It's December 27. How was your Christmas? How is hanukkah going so far?

There have been years where I've dreaded the holidays and been grateful for them to be over. This year, thanks to my family coming to my home in Seattle and the Advent project, I was excited, mostly prepared, and truly enjoyed Christmas. We visited restaurants, prepared and enjoyed home cooked meals, reheated leftovers, snuck snacks, and so on...

​Today we took my parents to the airport and I was ready for a cool, refreshing, and healthy smoothie. I knew I had a great idea, then I took it to the next level by adding a double shot of espresso! 

We've made it to day 18. It's officially time for questioning why did I ever commit to 25 days of activities and posts!? It's been mostly fun doing this Advent calendar/Christmas countdown but I'm feeling a wee bit like a South Pole elf as I'm taking food photos in the 7 am hour...

Regardless, here we are! Day 18 included making chocolate saltine bark. I'm too impatient to bake so this recipe for melting things is a winner. I made two pans: one with mint chips and chocolate chips, another with butterscotch and chocolate chips. The mint chocolate bark turned out great, while the butterscotch chocolate bark was a total bust! You'll see that we still picked at the butterscotch mess, despite it being a wreck. 

Last summer I found this recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine and I made it no less than 5 times! It keeps very well and tastes even better a day or two after its made. I made a double batch and it quickly became our favorite meal on a long weekend of camping. 

The grilled Halloumi cheese and fresh corn take this salad to the next level. If you're unfamiliar with Halloumi, "the grilling cheese," this is a great way to try and fall in love with it!