November is crazy at work, and has been for so many of my jobs so I’m used to it but we began the month feeling like summer and suddenly it’s really fall. Mr J’s injury has been the low part of the month so we’re ready to continue on towards being healed! In the kitchen, things were convenience related and without daylight.

I made Chicken, Bacon, & Ranch Chili and we loved it. Everything in a pot is a gamble but this one paid off (and some veggies on the side and crescents didn’t hurt).

We also had loaded tomato sauce that was packed with flavor.

The Big Kid:
Basketball has been off to a great start – his coaches are wonderful and this is such a nice group of kids. I’m very grateful he has this team for his first travel/tryouts experience. He’s off hard boiled eggs for now and has been interested in cooking! He wants to make his own stuff and is cutting, pealing, and turning burners on now.

The Littler One:
Ice skating has been amazing! She’s a total different kid than the last time we took her out on the ice. She leveled up at the first class to a different group and is progressing. I can’t wait to go with her again! It has been very fun to see her reading beginner chapter books.

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I started with some new blue dress pants. I kept thinking my old ones needed to have their last go but I hadn’t retired them without new ones…until now!
Restaurant Recreations – not yet
Special ingredient focus – I grabbed soft pretzel bites and that led to appetizer dinner!
More fish – not yet
What I’m reading – I read Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano and loved it for interesting characters in a tough plotline. I also read The Wedding People by Alison Espach and was fascinated by the most unusual premise ever. Then I read We Have Always Been Who We Are by Sofia Romero and was drawn to the mystical fantasy elements in otherwise regular stories.

Woohoo! 14?! Crazy. This year had some fun adventures during school vacations, more swimming than ever, and the kids seeming so much older. I cooked a lot of burritos/wraps, they’re a favorite of mine and some really fun appetizers. This is my chance to look back on the past year and set some intentions for the year ahead. I bring you some superlatives:

Best Burger: Pizza Burger with pepperoni grated into the burger.

Most Underrated: Street Corn Pasta Salad is addictive and the perfect taco side but maybe looks not so cute. It’s so good.

Most liked: Greek Chicken Burritos were the fan favorite on instagram for the year.

Goals for this past year:
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: this was mostly good, though a few misses on Etsy so I didn’t tag creators who I wasn’t happy with
More meatless meals: this happened on occasion but I didn’t really prioritize it
sandwiches and salads: yes! So many hot wraps/burritos!
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time: this went so-so but it’s a fun one when it does happen!
redo photos: I was so glad to refresh some that needed a makeover!
What I’m reading: I’m up to 44 books read this year!

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I realized I have some not-beloved things that are due for a better version or that are worn out and I just keep using without thinking about a better one.
Restaurant Recreations – It has been awhile but this if a fun one
Special ingredient focus – this could be a nice push to use some ingredients I don’t always reach for
More fish – I may have said this before and not made it happen so we’ll see how this goes
maybe I’ll add another or see how it goes

October went by so quickly with lots of soccer, the end of fall baseball, and all the fall things. By the time Halloween actually hits the kiddos will have been in their costumes at least 3 times. October is wrapping up with a bang and November will be a flurry with a super busy work time the time change, and a lot to fit in.

In the kitchen, I loooved this whipped cottage cheese with honey and pistachios and I definitely don’t love cottage cheese.

Nachos got an upgrade with some special touches for Nacho Average Nachos. There are flavored chips (mine are El Nacho – Hot Honey, Mango, & Lime), refried black beans, queso, lots of cheese, salsa, and pickled onions. Try any flavor of these chips…they are incredible.

Next I made Hibachi stye rice bowls! They were good and I’ll keep at the yum yum sauce to get it closer to the restaurant. This is an easy step compared to the flaming volcano onion.

I gave some Greek rice wraps with rice, greek salad, chicken, and dressing.

I’ll be OK with soccer wrapping up. I guiltily said no to helping coach basketball – that’s not my sport and I need a season off. I cannot wait to be a spectator. I’m not 100% set on November blog posts. The darkness is tough! Work gets crazy and I’ll be excited for Thanksgiving.

The Big Kid:
He’s had a fun time with lacrosse and it’s so nice to try something without committing to all the gear and a whole season! He lost 2 teeth! He has a creepy skeleton mask for halloween. We found a few fun chapter books even when I was choosing for him. He tried out for basketball and made one of the travel teams which starts soon! He has one more lacrosse 3×3 and is taking lacrosse after school for a few weeks.

The Littler One:
She lost 2 teeth! It was exciting to see big ones come in. We’ve had a fun soccer season and there are just a few more. She had a friend over and went to a party with the class so I think she is settling in a bit more. She chose to be a witch and has a great time in her purple velvet cape! She is signed up for gymnastics starting in December and she’s interested in ice skating so we’ll see what comes together.

Goals for this year:
Year of small businesses/artisans/writers: I got a black & white wreath ribbon that felt fitting for fall/Halloween
More meatless meals: nachos were our meatless dinner
sandwiches and salads: salad bar came in handy to prolong shopping.
a focus on going to new or places we don’t get to all the time:
redo photos – no redos right now
what I’m reading: I reread Firekeeper’s Daughter for bookclub and loved it as much years later. I read The Women and it might be my best book of the year. I read I Hope This Finds You Well and it was very interesting…kind of a train wreck. Then I read Fake which was better than some other art/auction/forgery I’ve read.