BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

5 Ways to Stay Sane This Holiday Season

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5 Ways to Stay Sane During the Holidays

Despite how fun the holiday season can it, it can also be one of the most stressful times of the year! Personally, I get excited for all of the holiday hoopla, travel, and gatherings in advance — and then I can feel my blood pressure rising when I’m in the midst of it! There’s a lot to do between pleasing as many family members as possible with an appearance, making travel arrangements, buying the perfect gifts, baking your signature cookies that “you simply must bring,” and squeezing in your 9-to-5 responsibilities on top of it. With the holidays fast approaching (can you believe Thanksgiving is next week?!), I wanted to take a step back before the gift guides start and share some of the tips I’ve learned on how to make the holiday season as stress-free as possible.

A little bit of planning goes a long way.
Sit down with a day planner and go through the next month and a half, marking in travel dates and holiday parties as completely as possible. Once your schedule is firmed up, book any plane tickets and hotel rooms that you’ll need. Advance planning will help you get the best rate and will eliminate any pressure of finding something at he last minute. If you’re having trouble making it to a family gathering, suggest doing it earlier in the month or even in January. Not all holiday gatherings need to happen in the last two weeks of December. Additionally, write down a list of the gift recipients you need to shop for and the items you need to bake. Is there anything you can buy in advance? Can you make cookie dough and freeze it until you’re ready to bake? Anything you can do early will help ease the pressure once we’re knee-deep in the holidays. After the new year, reflect back on what did and didn’t work this year. Did you host a family dinner and found yourself with too much turkey or too little stuffing? Did your mom mention a fantastic gift idea for your dad next year? Keep a notebook specifically for the holidays to jot down your notes so you can reference it next holiday season.

Stick to a budget.
I couldn’t find updated statistics, but the average American spent $882 on holiday gifts in 2015 and was anticipated to spend $929 in 2016. On. Gifts. Alone. This number doesn’t include holiday travel, decorations, and groceries. Knowing that, it’s not surprising that the holidays are a major source of financial stress. Look at your finances with a critical eye this year and choose a reasonable number that you can stick to with your budget for travel, decor, and gifts. I know it’s tempting to tack on a last-minute, splurge-worthy gift that your recipient will just love, but no one wants you to go in debt as a result. Next year, consider setting aside a small amount of money per paycheck in a holiday savings account. I use Capital One 360 for savings and I have one specifically dedicated to the holidays that I put $25 per paycheck into. I don’t notice that amount is missing, but with 26 pay periods, I end up with $650 to put toward holiday spending at the end of the year. I usually still spend a little bit more when it’s all said and done, but accounting for another $300 or so is much easier than a full $900+.

It’s okay to say no.
I jokingly talk about how the holidays are just made for disappointment. It seems that no matter how hard I try, there’s no way I can reasonable fit in every party and every family gathering. And you know what? That’s okay. Pick the holiday gatherings that are most important to you early and add them into your aforementioned holiday calendar. Treat these as your priority items and then consider each additional invitation as it arrives. If you want to go, great! Add it to your calendar. If not, follow up with a thoughtful card expressing your gratitude for being invited, a simple “I have other plans that evening,” and wish the host a happy holiday season. You don’t need to go into detail with what those other plans are — and don’t feel guilty if you’d rather stay in with a bottle of wine and a TV show to binge watch. (If you’re turning down a close friend or relative, send along a small gift, too. I love these kitchen towels so much that I already have two and I’m going to go back for more, and a luxe candle is always a hit.)

Take time for yourself.
The most important piece of advice I can share is listen to your body. Your body shows signs of stress before you even know you’re feeling that way. Are you getting less sleep? Feeling like a cold is coming on? Have mysterious aches and pains? It’s a sign to stop and take care of yourself. In addition to exercising and eating better meals than just holiday cookies, schedule in time to pamper yourself this holiday season and do things that you enjoy. If you love being at home, snuggle in with a cozy blanket and a book. Thinking about pulling the trigger on an item you’ve wanted all year? Now’s the time to do so, assuming it won’t put you in debt! Need a little holiday escape? Take a weekend trip to a nearby city for a change of scenery, or book a day at the spa. (Dave and I always head to Chicago for the annual Christmas market as a way to kick off the season and spend some quality time together.)

