Seth & Jaclyn's 2014 Cooking Adventures

Last year on New Year's Eve, Seth and I were pouring over cookbooks and randomly started making a list of thing we'd like to make. When the list started it was barely a page and a half long. It had everything from breads to desserts, and we had grand plans of making everything on our list. And perhaps if the list had stayed a page and a half long, we would have. But you see, the list was on Google docs, and we could update it anytime a recipe sounded good, and now a year later our list is five pages long and includes restaurants we'd like to try. The great thing is that we, in no way, feel defeated. We ate delicious food this year and had a wonderful time making it. And if you follow my instagram, you've had to look at it or if you hang out with me, you've had to hear about it. Sometimes I can't help it. Despite setting off the fire alarm in Tahoe, making insane messes, burning a few things, and breaking a few dishes, it has been my most delectable year yet, in and out of the kitchen. Can't wait to see what 2015 holds. Happy New Year!

ps. Two guesses what Seth and I are doing first thing this New Year's Eve. 

pps. If you want to be included on our Google doc list and the recipes we're working on, let me know. So many yummy things we'd love to share with you. :)

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am reluctant to admit how little I have read this year. It's a combination of shifting priorities, decreasing attention span, and perhaps less-than-ideal book choices. As this year was closing out, I finally delved into Unbroken and found everything I need and want in a book. It is, without question, the best book I read in 2014 and a book that I would recommend to anyone (a rarity with my usual choices). It is compelling and a story that focuses in on the triumph of the human soul - it is honest, unflinching, and careful. Hillenbrand is one of the best chroniclers of her time - she captures things so vividly that even pictures or film cannot overshadow the narrative she tells.

Louie is a new hero - not because he was extraordinarily good or even because he was an Olympic athlete. I admire him because he endured to the end and he enabled others to do the same. I love people who are not content to accept the status quo. They make me want to aspire for more. Hillenbrand does the same for me. She is a woman with difficult challenges in her personal life, but she still works so hard at her craft. After reading this book, how can I not try to be at least a little bit better?!

Happy 2015 and happy reading!