stay cozy

when i asked my husband to name things i like a few months ago he quickly said "cozy"

i present some things helping me enjoy ~the most wonderful time of the year~

i really do love this time of year but sheesh it can get crazy

READ: big fan by alexandra romanoff

DC strategist + aged boy-band lead singer. rom com vibes. need i say more? i read this in under 24 hours. it clocks in at less that 200 pages and was so good i woke up at 5:30am on a weekend (naturally, no alarm required and i’m up before the sun) but i wasn’t even mad because i finished reading this in the glow of the christmas tree!

psssst… it’s $2.99 on kindle rn.

DRINK: vanilla comoro tea by harney & sons

this was billed to me as “a sugar cookie in a cup.” while i don’t agree, it’s delightful nonetheless. it’s the warmest (in flavor) black tea i’ve ever had - and decaf! - so you can drink it any time of the day!

see also: my beloved bengal spice tea (also decaf)

MAKE: iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies

to know sally’s baking addiction is to trust her implicitly. i shouldn’t have been so shocked at how perfect this recipe is… especially the icing consistency!

i love working ahead: these can be frozen and baked off later! or the dough can be refrigerated for up to 4 days before baking.

BUY: a heated throw

my friend, rosie, got me one of these a few years ago and it’s my best friend in winter. makes tv watching, reading, coffee drinking, all things really - so much more cozy! even husbands who think they are silly can be converted to using stealing them and loving them!

related content: if you have a heating pad, be sure you’re preheating the foot of your bed! no cold sheets in winter! rejoice!

LISTEN: für elise by jon batiste

fun fact: für elise was the ringtone on my household phone some point during my childhood (my choice!), so of course i cannot get enough of this brand-new, genre-defying rendition of batiste’s beethoven blues. it’s not exactly christmas-y but i think it vibes in december just fine.

TAKE: little mushroom pinwheels

take care of future you: sauté some mushrooms (i recommend food processing them to allow easy spreading), spread onto puff pastry, roll up, freeze. then slice and bake when you need to take an appetizer places!

my tip: add something punchy to the mushrooms when they are cooking. worcestershire sauce or the like is my vote.

till next time,