25 Ways to Make Him Smile

1. Make and serve hot cocoa in bed

2. Dust off that old crockpot and make some spicy chili for Sunday football

3. Earn the key to his heart with seasonal baked goods

4. Sleep in together and stay cozy and comfy all day

5. Dress up as one of Santa’s elves

6. Buy him a pair fan gear flannel pajama pants

7. Turn up the heat and host your own hot yoga sesh…couple’s version

8. Make your own pizza together

9. Surprise him with seasonal flavor to his morning coffee

10. Hop in the car and take a night drive to who knows where

11. Take him to a basketball game

12. Dress up as Mrs. Claus

13. Challenge him to a game of Scrabble…winner gets a massage

14. Take him on a bar crawl to test local craft beers

15. Tell him a corny Christmas joke

16. Go window shopping for his dream man cave

17. Camp out in the living room for a night and tell stories by the candlelight

18. Order Chinese and watch holiday movies all day and night

19. Dress up as a reindeer

20. Satisfy both parties by hanging a sports fan holiday wreath

21. Throw on your coats and go for a hike

22. Make a personalized coupon book filled with his favorite freebies

23. Text him something scandalous while at a family party

24. Kiss him on the cheek for no reason

25. Tell him you wouldn’t give up this Christmas with him for the world

5 Things I Want to Learn How to Cook (Well)

Lasagna 

Noodles, cheese, sauce, and meat. How hard could it be? Extremely. Lasagna is no easy dinner to master. In the past it has been difficult to produce quality lasagna that isn’t too cheesy or noodles that aren’t over- or undercooked. Not to mention, I’m not a huge melted cheese fan so making it enjoyable for Vince, who loves cheese, and tolerable for me will be a challenge. Any suggestions? Any good recipes out there?

Cheesecake

Cheesecake is just heavenly and it goes as a great dessert with almost any meal. While this dessert is one I’ve never tried before, I really want to be able to bake a killer cheesecake that I can bring as a dish to parties. It’s great with raspberries, strawberries, chocolate, everything! Do you have any tips for my first attempt?

Chili 

Mild, spicy, hot, vegetarian…the list of varieties goes on. I’m a huge fan of spicy food but I’d love to be able to make a chili that satisfies my taste for fire but also isn’t too much for my milder friends and family. In tasting other chili recipes, I prefer those that have more of a gumbo feel to them – that is, more than just beans and beef.

 Stuffing 

Its that time of year for some good home cooking! That kind of food that puts you in a food coma immediately. Back in high school, I made homemade stuffing in an Introduction to Foods class. It was perfect! But growing up I always had boxed stuffing for dinner. However, after trying real homemade stuffing, the boxed stuffing has never stood a chance against it.

Asian Stir Fry 

Meals like stir fry are always fun because they give the chef an opportunity to get creative. So what’s the problem, you ask? I have yet to learn what types of ingredients go well together, especially with an asian stir fry. I like spicy asian things, not so much the sweet stuff. Do you know of a good asian stir fry recipe?