completely melted. Be careful not to let the chocolate burn!

*I think adding a few drops of peppermint oil to the mixture would heighten the peppermint flavor- I totally wish we would have thought of this! Caroline and I also added 1-2 tablespoons of canola oil to the fudge as it melted because the mixture was almost too thick to stir.

3. When it's all mixed up, pour the fudge into the pan and spread out with a spoon

4. Crush the candy canes (a rolling pin works well for this) and sprinkle them on top of the fudge, pressing some into the fudge to add more peppermint flavor. We suggest putting the candy canes in a bag first to make this easier

5. Refrigerate or freeze until solid

6. Cut into squares and enjoy!

This recipe is seriously so easy to make and it's like Christmas crack, it's that good. Let us know if you try it!

xoxo

{M&B} Outfit: Christmas Tree Shopping

I want to start off by saying I am obsessed with this hat. I picked it up in Chicago a few weeks ago (Unrelated, but did I mention my second trip down this Saturday was like the best day of my life?!) and I have been wearing it nonstop since. It hasn't actually been that cold yet, and I'm getting a little frustrated that we are already in the midst of our second week of December and there isn't any snow, but nonetheless I'm keeping cozy with this fun hat! I also want to take a second to talk about this bracelet I am wearing. Jenna from That's So Fletch is so cute and sent me some really fun bracelets to try out (check back next week for a chance to win your own!) and I have been pleasantly surprised. The bracelets are casual but still unique and can be easily layered or worn on their own. I wear mine to school with my uniform almost everyday!