Chicken Salad Pita Sandwiches with Lemon, Dill, & Pancetta

The last few weeks have been full of: cold but sunny blue skies, blooming cherry blossom trees, pouring rain, hail, and snow. The glimpse of clear-skied weather on the horizon, paired with an even more soggy dreary grey, has me longing for spring and summer so hard. I miss sitting on a patio, sipping a cool crisp white or rose as the sun sets. I miss using the grill and watching things grow in my garden bed. I miss jogging outside with bare arms. I miss sun ripened berries and stone fruits. Deargod I miss nectarines.

Raw Layered Cashew Cheesecake

A few months ago I decided to do the Whole 30. But really, I decided to do a Whole 5. If you don’t know about Whole 30, the gist is that it’s a 30-day elimination diet, wherein you don’t eat things that cause inflammation, including dairy, grains, legumes, processed sugar and maybe a few other things. Then at the end of the 30 days, you’re supposed to slowly add back in those items, which should help you find out if you have particular sensitivities. They can’t stress enough the importance of doing the entire 30 days, and they basically say you shouldn’t even bother doing just one week, because that’s not enough time for the toxins or whatever to leave your body.

Cream Wafers with Grapefruit Blood Orange Filling

As I write this post, my valentine is off on a work trip, and I can hardly stand it. A lot of my friends think Evan and I are pretty independent because we have our own hobbies that, after years and years of being together, we don’t try to push on each other. He has his nerd things and video games and electronic music, I have cooking and being in nature and scary movies and reading. We’re pretty good about doing our own thing and being totally cool with it.

Feeling the Weight

For a while I thought “it’s bound to get better,” or “things will slow down.” But in reality, the hits keep coming. And maybe that’s what life is and what being a grownup out in the world is. Or maybe some people are just luckier than others… but even then, it’s all relative.

In 2014, six weeks before my wedding day, my dad passed away. I was 29 years old, and our little family unit—my mom, dad, sister, and myself—we were closer than most families I know. We had never spent a Thanksgiving or Christmas apart. The grief of losing him was overwhelming and all encompassing. I felt cheated that he didn’t get to be at my wedding. That he would never meet my future children. But then, my sister didn’t even get to share her engagement with him. My mom had been with my dad since she was sixteen, more of her life with him by her side than without. Grief is personal. Grief is all relative. 

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

Today is the final post in the #foodiefootballfans recipe collaboration! My team didn’t make it to the big game, which means I can actually focus on the halftime show and the food this year. And that’s a big win (sigh, sorry hawks), because we’re having buffalo chicken rolls! 

Holiday Cookie Inspo

My life right now:

• A blazing fire and a sort-of-sometimes-but-not-really cuddly cat
• Three sets of mis-matched battery operated tree lights (including one that only blinks and won’t stay solid) bc my first Christmas with said cat, 10 years ago, she bit into the lights and electrocuted herself and I’ve used battery operated ones ever since. 
• Mariah Carey Christmas tunes 
• Teavana white chocolate peppermint tea 
• A (3rd) rewatch of How I Met Your Mother
• Trying to ignore political news because: anxiety
• Regretting every single time I go on Facebook because: political news/ anxiety, but doing it anyway
• A pot of chili (usually with turkey, black beans, and pinto or white beans… never kidney beans bc Evan hates them, and only squash additions when he’s not looking) bc it’s all I want to make this chilly-chili weather season
• My Favorite Murder podcast, all day everyday

Holiday Pairing Party with DRY Sparkling!

To celebrate the upcoming holiday season, we’re having a virtual Holiday Pairing Party! I gathered up a handful of other bloggers to virtually sip sparkly seasonal drinks and nibble on tasty holiday food pairings with DRY Sparkling’s new limited edition Ginger and Cranberry sodas (in big champagne-sized bottles!)! See below for the full recipe round-up, including my chocolate satsuma truffles and mini blue cheese bacon cheesecakes!