Your Weekly Reminder to Take a Breath

The past few weeks have felt like all gas, very little brakes.. and something tells me the holiday season has no slowing down anytime soon. While this busyness can be a good thing, it’s important to remind ourselves to take a breath, or a few.

Notice anything different above? We’ve got a pinch of a brand! Took a bit longer than I’d like to admit, but it was worth all the time.

I celebrated my 29th birthday with friends and family, with highlights all weekend long. (Cue the Schmidt “Twenty-Noine” clip from New Girl.) One of my favorite views:

I even had today off from work, yet only managed to check off just a few things on my to-do list. So what’s still on there, you might ask? Well, here are some things we all can look forward to these next couple weeks:

1. Plan Holiday Bake Sale – I teased it last week, and I’m sticking to my word! More details to come in just a few days. Look out in your inbox and on social media. 👀

2. Draft Top 25 for 25th Newsletter – Well I missed my Top 10 hopes for every tenth newsletter for the 20th send… so what’s the next best timely number right now? 25! Next week will pack a punch with a Top 25 list. 🥇

3. 2025 Intentions – Another year, another time to set some goals and get intentional. Whether you’re calling it a new year’s resolution or using the time to turn that dream into a reality, I’m putting mine down in writing to be more accountable. 😅

Just some small to-do’s, right? Throw them each into the mix and something good will come.

What’s Cookin’

To round out my long weekend, I promised my family I’d cook at least once. So with more free time, I opted for one throwback to last year’s feast: Autumn Lasagne with Winter Squash, Roasted Onions & Sage.

This labor of love is worth every second. Fun fact: when I was little I didn’t like the crispy texture of lasagna or baked ziti even a little bit. Thankfully, we can grow up and understand that is definitively the best part.

Speaking of, as another seasonal lasagna I’ve had my eyes on, Food52’s Pumpkin Lasagna with Fried Sage leans into the crispy edges.

If I had even more time, I probably would’ve gotten to some chicken cutlets on the side, but this time we opted for some Italian sauseeg.

Soup Season Save: Creamy Tortellini Soup

I put so much emphasis on soup last week that I figure I might have to create an ongoing section moving forward. This week’s saved soup leans into a good weeknight fix. This creamy tortellini soup also shares some notes on mixing in sausage or loading it up with even more veggies.

A rather light week on the recipes here. But that could be intended. This did start as a reminder to take a breath. Lots to look forward to the rest of the week and year.

Be back soon ✌️