I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!! (Break-Ups Are Horrid)

Hello all!

I want to apologise for the complete silence over the last five weeks, but I was struck by personal tragedy. My relationship with my beloved companion suddenly and unexpectedly ended out of the blue, and it took me by complete surprise. I have spent the last little while going through a fairly complex grieving process which included questioning the direction of my entire life (it's about time I had a quarter-life crisis) and eating enough sugar to feed a small country.

I have always held relationships, marriage, and family in very high regard, ever since I was a little girl. I've always placed finding a good match and settling quite high up my list of life priorities. Having said that, I understand that these things can't be rushed, and give ample space to my romantic others so that they don't feel overwhelmed. This time, I thought I had found someone whose values and aspirations were equally prioritised, with whom I could share a long and happy life, but it turned out that I was wrong. Such, such, crippling disappointment.

But I understand my readers aren't interested in my personal issues, but are interested in my cooking. Unfortunately, due to the depth of my grief, I have avoided my kitchen outright. I haven't even cooked myself a meal in nearly six weeks, and not baked a single thing. I associated my kitchen so strongly with the time that I spent with my companion that even going into it to get a glass of water was too much for the first three weeks.

However, this weekend, I had the privilege of going to my first Thanksgiving dinner. I have a new Canadian coworker, and he invited my brother and I to join him, his wife, and a few friends for a traditional meal. I said to him I'd bring a dessert, and as such had to do my research. I found out that the most popular desserts are pumpkin pie, apple pie, or pecan pie.

So, I decided to try my hand at baking a pecan pie for the first time. It was quite a hit! However, there are a few things I'd tweak for the next try, which will be soon. The full write up will be up on Friday, along with my plans for Halloween baking!

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog so faithfully for the last two-and-a-half years. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to me.

I'm not gone. Never gone.

Lots of love,
Sweetie Pie x