A good friend of mine throws a “Favorite Things” Party every year. The idea for this party is that a group of friends all choose their favorite thing from the past year and buys enough of them to give it as a gift to everyone at the party. You walk away with gifts from your friends of their favorite thing. Depending on how many are invited to the party, can change the price range of the favorite thing / gift that you are willing to bring. I love learning about things other people like and recommend. A tangible item must be given as a gift. It is fun!
I liked this idea so much that I now do a similar idea with my family. My large family is spread all over the country, so we do a virtual Favorite Things Party each year. Everyone sends in a quick picture and write-up of their favorite thing from the past year, and we go through the list together on Zoom. We get to connect, learn about each other, and hear recommendations for things we may possibly want to buy or try ourselves. Your favorite thing can be a book, a song, a recipe, a game, or a gadget that you can’t believe you lived without. Since it is virtual it can be a favorite trip or memory too. What is nice about the virtual Favorite Things Party is that there is no price limit and it is all about sharing recommendations and stories from the past year.
I wanted to share this idea of a Favorite Things party and show some of my favorite things from the past few years.
My Favorite Thing of 2023
My favorite thing of 2023 has been creating my podcast, Messy Middlescence with my sister Tina and interviewing other family members. I have learned a lot and have truly enjoyed the conversations I have been privileged to have and share.
If you are reading this, you are one of my people and have probably already heard about it. Thank you!
I am excited to share that our podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Just search for Messy Middlescence or my name (Tara Bansal) and you should see it come up. Here is a shameless plug, if you like it and think others may too, please share it and give it a review. Either action would be greatly appreciated! Our website is still in the works but we hope it will be ready soon.
Another favorite thing was interviewing my parents with my sisters Tina and Amy and getting to learn more about my parent’s family, growing up and them as people. We have recorded these and hope to do more.
Favorite Things from this past year that you can buy are the books:
Arc of a Scythe Series by Neal Shusterman and Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. These book got rare five stars from me and made me think and feel in memorable ways.
My Favorite Thing of 2022
My favorite thing of 2022 was a new set of Charisma towels from Costco. They are so soft and absorbent. They amaze me and make me happy every time use them. (FYI, the white towels are MUCH better than the colored ones.)
https://www.costco.com/charisma-100%25-hygrocotton-towel-sets.product.100400043.html
My Favorite Thing of 2021
My favorite book of the year was: The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel.
I know that not everyone may love this book as much as I do but I love the unique examples and illustrations that this book uses to help us learn about important aspects of financial life, investments and happiness. There are SO many great quotes and memorable illustrations. There is much to learn from this book and Housel makes it interesting and fun.
My Favorite Thing of 2020
Chocolate Mousse Recipe –from Williams-Sonoma The Kid’s Cookbook, by Abigail Johnson Dodge
Here is a favorite new recipe. It is very easy and SUPER yummy.
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/easy-chocolate-mousse.html
Ingredients:
· 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips, or 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
· 2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
Directions:
Fill a small saucepan half full with water. Choose a small, deep heatproof bowl that fits snugly on the saucepan. Be sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the chocolate to the small bowl and set the water-filled pan and bowl over medium heat. Heat the chocolate, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until it is melted, about 5 minutes. During that time, the water should simmer, not boil. Adjust the heat up or down as needed. Turn off the heat. Ask an adult to remove the bowl from the saucepan of water. Set the bowl aside to cool slightly. Pour the cream into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the warm chocolate to the cream. Continue beating on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. To test, turn off the mixer and lift the beaters. If the cream makes soft little peaks that flop over slightly, it is ready. Spoon the mousse into serving cups or glasses.[I put in a 8×8 glass pan]. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 8.
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