The Weekly Digest 02
The Biscotti Sundays guide to surviving a new year, along with some other things.
Hello, dear friends! I’m here to announce that my joyful optimism for this year has sadly already wilted like a paper straw in a milkshake. January arrived with the best intentions, as it usually does, but life has a funny way of catching up rather quickly.
We all know those days when literally nothing seems to go our way. I’m not usually superstitious, yet here I am, writing this on the thirteenth. My mother-in-law always says that bad things come in threes and I’m currently sitting comfortably at number two, eagerly awaiting what number three may bring. I say that ironically, although I’m a little curious how this plays out for me.
Despite everything, I’ve still been indulging in all the usual January optimism. You know, the “new year, new me” kind of content. Nevertheless, I’ve accepted (earlier than expected) that a $200 Filofax isn’t going to be the magical cure I need, no matter how stunning it would look on my desk.
So, full disclosure. This is kind of the Biscotti Sundays guide to surviving a new year, along with some other things.
Decluttering
Spring might not have sprung quite yet but it’s always the right time for a reset. If you need a little nudge, start with your junk drawer. I know you have one, we all do. It's the place where takeout menus, mystery keys and random screws seem to multiply. After ten minutes of organizing, the dreaded drawer of despair will finally stop fighting back when you try to open it.
Now for the rest of the house, I like to keep things simple. If something no longer brings me joy or serves a genuine purpose, I set it aside to either sell or donate. What no longer works for you could be exactly what someone else has been searching for. Consider it a low-stakes attempt at channeling your inner Marie Kondo.
In The Kitchen
As much as I love cooking, the decision fatigue around what to make for dinner has always felt utterly unavoidable. For longer than I’d like to admit, I spent more time admiring my collection of cookbooks than actually using them as a tool to build my weekly menu. Consider this my public confession.
So, here’s my new method for being more prepared in the kitchen:
If you have a cookbook you’re most drawn to, start flipping through it with a pad of sticky notes.
Mark any recipes you find appealing, I like to give them a rating out of five. Once I have my tabs ready, I start looking for overlap between them.
If two or three recipes use the same produce, herbs or pantry staples, they suddenly become very good friends. This makes it easy to plan around what produce is in season and minimizes food waste.
Growing
Last summer, we kept things pretty simple in the garden with some blueberry bushes and tomato plants. The satisfaction of growing a few blueberries might have given me a bit too much confidence because this year, I’m ready to dig in (quite literally). If you’re curious, here’s how I’m preparing:
Firstly, I created a wish list. I’ve been describing it as my fruit and vegetable bucket list. It’s simply a list of produce I’d love to grow myself, with a few fun (or unrealistic) additions thrown into the mix.
I researched what hardiness zone I live in. This helped me understand what actually grows well in our area based on climate and typical weather patterns.
Lastly, I used the Farmer’s Almanac planting calendar to figure out exactly when to plant everything. In theory, my yield should definitely be more than one carrot but we shall see!
The few tomatoes I grew last year.
Everything I’ve Been Reading
The book I’ve been obsessed with this week is Martha Stewart’s Entertaining. I’m clearly a bit late to the party, considering it was first published back in 1982. Better late than never, I suppose! While I don’t see myself hosting a summer omelette brunch for sixty anytime soon, the visual inspiration alone (not to mention the seemingly endless recipes) makes it literally impossible to put down.
Simple Projects
I’ve decided that crafting should be considered a form of self-care, so I’m going to attempt a simple craft project each month. Recently, the colorful photo mat trend has completely taken over my feed and I’m not mad about it. There’s just something so satisfying about introducing a bit of fun to otherwise mundane things.
Naturally, this sent me down a Pinterest rabbit hole where I promptly fell in love with collage frames. This is what I’ll be working on for the rest of January!
Things I Can’t Stop Thinking About
This week has been especially busy, so I haven’t had much time to wander the depths of the internet. However, one thing I saw really stood out! Natalee (headley_house on TikTok) is creating a 3D ceramic plate wall in her dining room, inspired by an Instagram post Architectural Digest shared back in December. She’s been sourcing the most adorable ceramic food from independent artists and mounting them on vintage plates, I can’t wait to see the final result and now I need to make a couple vegetable plates for my kitchen!
If you made it all the way to the end, thank you for being here. I have a recipe post planned for later this week, so I’ll see you again soon!
Georgia x