Sunday Summary - 11.27.22
Reading and Watching
The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
If you liked The Princess Switch on Netflix, go ahead and add this one to your reading list. There are no royals, but this does involve two (actually related) twins who switch places after one suffers a concussion on the set of her Holiday Baking show and one experiences a bad breakup with a delusional long-time boyfriend. I have several non-fiction books lined up for after the holidays, but for the next month expect more reads like this one to be featured in the summary each week.
This one surprised me! Most Netflix Christmas movies are a lot like Hallmark movies. They’re weird, there’s romance, there’s inevitably some scene where someone falls dramatically and flails their arms for much longer than necessary — you get the picture. This one has one kind of cheesy scene at the beginning, but overall it’s very different, more serious, and has better acting than most. Highly recommend!
While we’re talking about Netflix Christmas movies — I also really love Operation Christmas Drop. It’s always the first movie I watch after Thanksgiving for some reason, and I can’t even put my finger on why I like it so much. Maybe because it’s set on a tropical island instead of in a small town? Maybe because it’s based on a true story? I don’t know, but it’s good if you’ve never seen it!
Cooking
Thanksgiving was a success! We had a great time hosting both sides of our family, and we’ve made a surprising dent in our leftovers. After a while those traditional flavors get a little tiresome, though, so we’re excited to dive into some very wintery, yet flavorful meals this week!
Dinner Recipes
Creamy White Chicken Chili - We’ve cooked several traditional chili recipes this fall, but we’re looking forward to this chili recipe with a twist.
Anchovy Pasta from The Comfortable Kitchen - You can view this recipe via the link to the cookbook. It’s the 5th preview image on Amazon - you’re welcome! This is really just a more flavorful spaghetti of sorts. It has a red sauce and is served with parsley and parm, and we’re excited to give it a shot!
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup from Cook This Book — I can’t find the full recipe online, but if you have the book it’s on page 230. It’s only 8 ingredients and seems decadent and delicious.
Cocktail Recipe
Bryan whipped up a Paper Plane for us last night that we sipped on while watching Miracle on 34th Street. I must say, even if you don’t think you like bourbon you’d probably like this cocktail. I tend to gravitate toward lighter liquors, probably a holdover from college where most guys drank dark liquor and most girls drank light liquor, but I’m trying to branch out these days. I encourage you to give this one a shot this holiday season — the color is very festive, and the taste is fruity and tart.
Paper Plane
3/4 ounce bourbon
3/4 ounce Aperol
3/4 ounce Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Add the bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a coupe glass.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Deals
Necessaire — Free Body Serum with any purchase OR Free Body Serum & Body Oil with $125 purchase.
Fun fact: The value of your cart needs to equal $125 to qualify for the free gifts, but you can use a coupon code and STILL receive the free products. At the time I bought the items featured I paid $118. I found a code this morning (FABFITFUN20) that takes this order down to $105! So you get 20% off your purchase and $85 in free product. Not too shabby, especially for really high quality skincare. Bryan will get one of the hand creams and a body serum, and I’ll report back on the rest. Their lotion is my favorite of any brand — no fragrance, works instantly, recyclable packaging. (The links below are not affiliate links.)
The Treatment Collection - Usually $90 and it’s $72 with the discount
Hand Cream Duo - Usually $30 and it’s $24 with the discount
2% BHA Bar - Usually $15 and it’s $9.60 with the discount
Saie — 25% off the entire website and a free Mascara 101 with purchases $50+
I’m slowly transitioning all my makeup over to those with cleaner ingredients and recyclable packaging, and the timing couldn’t have been better for this sale. I’m almost out of my tinted moisturizer, glowy super gel, and mascara, and I threw the concealer in (since it’s something I know I’ll use) to meet the $50 minimum for the free product. The links below are affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission if you shop through them.
Slip Tint - Usually $36 and it’s $27 with the discount
Hydrabeam Concealer - Usually $26 and it’s $19.50 with the discount
Glowy Super Gel Duo - Usually $22 and it’s $16.50 with the discount
Dae — 15% off all Holidae sets
This brand has been advertised to me a LOT recently, and when one of my favorite small businesses (Walker Family Goods) posted about this brand on Small Business Saturday, I took the plunge and got this “On-the-Go Gift Set” that features almost everything in their line. It’s usually $49, and I got it for $41 with 10% cash back via Rakuten (In the end, I got it for $37 instead of $49.) The link below is an affiliate link, which means that I make a small commission if you shop through the link.
Fitness — 30% off Class Studios Class Packages
I bought a 5 class livestream pass from the studio I used to be a member of in Dallas for $14 with code BLACKFRIDAY! If you have a bike at home and are also experiencing Peloton fatigue () give these classes a shot. They’ll email you a link to join 15-30 minutes before class starts, and you stream it on Vimeo. I set up a computer on a barstool next to my bike, and it works great. Fair warning: These classes are all 45 minutes long, are more challenging than the average Peloton class, and are rhythm-based rather than stats based rides.
I’ve been missing this format a lot recently, and I LOVED tuning in this morning and diving back into the cycling style that made me fall in love with it 4 or 5 years ago. It was HUMBLING — I’ve clearly lost a lot of the strength and stamina I use to have, so I think I’m going to start tuning into these classes more regularly.
While I’ve loved the Peloton, especially during the height of the pandemic, I miss the rhythm-based, technique focused riding offered in other gyms. Because Peloton classes are structured around output and ranges of cadence and resistance, the technique and music often go out the window. I’ve started doing more strength and barre classes on the Peloton lately to get out of my cycling rut, and it’s been great for me mentally and has made me more excited for exercise!
Happy Sunday!
Psst — A lot of the products featured on my gift guides are also on sale through Cyber Monday. I did a brief little run through on my Instagram a few days ago, but Everlane, Fellow, Glossier, Walker Family Goods, and more are all on sale right now. Best of luck on your discount endeavors!