Adarme - The year of cozy : 125 recipes, crafts, and other homemade adventures

Adrianna is the queen of cozy, and youd be silly not to turn to her for all of your cozy needs. As a longtime follower of her blog, I cant say Im surprised by the amazing, comforting recipes in this book (Rye Walnut Lace Cookies? Those gorgeous Cinnamon Rolls?!?!!), but what did pleasantly surprise me were all of the fun crafts in here! I am so excited to make my own wreaths, candles, and crafting paper. Its gonna be so much fun. My waistlines gonna be really excited, too.

MOLLY YEH,MY NAME IS YEH

The Year of Cozy by Adrianna Adarme is both sumptuous and completely down to earth. Youll want to sink right into her cozy worldwhy not plan a fall picnic, make Chewy Chai Snickerdoodles, and adopt a best friend corgi named Amelia? Adriannas clear and friendly voice chats with you as if youre a dear friend, offering tips on DIY crafts and recipes youll actually want to make. The photos are light and ethereal, drawing you into a world where she and her corgi stay in (and enjoy it!), go on neighborhood adventures, and, most of all, live intentionally cozy.

STEPHANIE LE,I AM A FOOD BLOG

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

W hen I graduated from college, I was, at first, frustrated with my everyday life. There was the Los Angeles traffic that clogged the roads, the lines in the grocery stores, and the perpetual question What am I doing with my life? that seemed to fill my thoughts. I couldnt see past the things that irritated me. On a whim, my friend Brendan sent me an e-mail linking me to David Foster Wallaces very famous commencement speech at Kenyon College, This Is Water. When Wallace told the audience, Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience, it felt as if he was speaking directly to me. I took his words seriously. I may sound a little melodramatic when I say this, but his speech changed the way I live in my day-to-day life. From that moment on, I was committed to choosing my thoughts and actions carefully. I was dedicated to the idea of living my everyday life with intention.

At the time, I couldnt necessarily control every aspect of my life that made me unsatisfied. My job, which left much to be desired, was irreplaceable at the time; we were in the midst of an economic recession, and a big part of me was grateful to simply have a job! And my heart was in pieces after a bad breakup. I felt like I didnt have much to work with, but like Wallace told me, I did have my thoughts, my health, and, most importantly, my free time. So I started there. It was no surprise to my friends when cooking and making things became my happy place. My blog, A Cozy Kitchen, was born out of my desire to share my newfangled hobbies, both of which made my life feel fuller and happier.

I dont think living a good life has to mean fancy things. Sometimes the Internet and books can make us feel like we lack the essence of a sumptuous life. Pictures can appear a bit too perfect; food looks too good to eatand thats not what Im after. To me, living a rich life means focusing on the minutiae, the seemingly small, insignificant moments that can pass us by if we dont watch carefully. Theyre the quiet, chilly morning walks with my corgi, Amelia; the adventure of going on a bike ride in a new part of town; cooking a dinner alongside my boyfriend, Joshua; or even the simple activity of crimping a piecrust. These moments dont require much, just a little planning and intention.

When I set out on the journey to write this book, I felt as if, for the first time in my life, I was in a happy and secure place. I got a book deal! I own a corgi! What else could I want from life? But then, out of the blue, a few of my loved ones began going through some very difficult times. I found myself worried, sleepless, and a bit hopeless. My heart hurt and twisted in ways it hadnt before. There wasnt much I could do. It made me realize that my life will never be fully figured out. Life will always throw things at me when I least expect it, and perhaps what I need are coping mechanisms: things that I know will make me happy no matter what. So I began cooking and crafting, except this time it was for this bookthis one, the one youre holding! And yet again, I was losing myself in making a in the middle of the summer, and it all made me feel oddly accomplished and happy(?). Yes, happy! My problems did not go away, but there was something comforting about losing myself for a few hours in gathering a pile of ingredients, following a few directions, and ending up with something glorious and delicious.

What was it about creating that made me feel better? Theres something about making and doing that gives me comfort, and the colder months in fall and winter soothe me most of all. This is why youll find the book to be organized starting with my favorite month, my birthday month, Amelias birthday month, October.

Im not a psychologist, or a social sciences researcher like Bren Brown, PhD, research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work (love her). Im just a woman who found a glimmer of hope and happiness in owning a dog, crafting a trivet, making biscuits, and eating cassoulet. My hope is that this book will inspire you to march into your kitchen or whip out your glue gun and try something new, and then to cozy upwith a warm blanket and cocoa in handto the thing you just created. And hopefully a few of your favorite people who make you laugh will be around, too. Because if theres one thing Ive learned, its that the good life is measured in moments like these.

GO ON A FALL PICNIC

Autumn is my absolute favorite time to be outside. Theres little to no sweating, and mosquitoes arent flying around. And the leaves, oh, the leaves! Autumn is, hands down, the best season to pack up some lunch and sit on a blanket in nature. I dont like to make it too much of a production. In order to cut the work down, I embrace the idea of half store-bought, half homemade. This means I buy cheeses, charcuterie, bread, and wine but make a fall salad and dessert at home.

My favorite fall salad is as simple as can be. I like to mix a bit of lemon juice and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Then I add a few pinches of salt and pepper. I like to add fresh herbs like Italian parsley and dill, and slices of fall fruit like Fuyu persimmons and/or apples. Pomegranate seeds add some nice color and texture.