This week is a strange and wonderful little pocket of time — when the holidays are winding down, leftovers are multiplying, and the new year is just close enough to feel.

This is not the week to overthink dinner.
This is the week to make it cozy, comforting, and flexible.

For years, I used this little gap of time to plan my next year, do my Powersheets, and get ready. Now, I do alllll that planning and scheming in October and use this little breather week to read and rest.

So, as we close out 2025, I have a few questions for you:

What seeds of connection did you sow this year?
What was your favorite moment of tiny joy?
What small mundane "thing" made the most difference in your life?

🤍 Hospitality Hope

“Every meal shared this year was a seed of connection. Look how much you’ve grown.”

Even the rushed dinners.
Even the messy tables.
Even the meals that didn’t turn out “right.”

They all counted. They all mattered.

🕯️ Savor the Small Moment

Clink glasses to the small wins, the tiny joys, the moments that didn’t make the highlight reel — but held your life together anyway. Those mundane moments are often the ones that make the biggest impact. As we look to 2026, remember that!

🍽️ What to Make for Dinner This Week

(Cozy, flexible, and perfect for left

overs)

Here are four dinners that feel calm and celebratory without being a project:

1. ​Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs – just like chicken wings, but in thigh format. Sticky, sweet, a little bit crunchy. So yummy!
2. ​Simple Steak Salad – fresh, protein-rich, and the creamy balsamic dressing, is *chefs kiss.*
3. ​Split Pea Soup with Leftover Ham – for me, this is why I make a ham... So I can have this soup the next day. It's the cozy, nourishing meal that will bridge that gap between holiday food and the new year.
4. ​BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad – It's a salad that gives a nod to my favorite restaurant salad... And it's got homemade crispy onion strings, so it doesn't feel too "goal-oriented."

Nothing fancy. Everything nourishing. Simplicity at the heart.

🧀 Appetizers for Toasting the Year

(For a quiet night in or a low-key gathering)

• ​Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – cold, fresh, and celebratory. Just what you want! And, to make it even easier, pick up precooked shrimp cocktail from the market, and make your own cocktail sauce. ((I love The Fresh Market's shrimp cocktail, just saying!))
• ​Meatball Toasties – meatball mixture spread onto bread, then baked to deliciousness... Topped with marinara and mozzarella... and you have a two-bite appetizer that's fancy and amazing!
• ​Deviled Egg Bar – layout a bunch of deviled eggs, then some toppers. Let people make their own "deviled egg flights" and enjoy a new appetizer idea.
• ​Happy Hour at Home – instead of going out, do happy hour at home, and be in bed by 10 pm!

This week doesn’t have to carry the weight of resolutions or reinvention. It can simply be a soft place to land before the next chapter begins.

With gratitude and a raised glass,
​Ashley