When planning for an event during this holiday season, holiday music is a must have on my check list. Today’s post will really get you in the mood for the holidays with my favorite holiday songs. So turn up your speakers and get ready to sing-a-long to this holiday playlist.

1. “Last Christmas” by Wham!

2. “Run Rudolph Run” by Jimmy Buffet

3. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Michael Buble

4. “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” by *NSYNC

5. “Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys

6. “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)” by The Chipmunks

7. “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by The Glee Cast

8. “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses

9. “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” by Bruce Springsteen

10. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” by Mariah Carey

And the list could go on and on! What is your favorite holiday song to listen to this holiday season? Keep adding to the play list by posting your favorites below! Happy Holidays!!

xoxo
Megan

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Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Take time out today to spend time with your family and give thanks for all those things that you have to be thankful for this past year. 

This year I am thankful for my family, old and new friends, all the new opportunities that I have had this past year, and the opportunities that I have had to take part in so many events this past year. Of course there are so many things to be thankful for this year that the list could go on and on.

What are you thankful for this year? Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

xoxo
Megan

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When it comes to Thanksgiving I bet the first thing that pops into your mind is the food. From the turkey to the desserts there are an endless number of Thanksgiving dishes one could have at their table. I think one year when my family hosted Thanksgiving we even had 7 different pie options for dessert! Today’s post is for all those who are still trying to figure out what to cook or might need a good side dish idea for this year’s feast. Here are my top 10 favorite Thanksgiving dishes.

1. Cranberry Sauce. You can make this from scratch or buy it in the can and serve. I just love the color that this dish adds to our table. This recipe from The Pioneer Woman has gotten great reviews! 

2. Stuffing. This is one thing that you can make so many different ways but my favorite is the Pepperidge Farm traditional stuffing with just the bread crumbs and celery. This is the one leftover that I cannot wait to have! Just take the Pepperidge Farm stuffing, cook according to the recipe on the bag and then add your favorite veggies.

3. Pie. My favorite Thanksgiving treat is pumpkin pie. I think each person in my house has a different favorite so we always have multiple choices when it comes to Thanksgiving dessert pies. The pumpkin pie recipe that I always use is the one on the side of the Libby’s Pumpkin can.

4. Rolls. You need something to clean your plate with right? My mom makes some of the best yeast rolls during the holidays and these never last more than a day in our house post Thanksgiving. If you don’t have time to make yeast rolls from scratch Sister Schubert’s Parker House Style Rolls come in a close second.

5. Salad. To add a slightly healthy element to the Thanksgiving feast a salad is always a great idea. Add some dried cranberries, walnuts and sliced apples for a side salad treat. Try this fall salad from Martha Stewart Living.

6. Green Beans. Some people like theirs in a casserole while others like them steamed. Just don’t forget to add the garnish! Try this recipe from Whole Foods to fix your green beans this year.

7. Potatoes. We keep rotating in our house what kind of potatoes we have so no matter the variety, you can always find some on our table. My favorite is sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows on top. Try this recipe from Cooks.com out this year.

8. Acorn Squash. Fall is the perfect time of year for squash and my favorite way to eat acorn squash is to bake them in the oven until soft and then serve them with butter and brown sugar. Yum! You can’t get any better than this Martha Stewart recipe. 

9. Gravy. Making gravy is something I learned to do a long time ago and is so easy to make from the turkey drippings. And of course this side goes with everything you serve at Thanksgiving, well maybe not the desserts. You can’t go wrong with this turkey gravy recipe from Southern Living. 

10. Turkey. No matter if you deep fry it, bake it or stuff it with dressing you can’t have Thanksgiving without the turkey. Last year I had to cook the turkey and had no idea what I was doing, but it still came out delicious! I used Whole Foods cooking instructions last year. 

There are so many options to choose from. Just making my list of ten favorites had me think about so many other holiday food favorites that I love. What are you fixing for Thanksgiving this year? Share your favorite recipe in the comments section below! Happy Thanksgiving!!!

xoxo
Megan

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I can’t believe how quickly this week has flown by and all the events that I have had with work this week. I can’t wait for Thanksgiving to get here for a little bit of relaxation. To help get into the Thanksgiving spirit today I found two fun Thanksgiving inspired treats for today’s post.

The first treat I have is these M&M Turkey Favors from The Party Animal blog. This does require a little bit of crafting when making them. You can find a great step-by-step tutorial on how to make these by going to their website. Their instructions are very detailed and have great pictures to follow in their tutorial.

