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Hi there. I sat down to write about the week and then, at 11 p.m., a bird flew into the house. Not a bat — a bird — but still: it buzzed through my hair on its way inside and sent me into a minor state of shock. The bird has since vanished, but I’m still a little spooked.
Aside from that late-night drama, our week was wonderful. Max turned one yesterday — cue the tears — and today we’re celebrating with a big, over-the-top first-birthday party. I haven’t started baking yet because party prep has taken over, but that’s next on the list. If you want behind-the-scenes snippets, follow along on Snapchat (howsweeteats) for real-time peeks.
I’ve also become obsessed with one candle this season and consider it my signature winter scent: birchwood pine. It’s so comforting that I’m already on my third one for the season.
Some highlights this week: I shared an elevated avocado toast recipe over on The Pioneer Woman, and to my delight, Ree named Seriously Delish as one of her favorite cookbooks. If you send it as a gift, I’ll be forever grateful.
Internet good stuff I’m loving right now:
- These sufganiyot-style jelly doughnuts — I normally don’t love jelly doughnuts, but these make me want to eat thirty.
- A pomegranate-and-orange champagne punch that feels perfect for weekend celebrations.
- Dark chocolate salted caramels for when patience and small-batch candy-making align.
- An edible gift idea: butternut squash, ginger and coconut soup — cozy, thoughtful, and delicious.
- Chocolate mint cream cake — one of my favorite flavor combinations and utterly lovely.
- White bean risotto with garlicky greens — rich, comforting, and divine.
- Frosted birthday cake cookies — impossibly cute and cheerful.
- A winter tabbouleh salad with clementine-thyme dressing — bright, seasonal, and refreshing.
- Peppermint mochi — imagine a bowl of hot-chocolate–flavored froyo in chewy mochi form.
- Hazelnut shortbread cookies sandwiched with salted ganache — elegant and crave-worthy.
- Garlic bread bolognese meatball subs — a bold, satisfying crave you probably share.
- Satsuma hazelnut cake — a combination of citrus and nut that sounds heavenly.
- A slow-cooker winter minestrone with split red lentils — soup season is always welcome, even on mild days.
- Homemade mint Milano cookies — I’d happily devour the whole batch.
That’s the roundup for this week: birthday chaos, a nighttime bird encounter, a new favorite candle scent, and a stack of delicious recipes I can’t stop thinking about. Back soon with party photos and whatever baking I manage to squeeze in.