Freezer Week Begins 🧊 Let’s Get Ahead Together!


Hi Sweet Friend,

This week, we’re kicking off Freezer Week! Let’s fill your freezer with love (and casseroles) so your future self can relax and enjoy Thanksgiving with ease. 🧊

Really, before you do anything, use this Game Plan to create your menu and plan. You can download and print it as many times as you want/need!


🍽️ This Week’s Easy Recipes (not for the freezer, because you still have to eat!)


🦃 Thanksgiving Recipes to Make Ahead

  • Southern Jiffy Cornbread and Sausage Dressing -- you can freeze it as is, just before you put it in the oven on Thanksgiving Day, you can pour some stock on top, and it's *perfect.*
  • Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes -- these freeze *like a dream* right in a foil pan! But, you could also lay out parchment paper in your nice baking dish, smooth the potatoes out, and place them in the freezer for 2 hours. After 2 hours, remove the potatoes from the original baking dish, then cover and wrap well with more parchment and plastic wrap. ((I don't do this, since I use the foil pans. But, also, I don't have an air-tight something that would hold the potatoes after!))
  • Sweet Potato Casserole -- I freeze the filling in a ziptop baggie, pressed flat.

✨ Hosting Tip of the Week
Before freezing, label your dishes and write bake/reheat instructions right on the foil. You’ll thank yourself later when the kitchen’s busy and you’re calm, cool, and collected. I also like to start a little Note in my phone. If I don't have my Game Plan written out, I'll add a little "Thanksgiving 2025" Note to my phone, and add what I've made, when it was frozen, and the thawing/baking instructions.


💌 A Note from Me
Take a deep breath — you’re already ahead of the game. A little prep now means more laughter and connection later. Pour a glass of wine, and remember: hosting well starts with caring for you, too. The point of working ahead is so that on Thanksgiving Day, you're actually having a good time! (Crazy to think about, right?!)

Now bless your own heart — you’re doing beautifully,
xo, Ashley

Hi! I'm Ashley!

👩‍🍳 Easy Recipes that Gather People 🥰 Making Life Simple and Tasty 🎀 Ringing in the NEW Southern Belle

Read more from Hi! I'm Ashley!

Hello, Sweet Friend! We’ve made it to Table Week, which means it’s time to trade freezer bags for fancy napkins and casserole dishes for candles. 💁♀️ This is your cue to start playing — pull out those pretty things you’ve tucked away “for special occasions” and make Tuesday dinner sparkle a little. Thanksgiving’s around the corner, but the joy of gathering? That starts right now. 🍽️ This Week’s Easy Recipes Collard Green Pimento Cheese Dip Swiss Onion Dip Hot Honey Buffalo Chicken Skewers 🦃...

Hello, Sweet Friend! Y’all — we’re knee-deep in Freezer Week, and if your kitchen looks anything like mine, there’s flour on the counter and butter wrappers everywhere. 😅 (I went ahead and made my pies, and my tiny, normal freezer is PACKED...) Before we roll into the next phase of Thanksgiving prep, I wanted to share a few little things making my life easier (and a lot prettier!) this week. These are the pieces I reach for again and again — the ones that earn their keep in my hosting...

Sweet Friend! Can you believe it’s the end of October already? 🍁 Between cozy dinners, a little Prepsgiving prep, and way too much candy corn (no judgment here!), this month has been full of comfort, connection, and easy meals that actually work. Before we roll into November — aka Game Time for Thanksgiving! — I thought it’d be fun to take a peek back at what we all loved most this month. These are the recipes and kitchen favorites that had everyone talking, saving, and sharing. 🍴 Top 3...