15 years strong! This was a year of a lot of pizzas that are not blogged, many burrito-ish wraps, and a bunch of refreshed posts from back in the day. >10 years definitely comes across as back in the day in terms of photos/light/and more wordy posts. Now, for my self-proclaimed superlatives:

Most photogenic: this Passionfruit Bubbly Cocktail

Most likely to be repeated: I made this Chicken Parmesan Dip that is delightful as a dip or as a whole meal

Best hand-held: hands down (haha) this Chopped Chicken Caesar Salad Sub was better than the restaurant. Theirs was an explosion and was not at all hand held. I like mine better!

Most surprising:
Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Chili was a hit yet also being a gamble with everything in one dish!

What’s next: January starts a new role in my same department, on another team so I’m looking forward to that. Dinner times aren’t as much as a frenzy as the kids get bigger but while we still can manage schedules. We’re enjoying the kids discovering foods and bringing that to the menu – empanadas were a recent new one. They’re not scared of new things and when we can get away from talking too much about it, they often go for it and it’s fine, even if it isn’t a favorite – butternut squash sauce on tortellini went from a few mentions of “I wish these were with butter” to everyone eating all of theirs. They’re so good at eating out at restaurants which is so so fun.

Goals for from this past year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I was glad I did it, though I skipped a few.
Restaurant Recreations – These were so fun. I might just keep it in mind as a tool for meal ideas.
Special ingredient focus – this might have required more brainpower and inspiration than I have.
More fish – this did not happen that often. I want it to, but then forget.
What I’m reading – I’ve read 44 books and will likely end the calendar year ~50. I have a handful of 5 start favs this year and to pick just one: All You Have to Do Is Call by Kerri Maher or The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters are two of my stand-outs.

Goals for next year: I usually start with a bunch and see what sticks!
Year of new pizzas! I think I want to push for more variety in where we get it, or taking the whole family out for it. Maybe some will be homemade though we already make pizza at least once a month – maybe it’s time to tap into my very long list of topping ideas.
Side dish emphasis  – These are not my strength and sometimes become an after thought.
Soups & salad – I would be happy focusing on some more of these.
More drinks – cocktails, smoothies, fancy coffee
What I’m reading – I will probably estimate reading ~50 books next year too

October is one of my favs to finally feel fall in the air and so many fun things. We picked apples and the kids dressed up for Halloween several times already before the actual holiday.

I made a Street Corn Burrito with brown rice, white beans, Mexican corn, greens, and corn chips!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls got a refresh from 2016 and the TikTok way of baking them in cream cannot be beat.

We devoured this Caramel Apple Chex Mix with peanuts, dried apples, and caramel chips!

November’s darkness means we need to hunker down with some comfort food and maybe add some some soup to the menu. We’re dog sitting and have a few more lined up.

The Big Kid:
5th grade homework is no joke. It doesn’t take him long at all, but it is definitely more substantial. He is having fun in hockey and lacrosse clinics. He decided it’s hockey, not basketball for him. We love seeing him bike around and meet up with the neighborhood.

The Littler One:
She’s an all-star speller, which she did not get from me. She looooves field hockey and wished it wasn’t ending but with that end brings her back to dance class.

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I kind of skipped this month.
Restaurant Recreations –
Special ingredient focus – T saw Frito Chili Pie on the back of the package and wanted to have it – he loved it!
More fish – we did our tried and true, fish tacos.
What I’m reading – I read The Last Ferry Out which was entertaining enough, and then I was blown away by All You Have to Do is Call which was one of my top books of the year, for bookclub we read The Cliffs and I can’t wait to talk about it.

September is one of my favorites. I love the return to routines and the air getting into more manageable temperatures. The start of school brings some anxiety but was OK this year and we love the fall sports.

I made a Pickle Ranch Chicken Sandwich that was incredible.

This Tomato Ricotta Pie got a refresh from 2013 and works for dinner, lunch, and brunch.

We had meatball break-apart sliders that were met with a touch of hesitation and then were such a win. They may get a repeat with other flavors – ham and cheese would be fun, chicken/bacon/ranch is always a hit for us!

October has me excited for apple picking and halloween. I have some appetizer ideas and hopes for more pumpkin flavored things! Tis the season!

