Welcome to our last weekend catchup of the year and happy winter solstice! I’ll be back to scheduled posting in 2025. I always kick off January with a wholesome soup recipe so that we can start the new year on a note of cozy nourishment. A week or so of family time, hosting, Grateful Dead Yule Log, cooking, playing boardgames, sipping tea by the wood stove, doggie snuggles, and snowy walks await in the meantime.

I also just want to say thank you for being here this year! Whether you made a recipe or two, checked in with my Saturday posts, followed along on Instagram, or some mix of all three–it’s a privilege to share it all with you week over week. There is so much more to come next year! Wishing you warmth, peace, and happiness for the holiday season. Love you! 🤍

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. What Is Winter Solstice, And How Can We Celebrate? via The Good Trade
2. The Secret History of Risotto via The New Yorker
3. Moving Toward Peace, Truth, and Beauty via Tricycle
4. Some say plastic recycling is ‘hopeless.’ Others are determined to fix it via The Narwhal
5. From Wild Berries to Ancient Barter: Exploring the Timeless Traditions and Resilience of Himalayan Foraging Cultures via Goya

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Making over the break: apple sauerkraut with celery and black pepper + bagels
2. Picked up this Winterberry Bliss fizzy bath soak recently and I love it. The stretch between Christmas and New Year’s is prime bath season.
3. Watching: the final season of What We Do in the Shadows
4. “sometimes you mix the past with the present and your happiness disappears”
5. Not a thing I can link to, but vegan BLT’s with air fried smoked tofu strips, vegan mayo, and a little mashed avocado on toasted Silver Hills bread is my latest lunch fixation. So not really a BLT and more of a TALT 😂

5 Questions:

1. Any recommendations for a Christmas Eve dinner?
   Yes! See this week’s 5 seasonal recipes below, all with a cozy and slightly celebratory feel.
2. Is there a celebrity cookbook that you would recommend?
   Maybe it’s surprising, but I’m not skeptical of celebrity cookbooks at all! They’re usually co-written with seasoned recipe developers and the visuals are always off the charts. Some favorites in this genre include Pamela Anderson’s I Love You, Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good + It’s All Easy, Stanley Tucci’s The Tucci Table, and I was once really tempted by a copy of Liberace Cooks! at a vintage bookstore haha.
3. What are your favorite new vegan products to come out in 2024?
   Nuts For Cheese’s line of dips (the dill pickle is truly NUTS), not new but I did grab the pistachio milk from Three Trees on a trip to the US and loved it, Dr. Praeger’s line of CRUNCHY veggie burgers, the jalapeño chips in the new air fried line from Kettle Chips, Cocojune’s lemon dill labneh, Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy Phish Food, Brooklyn Delhi’s heat and eat line, and the return of Just Mayo.
4. Do you sharpen your own knives? Do you have a recommendation on how to do so?
   Yes! My partner takes on this task in our house. He uses a whetstone and learned how to do this by watching YouTube videos. Let me know if you want me to post a reel/story on Instagram about this.
5. Tips for staying hydrated in the winter?
   Staying hydrated in the cold months can be tough. The dreary, snowy darkness mostly makes me want to drink coffee all day haha. Herbal tea to the rescue! This time of year, I only drink straight up water at the gym and one glass when I first wake up. Otherwise, I’m sipping hot herbal tea or hot water with lemon all day. It adds a little flavor and variety to my hydration routine and it keeps me warm. My tea tastes range from grocery store finds like Celestial Seasonings and Stash to more boutique-y options like Lake & Oak and Tea Sparrow.

5 Seasonal Recipes:

1. Vegan Potato Gnocchi with Kale Sauce (new this week!–if you want a stronger visual on the gnocchi-making process, I posted this Reel on Instagram)
2. Mushroom & Red Wine Bourguignon Pot Pie
3. Romesco Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Herbed Tahini Cream
4. Spinach & Mushroom Polenta Pie with Almond Ricotta
5. Hearty Mushroom & Beet Bolognese