Weekly Roundup: I had surgery! Plus some make-ahead meals

Apologies for not posting the last two weeks. I had surgery, and while it was planned (not an emergency procedure, thank goodness), I underestimated the impact it would have on me and my life! But I'm very much on the mend, and I'll share more in this month's email newsletter, which will be going out at the end of the week. In the meantime, let's get on with a surgery-influenced roundup (I've marked affiliate/referral links with a *, which means I may make a little bit of money if you make a purchase or sign up using that link - thank you!):

• I made a bunch of freezer-friendly meals before my procedure, although I've only just gotten to the point where I'm able to actually serve them. A big hit has been RecipeTin Eats' Shredded Beef Ragu, which I mentioned in the last roundup. The sauce by itself didn't do anything for me, but when paired with the papardelle and grated Parmesan, it was amazing.
  
  
• Another make-ahead meal was Make Ahead Mom's Chicken Alfredo Bake. We haven't had the frozen version yet, but we had half when I made the dish, and my 17-year-old especially loved it. Both of these meals will be in my regular rotation from now on.
  
  
• I've been reading a lot during my recovery, and I've been sticking to the comfort of familiar series (I was lucky enough to get the next books from the library at the perfect time): Kate Carlisle's Fixer Upper mysteries,* Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen mysteries,* and Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series.* Why yes, I do enjoy cozy mysteries! And now I'm all caught up on these series.
  
  
• I don't always have a book from a favorite series, however, and when that happens, I'll look for new series and authors. That's how I found Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club,* which was highly unexpected and quite entertaining. And I just finished Ella Cosimano's Finlay Donovan is Killing It,* which was also highly unexpected and thoroughly satisfying in the end.
  
  
• The best thing I did to prep for my surgery was order a new soft blanket to bring and use (I knew I was going to spend at least one night in the hospital). I ordered this fleece blanket from Amazon because it had good reviews and was inexpensive so I wouldn't be upset if it didn't survive the hospital stay. It's super soft and was really comforting while I was in a hospital bed (I find pleasant textures very comforting, so this might not soothe everyone the way it soothed me).
  

And that's about it for now. It's going to take a few more weeks for me to fully recover, but I feel better every day and am looking forward to getting back to my normal lifestyle! Please let me know if there's something you'd like to see in the roundup. And don't forget to sign up for my monthly email newsletter!