Friday Things #464
1. I hope you all have had a wonderful two weeks! We enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday with extended family for the first time in three years and it was such a lovely day. The kids had so much fun! We all reveled in nearly a week off from school and schedules and enjoyed relaxing days.
2. One morning over Thanksgiving break, my husband and I got up around 7:00 to all three kids snuggled in Dominic’s bed reading a book together.
The three of them bicker and fight like any normal siblings; it can be frustrating and exhausting, but boy, moments like these make my heart just absolutely swell and melt at the same time ❤️
3. I asked this on Instagram last week – do you have a Christmas morning breakfast tradition? If so, I’d love to hear what it is! Share in the comments below 😊
4. So interesting! >> The Unsung Women of the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens
5. This video of Chris Pratt’s acceptance speech from the 2018 MTV Movie Awards popped up in my Facebook feed last week. I had never seen it before and thought it was great:
6. I am working on completely revamped gift guides for you this week! Be on the lookout for an email when they are published (likely over the weekend); I hope they provide some ideas and inspiration for your holiday shopping!
7. I finished It Ends With Us a couple of weeks ago and really liked it. I’m not sure what it is about how Colleen Hoover writes, but I absolutely fly through her books. I just began Code Name Helen; I will keep you posted on how I like it! What was your favorite book from the year?
8. Love this from James Clear’s newsletter:
9. We started watching Tulsa King (Paramount+); made by Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone. I’ve never been a huge Sylvester Stallone fan, but oh my gosh, we LOVE this show! Also looking forward to 1923 later in December; we weren’t huge fans of 1883 (even though I adore Tim McGraw and Faith Hill), so I’m hoping we enjoy 1923 more.
10. TGIF! These two kept a very close eye on Thanksgiving preparations 😆
My favorite book of the year was Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult. I read it the first week of December and after that I had a string of so-so books.
I’m concerned that there hasn’t been a new Friday Things for two weeks. Is everything okay?
Christmas MorNing tradition food wise? We always love an egg cheddar and sausage strata that my mom used to make multiple 9x13s of. Five siblings we went through two or three of them as a brunch after opening gifts. Both parents have been gone for a while but we still do it, just at a higher volume. After all, there were 5 of us…….at that time.
For the Colleen Hoover fans, the New York Times had a great article about her life in October.
We make a double batch of the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls in early December for gifting (just made them last weekend), and I put two pans in the deep freeze. I put them in the fridge on Christmas Eve afternoon to thaw and heat them up in the oven on Christmas morning–they still taste fresh and make the house smell amazing. I also make oven bacon, which I pop in as I first hear my daughter stirring. To that, I add a bowl of berries, OJ and sparkling wine for mimosas and brew some seasonal flavored coffee, and we’re good to go. Easy, and special enough as these cinnamon rolls only get made once a year.
Christmas morning breakfast:
Overnight french toast – just pop in the oven Christmas morning!
Hashbrown Casserole – prepare day before, just pop in oven
Bacon
Fresh fruit
Sour cream coffee cake
Coffee / Egg Nog / Juice
So happy to see Friday things! And your beautiful children are growing so quickly! Loved the Betty Crocker article ; )
Love #8 in your list!!!
For Christmas morning at our daughter’s home, I bake & take the Breakfast Casserole that I’ve been making for decade and she bakes a traditional Monkey Bread. A perfect combination for our family!
Hi Michelle!
I love all the beautiful pics of your kids!
It really warms my heart!! ❤️
I think you know that your father n law, Joe is related to me! 😇. So we are related too! 😇. I’ve been looking for cookie recipe ideas! Marylou, my sister is having a cookie exchange next week. I’m thinking of making my moms Italian knots.
Those are fun and festive! Have a very Merry Christmas! Love and hugs, Nancy❤️🎄⛄️😇
Your children are adorable – and so are your dogs! I’m so happy you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with your family. My family’s long-standing tradition for Christmas breakfast is actually a similar version to your Sausage, Egg & Cheese overnight casserole recipe. I used to make it exactly as written, but some years ago I started substituting frozen shredded hashbrowns for the bread. No need to thaw them – just add them right from the freezer. I also like to add some chopped onions and red and green bell peppers for some Christmas color flair. It’s a big hit with the family and since it’s made the night before, it gives me a break from the kitchen before dinner preparations begin. Love it!
I just found the sequel to It Ends With Us at Target on sale for 20% off in paperback. It is called It Starts With Us.
Beautiful family. Be well and blessings to all. There really is so much to be thankful for, knowing where to look is key.
New commenter here. Your children are just beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, Where the Crawdads Sing! Growing up, my dad made pancakes, bacon, and over-easy fried eggs. For my own family I made Skier’s French Toast, assembled the night before and baked in the morning. Wishing you and your family a peaceful and blessed Christmas!
We have nut roll (recipe from my father’s side – Romanian and very unique), and Trader Joe’s Chocolate Croissants. The past two years I’ve made candy cane cherry coffee cake using canned croissants and cherry pie filling. Cheesy, delicious and cute!! They do take up room in the fridge (I make them a day ahead). Enjoy the season!!!
Hi Michelle, I heard that Colleen Hoover just released a sequel to It Ends With Us. Can’t wait to read it!
