Slowing (Way) Down

The thing about breaks during school is that they come with a tiny bit of whiplash. I was go-go-go for the whole week prior to coming home (honestly, for the whole 12 weeks…), and now there’s all this time. It’s a little like slamming on the busyness brakes, and it’s not something I think I deal with all that well. I am so glad to be home, and my first few days were actually great, but I just felt out of it. My sleep was crappy, my appetite was off, and my daytime energy was pretty low. I think I’m finally starting to relax a bit now, but it takes a little effort for me. I’ve been trying to get in the kitchen, take walks in the beautiful weather, and work on blog stuff a little more as sort of active decompressing time. I just have to remind myself it’s good to slow down. 

Well, that was a cheery way to start off. Let’s shift to a little recap of the weekend! It really was a good one. 🙂

On Friday, I lazed around a bit before doing a lot of cleaning for my mom while she was at work. Let’s just say that I’m not sure I ever would have figured out for myself that you’re supposed to dust the walls of the house, but now that I know how dusty they can get… I’ll never be able to unlearn that. Thanks, Mom.

My dad had plans that night, so my mom and I went to Dewey’s for one of my favorite meals ever.

{Greek salad. I ❤️ feta.}

{Meatball pizza for me. BBQ Chicken for my mom.}

Post-pizza, we swung by Nothing Bundt Cakes to pick up some bundtinis for dessert. Also, to get some to share with my mom’s dad and stepmom, because we had a mini-Christmas with them this weekend since they’ll be in Georgia visiting my uncle on Christmas Eve, which is when we usually see them. We spent Saturday afternoon hanging out with them at our house and chatting.

For Saturday’s dinner, I made us all Lindsay’s Skillet Chicken Tortilla Pie. It was delicious and messy and oh-so-easy. If you like Mexican food, try it! She’s very right when she says it’s mild, though, so if you like spice definitely add your own. I added chopped jalapeños to my serving 🙂

After my grandparents left, my parents and I spent the evening eating the remaining bundtinis and playing one of our favorite board games, Ticket to Ride. My dad won. As usual.

Sunday morning was lazy and full of Sunday show-watching with my dad and egg sandwiches. My favorite. Afterward, my mom and I went to run some errands and pick up a few remaining gifts before dinner. 

When we were planning the menu for this week, I randomly decided I wanted to make Kristin’s Gnocchi with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Crispy Prosciutto. I had never had gnocchi. I didn’t really know what it was like. I just thought it looked good, and I love spinach, mushrooms, and prosciutto. That was dinner on Sunday – and it was really good. We topped ours with Parmesan cheese, and it was excellent.

I went to bed early on Sunday in the hopes of kicking the blah feeling that’d been lingering over the weekend. I’m not sure if that’s what did it, but I’m writing this on Monday and I feel much better!

The other potential cause of improvement? A day in the kitchen. 🙂

I started with Sally’s Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

They are chocolatey and wonderful. I don’t even know what else to say. The powdered sugar melts in your mouth and the cookies are perfectly fudgy. You want them in your life!

I then moved onto her White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti.

This is before I dipped them in white chocolate, obviously. These… I didn’t expect to love. I know I love cranberries and pistachios together, but biscotti never thrills me because it’s all hard and crunchy. Why did I make it then? Well, because Sally says the same thing in the recipe post, and says that this recipe is different. It so is. I lovelovelove these, and even those the dough was a little tricky to work with, I would absolutely make them again. They aren’t all hard and crunchy, but they are crisp with soft middles. And the flavor is unbelievable.

After those, I made some Maple Almond Oat Mini Muffins. Recipe coming at ya tomorrow!

And then I spent the evening crashed on the couch eating Chipotle and cookies. As life should be.

Today, I plan to do some more baking and winding down. And eating sweet treats. It’s all good for the soul. Have a fabulous day!

How was your weekend?

Do you have a hard time slowing down?

What Christmas treat do you just have to have?