The second day of February is a religious holiday the French call la Chandeleur – a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary. There are several traditions surrounding this holiday so sit back, eat a crêpe and soak in a little more culture.

If peppermints were animals, they would probably go into extinction due to all the peppermint consumption around the holidays. So it’s a good thing they’re not because I’ve been using an awful lot of them in my recipes lately.

Godiva white chocolate liqueur with swirls of peppermint schnapps – for those who prefer to drink their dessert.

As they say in France, “jamais deux sans trois” – never two without three. So I present to you the third of my recent crumble obsession. I wanted one last chance to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon before the holidays were over. And this is such an easy recipe. Trust me.

Eat. Drink. Be merry! The ultimate recipe for a joyful holiday season. You didn’t think we could get through this season without any alcohol, did you?

Dare I say it… I’m not a fan of pumpkin pie.  To blend in with the crowd at Thanksgiving dinners, I would douse my slice of this trademark dessert with whipped cream.  So thank you, to this ingenious idea of fusing together the pumpkin infatuation on Thanksgiving with a more alluring dessert.

The original Thanksgiving Day feast did not have milk, cheese, bread or butter so I’m guessing they didn’t have pancetta either. Lucky for us, we can easily find these ingredients to spice up the holiday stuffing. Pancetta, I am thankful for you!!!