I posted your TOP 10 Posts of 2025 a few weeks ago and today I want to share MY favourite posts and my personal top 5’s from 2025!!
This year I read 140 books. 54 298 pages. The shortest book was 112 pages and the longest book was 913 pages. The average book length that I read was 387 pages and my star rating average was 3.7. I guess I’m a tough rater! Lol 17 of those books were written by Canadian authors.
New (to me) Authors:
- Elin Hilderbrand
- Lily King
- Richard Wagamese
- Jennifer Chiaverini
- Lynn Painter
5 Star Books I Read:
- Writers & Lovers by Lily King
- The Things Gods Break by Abigail Owen
- Deep Cuts by Holly Brickey
- Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice
- Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations by Richard Wagamese
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- Warrior Girl Unearthered by Angeline Boulley
- Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
- Did I Ever Tell You by Genevieve Kingston
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon
- Becoming a Matriarch by Helen Knott
- Fallosophy by Ardra Shephard
- American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
- Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
- Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
- The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Songs I Listened To:
- Fate of Ophelia by Taylor Swift
- That’s So True by Gracie Abrams
- Last Girls At The Party by The Beaches
- Northern Wind by City and Colour
- Carry Me Away by John Mayer
What I Watched:
- Blue Jays World Series run
- Oilers Stanley Cup Playoff Finals
- The Way Home
- The Eras Documentary
- Andor
Savoury Recipes:
- Pasta Norcina
- Ginger Scallion Pork Meatballs with Potsticker Dipping Sauce and Rice
- Shmacos
- Fig and Rosemary Glazed Ham
- Chicken Burgers with Bang Bang Sauce
Sweet Recipes:
- White Chocolate Raspberry
Muffins - Irish Tea Cake
- Easter Bunny Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Puff Wheat Squares
- Grandma’s Nanaimo Bars
Cocktails:
Experiences:
- Seeing whales in Campbell River.
- Delivering doughnuts on Mom’s anniversary with HBear.
- Flyover in Vancouver.
- Healing Caves at Kingfisher Resort.
- Ferry ride.
Proudest Moments:
- Managing my health on our vacation. I learned from our Taylor Swift Toronto trip last year and did SO much better on our trip to the Island this past summer. I was SUPER worried but I managed my sleep, my temperature, my hydration and my eating and had such a great time! Â
- Reading 140 books. My goal was 112. This year my goal is 120 because I’m not sure I will ever be able to hit 140 again!!! I totally surprised myself lol but like I keep telling the Kids, there are so many great books out there and so little time!!!
- I have a councillor/therapist. She is awesome and she is really helping me. I’m proud to have made this commitment to work on myself
- Gondola ride in Whistler. I was SO scared but I totally did that!Â
- Seeing the Kids excel at their instruments. There really isn’t anything better than seeing your Kids succeed after putting in the work. Especially when you can see how much they love it and how much fun they are having.
It’s still winter. For reals. The days are grey so I want to nourish my family with good comforting food during these chilly months and to do that, I like to use chicken. Chicken noodle soup, chicken pastas, chicken stews, cosy slow cooker chicken dishes and chicken with gravy and potatoes. These 3 chicken dinners were a few of our recent favourites and they are all great meal ideas for those cold winter nights.Â
One skillet dinners are the best. This Chicken and Potatoes with Dijon Cream Sauce was the perfect dish and it was cooked in just 1 pan! The potatoes were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We all loved the seasoning on the juicy chicken breasts and the sauce was SOOOOO delicious!
I haven’t put my slow cooker away yet! LOL this Slow Cooker White Wine Chicken Stew was ridiculously easy and was perfect for dinner after a long day out in the cold. It was comfort in a bowl. You could use dark meat if you would prefer, but I like white meat. This dish is perfect for helping you to get through even the coldest of January days.
This Chicken Valdostana is really really good. I would say this dish is sophisticated comfort food. Anytime you add prosciutto, the dish automatically levels up lol. This is an impressive dish that isn’t hard to make but looks like you slaved all day making it. The gravy is delicious and we enjoyed this fabulous chicken mushroom dish with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed veggies for the perfect Sunday dinner.
Chicken & Potatoes with Dijon Cream Sauce
4
servings10
minutes25
minutesIngredients
3 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
- Dijon Cream Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Combine chicken and potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, toss to coat, then season generously with salt and pepper, and the Italian seasoning.
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken to half the pan, potatoes to the other half. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip chicken and cook another 3-4 minutes, until browned on both sides. Transfer chicken and potatoes to a plate and cover to keep warm.
In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in garlic for 1 minute til fragrant.
Stir in chicken broth and Dijon mustard, then whisk in heavy cream, salt and pepper.
Return chicken and potatoes to the pan and toss them in the sauce. Transfer to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are fork-tender.
Spoon Dijon sauce from the pan over the chicken and potatoes, garnish with ground pepper.
Slow Cooker White Wine Chicken Stew
4
servings20
minutes4-8
hoursIngredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup white wine
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons rosemary, chopped
2 teaspoons thyme, chopped
½ teaspoon dried oregano
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, cut into chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch diagonal slices
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes
¼ cup flour
½ cup milk
â…” cup frozen peas
Directions
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and place over high heat. Add chicken pieces and generously season with salt and pepper, brown the meat, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a large slow cooker.
Add the chicken broth, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, white wine vinegar, thyme, rosemary, dried oregano and salt and pepper to the slow cooker with the chicken. Stir together until combined. Add garlic, onion chunks, carrots and diced potatoes.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Remove 1/2 cup of chicken broth from the slow cooker and transfer to a bowl and stir in ½ cup of milk, whisk in ¼ cup flour until there aren’t any lumps remaining. Add mixture back to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Stir in frozen peas and cook uncovered on HIGH for 15-20 more minutes until chicken stew thickens up a bit. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately with fresh thyme.
Chicken Valdostana
4
servings10
minutes30
minutesIngredients

