Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you traveling or staying home? We're heading to Brooklyn to have dinner with friends, and I'm psyched to sit around their fireplace. Hope you have a delicious day with lots of pumpkin pie and loose pants. Meanwhile, here are some fun posts from around the web...

A song for your weekend.

Can't wait for this movie.

10 leftover turkey recipes.

Pretty colorblock dress.

How to get a North Pole postmark.

A ski lodge in NYC? But that's impossible!

David Letterman kissed Amy Poehler (on the lips).

Five tiny NYC apartments.

This moving gift guide is insane!

I'll be wearing these guys all weekend.

Ira Glass, I love you.

Red suede shoes.

This new book looks intriguing.

And thank you again for all the heartfelt comments on the post about people deciding not to have kids. It was a fascinating discussion.

(Photos of us from last summer)

Wednesday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is from Jenny N. Design, a beautiful bag shop based in Pittsburgh. She mades her bags by hand with supple leather or cotton canvas, and they're the kinds of beautiful shapes that you'd wear every day for years. Jenny is letting one winner pick out her favorite bag. Which would you choose? (I'd go for this one.)

For a chance to win, please visit Jenny N. Design, and leave a comment below telling us your favorite bag. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! Update: Nikita S. is our winner. Thanks for playing.

Bonus for all readers: Get 15% off through Monday with the code CUPOFJO.

Yada, yada, yada

Our friend Nora stopped by last night, and Toby fell madly in love with her. They both wore plastic red fire hats, naturally, and Nora also pretended to fall down, which is always a hit around here. But the piece de résistance was when Nora was telling me a story and said, "Yada, yada, yada." Toby burst into hysterical laughter. What wit! What timing! What funny sounding words! He couldn't get over it.

The whole scene reminded me of this classic Seinfeld clip:)

The Best Apple Crisp You'll Ever Have

In honor of Thanksgiving, we have another best recipe today—apple crisp! The lovely Monique from Ambitious Kitchen shares her incredible version, including a secret ingredient...
Read More >

The Best (Cheesy!) Mashed Potatoes You'll Ever Have

What kind of mashed potatoes do you like? My new favorite might be aligot, a traditional mashed potato dish in France, whipped up with tons of cheese and garlic. (Cheese lovers, get psyched!) Here, food blogger Mimi, who lives in the French countryside, agrees to share her recipe...Read More >

Paris elopement

Karl and Leslie eloped to Paris, and their friend Duncan Wolfe captured it on film. Love the groom's flirty dancing at the end.

P.S. Three elopements, and a Swedish wedding dress.

A very easy holiday party

When it comes to holiday parties, my theory is: the simpler, the better. Relaxed parties take two seconds to pull together and make your friends feel at ease; they're always the kind where everyone ends up hanging out late into the night.

Here are my five go-to steps for a party: 1. Forget stamps; just email invitations. 2. Wear comfy flats or wear a favorite dress with cute bare feet. (The Barefoot Contessa even wears slippers to her dinner parties; good call.)
3. Serve a signature drink. Above is a delicious Nutella-inspired hot chocolate, made by mixing a third cup of Baileys Hazelnut Flavor with a cup of hot chocolate, and topping it off with a dollop of whipped cream. (Alex was also psyched by the idea of a Baileys martini.)
4. Serve simple, yummy foods, like a mix of chocolate cookies. (I also love just plain old potato chips, as well as the pigs-in-blankets from Trader Joe's.)
5. And string up fairy lights (around windows, on the back of the sofa) to magically transform your living room. That's it!
Where do you fall on the scale of simple to elaborate parties? Any other entertaining tips to share? Especially for easy snacks?

This post is sponsored by Baileys Irish Cream. Join us at creamwithspirit.com and help us celebrate women who live their lives #withspirit.