The Big Kid:
He is settled and doing well at school and all the sports. He’s trying intro to hockey and goes to the fall lacrosse clinics. It is so fun to see him progress and gain some confidence for hockey. Thankfully he likes some new electrolyte drinks we’re trying.

The Littler One:
She’s loving second grade – to the extent of not feeling like the weekend is necessary! We’ve been blown away by field hockey. She scored 2 goals the first week and 1 the second week. Some friendships are deepening and it is heartwarming to see.

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I was upgrading my denim jacket but then didn’t love the color so it is still in progress.
Restaurant Recreations – nah, not really
Special ingredient focus – the fridge failure and replacement has meant we had a very regular replenishing, not a focus on special.
More fish – salmon!
What I’m reading – I read Julie Chan is Dead and do not recommend. I was medium-ish about This Book Will Bury Me. I loved Funny Story and it renewed my interest in Emily Henry. I listened to Broken Country and it wasn’t for me.

July forever has me settled into summer but also feeling like there’s so much I want to do before it is over! We have been swimming, attending lots more parties than usual, and trying to stay cool. Meals feel more about speed and ease than being well thought out or unique.

I re-made Chicken Caesar Salad Pizza from 2012 and it was as delightful now as it was then.

This Pickle Lemonade was really fun and works well spiked or plain!

Mojito Slaw on Fish tacos feels restaurant-ish at home

Peach Crumble Parfaits were a cool breakfast when it has been too hot to function!

August is already upon us. I have such a pull to do all the things before summer is over! Meals have taken a backseat to anything else we might want to do. Also, our fridge kicked it so we have to be a bit creative. We have vacation, a 7th birthday to celebrate, and several parties and adventures ahead this month!

The Big Kid:
He has had some fun camps – and one “not favorite” but he made the best of. He’s all sports all the time – maybe with an exception for a new Star Wars obsession. He quietly hates the heat but doesn’t let it slow him down until it knocks him out. He did the biggest and most intense ride at the theme park and I was so proud that he really decided for himself if he was ready for it.

The Littler One:
Her swimming has advanced to include more underwater and more strokes. She is blowing through chapter books and can’t stop – which we love to see. She cannot wait for her birthday. This summer we have seen her build more friendships. Summer dance class has been fun!

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I upgraded 2 new workout tops and let one favorite go
Restaurant Recreations – nope
Special ingredient focus – not really
More fish – fish tacos!
What I’m reading – I read Project Hail Mary which I liked, but could have been 150 pages shorter…then I read The Nature of Fragile Things and was obsessed with the twists and San Fran quake. I just finished the Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard and was very into it…60s Hollywood vs grandmother’s past life.

Our June started at a medium pace with some soccer rain-outs, a drizzly girls trip, and lacrosse winding down. Then we kicked into full-gear for Flag Day! J’s birthday! Father’s Day! Pool time! Last days of school, and end-of-year parties tired us out. It was such a full month and I’m a bit tired from the end of fiscal year as well. 

Perfect Patty Melts were this year’s birthday burger and were a hit! The garlic Texas toast made them. 

I had some Passion Fruit Bubbly cocktails that were so fun…which reminds me I’m due for a round of those!

We had Corn Relish on hot dogs as an ideal way to use corn early into the season before the peak! 

July will be full of camps and swimming. Work should chill-down a bit. I have some plans to make cool sides, a pizza-redo, and maybe a new breakfast!

The Big Kid:
He had a fun end of year. He’s so undecided about fall sports and I wish there was longer time to think about it. I’m not excited to pack camp lunches unless he starts developing some more options of packable things! He had such a nice group for last day of school swimming.

The Littler One:
We went to see a ballet of Sleeping Beauty with light-up costumes. It was so fun – not exactly a must-see but a nice/entry-level way to go to a ballet. She had lots of classmates for her last day of school bounce house.

Goals for this upcoming year:
Year of replacements/upgrades! I didn’t think of one this month!
Restaurant Recreations – nope
Special ingredient focus – raw corn for the corn relish was unusual for us!
More fish – I need to get on these, huh!
What I’m reading – I read The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop and was enchanted by her dance background! I also read The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue and found it creative.