Cool Stuff I Didn’t Know About and Mini Broccoli & Sausage Lasagne

Happy Monday!  If you’re here for the Mini Broccoli & Sausage Lasagne recipe, that’s bonus content for paid subscribers.  Scroll to the bottom!

My Christmas vacation has come to an end but it was as special a week as ever.  I cherish every minute I can spend with all my kids together, but even more so with my mom and my family experiencing the same traditions I did as a child. 

I make notes in a word document every holiday for myself to read the following year.  It requires less guessing and wasting time if I know exactly how many people were at Christmas Eve and how much salmon we made and how much was leftover and how long I cooked it at what temp.  I encourage you to do the same for events that you host or organize every year!

Some things that I thought were cool that I am making note of for next year:

I found something called a Chestnutter while organizing a closet at my in-laws’ house. It pierces the exterior shell of a chestnut with little effort.  I brought it to my sister who always makes chestnuts on Christmas and she thought it was GENIUS and so helpful!  I found this one on amazon and I highly recommend using a tool like this if you make chestnuts.

Saw these gumdrop candles on one of Annie Campbell’s stories and I am ordering pronto for next year because they are on clearance!  Cute cute!

I posted a reel for a Salad “Wreath” on Instagram and I loved seeing so many people make it.  They were all truly beautiful, but I especially loved how Alive and Well Nutrition used very thinly sliced fennel.  It almost looked like ribbons or garland. I bet pickled onion slices would look lovely too.

Panettone Wars | There was a luxury panettone showdown on Christmas Eve - Olivieri vs This is From Roy.  They are both elite, but I still prefer Roy’s.  Get on his email list so you can preorder for next Christmas and not have FOMO. It’s a sad feeling.

These DeLight Patisserie cookies are beyond adorable! You can create a custom message on shortbread cookies.  They are French-inspired, but handmade in Los Angeles.

Menorah to benefit victims of trauma in Israel | I love the simplicity of this menorah and sales support a non-profit doing important work.

A tahini slushie from Edith’s in Brooklyn was a surprise delight and even though I don’t drink coffee, I need to figure out how to make this for Hubs and the kids. Tahini + oat milk + cold brew into a slushie. I bet we could freeze cubes of coffee and blend with tahini and plant milk in a vitamix.

Freezing Simmer Pot Scraps | I saw this on Souper Cubes’s Instagram.  A simmer pot is a nice way to bring the good smells of the holiday season into your home.  Here’s my simmer pot video on TikTok.  Instead of using whole fruits, you can save your scraps from cutting citrus, apple peels, leftover random cranberries, and freeze them in water with a cinnamon stick and a few cloves and then plunk the whole frozen thing in a pot at a later time and simmer when you want your house to smell nice!  I love being able to use scraps that I might otherwise toss.

We had such a fantastic meal at Misi in Brooklyn.  We got lucky and were able to walk in and sit at the bar.  I will note in my calendar for next year to make a reservation early!  One thing I couldn’t get over was this grilled Swiss chard side dish with a cheese I have never heard of called Fiore Sardo.  It’s a smoked Pecorino and I must find it STAT.  I’ll try the Beverly Hills Cheese Shop when I’m in LA.

Marmalade Mercantile Notebooks are so cute and witty.  I need to remember these for gifts next year.  They have quite a few options.

We play a lot of games! This faux leather Rummikub set will be one of my hostess gifts for 2025.

Because we do a puzzle every year at my mom’s house, Hubs sent this large high quality puzzle board for everyone to use. What an amazing idea!! You can move the puzzle whenever you want. It can rotate and tilt. There’s even a cover to protect the puzzle when you’re not working on it.

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