We are officially cleared for cookie baking and couch time. Tell me what you're baking this year-and yes, this is your reminder that "good enough" is more than good enough when the oven's warm and the coffee's on.
This email originally published Decemeber 10, 2025.
Hey y'all,
Well, the holiday decorations are up as much as they are going to be this year. I just didn't have it in me to go "whole hog" on it but the house looks festive and my new housecleaner was here yesterday so it's clean and smells good, too.
Just in time to start baking cookies!
Have you started cookie baking? What do you usually make? Email me back and let me know.
Oh those walls? I stenciled them years ago. It took 3 days but It's been over 20 years and still looks great!
(Y'all, there might be affiliate links below-gotta keep the coffee flowing so I can keep sharing the recipes you love!)
Just updated
Peppermint Bark Cheesecake - the winter temptress herself. Creamy, cool, and just sassy enough to make Santa take another look at the naughty list. Think rich chocolate crust, silky peppermint-kissed filling, and a crackly layer of crushed candy canes on top that snaps like dead branches in an ice storm. It's festive. It's dramatic. It's the dessert equivalent of wearing red lipstick and heels to Kroger just because you can.
Easy midweek recipes that give you time on the couch
These are the dishes that are fast, comforting, and asking nothing from you but a clean fork. Quick soups, skillet suppers, casseroles that assemble themselves… perfect for the part of the week where you're held together by caffeine, stubbornness, and whatever's in the fridge.
Macaroni and cheese soup
Creamy, velvety comfort in a bowl-like macaroni and cheese ran away from home, got a personality upgrade, and decided to become soup. Pure, slurpy joy.
French onion meatballs
All the drama of French onion soup-caramelized onions, melty cheese, deep broth-y swagger-wrapped around tender meatballs. A cozy tavern supper without leaving your kitchen.
Chicken and noodles
This is the kind of bowl your grandmother would hand you when life got too loud. Tender chicken, thick noodles, and a sauce that heals things therapy hasn't met yet.
Philly cheesesteak pasta
Beefy, cheesy, pepper-and-onion magic-all in one pot so you don't have to fight a single dish. Tastes like a sandwich fell in love with a pasta and ran off to Rome.
Salisbury steak casserole
Retro comfort at its finest but super easy. Juicy beef in rich mushroom gravy, tucked under potatoes like a 1950s Swanson commercial.
Cozy nostalgic recipes for when you need a hug from the past
These are the warm, familiar dishes that smell like grandma's kitchen and taste like the world hasn't gone off its rocker. Creamy casseroles, retro sides, sweets with church-cookbook level energy-little edible time machines that remind you you're loved, safe, and still the queen/king of this whole operation.
Herbed baked chicken and gravy
Tender chicken baked under a blanket of herby, velvety gravy that tastes like Sunday supper whispered a blessing over your stove. Simple, soothing, impossible to stop eating.
Hamburger noodle casserole
Ground beef, noodles, and a creamy sauce that feels like childhood in a 9x13 pan. It's the casserole equivalent of being tucked in with a quilt and a bedtime story.
Crockpot Swiss steak
Slow-cooked beef smothered in tomatoes, onions, and gravy so rich it should come with a warning label. Falls apart with a fork. Comfort on autopilot.
Apricot Chicken
Sweet, tangy, sticky-perfection chicken that practically makes itself. The apricot glaze caramelizes into a golden, glossy spell that turns weeknights into something special.
Chicken hashbrown casserole
Creamy, cheesy, hashbrown heaven with tender chicken folded in like a secret. Crispy edges. Cozy middle. Pure "don't talk to me, I'm eating this whole pan" energy.
Amazon Finds
If your current vacuum sounds like it's dying of Victorian consumption, treat yourself to this Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum while it's 44% off-yes, forty-four, like the angels want your floors clean. It glides from hard floors to carpet like it's auditioning for So You Think You Can Sweep, detangles itself (a miracle), and flips into a handheld for stairs, corners, and crumbs your family swears they didn't make. Up to 40 minutes of powerful cleaning without being tethered to the wall? That's freedom, y;all.
Drop the guilt, grab the vacuum, and let this pretty little beast do the work for once.
talk soon!
love ya!
Comments
No Comments