Find the humor in things.
I hate to say it, but there are things that will go wrong. One of your relatives might bring up politics that you vehemently disagree with. Your holiday meal might get scorched in the oven. Your Christmas lights might randomly burn out. Or, in the case of my New Year’s Day 2016, you might find yourself with a flat tire the day you’re planning to leave your parents’ house. Shit happens. And it’s so much easier if you can find the humor in things and crack a joke. Ignore your weird relative (roll your eyes only in your head, though), put in a frozen pizza and serve it with sides (or keep some extra rolls and sandwich meat on hand), appreciate that you have fewer lights to pack away this year, and enjoy an extra day with your folks (board games and cocktails help). Besides, any truly awful holiday experience makes for a good story the next year!

The Coveted

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The Coveted 11.14.2017
1. J.Crew cashmere hoodie | 2. Jenny Bird cuff | 3. Tory Burch smart watch | 4. Gucci wallet | 5. Barneys New  York hat | 6. J.Crew turtleneck | 7. Target blanket | 8. Jenny Bird earrings | 9. Sam Edelman boots

Recipes: Rhubarb Conserves & Du Bon Pain Blanc

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Pantry and Palate Cookbook Review & Excerpt

Once it starts getting cold outside, we’re just as content spending time at home cooking as we are heading out to one of our favorite restaurants — and on those coldest days, few things are better than cozying up inside with music playing as we mix up cocktails and try out a new recipe together. I tend to add a new cookbook to our collection each year to keep things fresh, so I was especially excited to receive a review copy of Pantry and Palate last month. Pantry and Palate focuses on the culinary traditions of the Acadians, the descendents of French colonists who settled in Canada’s maritime regions, through journalist Simon Thibault’s exploration of old family recipes, vintage cookbooks, and folk wisdom. “Comfort cooking at its finest” is probably the best way to describe the hearty meals within, but the cookbook is more than that. Thibault’s notations throughout the book share the history and tradition of the region — and the recipes themselves — adding a welcome dose of soul to Pantry and Palate.

I was able to share two recipes from the collection with you: rhubarb conserves and du bon pain blanc (or, “good white bread”). I haven’t made either yet, but I thought you’d love having these on hand for the upcoming holiday season.

Pantry & Palate Cookbook: Rhubarb Conserves Recipe

RECIPE | RHUBARB CONSERVES
Makes 4–6 ( 500ml ) Bottles

From the Author
The initials “BL”were written next to this recipe. I’m not sure who “BL”is, but I would like to thank her very much for this recipe. “Soak overnight 2 quarts rhubarb and sugar,”it asks. There were no instructions for how and when to use the citrus, which is used to add pectin to the preserves. I decided to zest and juice the lemon and orange, and then let them macerate along with the rest of the fruit. I’m glad I did, as the smell in the morning was enough of a pick-me-up that I forgot to make coffee. I put the rhubarb straight into a pot to slowly simmer over a couple hours, reducing and thickening it into a tart/sweet jumble that smelled like a cross between poached rhubarb and marmalade. Midway through the cooking, I had a taste, and I may or may not have done a little dance. A note (or two): The original recipe asks for 1 to 2 quarts of sugar. I only used one, as I found it sweet enough. Once the rhubarb starts cooking down, give it a taste. If you think it can handle a bit more sugar, add a 1/4 cup or so, until it gets to the taste you’re looking for. And even though it’s not traditional, a vanilla bean that has been split in half and scraped of its seeds never hurt anyone. When it comes to the citrus fruits, you may want to place them in cheesecloth before you add them into the pot for cooking. It makes it easier if you wish to remove them from the preserves. I keep mine in as I like the slightly bitter taste I get from them.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds rhubarb, washed and rinsed
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 oranges
  • 1 pound sugar

Instructions

  • Cut the rhubarb into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl.
  • Wash the oranges under warm water, and pat dry. Zest the citrus directly into the bowl with the rhubarb.
  • Cut the oranges and lemon in half, and juice them, adding the juice to the rhubarb.
  • Add the sugar and the spent citrus halves, and stir well. Place in fridge.and allow to macerate overnight.
  • The next day place the ingredients from the bowl into a large pot, and turn the heat to medium-low. You will want to bring the rhubarb up to a gentle simmer, making sure to stir often so as not to scorch the sugar or the fruit. Make sure to skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
  • Once it’s been brought up to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low,and stir every 8–10 minutes or so. This helps reduce the amount of liquid, as well as any possible chances of scorching.
  • Keep cooking until the rhubarb thickens and reduces slightly, about 90 minutes or so. If you find yourself worrying about it scorching, simply reduce the heat further. It won’t hurt, and if anything will allow the liquid to reduce and the flavour to improve.
  • Remove the orange and lemon segments if desired and pour the contents into a container.
  • Serve on toast, over ice cream, with yogurt, or whatever your heart desires.

