I don’t know who needs to hear this but…you’re allowed to take the shortcuts that make your life easier.

One of my favorite salads to make is cabbage and carrots coleslaw. On a perfect day, I would pick the cabbage and carrots and onions from my own garden, painstakingly hand-shred them, whisk together my own mayonnaise…etc. etc.

But honestly, most days, I use the pre-cut matchstick carrots and mayonnaise from the grocery store, and sometimes I even purchase the pre-shredded cabbage in the bag (though most of the time, I prefer to shred the cabbage myself to make sure they’re as thin as possible).

I use frozen veggies to save on prep time. I don’t bake my own bread. I purchase curry paste in the jars instead of making my own. And that’s all okay.

Your great-grandmother didn’t always bake her own bread either. She most likely had a local bakery where she outsourced the bread, so she could save her time and focus on other things. And purchasing bread did not make the meals she cooked any less delicious.

So I hope in the new year, you find ways to make life easier for yourself, however that may be, beautiful squash blossom.

Cabbage and carrots coleslaw recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 small cabbage, shredded thinly with a mandolin

- 1 bag matchstick carrots

- 1 shallot or 1/2 of a white or yellow onion, sliced thin

- To taste: as much chopped cilantro and green onions as you like

- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or to taste

- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or to taste

- 1 tablespoons honey mustard or to taste

- 1/2 tablespoon Korean gochugaru pepper powder or to taste

- Salt and black pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!