Toasting Twenty-Sixteen

Happy New Year, interwebs!

Another year, another great holiday season filled with family, pjs, presents, and dessert for breakfast.

[Merry, Merry]

Peanut butter balls were basically the only thing I consumed before noon all week. It's true. Zero shame.

[A Crocker in Action]

I also made this White Chocolate Peppermint Christmas Cake from the Baking Bible. Let me tell you, buttercream is a bitch when all you have to work with is an ancient mixer. Also, I've never been so grateful for the invention of boxed cake mixes. It was surprisingly difficult to make this cake from scratch!

[Worth it]

Indulgence was the theme of the week. Thanks to a holiday gift from my place of employment (a week off work!), I was able to enjoy some pampering with my sister, a marathon of my new favorite show—the Great British Bake Off (I desparately need a biscuit and some sponge)—several wonderful hikes to make up for the tv binging...

[Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside]

... and even checked out a few potential wedding venues! Stay tuned.

[A necessary part of the process]

As wedding planning begins, and Matt and I start tackling the terrifying "to do" list, I've taken a moment to create an additional agenda, of resolutions to remember in the fun and filled year ahead! Without further ado, my 2016 New Year Resolitions:

1. Monthly fun date nights with Matthew - Amidst booking a photographer and funding the best caterer, it's going to be more important than ever to take time to relax and remember the reason we are orchestrasting the circus often times referred to as a wedding. Among the adventures: take the train to Olvera Street and bike to a brewery.

2. Explore - I've inherited a love of the Great Outdoors from my dad. Last year, I tried a new hike every month. This year, I'd like to focus on a few in particular: a moonlight hike, tackling Mt. Tom near Bishop, and trekking the Bridge to Nowhere.

3. Sweat - While barre has my full heart, I'd like to finally take a bikram yoga class! Other workout goals: build/tone arms and get more comfortable with weights, improve my situps (I have troubles with my sway back and want to build my core strength to more easily handle), and improve my pullup capacity aka work those lats!

4. Bake - I'm Bethie Crocker after all. A couple year's ago I read "Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Pie" by Beth Howard, who helped me develop a deeper appreciation for the crust-laiden delecacy. The book is a real treat (pun intended); I highly recommend. And now, I am the proud owner of her pie cookbook! In 2016 I vow to try a new pie recipe a month. Lingering fear of pie dough, be damned! I will conquer it.

5. Save - I know, I know, this is laughable given that I am throwing down for a wedding, but this is even more reason to budget and get a hold of my expenses, right?

6. Breakfast Club - Last year, I began a monthly quest to recreate my favorite Pinterest breakfasts... well sort of. We did make those cinnamon roll waffles we all know we have pinned on one of our boards. Equipped with a new donut pan, donut cutter, and creme brulee torch (we're getting fancy), the Breakfast Club lives on in 2016!

7. Simmer - The crockpot is incredibly easy, and there are so many good recipes. Last year I tackled at least one new recipe a month. This is happening again, starting with Slow-Cooker Coconut Ginger Chicken & Vegetables.

8. Embrace my inner bookworm - I am known to devour books so this goal could be potentially too easy, but I am aiming to read at least 15 books this year. I'm starting with Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, JK Rowling's psuedonym because I always crave a good JK Rowling book around this time of year. Frankly, I can't believe I haven't already read this book.

9. Indulge - Life is all about balance. When you are a foodie who also tends to be too hard on yourself, this is especially important to remember. With an appetite like mine, I guess it isn't too hard to remember... a few foodie cravings I'd like to satiate this year: Jeni's Ice Cream, Pressed Juicery, Pie N' Burger, Dim Sum! (the list is much longer than this in actuality... these are just a few of the top priorities. More to unfold on this blog, I'm sure (I hope). Also, How Sweet Eats and Seriously Delish recipes are continuing every month. Glorious, glorious food.

10. Mend - As you can see from the amount of items I have on this list, I have a tendency to go about a mile a minute. This year, I plan to take some time out to take care of me. Life is about balance! This means that while I will indeed indulge in my favorite sweets and baked goods, I will also try to institute Meatless Mondays, strive for clean eating whenever possible, and the biggie, improve on my sleep! I wear myself ragged without the proper amount of sleep. Now that I have a handy-dandy fitbit, which helps me not only track the amount of sleep I am getting, but also the quality of that sleep, I can more effectively improve on this area of my life. I am aiming for 7-8 hours a night, which means my butt is in bed by 8:30 on the mornings I wake up for 5 a.m. workout. Wish me luck.

And, lastly....

11. Dammit, I am having a bike party this year.