Super Bowl LI

Now, I don't claim to be a rabid football fan...by any stretch of the imagination. I care about Michigan football (a lot) but that is due almost 100% to growing up in Ann Arbor and working at Michigania. However, you can't live or work in the Boston area and not get caught up in the excitement.  Or at least the excuse to eat delicious cheese-based treats (pretty much anything not meat is cheese) and drink beer. This year I'm breaking out of my usual assignment to bring dessert in order to make a savory thing I can actually eat. I had to still work baking in there so I'm making Half-Baked Harvest's Buffalo Cheddar Pretzel Twists with Everything Spice. O.M.G. How in the world could I pass up the cheesy goodness once I came across it? The answer is: there is no way.

Y'all need to make these immediately. I was rather intimidated, as I had never made pretzels before and it does require the whole boiling in baking soda water thing. But hey, guess what? It's not actually hard! The trickiest thing was not overdoing it on the buffalo sauce, but even the ones that looked messy going in were pretty good at the end-and they all definitely tasted delicious.

I had slightly mixed feelings about the Patriots' win-Boston friends, please don't hate me! I was rooting for them, but I couldn't quite separate Tom Brady's politics from his performance, just as I can't with musicians or artists. Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap is at best thoughtless, and I have higher expectations.

I am still glad they won, if only for how much better work will be today for it. It's funny how reminiscent South Boston is of Ann Arbor when it comes to the feeling of the city depending on the success of the athletics. Thank goodness the Celtics won both games this weekend too! I actually got to go to the first half of the game on Friday with some of the kids I work with and two other staff. I had the most sports-filled weekend I've had in many years-a big change for this arts-focused girl!

baby's first NBA game

xoxoxo
Emma

P.S. There's always more to do. Take care of yourself, but keep fighting!