5 Things & 3 More

It was a short week thanks to the interruption of Turkey Day, but it will still an exhausting one. Here are my 5 happy moments from the last 5 days:

1. Sharing Thanksgiving with wonderful friends.

2. A giant glass of red wine after a long, non-stop day in the office.

3. Spending time in the kitchen. Now that work is busy, cooking has become my therapy.

4. Beating all my running expectations in Thursday's Turkey Trot.

5. The colorful, love-filled post-its in Union Square Subway.

3 things to read on this lazy Sunday:

1. Ridiculing, and then admiring, the Moon Juice cookbook.

2. If you're not a runner, here's one more reason why you should be.

3. Do you talk to yourself out loud or in your head? Maybe this will help understand why you do. And don't worry, you're definitely not the only one.

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Grand Army Bar

Grand Army Bar was one of the places on my New York summer bucket list that never got crossed off. So rather than going on a warm summer's night, where the windows are wide open, and cocktails are served in ceramic pineapples, we instead went on a cold November evening, where pineapples are swapped for elegant glasses filled with serious, smoky cocktails, and a roaring fire warms the room.

We sat at the oyster bar (despite skipping the oysters) and ordered one Smoking Gun for B (because he knows how to order a drink) and one Pineapple Primary for me (because I can't quite accept that it's winter yet). The Smoking Gun was as serious, smoky, and soothing as a drink made up of aged rum, pot still black rum, toasted cinnamon, whisky, and bitters should be. This is what I intend to sip by the fire all winter long. I just need to find a fire. And while the Pineapple Primary was initially disappointing due to the lack of pineapple serving vessel, it's fresh, slightly spiced, citrus-sour flavors more than made up for it. More fruity cocktails need to be topped with pepper tincture and pink peppercorns. We sipped our way to the bottom of the glasses, debated having another, and, it being the day after Thanksgiving, decided against it. A healthy, turkey-free dinner at home and early night beckoned.

Grand Army Bar, 366 State St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

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5 Things & 3 More

5 happy things from the last 5 days:

1. Fresh ginger tea.

2. Making it to yoga. And having a leg which has healed enough to actually do some poses.

3. Pumpkin bundt cake.

4. Thanksgiving planning.

5. Pink morning skies.

3 things to read over the weekend:

1. Listen to Ottolenghi on Dessert Island Discs. 

2. Shine your inner light bright: it's getting dark and cold and the holidays are coming, so it's time to stand tall and be yourself.

3. I'll be eating these fried Brussels sprouts all winter long.

Happy weekend!

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Creamy Cocoa and Sweet Potato Soup

When you work for a soup start-up, your life becomes more focused on soup than you could possibly imagine. Trying to think of something to make for dinner other than soup is like trying to win the final of a Spelling Bee. I dream about soup, write about soup, eat soup, and that Mighty Boosh song is stuck on a loop in my head. 

I'm not complaining — I'm just trying to convey the all-encompassing nature of soup start-up life. The fact that I get to spend two hours every Monday morning filming a Facebook Live of my boss making soup is a total dream. Writing about mindful eating and living every week is hugely refreshing after so many slideshows about tailgating. And it means I can eat delicious soups for lunch every day of the week.

In my second week on the job, we celebrated Halloween with this sweet dessert-style soup. Steamed sweet potatoes are mixed with cocoa, coconut milk, a dash of chili, and served over black rice. Yep, don't worry, I was skeptical too. But it's delicious. It's like rice pudding but with chocolate and natural sweetness and chewier, less jelly-like rice. I've been craving it ever since, and think it may have to make an appearance at the breakfast table on Sunday morning. It's so simple, can genuinely be made in 20 minutes (we proved that here), and will fuel your day with so much energy and goodness. Happy souping!

You can find the recipe here, but if you are a keen souper, buy Nicole's book here.

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5 Things & 3 More

5 happy moments from the last 6 working days

1. Weeknight dinner at Wildair.

2. Sunrise and sunset over the water on the North Fork.

3. Tagliatelle.

4. Sunrise and daylight on early morning runs.

5. Coffee, coffee, coffee.

3 things to read on this slow Sunday:

1. Fall-perfect baking inspiration, because all Sundays need cake.

2. Nicole of Splendid Spoon wrote some beautiful words about uniting and bridging the divides this election has revealed.

3. This one quote.

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Apple Cider Cakes

Surrounded by falling leaves, crisp air, blue skies, and blustery winds, I caught sight of these adorable mini apple cider bundt cakes in the Sunday Suppers cookbook, and immediately knew what I would be baking that weekend.

These pretty bundtlettes are entirely vegan, made using apple sauce and apple cider instead of any milk or eggs, and your preferred oil instead of butter. Far from tasting like a healthy vegan-take on cake, these mini treats are almost unbelievably light, insanely fluffy, and are as comforting as your favorite, super soft winter scarf. Coated in cinnamon sugar (a fall essential), and eaten alongside a cup of spiced chai tea, you will have created the most wonderful Sunday afternoon.

You can find the recipe for the apple cider cakes here.

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5 Things & 3 More

5 happy things from the last 5 days:

1. Apple pie and upstate apples provided by a thoughtful friend.

2. Being busy. It means I haven't had a moment to talk to y'all, but it sure is better than being bored.

3. Lasagna. B made a huge homemade lasagna on Sunday and we've bean eating through it all week.

4. Caring friends. I fell rather badly out running with the club on Thursday morning and have been showered with kind texts and emails checking on me ever since.

5. Savasana. This was just what I needed at the end of the working week.

3 things to read this weekend:

1. A complete guide of where to find the best pie in NYC.

2. I think I need a cat so I can live more mindfully.

3. Lauren Conrad's home surely embodies every girls' kitchen dreams.

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