Happy New Year, my beautiful friends. You made it; it’s 2023. You may be feeling more “new year, new deductible” than everyone’s favorite “new year, new me.” Fear not, I am not here to encourage you to be someone new. You’re already great! Instead, I have suggestions for easy pasta upgrades, a great movie that’s now streaming, and attainable goals.
Eat: Long before charcuterie boards were on everyone’s instagram feed, I’ve loved the idea of them and would make my own with leftovers straight out of the fridge. Who doesn’t want to try a little bit of everything? I made myself a delicious board to enjoy last week, and I was left with a few odds and ends. Enter: the artichoke. I had a number of grilled artichokes from Trader Joe’s left, and I didn’t want to just eat them cold. Instead, I grabbed the roasted red peppers that were also remaining from the board and made myself a delicious pasta dish: spaghetti, artichokes, roasted red peppers, and spinach, all tied together with jarred tomato sauce and some ricotta cheese to make a pink sauce. The moral of the story is: most things will play well together in a cheesy tomato sauce. Peer into the fridge, be brave, and get going.
See: I had an absolute blast watching Glass Onion with my friend on New Year’s Eve. For those that are not familiar, Glass Onion features the brilliant detective from Knives Out, Benoit Blanc. As in the original Knives Out movie, there is a murder to solve, and time is of the essence before there is another victim. If you haven’t seen Knives Out, I’d recommend starting there. What Glass Onion does is improve upon everything established in Knives Out. It’s decidedly funnier, with a number of surprising and hilarious cameos. It’s even more current, with a number of pop culture references. It even tackles COVID in a way that offers character insights. But the heart remains the same. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, or just a Ravenclaw who loves solving mysteries, this is a movie for you – and it’s now streaming on Netflix.
Do: Are you being harassed about ways to improve your life in 2023? Good grief. For many of us, the goal is merely to survive – not to become our most jacked, efficient, or thriving self. A few years ago, I was listening to an episode of the podcast And That’s Why We Drink. Em, one of the co-hosts, said they were aiming for very reasonable things. Instead of it being “their year,” they wanted a year of tasty sandwiches. I adore this idea. You don’t need to set yourself up for some lofty, ambitious goal. What if you decided to watch more stand-up comedy specials? Or pull more fun pranks on your friends? Make this a year of delicious sandwiches, whatever the equivalent of that is to you.
Have a bold, mysterious, reasonable weekend, pals.
Christina
