Hi folks! I wanted to write a quick post to check in with you all of you during this busy holiday season. Here is what I have been up to:

Reading The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and just finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Has anyone else read this? I highly recommend it! Not your typical holiday read, but I couldn’t put it down.

Writing Christmas cards. We send out an insane amount of Christmas cards and for the first time ever, I had to put in an extra order because my original 160 didn’t cut it. Yikes!

Researching cranberries. I am submitting an article on the Whittlesey Cranberry Marsh and the history of the harvest for a historical magazine due at the end of this month. It’s making me crave cranberry everything.

Revising chapters from my cookbook and realizing that I am not sure what kind of blade I use in my food processor, but I need to find out stat. And I have a feeling the “default” blade will not be specific enough…

Listening to Christmas carols nonstop. I am one of those people. What is your favorite Christmas carol? Mine are Oh, Holy Night (which I sing to only when I am by myself) and Drummer Boy (per-rump-pum-pum-pum).

Planning a menu for Manatee’s office holiday party which we host because he is the sales manager for two units (Madison and Rockford). I am starting to realize my original menu may be a little ambitious. Here is what I originally planned:

Wilburn’s meatballs: Badger Girl Classic
Fancy pigs in a blanket
Vegan Quesadilla Dip
Pull apart cheesy mushroom bread
Bacon Wrapped Scallops and Water Chestnuts (of which I will be combining a few recipes to create my own)
Beer bread with some sort of vegan spread
Tortilla pinwheels
Cheese, sausage, olive, and pickle tray
Veggie tray with assorted dips
Spiced nuts including Sweet and Spicy Walnuts
Cookies from the our cookie baking party
Fresh fruit
Christmas Cake Pops
Hot Cranberry Cider

I have a feeling this menu will need to be edited and I would LOVE to hear your ideas for easy appetizers or even (shhhhhh!) some tips on finding good pre-made goodies. It’s so not my style, but I would rather make a few really good dishes and have some pre-bought stuff than rush around and have sub-par everything. And hey, Ina Garten says it’s ok to do, so no judgement, right?

Excited for my spa day tomorrow with my best friend, Kristen. We have had this planned for months. Hopefully, it will relax me enough to get me through the rest of the week in a zen-like manner.

Nervous about getting it all done AND staying healthy. I’m not sure if it’s the pregnancy or the beginning of a bug, but I have been exhausted the last few days.

Thankful for an amazing group of friends who attended Cookie Baking Extravaganza 2012. We had a ton of fun this past Saturday: baking, decorating, and laughing. I had some friends drive up from Chicago and down from Central Wisconsin in addition to a great group of Madison women, my mother, and my mother-in-law.

Eating too many Christmas cookies and trying to make healthy and easy dinner this week like Tofu Tacos and Veggie Chili (that was made and frozen earlier this year).

So, that’s my update. I would love to hear yours!

What are you reading, listening to, writing, or excited for? Any tips on pre-made appetizers? Favorite Christmas or other Holiday carols?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email