The Weekly Digest 01
Pecan pie brownies, forest fairy interiors, Ina Garten's memoir and more.
Happy (very belated) New Year! Today marks the first installment of my weekly digest, a collection of thoughts and favorites with some recipes sprinkled in between.
Does anyone else feel like December just absolutely flew by? Somewhere between planning dinners and tracking down the perfect gifts, I forgot to slow down and actually enjoy the festivities. I didn’t play nearly enough Christmas music and most tragically, I neglected to indulge in my annual rewatching of Love Actually. This is frankly unacceptable because what is December without reigniting a debate about the best storyline?
My goal for this year is to remember that no one expects everything to be flawless apart from myself. So, let’s get into it then! I expect these categories to evolve over time but for now, I think they’re a wonderful place to start.
Dishes Worth Repeating
The winter months should be all about comfort food and cottage pie is one of those dishes I make on rotation, for very good reason! I like to use ground beef from a local family run farm and finish it off with a generous layer of cheddar mashed potatoes, baked until perfectly golden.
Interiors I’m Loving
I’ve managed to put off redecorating our guest bedroom until now but with my parents coming to visit from England at the end of February, it’s finally time to make some decisions. My lovely husband, who has absolutely no interest in interior design, is annoyingly much better at picking paint colors than me. I spent two months unsuccessfully testing swatches to find the perfect creamy white for our kitchen and he walked into Ace Hardware, chose a color within five minutes and found exactly what I’d been looking for all along!
Our guest bedroom has horizontal wood panelling that is proving to be my biggest challenge. I definitely won’t be removing it but I’m torn between painting the upper section of the wall or introducing some pattern with wallpaper. If you have any suggestions at all, I would be eternally grateful!
This is my mood board so far:
Giving
Something I want to carry into this year is a more thoughtful approach to gifting. This Christmas, I included a small baked good with each gift for our extended family and friends, inspired by what they love or the stories they’ve shared.
One of our friends absolutely loves pecan pie, so much so on the night before Thanksgiving we went on a wild goose chase around town to find the last one. He’s also told me numerous times about his Grandma’s famous walnut topped brownies. Now I’m not trying to step on Grandma’s toes, so I decided why not combine his two favorite things and make pecan pie brownies!
If you have a pecan pie lover in your life, I promise they will be obsessed with these.
Ingredients for the brownies:
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
6 oz dark chocolate
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Ingredients for the pecan pie topping:
2 cups pecan halves, toasted
1 medium or large egg
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Measure out the pecan halves and bake for 5 - 10 minutes. They should darken slightly in color and have a nutty aroma, keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly!
Prepare a square (9 x 9 inch) pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, melt the butter. Once melted turn the heat down and add in the chocolate, stirring until it has completely melted. Leave to cool.
Using a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on high speed for 10 - 12 minutes.
On a lower speed setting, slowly pour in the melted chocolate and butter mixture. Then add in the cocoa powder, all purpose flour and salt. Whisking gently, just until the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove the brownies from the oven and set aside to cool slightly while you make the pecan pie topping.
Using a knife or rolling pin, break the pecan halves into some chunks and smaller pieces. Add them to a bowl with the egg, honey, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix together using a spoon or a fork.
Pour the pecan pie topping over the brownies, spreading it as evenly as possibly.
Place the brownies back into the oven and bake for a further 20 - 25 minutes. Leave them to cool completely in the pan.
Cut into even squares. Then plate the brownies for sharing or transfer them to your desired gift wrapping!
Everything I’ve Been Reading
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten was without a doubt the most impactful book I read in 2025. If it’s not already on your TBR list, you absolutely must add it right this second! Her memoir feels like a conversation with an old friend, marked by candid reflections on her difficult childhood and the courage behind making such a bold career change. Seeing how Ina’s belief in herself led the Barefoot Contessa to grow from a small Hamptons store into a global household name is a reminder to pursue your own happiness, in whatever form that may take.
Just as memorable is her love story with Jeffrey, which is woven throughout the entire book. It’s such a comforting Sunday morning read, that leaves you with a feeling of renewed confidence in finding the “right” path even if the journey isn’t quite so linear.
Slow Living
This time last year I posted a note:
Predictably, I didn’t exactly slow down quite like I wanted to!
We decided to start a “tiny” farm on just under an acre. A few chickens quickly turned into twenty-two, followed by ten ducks and four beehives. But now the best part of my morning is making a cup of coffee as soon as I get out of bed, then taking our dog outside to run around the yard while I collect the eggs. Despite the constant farm chores, I feel like we’ve set ourselves up to have a slower and more fulfilling life this year.
Things I Can’t Stop Thinking About
The hours I spent researching Christmas gifts unfortunately led me to discover far too many wonderful things I now want for myself, so I thought I’d best share them with you too.
If you own any of these pieces and love them, please let me know so I have a good excuse to partake in some much needed retail therapy!
Staub Stoneware Petite Tomato Cocotte
Not only do I want one of these but I want to gift one to everyone I know. Is this not just the perfect hostess gift? There’s one episode of Nigella Lawson’s cooking show On The Run that I’ve remembered for over a decade, she made “Hokey Pokey” (honeycomb) to take to a dinner party. I actually found the episode on YouTube if you’d like to give it a watch (23:35). So, this year I will be gifting this cocotte with honeycomb inside to a friend or maybe even two!
I was given a pizza stone as a wedding gift and as much as I love using it, I’m terrified of cracking it. This baking steel is something that can live in your oven without worry and I’ll take any opportunity to support a small business!
Emile Henry French Ceramic Baguette Baker
For my bread bakers. Need I say anything at all? I’m sure you can already tell that I’m an absolute sucker for ceramic bakeware and this would be the perfect addition to my rapidly expanding collection.
If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for being here. I know I rambled on a bit, but if you decide to stick around, it would truly mean so much to me. I have a recipe post planned for later this week, so I’ll see you again soon!
Georgia x