Cozy Scenes from Home and Far from Home
Ever since the start of November, I was determined to make our home the coziest place on the planet (since we can’t be cozy anywhere else). It felt early but it also felt exactly what I needed to bring the cheer up a bit. Plus I knew we would be spending the holidays on the other side of the country, so I strung twinkly lights everywhere and draped garland across the mantle so we could experience a little festive cheer in our new house. It was amazing and made the world feel so much calmer. The power of $10 lights! Since we aren’t around for the holidays I didn’t go crazy with a tree and holiday figurines, but it still felt perfectly festive for the time were there. I do wish we could have sticked around a little longer to buy a tiny tree, hang mistletoe in the kitchen, or at least hang a wreath on the front door. But we did what we could! Maybe our house sitters will deck the halls with a Christmas tree and send us a million photos!
As we settle into our new routine of working from home out of Reuben’s childhood bedroom, I find my productivity slowly waning. Which is fine because work for me is finally starting to wind down and I have a little more time to relax. I do have my manuscript edits coming back soon, so that’s something! The end of the year is typically the busiest time of the year for food bloggers because everyone is inside baking and cooking holiday feasts and treats. It was no different this year, but I purposefully planned to have all or at least most of my work done before we leave so that I can spend our time away focused on family and cooking fun/non-work related things. I think I’m going to improve on my pastry skills this season and hopefully film a few cooking videos with Momma Cho!
Scenes from Home
Sharing some scenes from home because I’m having separation anxiety! I miss the kitchen and my ceramic and cast iron coworkers. I’m very much a Fall and Winter person and the light and temperature at the house were just so perfect this last month. I spent my mornings out in the garden with tangly hair and a heavy sweater, sipping hot coffee, enjoying the brisk morning air, and inspecting the roses that are somehow still blooming! I might clip a few herbs for lunch or dinner, rosemary from our giant rosemary bush (need more rosemary recipe ideas!) or big basil leaves before something else munches on them. Then I would head back inside to fit a few hours of productive work in. Maybe bake a cake or two to warm the house up slightly. I got into a wonderful habit of keeping a snack plate within arms reach. Nothing too crazy! Just some seasonal fruit, chocolate, and nuts to keep me going throughout the day… otherwise I end up just eating cake for the first half of the day. Around 3pm I’ll make myself a matcha latte so I don’t fall asleep… the early sunsets make me so sleepy!
The Best Candied Pecans for Snacking!
Speaking of snack boards! I’ve been loving Santé Candied Pecans on my snack board lately! They are crisp, crunchy, and perfectly sweet! It has that salty-sweet action that I love so very much. Santé Nuts is a female-founded, immigrant-owned, and family-run business that started in the Bay Area, so I love that I’m also supporting a local business. It’s so easy to support a small business during the holiday season! Just keep snacking! I eat them straight from the bag for a healthy snack and I’ll also fold them into my homemade granola or chop some up to sprinkle over muffins. They pair so well with fall fruit like persimmons, apples, and pears! Chocolate is also a top-notch pairing. I’ll also sneak in a few wedges of cheese for a more savory snack too! We packed a few bags of them for our cross-country road trip and we went through them so fast!
You can load up on Santé Candied Pecans and the rest of their incredible varieties of nuts at your local Safeway! Take advantage of the holiday pricing ($3.99!) and enjoy : )
scenes Far from Home
Mornings far from home are a little different. For one thing, I sleep waaaaaay in. I think I finally feel like I can relax and allow myself to catch up on the sleep I miss out on back in California. So I wake up around 10am (gasp!) and see if I can catch a glimpse of the turkeys that live in Reuben’s parents’ yard. I really enjoy just lounging around this house. There are so many good vignettes filled with art, textiles, and animal skulls. It’s like the original Ace Hotel but in Roosevelt, New Jersey but not overly hipster.
I spent the morning the snapping a few photos around the house because the light was just too good to not pass up. It’s been a while since I photographed anything other than food, which made me a little sad. In the early ‘10s I was obsessed with documenting life through photographs, whether it was the clutter counters at my grandparents’ house or chaotic dinner parties with my friends in college. I remember around that time was when I really fell in love with reading blogs run by normal humans. It was the best form of escapism. This was before the word "influencer” was used and the view into someone’s life didn’t have a filter plastered on. I miss reading those blogs and getting a glimpse into people’s regular lives. I was longing to read some now that I have more time on my hands, but alas they are hard to find.
I shared a few of my favorite scenes far from home because who doesn’t like pretty moody photos? I’ll keep reminding myself that I need to take photos of things other than cookies… but cookies will be coming up soon!