The second treat is one that I want to make to take for Thanksgiving this year. On Monday I shared with you the apple cider sangria that we had at my girl’s night last week so I can’t wait to try this Sparkling Spiced Apple Cider from Bakingdom. This is like the perfect drink combination for fall! 

This recipe will make 4 servings. You will need:
   -  1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
   -  1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice
   -  3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   -  1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
   -  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
   -  6 ounces chilled vodka
   -  24 ounces chilled sparkling cider

Combine the sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the mixture is the consistency of syrup. Allow to cool completely. Use the syrup to rim 4 glasses, then dip the glasses into a sugar mixture (sanding sugar or cinnamon-sugar). Add 1 shot of the syrup to each glass. Stir in 1 shot of vodka, then add 4 shots of sparkling cider per glass. Stir gently and serve. (For a stronger drink, increase the vodka to 2 shots per glass, and reduce the cider to 3 shots.)

I just love all these Thanksgiving themed food and drink items! What is your favorite Thanksgiving day treat? You can find these and other great Thanksgiving ideas on my Pinterest page @PreppyPlanner.

1. Thanksgiving Macy’s Day Parade. I look at this parade as the official kickoff to the holiday season with all the music, dancers, parade balloons, and of course Santa!

2. Turkey Trot. It has become a tradition for my family to go out on Thanksgiving morning to run the local Turkey Trot 10K at University of Richmond with friends before we get together with the family for a Thanksgiving feast. You can find a local one near you through your local running club.

3. Black Friday Shopping. As any girl who loves a good deal this is one of my favorite days. After I have substantially eaten to much (and who doesn’t?!?) on Thanksgiving I love going through all the ads to see what deals I can find the next day.

4. Decorate for Christmas. I love Christmas but one of my biggest pet peeves is people who decorate way too early. Save the decorating and make it into a post-Thanksgiving calorie burner by stringing lights, putting up a tree and decking out the house for the holiday season while dancing to your favorite holiday tunes.

5. Football Playoffs/Bowl Games. ‘Tis the season for post season play, in football anyways. Depending on your team this could mean the start of playoffs or bowl games. Who are you rooting for this year?

6. Holiday Parties. Between the office, friends and your neighbors there are always so many holiday parties that take place during this time. Loving the holidays I always try to go to as many as I can! Stay on the lookout for some great holiday party host gifts!!
7. Brunch with Santa. It has been a family tradition of mine to go to brunch each year and get our family picture with Santa. Always believe!
8. Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. We always have family come and go and get to catch up with friends during these days all while dancing around the house to fun Christmas tunes!
9. Tacky Lights Tour. Depending on where you live the holiday season brings out those who love to decorate. In Richmond they organize and put in the paper a list of where you can go see the best lights. If you are in the city where this might not be an option, take an afternoon to go looking at all the holiday window displays. They are just as magical.
10. New Years Eve. There are so many New Years Eve events whether local or watching on TV. This year grab a few of your friends and count down to 2013! 

There are just so many things to do during the holiday season. What are you looking forward to doing this holiday season? Have a favorite event or holiday tradition? Let me know in the comments section below!

xoxo
Megan

To keep up with everything from The Preppy Planner sign up for my email list and follow me on Twitter @PreppyPlanner. You won’t want to miss anything this holiday season!

Happy Monday! This past week I got to enjoy another fun girl’s night themed dinner. I had to miss last month because of work (so sad) so I could not wait for this one. In picking out this month’s theme we wanted to pick somewhere in Asia so we picked Vietnam.  

Growing up in Richmond there was a great Vietnamese restaurant right near me that I would love getting takeout from, so I could not wait to try my hand at making something. Since my friend chose to make the traditional soup, Pho, I decided to try my hand at making some traditional Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls.

I found a great recipe for Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls from droolfactor.wordpress.com (I think the website’s name gave it away that these would be good).  You can get the step-by-step directions that I used by clicking on the link for the Rice Paper Rolls and by following my pictures that I took below. 

I found all the ingredients for this recipe at my local. I did cheat a little when it came to the sauce for the spring rolls. I just bought a premade spring roll dipping sauce at the store instead of making it myself.

Along with the rice paper rolls we also had a delicious soup called Pho, an appetizer of Chao Tom and a non-related themed drink of apple cider sangria. Everything was so delicious!!

I love getting together with the girl's for a night of fun, and designating a fun theme for the evening makes it even better! What kind of fun theme nights have you participated in with your friends? Any suggestions for what country we should do our next theme night dinner?

Have a fabulous Monday:)

xoxo
Megan

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