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper
3-4 chicken breast, pounded evenly
4 tablespoons olive oil

8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons flour

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock
4-6 slices prosciutto

4 oz fontina cheese, shredded

Directions
In a wide, shallow bowl mix the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each chicken breast into the seasoned flour and shake off any excess flour. Set the floured chicken pieces on a tray aside.

In a large oven-safe skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat for 1 minute. 
Add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes, turn and cook for an additional 4 minutes, until the centre of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165°F.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside.

To the same skillet, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes until browned. Remove the mushrooms to a small bowl and set aside.

Reduce the heat to low and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted, add a tablespoon of flour and whisk together until completely blended. Brown this roux over low heat for about 2 minutes.

Add the white wine and whisk until smooth.
 Simmer for about 2 minutes then add the chicken stock and continue simmering for 4 or 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to broil. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan and top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto.
 Top with the cooked mushrooms and sprinkle the shredded fontina over the top.
 Place the skillet in the oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #449 Upside Down Triangle This week, we get together to discuss: luck, missing gift card, Palmer email, best concerts, Hester Creek, America, SOW, a call to action, & future past.
This week SBean finished her succulent Lego set, Ninja went to Costco and dropped off a book for my Sis because #174 on the waitlist is CRAY CRAY lol. HBear had a fine arts exhibit at school where she showed her theatre art and the jazz band played some songs. I finished my winter BINGO, did yoga, and enjoyed the sunshine on the balcony. On Friday Ninja took me to Hester Creek Winery for a French Lunch with a Chef lesson and wine pairing. It was absolutely amazing. The food was so good, the chef was fun (he was from Winnipeg too, of course LOL) and the company was awesome. After lunch we went to Gardenworks for a new plant and then to Tin Whistle for a pint. It was a great date day! Perfect for me who does much better in small settings ideally during the day. Best. Gift. Ever. Thank you Ninja. HBear worked this week, prepped for finals, started curing again, went bowling, and played pool with her friends. It was a good week.
5 thoughts on “My Top 5 of 2025 & Winter Chicken Dishes”
You read some really great books this year! I far surpassed my 120 book goal in 2025 but still set my book goal for 120 this year just in case I can’t do it again. I have really enjoyed “discovering” your blog this year and we’ve tried out quite a few of your recipes (or at least a version of your recipes that I’ve altered to suit our tastes).
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Wow! That is a lot of books in one year! I read 66 books in 2025, which is my most ever in a year.
The only one of your five star reads I’ve heard of is Atmosphere. I’ve read so many good things about it that I think I need to read it myself!
Popping over from Book Worms Monthly.
Yes, ever since I was diagnosed with MS 4 years ago, I have been trying to catch up on all the books I missed in that crazy work/mom life I had that left no room for my favourite hobby. My Sister is still in that crazy life but I convinced her to get Atmosphere and she just messaged me that she loves it! I hope you enjoy as well 🙂