December was filled with holiday fun, and then ended with two weeks off to just totally relax and decompress after the craziness. I didn’t cook that much at home, with the exception of all the sides for Christmas, which I always love to document here. More on that below:

  • As written about in this post, my friend Jess and I organized our 3rd Annual Cookie Exchange at work this month, and it was so much fun! Jess made these Latke Cookies and they were so original and delicious (although did prompt a discussion over how “potato sticks” and Hickory Sticks aren’t the same thing).
  • I stumbled upon the most delicious, quick Christmas cookie, which uses ingredients I typically already have at home, and I made it twice this month to bring to friends I was meeting up with for holiday fun: Smitten Kitchen’s Brown Butter Brown Sugar Shortbread.
  • One of my new favourite holiday traditions is to go to Clockwork with my friends to toast the end of our work year. This is the lounge in the lobby of the Royal York Hotel, but it’s not stuffy at all, and it’s so pretty at Christmastime. We had a few cocktails and some tasty snacks and wound down after our last day of work for 2024.
  • For Christmas this year, my brother made the turkey, my niece made dessert, and I made everything in between. Of course I made a few of my go-tos (My Favourite Stuffing, My Favourite Mashed Potatoes, Cranberry Orange Sauce) but also tried a couple of new things. I’ve always wanted to try making Green Bean Casserole from scratch, so I did just that. It was fine, but I don’t think I’d make it again. Then I tried a new-to-me dinner roll recipe: Salted Honey Parker House Rolls (pictured above). These were INCREDIBLE. I think they might be my new go-to!
  • Now here’s my regular recipe round-up for the month:
  • Stuff I made from the archives: nothing this month!
  • Some of my favourite go-to dishes: Huevos Rancheros (no real recipe), Turkey Enchilada Skillet (post coming soon!)
  • New things that I tried and liked: Butternut Squash Couscous Bowls (which is basically this salad I’m obsessed with, plus roasted butternut squash and a maple cider vinaigrette)
  • Homemade Snacks: Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies (recipe for these also coming soon!)

Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month:

  • My friend Geoff produced a documentary about Ontario Place that premiered at TIFF called Your Tomorrow, but I went to see it at the beginning of December when my beloved Hot Docs re-opened. It was so beautiful and nostalgic, and made me sad for what we’re losing. You can watch it now here!
  • We have a Secret Smutty Book Club at work, and we decided to do a Smutty Book Exchange for the holidays (although the books didn’t have to be smutty!). We picked names using an online name drawing tool, then bought our person a book we think they’d like, or was on their TBR on Goodreads. I got my friend Fern, and we have extremely similar taste in books, so I bought her Slow Dance, which I guaranteed her she’d love. My friend Lindsay had me, and she got me Like Mother, Like Mother. I can’t wait to read it!
  • My December/Holiday reading consisted of: Be Ready When the Luck Happens (which is Ina Garten’s memoir and I was obsessed! Loved it and her SO much), A Jingle Bell Mingle (the 3rd book in a Christmas smut trilogy, but the worst of the 3), Blue Sisters (great, but sad read), and Long Bright River (which was technically a January read).
  • The highlight of Christmas for me was the Cowboy Carter Halftime Show! I told my family I might leave the table abruptly if it started while we were still eating, and then also told them there would be no talking while we watched. Haters were to remain at the table, or watch in the kitchen! It was SO incredible and I GASPED when I realized Blue Ivy was one of the dancers. I’ve already re-watched it probably 20 times. Just amazing.

Flashback!