Happy Wednesday! How is your start to December going so far?

Alec and I went to the Big Ten Championship Game in Indy this past weekend with my Dad and brother Jack which was a lot of fun!

Definitely happy about the Michigan win and looking forward to seeing what happens on NYE with the college football playoffs!

On to some tasty eats from the past couple of weeks!

Last week I enjoyed this delicious salad creation as part of my lunch most days of the week. Spring mix with brussels sprouts, pomegranate, shredded parmesan, toasted pecans, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. For the brussels sprouts, at the start of the week, I chopped them all in half, put them in a glass bowl, drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned well with salt + pepper, and cooked them in the microwave for ~4 mins (stirring halfway through). Simple and does the trick!

I made my favorite pumpkin chocolate chip muffins x2 to take to our tailgate for the Michigan-Illinois football game. If, for some reason, you have yet to make these pumpkin muffins, do yourself a favor and finally give them a try! Just be sure to add some chocolate chips because pumpkin + chocolate is the best flavor combo. No debating this one!

Turkey and sweet potato soup featuring plenty of curry spice, ginger, red onion, and wilted spinach for some extra greens. Eaten for a couple of nights and froze the remaining for later! I love when I have some leftover frozen soup, chili, lasagna, etc. to pull out for an easy dinner on a busy night or for a meal just after getting in town from traveling.

Delicious white cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting that my mom got for a family birthday party here in Michigan to celebrate Alec’s 30th birthday.

Alec and I also went to Chop House in Ann Arbor for a fabulous dinner out! I am not often a huge steak or steak house person in general but I have to say this outing exceeded expectations and was a phenomenal experience – one of the best dining out experiences I have ever had! Our dinner selections included filet mignon for Alec and salmon for me, plus shared sides of miso/butter-glazed broccoli + carrots (the best!) and macaroni and cheese. I would order that exact same thing if/when we hopefully go again in the future. Dessert was pumpkin cheesecake with a chocolate ganache topping served alongside plenty of decaf coffee.

Other birthday festivities included going out for Vietnamese food with Alec’s side of the family in Iowa and enjoying more cheesecake! (This time plain/classic with a raspberry sauce Alec’s mom made. Yum!)

The salmon portion was quite a bit so luckily I was able to enjoy leftovers as part of my lunch the next day. Some of the freshest salmon I have had!

For Thanksgiving I made a pear-cranberry pie with a crumble topping. One of my favorites! What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? While I like to try all the variety, I could also be happy with a plate that is 50% stuffing, maybe (at least) 30% cranberry sauce, and a bit of turkey. Lol.

We drove back from Iowa the day after Thanksgiving and then the next day went to my family’s house to watch the Michigan-OSU game with my extended family. WHAT A GAME. I could just keep watching the highlights over and over… My immediate family had gone to my cousins’ for Thanksgiving so my parents made some of their own Thanksgiving food that Saturday which we also partook in enjoying after the game. My Dad made this phenomenal stuffing featuring butternut squash as the star ingredient. Also another round of turkey, mashed potatoes, and actually several varieties of stuffing! Can one have too much stuffing in their life? I think not.

I recently made this absolutely delish roasted cauliflower soup. Will definitely be making a regular fall/winter appearance! Served alongside a side salad and fresh/homemade sourdough. Shredded cheddar for topping.

Saturday morning breakfast of pumpkin pancakes drizzled with almond butter + maple, side of honeycrisp + cinnamon, plus coffee w/ almond milk. Can’t go wrong here.

In case you prefer the cookie over the muffin format, try these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies! Super soft even days later! I made these to bring to lunch after church.

Scrumptious dinner recipe of spicy lentil pasta. I was informed that apparently Trader Joe’s hasn’t had red lentils since March of 2020? Clearly I don’t buy them often… I subbed a lentil blend/mix I got at Whole Food’s instead. Topped with freshly grated parmesan! I also like to add a bit more carrot and only do about ~1/2 tbsp of sugar since I find that it is already sweet enough. Extra red pepper flakes of course.

Favorite regular breakfast of steel-cut oatmeal… lately have been topping with either chopped honeycrisp or frozen/thawed organic strawberries (found at Costco). Ground flaxseed, hefty dollop of peanut butter, and my fave TJ’s honey all over the oats.

Lastly… I picked up these fun pretzel twists at TJ’s to take on our Indy football adventure outing… go grab some before the holiday season is over! I am not one to generally buy random things at the grocery store that aren’t on my list because #budgeting and #inflation but I saw these and knew they had my number dialed!

Everyday Enjoyment:

Holiday baking plans: I have been thinking about what I want to bake this month… plans include a pear upside-down gingerbread cake (which I have been eyeing to make for several years and feel like this needs to finally be the year it actually happens…), some cranberry orange scones, and I am thinking about a peppermint bark cheesecake for Christmas Day?  Stay tuned… will report back later. I also like to make a special dessert for NYE… Last year it was a chai chocolate mousse… This year I am still thinking but may do some sort of pear/chocolate dessert (one of my fave combos that I don’t often have) or a chocolate pudding of some sort. We randomly got the most amazing chocolate pudding for NYE a couple of years ago (from Eat in Ann Arbor) and thus chocolate pudding has been on my mind this time of year ever since!

Historical fiction (+recommendations): Currently reading The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Or maybe plowing through would be a more accurate description. I only have till the 18th to finish all 600+ pages of it as it will be due back at the library and there is a massive waitlist so I can’t renew it. Thankfully I am not concerned as I am a huge Kate Quinn fan and this one is for sure living up to expectations! Other historical fiction books I have read the past couple of years and would recommend include The Book of Lost Names, All the Light We Cannot See, The Light Between Oceans, The Huntress, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Lilac Girls, and The Alice Network. 

Getting blood flowing (random): Have you noticed how clearheaded you might feel after a brisk walk or run outside on a chilly day? Alternating temps (hot/cold) is especially helpful for getting our blood flowing better and I have been enjoying this (*sometimes frustrating*) benefit of the cold weather lately. I also have been incorporating a similar new-to-me technique where I alternate hot and cold water a couple of times at the end of my morning showers. Two great methods I would recommend for waking up, feeling more clearheaded, and getting your blood flowing more optimally! Any takers here???

What are you looking forward to baking this Christmas season?
Any books you are hoping to read soon?

Enjoy the rest of your day!