Michelle, the kids look so happy & healthy. I love that they crawl into bed together to share a book. I used to teach elementary school & feel strongly that it’s important for children to have lots of exposure to books at home (even library books count). My greats are forever surprising me when they point out a word – this week it was “Old Navy” on the tag of Rossi’s new jumper.
I love panettone & for the past few years I buy a loaf for french toast on Christmas morning. I’m reading my way through Colleen Hoover’s books. I read an e-book from the library every couple of days. I read It Ends With Us & It Begins With Us this week – preferred the first one.
Looking forward to your gift guides, though I think I’m finished with my shopping. I need to finish a pillow I’m making my niece from her grandmother’s sunflower sweater.
Beautiful family so glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Very happy you had a lovely holiday. Love seeing Dominic with his hair grown back! Continued prayers for his recovery to perfect health. Merry Christmas blessings to your whole family
So nice to see you had a great family thanksgiving. Hugs for you all, we all have a lot to be thankful for this year. Thanks for sharing your family with us. And of course your wonderful recipes, don’t know what I would do without them
By far my favorite book of the year was Horse by Geraldine Brooks…just wonderful.
We also like Tulsa King and are so looking forward to 1923 (the cast!) but we also LOVED 1883! Tim McGraw was great, felt like a typical role for him and I thought Faith Hill’s performance started out weak but def improved as the series went on. I was mesmerized by Elsa!
We try to have something special for breakfast Christmas morning but we mix it up. This year I am thinking a Dutch Baby with apples would be fun.
Looking forward to your lists!!!
What a delight to find a Friday Things. It brought tears to my eyes seeing how healthy sweet Dominic looks. I will get back to you on my favorite books I have read. Just wanted to let you know I loved seeing your precious family and will continue to keep them in my prayers.
A great read – Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchey. Christmas morning is popovers using Better Homes and Gardens recipe with Smuckers Jams (expensive for us growing up – a nod to
My Dad who requested them as Christmas gifts) and kielbasa.
My mom started making breakfast pizza on Christmas morning when I was in college and it was a hit and became our tradition.
Praying for your dear boy each day! The kids look great! I hope you are taking care of yourself. The family pets have very expressive faces. They made me chuckle this morning when I saw them. Have a wonderful day Michelle. I am the one that asked questions about resolving the peanut allergy.
Love the pictures-the kiddos are so cute. And the dogs watching dinner preparations so closely. Especially like the update on Dominic. May 2023 be blessed beyong measure for your family.
For the past 25 years, I’ve been making Eggs Benedict for Christmas brunch. We open all our presents and then while everyone is in a candy coma or enjoying their gifts, I get to cooking. 😁
I am a nurse and work nights with alternating holidays so we have found that Christmas brunch works really well for us. I can do so much ahead of time it’s a quick setup. I make blueberry or raspberry sweet rolls, ham, cheesy potatoes (diced potatoes with cheese, cream of chicken soup, butter, salt, onion) spinach quiche bites, deviled eggs and fruit. The sweet rolls and quiche bites I can make ahead of time and put into the freezer whenever I have extra time. The potatoes and eggs I put together the day before and then I just warm up everything so I am not in the kitchen forever.
Happy Friday! I love the pictures of your kids!! Our Christmas breakfast tradition is Paula Dean’s Overnight French Toast Casserole! It was great when the kids were younger! By the time they were finished opening gifts, breakfast was ready! I am excited to see 1923!! It has got to be better than 1883. I am on the fence with Tulsa King lol but I’ll give it a try.
Michelle, So nice to read of your big family Thanksgiving get together. Loved seeing the kids together reading and all dressed up for Thanksgiving!
It was nice to see Duke & Alice too!
It’s just so nice to have you posting again.
Love to each of you, and pats for Duke & Alice
Jean
My favorite book is Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover.
I’ve loved every one of her books!!
Good morning Michelle and happy Friday! Your children are really growing up!!! Isabelle looks a lot like you! I am so happy you had everyone home with you for Thanksgiving and that Dominic is feeling better. They are so adorable reading together in bed. Hold fast to these days because they go so quickly. I have been looking at pictures of my grandchildren, they are no 10 and 12, I can’t believe they were just babies a few years ago! The time goes so quickly that I just want to slow it down to enjoy all the more. I do not know who Chris Pratt is but I liked his speech. I am happy to hear he is a Christian and he gladly professes his faith and encourages prayer!!!! It is truly a breath of fresh air. Have a wonderful weekend!
Our Christmas morning breakfast tradition since 2007 is overnight cranberry eggnog French toast! It was in a Cooking Club magazine that year, and looked good, so I made it and brought it to brunch at my mom’s. It was such a hit that I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that if I don’t bring it, I might as well not show up. ;-) (Basically just French or Italian bread soaked in a French toast batter made with eggnog instead of regular milk, sprinkled with cranberries and pecans and a streusel topping, and baked. SO GOOD!)
This sounds delicious! I’ve searched online but can’t find this particular recipe with the streusel topping. Do you have a link to the recipe or could you post it please? Thank you!
Love hearing from you again on Friday mornings Michelle and so happy that you were able to finally spend Thanksgiving with extended family. We traveled to spend Thanksgiving with both my children and my four grandchildren. Family is so important. Your kids are so cute and looking so spiffy for the holiday too!!
So glad your cup has been filled over thanksgiving Michelle. I’ve learnt over the years to really live in certain moments and appreciate them for what they are, look forward to all that is coming on Brown eyed baker xox