i knew this year was busy, distracting, exhausting, etc., but i failed to realize just how LITTLE blogging i did this year. it’s been nearly 365 days since my last post. my heart hurts just writing that! well, as they say, some things are better late than never, and i suppose a blog about baking can fall into that category.
to start, my final bake of my year-of-bakes was a lemon meringue pie. i’m not very experienced with homemade pie crust and have never tackled meringue, so it felt like a nice challenge to wrap up that journey and put my skills to the test. in looking back at the pictures, i remember being a little disappointed in the crust, mainly in that it just wasn’t very symmetrical. i guess that just enhances its homemade-ness. 🙂 and even though my curd might not have set as much as it should have, that meringue on top was quite a sight! fluffy stiff peaks and a tart filling made for a tasty bite in the end, and if someone requested a pie like this for a special occasion, i think i could manage.
i also baked some other new and familiar things throughout 2025, including…
some of the tastiest classic cinnamon rolls you can find (kudos to my sister-in-law jessica for sharing the recipe)
chocolate chocolate mini muffins requested by our oldest nephew bode (he said i can make them anytime!) that remind me of the otis spunkmeyer ones i used to get in the omhs cafeteria
and pumpkin cinnamon rolls suggested by clarky boy for thanksgiving (they were so good i sent him home with a couple on his flight back to chicago)
what should i tackle in the new year? i’ve gotten into sewing and am wondering if maybe a new small craft/pattern every 1-2 months might be a good way to ensure my bernette sewing machine (thanks, mom!) gets some good use. time will tell! i pray you and yours have a happy holiday season and joyous new year.
have you been wondering, “where is kelsey’s november bake? how about the december bake? is everything okay?!” there is nothing to wonder or worry about, per se, as the last couple months of 2024 simply took over and flew on by! between a trip to costa rica with family and the holidays with the in-laws, dedicated time to bake something new just fell by the wayside.
rest assured i did not forget my commitment and this past weekend decided to try my hand at homemade pretzels. i was inspired by the Christmas market phillip and i went to last month. it was full of German-inspired treats and goodies, and we indulged in a tasty bratwurst and giant pretzel while we listened to an a cappella group sing some carols. much festive-ness!
i’ve had spotty success when it comes to working with yeast but did not let that deter me from trying out this homemade soft pretzel recipe. i had nearly all the ingredients on hand and figured it was time to brush up on my dough-making skills. the pretzel dough itself came together pretty easily as i added some water, and i was thrilled i didn’t have to schlep out my stand mixer. don’t get me wrong, i love that thing; but it’s buried in the depths of our kitchen cabinets and somewhat of a pain to retrieve. as i balled up the dough and double-checked the recipe, though, i sharply inhaled in a panic. i had forgotten the tablespoon of oil! i reread the steps several times and first thought, “well, if forgetting the oil is a grave mistake, i’ll know soon enough.” but as i revisited the recipe, i thought the oil really was just for the bowl itself. so, we went with that. 🙂
a little over an hour later, i checked on my dough. i wouldn’t say it had quite doubled in size, but sometimes i’m impatient (this past sunday was one of those days), so i abandoned all caution and plopped the dough out and divided it into equal parts. getting that dough to roll into a long rope wasn’t the easiest. the dough kept bouncing back, and i feared overworking it. however, i wasn’t in the mood to let a little bit of pretzel dough stress me out, so one-by-one, i eventually got the hang of it. they look like pretzels to me!
into a hot baking soda-water bath they went. then, it was a sprinkling of kosher salt and into the oven.
the timer sounded, and i opened the oven cautiously. there was a yeasty smell in the air, and i was pleased to see the browning on the pretzels. they looked a little pale in places, but i didn’t want to overbake the bottoms. so, out they came and onto the cooling rack.
the more i looked at my little pretzel treasures, the more they made me smile. i can honestly say i don’t eat soft pretzels that often, but something about them felt very nostalgic. i expect probably because they made me reminisce on trips to the mall growing up. we would almost always stop by the auntie anne’s stand for a hot pretzel between shops to savor the buttery flavor and rest our feet. mm, the good ‘ole days.
is this recipe a keeper? absolutely. was it the best pretzel i’d ever eaten? no, but the recipe is solid, and i’m certain with a little refining and practice, they could easily be something i whip up for a weekend get together or, you know, just because. 🙂
Good day, my friends! Phillip Davis here at it again sincerely and passionately to continue to be a Guest Blogger on the amazing and uncommon blog website of Kelsey V!
I am sure that you know by now that, yes, Kelsey and I love to eat and travel. So much that we basically have planned out our travel plans for 2025. Creating memories is very important in our lives, and for us, it’s been by traveling and spending that quality time together. So, with that being said, I present to you our London Day Two Blog!
Kelsey, Tori, Clark, and I woke up the next morning from our night “knight” caps and took the London Tube from Stratford to the Notting Hill Gate Station, which was about a 30-minute train ride on the Central Line into the city. After a short, brisk walk from the station, we made it to the popular Cheeky Scone, a bakery centered all around the scone and coffee scene that London has to offer. And, goodness did it offer! Kelsey and Tori tried out the Poppy Seed Scones while Clark and I went with the Chocolate Dipped Nutella scones, and boy was it all good!
Kelsey at the Cheeky Scone grand entrance!