Pantry & Palate Cookbook: Du Bon Pain Blanc Recipe

RECIPE | DU BON PAIN BLANC/GOOD WHITE BREAD
Makes 1 Loaf

From the Author
“Du bon pain blanc” is the headnote I find in Rosalie’s notebook. This bread recipe is one of the few that asks for packages of yeast, something that would have been relatively new for a baker of her era. All of her other recipes called for cakes of yeast, which were much more common at the time. The recipe also calls for milk, buttermilk, and sugar, which would enrich the bread’s flavour and extend its shelf life. This enriched white bread reminds me slightly of an eggless challah, or even French pain au lait. It’s a great white bread to eat on its own, as toast, and, perhaps best of all, cut into slices and left out to dry overnight for pain perdu, also known as French toast.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons shortening
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  • 1/2 cup water, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 cups flour, sifted

Instructions

  • In a saucepan, warm the milk and buttermilk to a gentle simmer.
  • Remove the milk from the heat and add the sugar and shortening. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
  • Dissolve the yeast in the room-temperature water.
  • Add 1 cup of flour into the milk mixture and blend to make a smooth batter.
  • Add the salt and yeast water to the batter, and mix thoroughly.
  • Add rest of flour, 1 cup at a time, until the dough forms a ball and unsticks from the sides of the bowl.
  • With flour-dusted hands, gather the dough into a large ball, and begin to knead the dough on a well-floured surface, adding flour as you go.
  • Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover it, and allow it to rest until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  • Remove the dough from the bowl. Place on a well-floured surface and knead briefly.
  • Roll the dough into a log, and place in a greased and floured loaf pan.
  • Cover, and allow to rise for 1 hour.
  • Preheat your oven to 400̊ F. Place the bread into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
  • Remove the bread from the oven and remove from pans. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. If not, return to oven for 10 minutes.
  • Allow the bread to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into it.

Pantry and Palate Cookbook Review & Excerpt

Pantry and Palate by Simon Thibault | Target runner (the print is also available in placemats) | Target bowls | Target serving board (similar here and here) | Saint Linen towels

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Excerpted from Pantry and Palate by Simon Thibault © 2017, Recipe text by Simon Thibault. ©2017, Recipe photographs by Noah Fecks. All rights reserved. Published by Nimbus Publishing

 

Weekend Reading

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Weekend Reading 11.11.17

I ordered this dress (on sale here) and these boots earlier this week, and provided they both work out, I’m putting my credit card on lock down when it comes to purchases for myself. Everything that pulls at my heartstrings over the next month and a half will find its way to my holiday wish list to we’ll see if Santa is feeling generous! It’s kind of fun to make that switch to the holidays, isn’t it?

Speaking of which, I’m unbelievably excited for the holiday season this year, especially when it comes to decorating our first house. In fact, I’ve already been sneaking decorations out of storage! We have a few projects we’d like to tackle this weekend before it gets too cold; I’d like to put some Christmas lights on the house so we’re not risking frostbite in a few weeks, my parents are going to be here to drop off a snowblower for us, and Dave’s dad is going to help install a garage door opener. I hope your weekend is more relaxing than ours will be!

Weekend Reading:

Five Under $50:

Earlier This Week:

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image via Unsplash

6 Weatherproof Boots for Winter

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Buffalo Plaid Coat + Rebecca Minkoff Small Love Crossbody + Hunter Huntress Wellies

The snow will be flying before we know it, and while I love how a blanket of white makes the holidays feel more festive, I’m not terribly excited about trekking out in it! I typically reach for my Hunter boots. No, they’re not warm and they’re certainly not insulated, but they are waterproof and they’re a decent option for short jaunts when worn with a pair of thick hiking socks. On the more practical side of things, I have a pair of L.L. Bean boots for when I actually need to be outdoors for an extended period of time. (These will be especially handy this year, since we’ll have to shovel and snow blow now that we have a house!) But I’ve been on the lookout for something in the middle of these two. I want something fashion-forward, comfortable enough to walk a couple of miles in, looks cute with both jeans and dresses, and would keep my feet warm. It’s a tall order and I’ve been obsessively searching for cute options over the last month. I finally ordered these to try and thought I’d share some of the others that were on my short list this season in case you’re in the same boat.

6 Pairs of Weatherproof Boots for Winter

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE | SIX