If I had to pick something that puts me in the holiday spirit, I would have to say it’s my Grandma’s Christmas shortbread cookies. These bad boys are buttery, crumbly and the specks of red and green maraschino cherries just put me in the holiday spirit. In fact, I’m pretty sure that if you bottled up Christmas in a cookie, this would be it. Every December, like clockwork, I look forward to consuming my weight in these cookies. This year Trevor and I are spending our holidays in Toronto, so I knew that if I wanted to get my annual fill, I needed to make these cookies on my own.
In early November, I started taking hot yoga classes at a studio near our condo. Nothing too crazy, just something to help me stretch and unwind a couple nights a week. It’s been especially good because my job is very sedentary and much of my morning and afternoon is spent sitting at a computer desk. The last time I did any hot yoga was a little over two years ago, so the first few classes were a little rough to say the least. However, it’s now been a little over a month and I’m amazed at how quickly I was able to gain back some flexibility. The human body is a pretty cool thing.
Besides flexibility, I’ve also had to deal with an increased need to eat ALL the food around me. Luckily it’s a pretty great time of year for food. Between holiday parties, cookie swaps, and baking up a storm on the weekends, my hungry yoga belly has never been happier.
Happy December! Is it just me or did 2014 fly by? I know I can’t be the only one who thinks this. It also feels weird to admit that I’m now a person who says that time is flying by. I remember being in grade school and thinking that everything was moving so s-l-o-w-l-y. Summer breaks were never long enough and December and Christmas always seemed like a lifetime away.
I’m also a little freaked out about 2014 ending so quickly because the end of the year gets me thinking about personal goals, both ones I made for myself at the beginning of the year and ones to set for the upcoming year. Hopefully when I review the big ol’ list I made myself late last January, I won’t be too disappointed. Silver lining – anything that wasn’t achieved this year will definitely be on my list for 2015!
One of the things I love about our condo is the amount of natural sunlight we get on a sunny day. When we first moved in, I couldn’t get enough of it because I could rush home from work (shorter commute, yay!) and I still had enough time to take my photos. It was so bright we could go most evenings without turning on our living room, dining room or kitchen lights as long as we kept our window blinds open. It was August and I was completely delusional.
Enter November and daylight saving time. I knew it was too good to last and that’s when I began my hunt for an artificial light.
Today’s post and cookie recipe has been brought to you by the words comfort and colourful. If this week was cold, dark and grey for you too, then I think you need these fun little M&M cookies in your life. I highly recommend eating them with a glass of almond milk in your pjs, under a giant blanket on the couch and in front of the TV. Consider this recipe a warm hug that will get you through the upcoming winter months.
Canadian food blogger, baking and eating her way through life. Musical theatre fanatic. Personal finance nerd. Sometimes runner/yogi. Green smoothies are pretty amazing.
