It’s finally cold after a few days in the 80s and I am here for it. We did family Christmas photos last weekend, and marshmallows were the MVP keeping the kids happy between shots. I can’t wait to see how they come out. This week’s post is mostly ramblings about food – enjoy! (and make the beer bread I linked below!)
Best thing I ate this week:
- Sally’s Pumpkin Muffins (with chocolate chips)
- Ambitious Kitchen cinnamon rolls – the only recipe we ever use
IT’S SOUP SZN. Here are our top four favorite soups, if you need some ideas:
- Chili – the OG, of course
- White chicken chili – We skip the bacon step and the jalapenos, and it’s still just as good. The toppings make this one, so don’t skip the tortilla chips, more cheese, green onions, etc.
- Chicken gnocchi soup – This is an Olive Garden “copycat”, but I think it’s better than Olive Garden. My dad and I used to fix this one together, so it has a special place in my heart.
- Tortellini soup – This is on regular rotation in our house. Here is a recipe but to be honest we brown sausage, drain it, simmer it in chicken broth, and then add the tortellini and cream cheese or heavy cream, depending on what we have. Four ingredients. Done. My fam doesn’t like spinach but sometimes I’ll put spinach into my own bowl and pour the hot soup over it.
Of course if you’re doing soup, you have to do a side with it. I recently tried this cornbread recipe (otherwise, we just do Jiffy), and my second rec is this beer bread from Half Baked Harvest. 10/10. Yes it does call for a whole stick of butter dotted over the top. It’s best the day you make it and declines quickly though. Something about fresh out of the oven is *chefs kiss*.
Best thing I drank this week: baked cinnamon apple tea (it’s this one, but surely you can just find it at your local store)
A moment that brought me joy: Our date night plans went out the window last weekend thanks to a stomach bug that hit my husband (this is not the part that brought me joy-ha), BUT I got home and put my to-go dinner on some wedding china, pulled out some of my grandmother’s silver and poured kombucha in a wine glass. Made the best of an unexpectedly solo night!
Something my kids loved this week: On my last Walmart order I added a pack of construction paper, glue sticks and washable markers, and my daughter has been thrilled. Seems simple, but the opportunities are endless. I’ll cut up a bunch of shapes for her, give her the glue stick and she’s happy. This weekend she “decorated” this Christmas tree. You could repeat this with any drawn shape:
We are also continuing our thankfulness turkey craft. Day 9 and my daughter has said she’s thankful for every family member, including the dogs, but has yet to say me. Ask me how I feel about it.
Recent Amazon orders:
- Did end up keeping this sweater dress after all.
- Got six of these long sleeve tees for Maddie for daycare. I like that the ruffles and tucks elevate it a bit from basic tees.
Hope you had a wonderful week!
