Ep. 13 Not a gift guide.
Sugar n' spice & cleaning up your device ('s photos)
“The path of the Warrior is lifelong, and mastery is often simply staying on the path.”
– Richard Strozzi Heckler, In Search of the Warrior Spirit
I recently read this great tip about how to clean up photos on your phone. It’s not so much that I take photos of everything (it is partially that), but that I take multiples of one thing and then I don’t go back to delete/edit the photos I don’t need/want right away. So I organically have hundreds of relatively similar pictures that are overwhelming not just my phone’s cloud storage, but my personal brain cloud. Google doesn’t get it, when they tell me my email inbox is 97% full, they don’t realize so is my brain. And, IF I could figure out what to delete, I would. I 100% would. You think any of us are enjoying this max-cloud capacity situation? Sure, I could pay for any amount of endless storage, but the only thing my brain sees and my body feels, is a physical, and deep virtual storage unit of gosh-knows-what that I’m never going to remember I have, or know to look at — but I might need... What are we holding on to, and why?
So. Here lies the golden goose, to lay all the golden eggs of phone storage photo cleanup. Ready?
Each day, or whatever day you happen to think of this - go back to just one year ago on that date. Look at what you have in your photos. If it still rings true for you, love that memory moment. If it’s that random screenshot of some text you sent to your friend that no longer applies? Delete. Next round? Go back 2 years.
I don’t need pre-made apple memory photo montages, I’ve got my own manual one.
As I was enacting above said mentioned activity, I found photos from 2022 where I didn’t have a tree up or anything decorated until December 13th! (which is now today). I love matching holiday plates, and festive spatulas. Every set of matching special Christmas mugs and wine glasses I pass, jingle a bit calling my name. I want the giant Santa outside my door and the giant light up reindeer on my lawn and my cactus palms smothered in lights. But, do I?? Or, is this just what I think I’m supposed to want?
It makes me think of this Mitch Hedberg joke (←watch):
I saw a commercial on late night TV it said, “Forget everything you know about slip covers!” So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell slip covers but I didn’t know what the hell they were”
If HomeGood’s didn’t have 5 aisles of holiday table cloths, table runners, napkins, decor for any & every color scheme and theme; holiday coffee mugs; glass, ceramic, bedazzled, painted and formed… along with themed holiday throws that are the softest thing I can think of and, pre-wrapped baking situations, what would I be thinking about? What would I be craving? If every. single. email. in my inbox wasn’t a gift guide to buy something recommended, what would I want to be giving? What do I have to share?
So I guess what I’m going through is the battle waging within of; to buy or not to buy. To decorate or not to decorate. The balance of feeling guilty about not doing enough and looming overwhelm of participating in everything so I can find the feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction that all of ‘this’ is trying to fill. The feeling of knowing there is a real spiritual truth to this whole season and yet, still here for the cocktails.
Oh, but the candle aisle I can get down with. I’m good with a holiday scent mood moment any day.
My Christmas Cookies
I’ve got a few events, people & places I’m gifting Christmas cookies to this year. Here’s my first round up:
Raspberry Orange Rugelach
Saved from a 2018 issue of bon appétit era from so, so long ago. These are good, but you want to know you’re signing up for a hands-on activity kind of cookie.
Judy’s (Sarah’s) Shortbreads
Every Christmas spent with my Canadian in-laws is adorned with these shortbreads. I truly did not consider myself a lover of shortbread. Noted past tense. Yet, every holiday I’d come down for coffee and enjoy a cookie for breakfast while it was brewing and was not mad about it, at all. I thought they were sugar cookies! But nope. Short. breads. Love em.
[will never not be on repeat I love these cookies so much] Dorie Greenspan’s ‘Mokonuts’ Rye-Cranberry Chocolate-Chunk Cookies’
Here’s a gifted link to this recipe. I think I wrote about this before? They’re just… the best. I’m not great at the, ‘what’s your favorite…’ questions, but these cookies. hands down. I dream. dream of. They’ve definitely made it into my ready-to-go freezer rotation. I picked up some candied ginger a while back intending to use in actual ginger molasses cookies, but decided to try out sub’ing the cranberries for the ginger in these. I mean… jury for me is still out, but it was a fun experiment. If I were you, I might stick with the original, but have some fun if you’re feelin’ frisky.
Biscotti for every-botti
If I can toot-toot anything, it’s my biscotti. I don’t know which gene in me was flipped on, but I’ve made hundred’s of these lil biscuit cookie delights and I got really good somewhere along the line. I’ll find a change to get an ‘official’ recipe up somewhere, but in the mean time, just reach out if you want my recipe. It’s come from years of compiled trials and I’ve loved every version of it, but I think we’ve landed on the winner.
Dream Factory Ginger Molasses Cookies
Here’s my original tried and true Ginger Molasses Cookies on Dream Factory website (there’s a new site version coming in the new year, but for now you can bop around). I love this version and find them slightly chewier, the way I like a molasses cookie. However, that said, I LOVE what Claire Saffitz created in her Dessert Person(link) cookbook for this type of cookie. I truly think it’s the ultimate crowd pleaser and everything you could ever want and expect of this cookie. Her detailed instructions and notes make this truly fail proof if you follow and 10/10 recommend. Just sayin.
To be continued…
There’s a part II coming for this… Stay tuned.
Also, want/need any recipes? drop me a line. I really love to chat about all things :)
Oh! But let us not forget about our savory situation.
Want a really good hummus dip recipe? It’s really easy.
I received the sweetest, most loveliest & thoughtful gift from my sister-in-law for our wedding. She compiled a cookbook of everyone in the family’s favorite go-to recipes. I recently made this version of my other sister-in-law’s Red Pepper Hummus. The first time I made it, I ate the whole thing by myself in about 24hrs. Knowing this, I made a double batch for Thanksgiving appetizer session. I just recently made again for a night I invited my neighbor over for some drinks & catchup.
My special talent is making life more complicated than it really needs to be because… well, I have quite figured that part out yet, but I love to. I’ve been on the ‘you have to cook your own beans for hummus’ train for years now. I was pleasantly, delightfully and grateful to remind myself that no, Justine. You can use a can of garbanzos & it’s totally okay. The unified field is not collapsing because you didn’t soak beans overnight, with kombu and cook them with baking soda etc. etc.
Oh, but I will be making homemade vegan mayo with the aquafaba, because that’s just what I do now. Recipe here if anyone wants to match my freak.
Listening to:
This song on repeat (and subsequently literally everything else Berlioz, I feel like I’ve unlocked a whole new world)
This playlist for writing & working
THIS amazing audiobook free in the Spotify premium world. It reminds me to use my imagination beyond what I *think* I know.
This was our Thanksgiving dinner playlist & was really a lot of fun for the group so passing along if you need a crowd-friendly pleaser. I know it’s all-out Christmas music season, but if you need a general break but still really fun and festive.. There’s also a Christmas version, but I don’t find it as fun.
Anyway, hang in there loves. Tis’ the season after all, cheers.
xo Justine
