2016-top-9

December was busy as usual this year: baking cookies, going to work parties, and bringing cardboard boxes to the recycling room because I did 95% of my Christmas shopping online. Here’s the foodie fun I fit in around all that:

  • December was made so much more joyful for me because of a SQUISH Advent Calendar I picked up at the end of November. Yes, it was $29, but the happiness of opening a little window and pulling out a bag of gummies each day of the month was priceless. It also let me sample 31 different SQUISH treats, and my favourite, hands-down is the sour strawberry BRAINS!
  • I co-hosted a baby shower for Aoife & Brad with Lydia and Aoife’s sisters Niamh & Clodagh. I made two recipes from Oh She Glows Everyday, the Peanut Better Balls, and the Strawberry Crumble Squares (both were delish, but the squares started to get really soft at room temperature, like too soft to pick up). I also ordered two dozen mini cupcakes from the vegan, gluten-free bakery in Burlington THAT SHALL NOT BE NAMED, as they put the cupcakes in pink liners, when I had specifically ordered them with blue icing for a baby boy shower {insert eye roll emoji}.
  • I was finally able to go to Triple B at Lisa Marie (it’s on Tuesdays and I usually have yoga), which stands for Beer, Burger & BINGO. I loved it, not even just because the MC played 5 minute sets of Ja Rule between BINGO games. There are $5 pints, a list of about 6 or 7 burgers to choose from, plus 6 games of BINGO, and the most hilarious prizes. I will definitely be back, just need to find some glittery BINGO dabbers and I’ll be all set!
  • Inspired by Jenny’s Hot Chocolate Bar at her Cookie Exchange party, I set up a modified version in my cubicle on the last day of work before Christmas holidays. I just brought in two boxes of hot chocolate mix (the kind in little single serve packets), plastic spoons, marshmallows, candy canes, sprinkles and a can of whipped cream. I told my co-workers to fill up their own mug with hot water from the kitchen (I had styrofoam cups as a back-up), then they came to my cube and went crazy. One of my work friends even brought in some Bailey’s (sadly not homemade!), and that was a huge hit too. This was so easy, festive and fun; it’s going to be a new tradition.
  • For Christmas Dinner this year, I was in charge of mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole, so I made the same ones I did at Thanksgiving. For dessert, I thought the kids (and grown-ups, I mean come on) would love a DIY Brownie Bar (obviously still inspired from the Hot Chocolate Bar!). I made a pan of my favourite brownies from the first Baked book, warmed them up in the oven, and set out two types of ice cream, red + green Smarties, crushed candy canes, marshmallows, sprinkles, and finally two types of homemade hot fudge sauce (regular and peppermint).

Other non-foodie things I was obsessed with this month – Best of 2016 edition:

  • Favourite Book of 2016 was Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. I actually just read it again it to finish the year because I loved it so much.
  • Favourite TV of 2016: Stranger Things, How to Get Away with Murder, Pitch, This is Us, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, New Girl and all forms of The Bachelor.
  • Favourite Movies: hands-down Captain America: Civil War. I also liked Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, The Nice Guys, Ghostbusters, and The Girl on The Train.

Flashback!