Christmas is literally around the corner and there is one little girl in my household who is beyond excited. (Does the phrase “pinging off the walls” mean anything to you?! ) We’ve been cooking and baking up a storm and I thought I would share some of the favorite things we’ve been making. These are all things that you still have plenty of time to make and will impress all of your household guests. Let the holiday naptime cooking crunch-time begin!

1. Cocoa Almonds: These simply sweet chocolate candied almonds are perfect for last minute gifts. They take less than ten minutes to make and look wonderful packaged simply in clear plastic bags.

2. Christmas Pinata Cookies: My daughter is a huge fan of these and has been “hiding” all sorts of things in hers. She gets such a kick out of the fact that her Dad will find a gummy bear in one cookie and a Hershey’s kiss in the next.

3. Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies: Leave it to Martha to give us a recipe that is simultaneously sweet and spicy with just the right amount of chew. Tie them up with a sweet ribbon for the perfect homemade gift.

4. Sweet & Spicy Walnuts Nuts: These are the perfect salty nuts for the salt tooth in your life. They also make great last-minute hostess gifts.

5. Peppermint Hot Fudge Sauce: I’ve already made five – yes, 5 – batches for gifts. Whipping up one batch is very simple and is great for drizzling over ice cream or giving as gifts.

6. Eggnog Cheesecake: Your entire family will be so impressed if you serve amazing cheesecake at Christmas dinner. It can easily be made in advance and feeds a holiday crowd.

7. Sparkling Eggnog Muffins: For breakfast or, honestly, anytime of day, these gorgeous muffins are the perfect holiday breakfast/afternoon snack.

8. ‘Twas the Night Before…French Toast: We will be eating this classic recipe on Christmas morning. My whole family loves it and it makes my life sooo much easier since I can prepare it the night before.

9. Peppermint Patty Brownies: All things mint and chocolate are welcome this season and these brownies most definitely hit the spot. They are so much fun with kids and look great when frosted with vanilla buttercream and topped with crushed candy canes!

10. Filthy Fizz: Merry, Merry!

This is the latest installment of my Powernap column. The series where I share quick, easy food that can be made for all kinds of situations. Powernaps are short and sweet, and so are these recipes. These are the things I make in a jiffy when I need a quick snack, am in the mood for a recipe experiment, or simply need to clean out the pantry.

It is holiday crunch time and last weekend I test drove a few last minute recipes to make sure I’m all set for Christmas morning. I know we’ll be totally nuts that day and I’ll have about five seconds in the kitchen before my daughter descends on the tree. In the less-than-one-minute I’ll be allotted that morning I plan to shove my Overnight French Toast in the oven and prepare the batter for these awesome muffins.

Congratulations to  Stef  the winner of the 7 Quart Staub Cocotte in Aubergine.

Congratulations to Chelsei Ryan  the winner of the second tote of Meyer lemons and $25 Williams-Sonoma giftcard. The third winner will be announced on Monday December 26th, and the grand prize winner of the 5 Quart Yellow Majestic Artisan KitchenAid mixer will be announced on December 30th, there is still plenty of time to enter!

1. Frosted Donut Snowman

2. Eggnog Frozen Yogurt

3. Grinch Punch
4. Candy Cane Inspired Recipes
5. 17 Eggnog Inspired Recipes

*Staub Giveaway Reminder*: Don’t forget to enter to win this 7 Quart Staub Cocotte in Aubergine from BigKitchen.com. Entry rules below.

I am wrapping up holiday dinner week with a new favorite “adults-only” ice cream. I have to admit, I saw the title Boozy Eggnog Ice Cream on the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams site, but couldn’t find the recipe anywhere. Thankfully I have her awesome book and was able to use it to riff on her base flavor formula and dream up my own recipe. Maybe sometime I’ll actually get to taste her version to make a comparison. Mine is creamy and boozy with just a hint of spice. My husband and I loved it, as will you.

*Staub Giveaway reminder*: Don’t forget to enter below to win the gorgeous 7 Quart Staub Cocotte in Aubergine from BigKitchen.com. Entry rules below.

The closer I get to Christmas the more I am thinking about large desserts to feed a crowd. Enter the bundt cake. I am a longtime fan of the large, circular bundt cake. It is relatively simple to pull together and serves a lot of people. The other day I had a half quart of eggnog in the fridge and decided test drive a new naptime holiday recipe for next week’s festivities. I knew it wouldn’t fulfill my daughter’s request for more decorations that “sparkle and flash,” but at least it would fulfill my need for a crowd-pleasing dessert.

I thought it would be a fun idea to take a break from recipes today and do a little “check-in.” That is the term I use at home when I want to step back and assess a situation that seems to the focus of my days at that particular moment. Here is my check-in for today: how is your holiday cooking going? Is all your shopping done? What are your travel plans this season? Here are the answers to those questions on my end and a few last minute gifts and tips for holiday travel with kids.