Mezzetta recently asked me to use a few of their products to share a recipe associated with a favorite holiday memory, and immediately I thought about my family and some friends gathering around the island in my parents' kitchen for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. It's my favorite part of every holiday--especially Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For Thanksgiving we often make Cosmopolitans, which are delicious but a bit sweet, and from time to time we've been known to shake up a few rounds of Lemon Drop Martinis, which are practically a dessert on their own. When it comes to eating and drinking around the holidays, I'm a big fan of a dirty martini with vodka--it's fancy but straightforward, and its salty olive flavor goes so well with a nice antipasto platter, which is one of my mom's specialties. I've included both recipes for you below. Enjoy!

Really Dirty (Kind of Filthy) Martini

Ingredients:

• One part vodka
• One and a half parts juice from Mezzetta Martini Olives Marinated in Dry Vermouth (If you like your martinis less dirty, just do one part--or less--of olive juice.)
• Ice
• Two or three olives, for garnish

Instructions:

1. Place vodka and olive juice in a shaker with ice. Shake well until the shaker is really cold.
2. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a toothpick loaded with olives.
3. Enjoy with snacks and some people you really like.

Antipasto Platter

Any or All of the Following Ingredients:

• Pepperoncini/Banana Peppers
• Olives
• Pickles
• Marinated Roasted Red, Yellow, or Orange Peppers
• Salami, Pepperoni, and/or Mortadella
• Any assortment of cheese--Parmesan, Gouda, Brie, Manchego, etc.
• Crackers and/or Bread

Thanks to Mezzetta for sponsoring this post. Get a coupon for $.50 off and enter to win a Mezzetta Holiday Favorites Gift Basket right here! Thank you so much for your support as I work with advertisers this holiday season.

Photos by Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love.

Happy Monday! It's been a while since our last giveaway, so I'm excited to be back with a holiday one for you, courtesy of Caribou Coffee! One lucky reader will win a package full of holiday merchandise, just like the one pictured above (I was lucky enough to get one of my own).

Here's what's inside:

• A knitted, reusable coffee sleeve.
• A gorgeous gold and white travel mug (see mine pictured here).
• The largest and most convenient cold cup in the world.
• A pound of whole bean Caribou Coffee Reindeer Blend.
• A pair of sweet little espresso cups.
• One $10 gift card to Caribou Coffee.

Enter to win below--it's super easy, and you can gain a couple extra entries by following Caribou Coffee on Pinterest and Instagram. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is brought to you in partnership with Caribou Coffee. All of the merchandise you see above (and more) is available online and in Caribou Coffee stores.

We may have moved in August, but there is still plenty to be done to make this little apartment of ours feel more like a home. Maybe I'm taking my time because after the last move, we've agreed to never move out of this building, ever; but I think most of it is just that decorating and hanging art and everything you do to make a place more personal is overwhelming and usually kind of expensive.

I tend to focus on little corners--our bedside tables, my desk, a pretty tray on the coffee table--instead of immediately going to the bigger stuff like hanging frames. I've had the same six throw pillows for years and just switch them around into different rooms with different blankets. But of course, I've had the same three blankets for years, as well. It may be time for a change.

Last month, I shared some of my favorite TOMS for Target pieces here, and later that day I went out and picked up a few of them for myself. The throw blankets are seriously the softest things I've ever laid hands on, and the candle smells like a really handsome man, who I imagine has a beard and mostly wears flannel shirts. And because of these two items, someone in need will receive a blanket, and another will receive a week of meals.

TOMS for Target: One-for-One. For All. Starting November 16th, for every Target + TOMS limited edition gift you buy, we're (Target) giving shoes, a blanket, or meals to those in need. #TOMSforTarget

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Target via Mode Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Target.