My House Feels So Happy RN (& 10 Things That Made This Week Great)
Female Foodie Friday Vol. 7
It’s Friday!
That’s what the Gold’s Gym employee said this morning as I walked in for my usual 45-minute in and out.
The poor guy—he didn’t ask, but I went on a blitz explaining why Friday, indeed, is SO great. For me, it’s two things:
Friday date night
Doing stuff as a family on Saturday
A little bit of an oxymoron considering that the object of date night is for Cody and me to actually get away from the kids and do something just the two of us, but usually dinner + not putting the kids to bed for one evening = me feeling recharged and ready to go.
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My house feels so happy right now.
It isn’t perfectly clean, but I finally got all of the Christmas decor up last night, and there’s something so magical that I’ve loved about having a home decorated for Christmas since I was a little girl.
It’s the growing collection of ornaments you pull out year after year.
It’s the giant pile of Christmas books.
It’s sitting down to watch It’s A Wonderful Life (and wiping away tears) every single year.
It’s the lights glowing on the Christmas tree, making that 4:30 p.m. sunset seem so much more bearable.
It’s the familiar Christmas playlist on repeat 24/7 (shoutout to James Taylor, Michael Buble, and Frank Sinatra).
It’s the cheesy Christmas movies that somehow get better every year.
It’s carolers showing up at your front door (true story—this happened to us this week).
It’s that magic in the air that makes strangers seem like friends and neighbors feel like family.
And ofc, there are endless food traditions I look forward to all year long.
Christmas Eve sushi, in honor of my grandma’s Japanese heritage.
Cody’s full English breakfast on Christmas morning (plus cinnamon rolls because #duh).
Insane amounts of cookies all month long.
If I’m lucky, snagging my favorite holiday confections including sea salt caramels from V Chocolates, Garden Gate Toffee (IYKYK), and Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark.
A giant charcuterie board for Christmas day lunch, when no one wants to cook anything, and we all want to hang out in PJs.
Working on that stash (you know the one!) of neighbor and friend goodies that endlessly grows over the course of the month.
A holiday ham, twice-baked potatoes, and whatever else I’m in the mood for for Christmas dinner.
10 Things That Made The Past Two Weeks Great
Going to highlight this week and last week, since last week’s Female Foodie Friday was exclusively Black Friday deals.
Cody and I went on our first date 10 years ago, so when we were in SLC last week we felt that was the prefect excuse to eat at our favorite restaurant in Utah, Valter’s Osteria. It was definitely sad eating there without Valter himself present, and it was our first time visiting since his passing, but the experience from top to bottom was (as I had suspected) still phenomenal. If you haven’t been before, order any ravioli dish on the menu or the lasagna, the pollo della casa (insanely tender and flavorful chicken & risotto dish), and never ever snooze on the lemon, sea salt, and honey gelato regardless of how stuffed you think you are.
Spending time with family in Southern Utah over Thanksgiving was a huge highlight for me. We spent a few days with my in-laws, and then some time with my brother after Thanksgiving weekend. It’s so magical to watch the kids develop relationships with their little cousins and have so much fun together.
Hitting up some of my favorite small businesses in St. George like Dutchman’s (the original makers of the iconic Swig cookies from back in the day, plus they have the most amazing boutique/market!) and Cosy House which is everything I aspire to when it comes to home decor.
Traveling is fun but have you ever come home and treated yourself to freshly washed sheets on your own bed in your own home? #itsthelittlethings
Watched the 1994 Little Women from beginning to end for the millionth time. I’m super into the newer 2019 version as well but can we agree that Friedrich is just a snoozer in both versions? Jo March deserves a hottie, that’s all I’m saying.
Perfected my brand new white chocolate pretzel peppermint cookies (inspired by the Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps- you know the ones!) and they are SO good if I do say so myself. Recipe headed to The Foodletter subscribers on Tuesday.
Can’t decide if I like the dough or the cookies better TBH. This was lunch back-to-back for two days and it totally and completely hit the spot. Focaccia + prosciutto + salami + iceberg + red onion + EVOO + red wine vin is a simple, timeless combo.
Every year I look at my “Spotify Wrapped” and every year James Taylor is my most listened-to artist. #youvegotafriend
My latest podcast episode with Becca Cousins from @hostinyourhome is EVERYTHING if you are hosting anytime soon! A must listen.
This reel gave me an insane whiff of nostalgia. #the90s
QUICK QUESTION (would love your input!)
When I started this substack I decided that Tuesday would be a great day to share our weekly recipe, but now I’m contemplating if MONDAY is better. So, I’d love to hear…which of the two would be preferable for you?