Just a few days left to go in the year! Time for my favorite activity — the 2022 year in review. It’s amazing how many things you do throughout the year that you forget about. It’s easy to remember the downs so I love to use this as a moment to reflect back on the year and appreciate all the moments of good. I always share this and to be honest, it’s usually more for me to pause to soak it all in!

Trips

We managed to squeeze in several trips this year. We went on a family vacation to Lancaster and to Dutch Wonderland. We had a great time and had so much amazing, fresh food. We also went to the Jersey Shore, visiting Lavalette the week after Labor Day. I made a solo day trip to Sea Girt and Spring Lake for some beach time. So many cute spots in the North Jersey Shore area!

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I have been going to Air since 2020 when T bought me a certificate close to their opening for Valentine’s Day and I was instantly hooked. I took a bit of a break during peak pandemic (and while I had my broken foot) but have been back at it as soon as I could. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to further elevate my level by signing up for this fall’s 25 hour aerial fitness certification. The certification program is their teacher training, so it is a great way to take your practice to the next level or to progress on to teaching.

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I miss NYC restaurants. I miss them so much. Stalking the openings. Curating lists of spots to try or hitting up special events at the holidays. We eat some here and there in the ‘burbs but there’s really no comparison.

I was really excited when I got the chance to go into the city earlier this month for our team holiday dinner. It was a randomly warm December NYC day with high temps in the 50s (not that I’m complaining.) Perhaps a bit on the warmer side but I loved that we had the option for it and that I was able to fully join in.

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Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season. May you have lots of wonderful memories with your family, and lots of delicious things to enjoy over the days to come!

To me, the holidays are about time with family, beautifully decorated spaces (ours and experiencing others out in the world) and something fresh and sweet on the table. This year, we are doing some of my annual faves and bringing some back into rotation we haven’t had in quite a while.

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Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family but sometimes it feels more like quality time with your oven and kitchen counters. Typically we have a lineup of all the things to make to get things ready for the day. This year we took a different approach. Instead of cooking everything we decided to just cook a few things and order the rest. Genius!

Parker House Rolls

What I did do was to try a recipe T found on TikTok for homemade Parker house rolls. Would they live up to the hype? Oh yes! We have a new fave. These were so easy to do — they just require some time to get through all the steps. You can even start some the day before if you plan ahead. I didn’t do that this time around.

If you have a big group coming, definitely recommend doubling the recipe — because no one is going to want just one! (Note, I doubled it the next time around and found the dough ended up a bit tall for the KitchenAid — it worked, but it wasn’t the happiest with me!)

Here is the recipe on Cozy Kitchen. It’s been quite the hit with our family!

PieCaken

I have been curious about the PieCaken from the PieCaken Bakeshop for a while and thought it was a perfect time to give it a try. I ordered it from Goldbelly and it arrived a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

What was there not to love? It had something for everyone. The bottom layer was pecan pie followed by a pumpkin pie layer then a spice cake layer. The whole thing had cinnamon buttercream between the layers and along the top and edges. On the very top, there was apple pie filling. It was a true crowd pleaser. We are excited to try the Christmas version soon!

Main

For us, it’s hard to go wrong with Honeybaked Ham. Their turkey is great but I still think their ham is where it is at. We ordered sides at a local restaurant, which we liked better than doing all through Honeybaked.

How do you make it all work?