A New Month, A New Me
The Holidays are upon us!
They are, in fact, hunting us all down and breathing down our necks and making us feel guilty for not buying our loved ones a FREAKIN' CAR...seriously this is how I feel about watching commercials in December. How awful to be constantly bombarded with this garbage. I happen to have done just about all of my Christmas shopping super early this year to avoid impulse-buying things people don't need, but also because I'm going to be celebrating from afar this year (I'm absolutely stoked about the trip I'm taking to meet up with a dear friend I haven't seen in too many years.) I did just finish reading this article about gift-less holiday celebration trends and I gotta say: it's starting to make more sense to me these days.
So consider this post completely gift-guilt-free! It's my monthly roundup of awesomeness comin' at ya!
TV Show I blew through in about 48 hours: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon
I am sure this show has already been recommended to you, if not possibly shoved down your throat. I know it's tempting to resist because so many people are trying to get you to like it. I feel you. However, as an early adorer of season 1, lemme tell ya: season 2 is even funnier. At several moments watching the show I had to pause an episode because either A) I was laughing so loudly that I couldn't hear the next line or B) I was just stricken by how goofy happy this show makes me. There are no words for how wonderful it is to see such a strong female character in a setting that was so anti- female empowerment. Bottom line: this show is just a delight to watch.
EP I've been eagerly anticipating: Traveling on by The Decemberists
If you know me at all (or if you've been reading since March when their last studio album was released) you know that I have a big ol' soft spot for The Decemberists. This EP is exactly what you should expect when you hear the words "Decemberists EP". It's a little bit Beatles, a little bit nautical, a little bit eclectic, and a little bit whimsical. It was just released today and I've already listened to it half a dozen times. Being only five tracks and 22 minutes long, this is a fairly easy feat for me, but suffice it to say I'm quite pleased with it. If you love the Decemberists or if they make you feel nostalgic at all (some of their tracks bring me straight back to my college days) then you'll love it. They're not everyone's cup of tea, but this is a relatively painless way to find out if your tastes have changed or if their sound has evolved sufficiently to speak to you these days.
Tea so good it has transformed my afternoon routine: Tazo Organic Spicy Ginger tea
As I write this I am sipping on a freshly made cup of this completely delightful tea. For me it's the perfect blend of warm spices to make me feel cozy and warm and happy even when I'm sitting at my desk in my very chilly office at work. I've always been a hardcore coffee person, and st heart I always will be. If you ever ask me if I'd prefer tea or coffee my answer will always be coffee (decaf after noon though, please). But I've been developing a taste for tea over the last couple of years and I bought a box of this on a whim drifting through the aisle in Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. I now make sure I have time every afternoon for a cup of this heavenly spicy tea at work and it legitimately improves my mood every damn time. At roughly $5 for 20 tea bags it can seem expensive, but I can get two glorious cups out of each tea bag if I move quickly and never have I found a more affordable and more reliable afternoon pick-me-up that's caffeine (and guilt) free!
Recipe I'm dying to try this winter: Korean Short Rib Stew
This year I've toured my fair share of Korean BBQ style restaurants around my city and one thing has been consistent: my favorite dishes almost always involve braised and tender yummy short ribs. So stumbling across this super approachable short rib stew recipe was basically a dream come true. I'll be ransacking the freezers of my favorite local meat farm to get my hands on some short ribs soon I can guarantee. This recipe is so simple and also sounds just mouth-wateringly delicious at every step. I have a short list of recipes I want to master and have in my back pocket someday to be able to bust them out when company announces itself unexpectedly and this has just been added to that list (right alongside mushroom risotto, rabbit paella, and chicken tikka masala #goals).
I hope you all enjoy my recommendations and that you have safe, happy, and warm holidays wherever and however you're celebrating them. December can be a time of great stress and complicated social obligations when it should be a time of relaxation and reconnecting with family. So do yourself a favor and celebrate this holiday season however feels right to you because you don't owe anyone else a damn thing.
I'll be back next week with one last post in 2018 and will take a short break to ring in the new year before coming back at ya strong in 2019! :)