Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Can I be honest for a moment? I’ve just not been feeling the holidays this year. I am that girl most of the time, just counting down the days for every possible holiday event. Christmas is my very favorite time of the year. But this year? It simply hasn’t felt like it’s that time of year yet.
So, I have been playing Christmas music (whether I really felt like it or not initially) and every time I hear a classic Christmas song, it brings a smile to my face and a little more of the holiday spirit to my heart. If you find yourself feeling a bit of the same, I recommend starting up your favorite playlist and embracing the fact that we really are in the season now.
ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: You know that moment when you’re halfway through winter and your body just starts begging for something fresh, bright, and alive? Yeah, that’s where this Winter Salad with cabbage and Brussels sprouts comes in. I think I’ve made it five times in the past month.
Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, these Garlicky Roasted Baby Potatoes are tossed in a quick garlic and herb dressing right before serving. The warm potatoes soak up all that garlicky goodness, making every bite memorable and fresh.
Shrimp and Broccoli Pasta is the kind of comfort food that feels delightfully indulgent without being heavy. This is a dish that tastes fancy enough to post online, but lets you stay firmly in your rest era, as it comes together as quick as can be.
As far as I’m concerned, this is the Best Apple Pie of all time (not that I’m biased). There’s something magical that happens when you top an apple pie with streusel. It adds a layer of texture and new flavors to the pie, that you’d otherwise miss out on. So, I’ll take a slice of this apple streusel pie over conventional apple pie any day.
There’s something incredible about a dessert that looks this fancy and takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish. It feels like unlocking a cheat code. And, Graham Cracker Toffee is exactly that kind of recipe.
Peppermint Hot Cocoa is one of our favorite warm drinks this time of year. Mix up a batch of this cocoa mix today and have it ready for easy peppermint hot chocolate through the holiday season.
I’ve gathered all the best Fall Ice Cream Flavors here for you. From caramel apples to pumpkin spice, peppermint, and cinnamon, sweet maple syrup, nutty pecans and walnuts, apple crisps, and all the other things I can’t get enough of, at this time of year.
What I’m CRAVING: These Drunken Noodles (Pad Kee Mao) by The Woks of Life. They look incredible and the flavor combination is right up my alley too. They need to be on my meal plan soon.
My FAVORITE THING this week is my caramel bedtime tea. I haven’t always been a tea drinker, so I find that I can be a little pickier with my flavors than other tea lovers might be. However, this tea is so wonderfully soothing, I look forward to brewing a cup at night. And when I was under the weather last week, it was pure heavenly relief with a spoonful of honey stirred into it.
What I’m READING: How to Read a Book by Monica Wood. This book was such a great surprise! I picked it up on a whim after seeing it recommended by the library. I had no idea what it was going to be about and within a few chapters, I could not put it down. I stayed up way too late reading and finished it in just a couple of days. This is a story of forgiveness and second chances. The characters are so real, I want to sit down to dinner with them now. “Even the least eventful life holds an avalanche of stories.”
What I’m LISTENING to: Christmas with the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.) Just try not to smile listening to these classics. This is a heart full of holiday spirit tucked into a Christmas album.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
Wishing you a beautiful week filled with little things that make you smile!
Mary