When it comes to surviving the chilly months in the winter, a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do. By surrounding myself with some of my favorite essentials this month, I’ve beat the January blues and actually enjoyed a great kick off to 2012!

Hug Mug There’s no better month for a steamy cup of hot chocolate. Nothing gets the job done better than the Hug Mug. Because of its shape you can perfectly hug the mug with both hands creating the coziest hot chocolate drinking experience ever.

Goal Tracker I love to set goals. Especially when I have something as cute as this little diddy to write them on. I love that there is a place to check off a completed goal on each day of the month. Completed check marks are so satisfying.

Cozy Blanket Due to a drafty apartment, I’m wrapped up in a blanket 90% of the time at home during these long winter months.

Paper Source Planner I keep a calendar on my phone and a weekly datebook where I map out my days hour by hour. I’m going on my third year with a Paper Source Calendar and I’m a huge fan. Great design, just the right size, and spiral bound.

Eternity Scarf Although I grew up in a state that enjoyed big winters every year, nothing compares to the cold on the east coast. It goes through your bones and straight to your soul making you grumpy from January – March. (drastic? maybe) In addition to my sleeping bag coat, I can’t live without my trusty eternity scarf to wrap snugly around my neck keeping all the cold out.

Citrus Juicer It’s easy to gravitate to hearty comfort foods this time of year but I always like to implement a lot of citrus into our meals during the winter. It’s in season and really brightens up some of those heavier dishes that warm your heart. This lemon squeezer is one of my favorite tools for extracting fresh citrus juice.

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For anyone who lives in the Big Apple and is up for a (FREE) cooking class all about cookies held at the largest department store in the world and classic NYC landmark- join me at Macy’s tonight where I’ll be sharing my best tips and techniques for holiday cookies. I’ll be demo-ing a  couple of recipes and get into the specifics on how to throw an amazing cookie swap. The class will take place on the bottom floor in the Cellar Kitchen from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. It’s open to everyone and I’d love to see you all there!

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…and they’ve started airing the holiday specials to prove it! I had an AMAZING opportunity to be part of a cookie special that featured quite the lineup of guests. I’ve always been a fan of throwing a cookie swap during the holidays and was thrilled when Cooking Channel wanted to film a special about one of my favorite holiday traditions. The goal was to give this old fashioned event a modern twist including cookies, cocktails (read: mocktails for me!), laughter, late night, and good times with friends.

I headed to the kitchen to help the beautiful Chrissy Teigen, swimsuit model & passionate foodie throw a festive holiday cookie swap for a group of Chrissy’s close friends. Chrissy’s closest friend/boyfriend just happens to be the incredible John Legend (swoon!). This special will give you a glimpse of not only Chrissy and I cooking in the kitchen, but Chrissy and John cooking together and it’s just about the cutest thing that you’ve ever seen. Yes, R&B musicians are just as smooth in the kitchen. If good looking people cooking in the kitchen is what you’re after, I should also mention that the drop dead gorgeous Brooklyn Decker whips up a batch of Double Peanut Butter Cup cookies.

Throughout the special you get to meet each of Chrissy’s guests and get an inside look at the story behind each of the delicious cookies at the swap. It was such a blast to film and I walked away with a dozen cookie recipes that were out of this world! Make sure to tune in this Sunday, December 4th at 8:00 pm ET to watch a batch of fabulous people making and enjoying tasty cookies!

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like when you film a holiday special in April. Believe it or not that is when we shot the holiday special for season 2 of Kelsey’s Essentials. Try finding cranberries or kumquats in the spring! I thought a lot about filming a holiday special that had a unique angle and did my best to develop recipes that I felt captured traditional holiday flavors served up in a slightly different way.

Entertaining friends and family during the holidays doesn’t always mean baking a whole turkey, ham, or cake: bite size savory and sweet treats are quick ways to get the taste of the holidays to your guests in no time. I combined my favorite flavors from a turkey feast into one bite with potato latkes topped with smoked turkey leg and sweet kumquat chutney. My favorite stuffing recipe packs big flavor especially when served in little crispy prosciutto cups. For dessert, it’s all about a twist on a classic: Gingerbread cake truffles mixed with lemon ginger icing dipped in melted white chocolate and topped with toasted pistachios. (how is THAT for a recipe name?!)

Hopefully these recipes give you some great ideas for packing all of that holiday flavor into bite sized morsels! Tune in this week Friday, December 2nd at 5:00 ET for the recipes and ideas.

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I couldn’t help but share a few photos from our Thanksgiving 2011. It was particularly unique because we celebrated with just the two of us and we were incredibly lucky to score front row grandstand seats to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. (bucket list anyone?) Tom the Turkey usually carries Food Network personalities but this year Robby and I cheered on Debi & Gabriele from Extra Virgin as they “floated” by. It was so fun to see Cooking Channel represented at the parade and to feel like I am part of the family. Our seats were right in front of Macy’s so we were able to watch all of the performances and savored every minute recognizing that we would likely never have an opportunity to do so again.  I was grinning from ear to ear as the Rockettes performed and loved every high kick. As a young girl I dreamed of becoming a Rockette…then I found out that the minimum height requirement was 5’6. So not happening.

Our view was epic with the Empire State Building as our background. It was definitely an “I Love New York!” experience. The experience was nothing short of celebratory and we left dressed in confetti to prove it. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and is looking forward to the next month celebrating the most wonderful time of the year!

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