The halls are decked, my presents are wrapped, our holiday cards went out and I am ready for Christmas, you guys. Can you tell I'm trying to mitigate holiday anxiety but getting things done early? It helps!
Amalia is in her prime Christmas/Santa age and is truly mesmerized by the magic of Christmas. I made the mistake of buying her an advent calendar with chocolate so that has become the first thing she wants to do after school every day.
My Italian grandma made the best pasta fagioli in the world. That's just a fact. I sadly never got her exact recipe before she passed, but it has been one of my top comfort foods for as long as I can remember so I make it often, especially in the winter.
Pasta fagioli is an easy weeknight meal packed with protein from the beans (and if you use chickpea pasta, you double that!), veggies, and flavor.
Yesterday I finished shopping for Amalia's stocking and feel quite good about how Santa did this year. Every Christmas, she gets one gift from Santa, one gift from me and Anel, and a stocking full of little treats. We try to keep the number of gifts she gets to a minimum since family and friends are also gifting to her.
Muddy buddies but make it Christmas! This reindeer chow is cute to leave out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve, to bag up as little gifts, to serve at holiday get-togethers, or just to make and eat yourself because it's SO good. I highly recommend you use Corn Chex for the ultimate crunch to chocolate ratio but any kind works.
