Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of Christmas, I think of cookies...gingerbread, decorated sugar, ones to serve Santa Claus on Christmas Eve...'Tis the season for cookies! (Jon's kindergarten class just had their Christmas party, and you know what there was plenty of???)

This recipe is a fun, simple "holiday dress-up" for my favorite cookie of all-time. Warm, always-comforting chocolate chips are festively paired with red, tart cranberries and rich, crunchy pecans! Not only is this an easy dough to whip up, the recipe makes a lot of petite-sized cookies. They're perfect for swap/exchange parties this weekend, nibbling on with tea or hot cocoa, and (of course) sharing with the kids!

Cranberry Apple Butter (Slow Cooker!)

Last Sunday, my sister and I took the kids out to Apple Hill. This "hill" is actually made up of over 50 family-run farms, including orchards, Christmas tree farms, and vineyards. The drive up there is so beautiful and relaxing on a Fall day, passing through an historic Gold Rush town and into the Sierra foothills of El Dorado County. When I was a kid, my elementary school used to organize field trips to the pumpkin patches and You-Pick ranches, and my family would go to cut down our tree for Christmas. Apple Hill brings back nothing but fun childhood memories, so it was exciting to bring my niece and nephew along for their very first trip!

It was also the perfect excuse to haul home a few pounds of apples and to make something delicious out of them! I was ready to enjoy the Autumn harvest! :)