Happy last day of 2023! I thought this topic might be perfect given the time of year and the indulging that might be planned for this evening 🥳.
New Year's Eve hasn't really been a big deal for me over the years. I tried the dinner/dance thing once but that wasn't for me. Also, staying up until midnight is not easy! I laughed at a meme on Instagram yesterday that said, "The only way I'll be up at midnight on New Year's Eve is if I have to pee!" That's me in a nutshell.
I have enjoyed some celebrations in the past: tobogganing and hot chocolate with other families, games nights with friends, quiet time with family and one memorable New Year's Eve watching a Bugs Bunny marathon. I won't be seeing the ball drop tonight but I will greet the new year when I get up at 0530 tomorrow, bright-eyed and in need of caffeine (I'm still on my short-ish sleep schedule).
As for the topic at hand, I have certainly indulged this holiday season (and leading up to it). The scale has told me so! Some of my family was supposed to receive chocolate from me but alas, it was in the house and I was unsupervised.
I am grateful that I have the financial resources to occasionally give in to the urge to indulge and the physical ability to be active to partially counteract the effects of those indulgences. As you can see, I am focusing on only food with this topic. As a matter of fact, I didn't even consider including anything else - I'm sure if I put some thought into it, there is a whole host of non-food related things that I may indulge in. Quickly off the top of my head...naps!
Here we go...
Hot chocolateFrankly, chocolate of any kind (except white chocolate - that shouldn't even be called chocolate 🙅) is something I can indulge in from time to time (okay, let's be real...whenever it is in the house). A candy cane hot chocolate adds something a little extra to the enjoyment.
Thankfully I don't enjoy many "candies" but jelly beans are one of the exceptions. These were (again, thankfully) not at my house so they probably lasted several days or weeks in this bowl sitting out on the counter.
Thanks to my friend Kathy's gluten-free flour recipe, I have successfully made Levi his favourite cookies (three batches since he's been home!). We call them grandma cookies because when he was little, my mom made them for him all the time. I like what another friend has called them - snapless ginger snaps.
Also not at my house or there would be more than one empty cookie slot.
Until about four years ago, I thought there were only four or so flavours of these balls of goodness. Then a friend received a giant bag from the outlet in Ottawa and I had the misfortune to discover so many new flavours. This one (mint chocolate cookie or something like that) is only available in stores around the holidays. I have so far avoided that outlet store when visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Ottawa and if you're reading this Pete and Darlene, let's keep it that way! On a jealous side note, Pete and Darlene have an entire pantry devoted to chocolate and manage to control themselves!
I only discovered this sort of gem two years ago when Kathy made me try some in hot chocolate while out for a chilly walk one night (she had hidden a small container in her pocket - don't tell anyone). Later, I tried it in coffee and that was quite yummy too. Still later, a friend introduced me to Bailey's over ice and that was the moment I truly believed! Bailey's and Forty Creek and other distilleries have several flavours now and every one of them is worth a try. My friend Donna had this at her place and I took the opportunity to use hers for a photograph since I didn't want to chance buying myself a bottle (it disappears far too quickly when I'm left to my own devices). I then had the difficult task of drinking it while she and her son were at the dentist 😉. Also, because I handled the cookies, they also had to be devoured.
That's it for now. Wishing you all a lovely evening (whether you make it to midnight or not) and a great start to 2024!
Happy New Year!
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