Monthly Musings: December 2021
Hello sweet friends! Happy December! I’m here to share our Monthly Musings: December 2021 post with you and it feels like a billion years since I shared November’s – no? Anyways, how are you? I hope this finds you with a hot coffee and maybe a sneaky little advent calendar chocolate. I’m two cups deep, but I’m saving my advent calendar treat for later. Yes, festive cheer is in full swing around here! I donned my reindeer earrings to ring in the month yesterday and they’re just as tacky and festive as they sound! We’ve put up and decorated the tree; I’m basking in the glow of the twinkly lights as I type. I remembered to update the blog logo to include that festive little ‘ho ho ho’, and I’m entirely obsessed with how cute it is. And, to bring my festive cheer to a new level of crazy, I made my own wreath! My sister took Mom & me to a wreath making class hosted by Lulabelle Flowers and it was amazing! I’m in love with my wreath, and I’ll definitely be making one every single year from now on! Just call me Mrs. Claus!
More seriously though, our Monthly Musings: December 2021 post is below, marking our final dose of ramblings for the year. I’m glad to have this space, friends, and I don’t know what I’d do without it. Thank you for reading along and for baking my recipes throughout the year, I’m truly grateful. It means the world to me that you keep coming back again and again, really! Now. Read on for our curated ramblings. Enjoy!
Monthly Musings: December 2021
Covid-19 update: my parents are getting their vaccine boosters this coming Saturday! I feel a huge relief knowing they’ll be more immunized and better protected. Thankfully, Boyfriend’s parents have already received theirs, so I’m hopeful it won’t be too long before we get ours. In the last few weeks, the world has started to lock down again due to the Omicron variant. I haven’t read too much about it, except to find out that a) it’s a lot more transmissible and b) the symptoms + side effects on vaccinated people is mostly mild.
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In lighter news, Boyfriend & I are going to France! It was touch and go for a hot minute while we contemplated the risks of having to get tested before coming home due to Omicron – but it’s decided: we’re going! Neither of us wanted to reschedule for some unknown date in the future – literally nothing is certain anymore – so we’re going to be brave and as careful as can be and go. We’re leaving today, and we’ll be spending the next five days exploring both Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion – I can hardly wait! Great food + great wine = our dream holiday!
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Our Thanksgiving dinner went so well! We feasted the exact right amount and it was perfection on a plate. The stuffing, the schnitzel, and the dinner rolls were all outstanding. The cranberry-aioli idea was dumped in favour of a more classic cranberry-mayo, and it was the perfect schnitzel accompaniment. For dessert, we enjoyed large slices of Vallery Lomas’s bourbon pecan pie – a last minute menu change – on the couch while watching Al in Scent of a Woman. It was my favourite Thanksgiving yet!
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Winter Bucket List update: checking! things! off! My winter hat garland is close to completion. We’ll definitely be visiting the Christmas market in Bordeaux. The Christmas movies have begun with the viewing of Serendipity – which is not technically on the list, but should be. I’ve already had several glasses of mulled wine and at least two cups of hot chocolate. The aforementioned reindeer earrings have recently been joined with a whole troupe of other tacky festive earrings I plan on wearing all month long. Next up: Christmas cards and all the festive baking. Getting there!
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It feels like such a long time ago now, but we had a lovely weekend at the beginning of November celebrating both my mother and sister’s birthdays. There were birthday brownies, an outing to see Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone for the 20th anniversary, and a family meal; it was wonderful. I can’t believe my little sister is a quarter of a century old already! It’s all downhill from here, Kid!
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In case you missed it: November saw two great new recipes hitting the blog. A S’mores Birthday Cake, for those occasions when a simple birthday cake just won’t do, and Ultimate Chocolate Biscuit Cake, our fave recipe from November’s cookbook club. The biscuit cake recipe is so good that Boyfriend has asked me to make him one to bring home for his Christmas day dessert. Just saying!
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The bad news: there’ll be no cookbook club for the month ahead. December is a huge baking month for me and I didn’t want to be limited to just one or two cookbooks. If you’d like to look back at past Cookbook Club posts, click here. The good news: part ii of my Amalfi Coast travel series will be hitting the blog next week! It’ll be covering both Amalfi and Positano, so be sure to check back! If you’d like to read part i, my Ravello Travel Guide, click here.
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Have you seen anything good recently? We finally managed to track down The Father and both thought it was so sad and yet truly incredible. A very well deserved Oscar for Anthony Hopkins. We also ventured out to the cinema to see Cry Macho, which we both thought was just okay. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it and thought it was beautiful looking – but I think Clint is finally starting to get too old. TV-wise: Modern Family is still a-go, I’m coming to the end of Gilmore Girls, and I’ve somehow convinced Boyfriend to watch Pretty Little Liars with me? It must be love!
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At the risk of elongating the above paragraph too much, I felt we needed a fresh start for this topic. Have you watched The Beatles: Get Back documentary yet? Hands down, it is one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever watched. I would consider myself a very casual Beatles fan who mostly only knows the big hits, and yet I was totally enthralled by this near 8 hour (!) epic. The obvious talent spilling out of each band member had me watching with my mouth hanging open more than I’d like to admit. Paul is definitely my favourite, but I’ve also come away as a newfound fan of Ringo. They’re both so cool! What did you think of it?
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Can I share a few comforting recipes that’ve caught my eye recently? These Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions – because I’ve never heard of a recipe so drool-worthy. Also, these Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet Potato Stacks really intrigued me and will definitely have to be made asap rocky. And finally, these Crispy Chipotle Sweet Potato Tacos with Lime Crema sound and look insane! My love for potatoes knows no bounds. Join me on the carb train!
Okay, there we have it, our Monthly Musings: December 2021 post! I hope you enjoyed reading – and perhaps found a new potato recipe to take away with you. Can you believe the year is nearly over? It went so fast! Have a great holiday season and a happy new year!
My love to you!
Vicki xo