WIAW #22 and Some Perspective

   Hi Friends!

   I hope you're all having a wonderful week.  It's been kinda strange over here at the L&L headquarters, aka: my apartment.  I've been busy baking away and will definitely be posting some recipes very soon!  I don't know about you, but this is my absolute favorite time of year to bake.  And I bake all the time, so that's saying a lot.  There is just a certain feeling that goes along with baking around the Holidays.  My heart just feels a little bit more full this time of year knowing that I'll be sharing these yummy treats with everyone that I love.

   So why has it been strange?  Well, I'm glad you asked (ha).  I found myself without heat and hot water on Monday evening.  It turns out it was just my hot water tank malfunctioning, but it was kinda stressful not knowing what was happening and if I would get any heat back that night.  I called my parents and other family members to ask what I should do (since I've never been in that kind of situation before), and while they were very helpful (thanks mom and pop!) I found that the more everyone was worried about me, the more I felt like a big suck.  Everyone I spoke to wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to spend the night without heat.  I tried to reassure them that if that was the case, then I was more than prepared with plenty of blankets.  But, at the same time, I couldn't help but think about the other people around the city who might be spending the night without heat.  How lucky am I that: 1. It was just a malfunction that was fixed by the gas company that evening.  2. I live in an apartment with plenty of linens, blankets, clothes, etc. to keep me warm.  And 3. I have family and friends all around me that will offer me a place to stay without batting an eyelash.  There are other people living in this city who are not as fortunate and I just want to make sure that I am not taking anything I have for granted.  I don't really have a moral to this story, I just wanted to share what happened and how it affected me.  I didn't really see my reaction coming but it must be because the weather is getting colder and my mind has been on those less fortunate who are spending their nights in less than cozy warm spaces.

So, what about the food?

  Needless to say, I haven't been taking too many food pictures lately.  However, I had a really yummy meal at my sister's house on Sunday that I wanted to share with you.  We made supper together which was really fun and this is what we ended up with:

{Mashed sweet potatoes, edamame, Brussels Sprouts, tomatoes, pepperoncini's, olives, and vegetarian chicken.}

   We rounded out the meal with some white wine and a Christmas movie.  Perfecton!

My latest obsession...

{Sweet and Salty Popcorn}

   I can't get enough of this stuff!  I literally ate half the bag tonight standing at the sink.  Man I hate when that happens.  Ha.  But I can't help it. I love the perfect combination of salty and sweet.  It's like they read my mind when they created this delicious snack!

   Well, that's my contribution to this weeks WIAW.  Thanks, as always, to Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this foodie party. 

   Stay tuned for some holiday recipes that I'll be sharing with you soon!

Til next time....

Love,

Ves xx