10 things of interest #10
Cookies recipes, book lists and the NYT's Connections game
It’s December and my main priority is to drink my weight in mulled wine and mince pies. What’s on your must-do list this season?
With it being a hectic time of the year, I’m going to wind down and step away from Substack for the rest of the December. I’ll still be writing — always writing — but tackling a few other projects and brainstorming for the New Year. I’ll share two more Kitchen Diaries posts and a final year round up on the 31st.
Till then, happy holidays everyone!
This Charred Lemon Risotto recipe has been sitting as an open tab on my computer for weeks. I finally made it and it was *chef’s kiss* delicious. The dish has a richness to it with the combination of the parmesan and butter, but the acidity of the lemon cuts through it.
If you make fresh espresso at home, this is a must try chocolate chip cookie recipe as it makes use of the coffee grounds. I make a double espresso daily, so this is such a handy recipe to have.
In “How to Succeed On Substack”,
discusses anxiety, ambition and professional jealousy on the Substack platform. Her main take away was that people whose platforms do grow tend to have an aggressive work ethic and that “the hard reality is that those who can’t or don’t want to put in the hard work of writing—fair or not—cannot expect to be read except by their friends.” She’s 100% right and these are hard truths to hear.- from Feelings Not Aside wrote about living with heavy feelings and how she’s battling to make sense of it all. She ends her piece with a beautiful reminder: “For all the feelings that knock us off our feet and burden our backs, there are also the feelings and moments that lift us off the ground and remind us how to fly again. The feeling comes with new mornings and the prospect of hope in the future.”
Need something to gift a book lover in your life? Check out
“Books to gift this Christmas: Fiction” list. I love most of these and will be adding them all to my ‘must buy’ list.Connections — From the creators of Wordle, the NYT’s has a game where you match words together based on a common theme. If you don’t live under a rock, you’ll be familiar with this and it’s odd how something so silly has become part of my routine. In addition to Duolingo, this is what I’m playing before bed.
Christmas cookie boxes are such a big thing and I think they make for such a wonderful treat, especially for a home gathering or little party. Pastry Living by Aya does a “10 holiday cookies with one dough” video, a must watch for anyone attempting to make cookie boxes this year.
With the rise of the Christmas Crazies, finding time for rest and calm before the New Year feels unheard of — enter a new type of advent calendar. It’s called the Restful Advent and focuses on slow and intentional activities — think mince pie making, movie watching and sitting by a log fire.
from Nurture & Delight shared her own and it’s a must read for things to make you feel grounded this season.My new favourite word this season: to Snerdle (verb), which originates from 18th century dialect and means to “to wrap up cosily beneath the covers and hold off the day for a little longer.”
Sabrina Carpenter released her Christmas album ‘fruitcake’ and you bet I’ll be listening to it for several weeks at least.
Remember to join the substack chat and introduce yourself.
Love “snerdle!” I am a snerdler from way back. I am also enjoying Connections. I play Wordle, Connections, and The Mini crossword before I set my phone down every night. One of the few things I use Facebook for anymore is to post my scores with a couple of friends.