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With the holiday season comes celebrations big and small, which means bubbly is bound to be making at least a few appearances. Whether you’re pouring a few bottles into your punch bowl for the holiday party, popping one or two to toast with for New Year’s Eve, or wrapping up one to bring over for Christmas dinner, these are the bottles of sparkling wine to reach for. Not only are these three bottles priced right — they’re all under $15 — but they are also readily available at major retailers. Most importantly, though, they’re super sip-able and, of course, extra festive.

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Repurposing your household items doesn’t just reduce waste — it saves money, too. That’s the good news. The great news is: You don’t have to be super crafty to reap the benefits of creative reuse. If you think you’ve got the chops (read: literally five minutes) for a super quick, easy, and clever home project, we’ve got just the kitchen DIY for you.

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It’s holiday party season, and no one wants to be left out of the celebration. Whether you’re eating Primal, paleo, general low-carb or even keto, there’s no reason to relegate yourself to club soda when you’d rather be enjoying something more… festive. Today we’ve got four delicious takes on classic cocktail recipes for your holiday.

With natural, no-sugar wine (we use Dry Farm Wines), you can enjoy lighter, low-carb versions of your favorite drinks. So, raise a glass—and be sure to make enough to go around.

Low-Carb Holiday Sangria

Sangria is a versatile drink that takes on the character of whatever fruits you put in it. Citrus, apples, even peaches are often used for traditional summer versions of both the “red” and “white” recipes. We happen to think this holiday version is the best yet.

Light, fruity and festive, white wine and seltzer are brightened up by cheery pomegranate seeds and cranberries for a tart taste and fresh finish—all with a beautiful presentation that will add wow-factor to your cocktail serving or dinner table.

Low-Carb White Mint Julep

While mint juleps are certainly a cooling drink for the intense summer heat, winter’s quintessential flavors also claim mint among for their own. With a bright taste and fresh bite, mint juleps are traditionally made with bourbon and syrup. That’s a little heavy (and sweet), however, for those on a lower-carb protocol like Primal or keto.

Here’s a lighter, less potent version of a julep with just as much classic flavor. Mix up a garnished pitcher for your guests at your next party.

Low-Carb Ginger Bliss

Ginger Bliss brings together the classic combination of ginger and lemon, but this recipe pairs the combo with dry white wine rather than heavy liquor for a lighter, brighter taste.  All the flavor with fewer carbs and none of the regret…. Consider it a fizzy and festive option for any cocktail party year round.

Low-Carb Mulled Wine

This time of year nothing rings in the festivities like traditional mulled wine. Warm, spicy and rich, it’s the perfect drink for both comfort and celebration.

Regular mulled wine recipes include a hefty dose of sugar, but that’s unnecessary when you take advantage of the many incredible varieties of natural low-carb sweeteners out there. All the flavor, none of the added sugar. Tradition is back on the table.

Which of the above is on your holiday list now? Share your favorite low-carb cocktail recipes below.

Enjoy This Holiday Partner Promotion!

And be sure to check out Dry Farm Wines promotional offer this week—get a PENNY bottle of wine (yup, 1 penny) with your holiday order. With a special selection of holiday wines, including no-sugar sparkling varieties, there’s no better choice for your Primal or keto holiday table. 

The post 4 Low-Carb (& Keto-Friendly) Cocktails appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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When it comes to kitchen decor, some things never really go out of style. (We don’t see the modern farmhouse look going anywhere anytime soon, for example.) Other things, however, have a slightly shorter shelf life. (We’re talking about you, cacti, pineapples, and flamingos!)

To find out what’s hot for 2019, we reached out to Dayna Isom Johnson, Etsy’s trend expert. She and her team crunched the data to reveal the three trends you’ll definitely be seeing next year.

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As we start to reflect on 2018, we Kitchn editors can’t help but think back on all the dinners we churned out. Some were leisurely affairs, others were fast and fancy, and many were minor miracles. All, however, kept us and our families happy and fed. Here are our favorite things we cooked this year.

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If you like to bake, nothing beats a stand mixer. Yes, hand mixers are perfectly capable of whipping up a cup of cream, beating a cake mix, or even kneading enough bread dough for two loaves, but they take longer and you have to hold them the whole time, which gets really tiring after a minute or two. It’s worth making the investment — in terms of dollars and space — for a powerful stand mixer.

The KitchenAid stand mixer probably comes to mind first. While it’s the biggest name in the biz, it’s certainly not the only one. And that’s good news for anyone looking to save some money. I’ve tested nearly ever stand mixer on the market and these are my three favorites.

Why You Should Trust Our Gear Pro

For more than 30 years, I was in charge of testing and reporting on everything from wooden spoons to connected refrigerators at the Good Housekeeping Institute. I’ve walked the floors of every trade show and read every new product release for longer than most digital publications have existed!

My street cred? I also worked as a chef in New York City restaurants for seven years.

I’ve tested, used, and played with nearly every piece of kitchen gear (including stand mixers) to come on the market for years. When it comes to gear, it takes a lot to impress me, and I know what actually works.

Picked by a Pro. Tested by Real Home Cooks.

I’ve tested what feels like every stand mixer on the market (at all the price points, low to high!) and these are my all-time favorites. But you don’t have to take my word and my word alone, either. Kitchn editors — a unique hybrid of professionals and home cooks, who develop and test great recipes in real home kitchens — and real Amazon shoppers weighed in on some of these picks too, testing my favorites in the context of their actual home cooking.

After all, when it comes to kitchen gear, what matters is that it works for a home cook — not just that a chef endorses it, or that it passed some high-flying bar in a sterile test kitchen. You want gear that is, above all, practical, long-lasting, and mindful of real cooks, real kitchens, and real budgets.

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The internet is filled with an overwhelming amount of kitchen hacks that promise to make you a faster, smarter, and better home cook. A quick Google or Pinterest search will pull up everything from how to instantly ripen rock-hard avocados in the oven, to how to cook perfect salmon in the dishwasher. The only problem? At a glance, it can be hard to tell which of these hacks actually work and which do not. To help with that, we put several to the test in our own kitchens. Here are seven that genuinely delivered — plus two that aren’t worth your time at all.

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Take our word for it: You’re going to blink and the holidays will be here. (Actually, Hanukkah is already happening!) On account of that, the Kitchn staff is working overtime to ensure that you are extra informed and prepared to shower the people you love with things that they will love.

We recently started chatting about the gifts we’ve received in our lifetimes that we’ve cherished most. Some are big, some are small, but they all have a lot of heart behind them. We spoke about these things so passionately that we thought we should share them with you!

These are the best, most thoughtful gifts we’ve ever received.

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Here is an incomplete list of foods that you probably try to eat in moderation (to varying degrees of success): doughnuts, Hersheys Kisses, celery sticks, and tofu, probably. French fries are not one of those foods. You can’t simply order a side of fries, eat one or two, and feel satisfied; to do so would take an act of willpower beyond your wildest dreams.

But some fancy Harvard professor has decided to share his so-called wisdom with the world by letting us know that for the sake of our “health” we should limit our french fry intake to six at a time, maximum.

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Chocolate crinkle cookies, with their crackly, powdered-sugar surface and chewy, brownie-like center, are a beloved part of many holiday cookie plates. While we’ll never tire of the classic version, this take is an elegant twist that could easily become a new favorite.

Fresh mint infuses these crinkle cookies with bright, herbal notes that have long been an ideal match for rich chocolate. They’re a twist on the favorite mint-and-chocolate pairing that feels especially suited for the holiday season.

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