Now each scone was offered with two huge (and I mean HUGE!) sides of our choice of jam and London’s clotted cream, which are both staples for eating with scones. At first, all four of us did not know how to eat the scones with the clotted cream and jam, but we saw some locals a few tables across from us. They broke the scones in half and then spread the clotted cream on each half first before putting the jam on the top of the clotted cream. So, an open-faced scone sandwich, if you will! We each had our own coffee to complement our scones, so we savored our lovely breakfast meal in this little cafe before we did other festivities for the day!
The scone lineup!
Chocolate covered scone & poppy scone!
My Hot Mocha, of course! 🙂
Scone + Clotted Cream & Raspberry Jam!
After our breakfast, we all decided to walk around foggy London town since we were in the heart of the city. Since we were very close to Kensington Gardens, and since the weather was nice, we decided to walk there and start there first. Upon entering the gardens from the West side, we saw the grand Kensington Palace and Queen Victoria Statue and walked our way around the Round Pond for a little while. After the Round Pond, we kept walking East until we made our way to the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain and Hyde Park on the Eastern side. All of these scenes and monuments were very beautiful, and it really made us four reflect on just how much history London has (and we were just getting started on our trip).
While at the park, we also noticed that most of the locals were wearing grey and black apparel or more neutral colors. We also saw lots of dogs and folks riding bicycles, as well. It was all very picturesque in scene, and by this time around midday, we had walked over 20-thousand steps, but who was counting, ha! Then, of course, within minutes and out of nowhere, the rain started coming down so the four of us quickly made our way down to Harrods to, number one, get indoors out of the rain and two, to do some shopping!
We were inside Harrods for definitely more than an hour until the rain died down, but, of course, we purchased some London souvenirs there to bring home with us to remember the memories we created in London. Once the rain stopped, we left Harrods and continued walking East along our journey until we made our way to the Wellington Arch and Buckingham Palace! The palace was just as beautiful as I remembered from my very first trip to London around 20 years ago! This was Kelsey’s, Tori’s, an Clark’s first time to London, so to see their faces light up when we arrived to the palace was definitely priceless! We stayed there a while, sat around the Queen Victoria Memorial, and embraced the scenery all around us.
Kelsey. Looking up at the arch in awe!
As time seemed to fly by (like most vacations do), and since it was around mid afternoon as the day was getting wrapped up, we were definitely getting hungry at this point. So, we hopped on the Tube for a short ride to get some local fish and chips at Rock and Sole Plaice. We all got the Regular Plate of Cod Loin that came with their Signature Tarter Sauce. Kelsey and Tori got London Style Sides which came with homemade coleslaw, gherkins, pickled onion, pickled egg, and mushy peas. Clark and I ordered butter rolls with our meals. We all enjoyed our food with no leftovers at all! We washed our food down with their Rock and Sole Lager Beer and me with their Camden Pale Ale. This was definitely one of my favorite meals of the entire London trip, that’s for sure!
Rock and Sole rocked my soles off! 😂
Fish and Chips. What more can I say? Not much since I was devouring this!
Camden Ale of mine!
Beer. Enough said!
After our wonderful Lunch/Dinner (I like to call this “Linner) fish and chips, we called it a day out in the city and and took the tube back to the Moxy Hotel in Stratford where we, of course, took on some more rounds of What’s The Point and more drinks at the Moxy Lobby bar. After some games, we headed to bed to rest and prepare for day three!
My Moxy Welcome Drink, and what a big pour!
PS – I still have yet to beat Kelsey, Tori, and Clark in a game!! 🙂
okay, it’s no secret that i have a small love for nail polish. i mean, my whole medicine cabinet is full of nearly every shade you can imagine. i just cannot help myself when i walk down the cosmetics aisle. a new color is such an exciting thing and can cheer you right up! all my ladies out there can certainly relate. all these shades just remind of “colors of the wind” in pocahontas, which means i just cannot leave this post written without this video to bring back all your childhood disney memories. you’re welcome.
anyway! the other night after dinner at bua thai in town brookhaven (which, by the way, might be some of the best thai and sushi i have found in town – it was top notch!), sarah and i took a stroll through publix so i could pick up ingredients for rocky road pie. i also needed some new facewash, so down the beauty aisle we went and, oh, wouldn’t you know it! a new nail polish jumped right out at me! it was the revlon colorstay gel envy line, and the eggplant-plum color called “hold ’em” caught my eye instantly. it’s a great semi-neutral, just different enough from a brown or nude to get someone’s attention but not so bright or pastel to be a little too much. the color is rich and saturated and hasn’t chipped in the couple of days that i have had it on my nails. it will definitely be a keeper, and i suspect i might be coming back for more.
something else i want to highlight for you all are the lovely bracelets i’m sporting in this picture. first off, i have my classic alex and ani monogram bracelet that my sweet cousin hannah got for me last summer. along with it are a couple styles from the stella & dot spring collection. the horseshoe wishing bracelet is just so dainty and unique that i couldn’t resist. also there is the amelie sparkle bracelet, which isn’t particularly my style, but i liked the idea of the clear stones with the gold accent; lets me mix and match it with some other pieces. gotta spice things up every once in a while!
okay, so i have no recollection of where i got this recipe.  i do have a friend Ashley, but i do not recall getting it from her at all. oh well! this spinach and artichoke dip (aka ‘spinart’) is another friend favorite that is also very easy.  i would recommend serving it with wheat thins or another thick, sturdy cracker.
kelsey v 