Our Top 5 of 2025
Pizza oven: Santa surprised Sean with a pizza oven for his grill last Christmas, and we’ve made excellent use of it! We usually take a shortcut on the dough—Trader Joe’s dough is as good as anything we could make ourselves—so we can feast our imaginations on toppings. Sean’s go-to is pepperoni, mushrooms, and olives with red sauce (Rao’s Roasted Garlic is *chef’s kiss*); Sarah usually opt for caramelized onions in a white wine sauce. The best pizza we’ve made so far? That’s easy: brisket with chimichurri. If you ever find yourself in possession of a pizza oven, Sean recommends buying two peels: a wooden one for sliding the pizza into the oven, and a metal one for retrieving it.
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass concert: Our whole family has been fond of Herb Alpert semi-ironically ever since we discovered his perfect Christmas album nearly a decade ago. But after seeing him in concert this year, Sarah and Sean are now full-blown fans. (Trumpet pun not intended but nevertheless appreciated.) He’s an icon for a reason! If you’re already on his bandwagon, we’re happy to join you. If not and you’re into peppy jazz and 1960s kitsch, give him a listen!
Drops of God (Apple TV): Upon his death, a French billionaire and wine aficionado makes his estranged daughter and his Japanese protege compete for his fortune through a series of wine-related tests. It’s a show unlike anything we’d seen before, and it begs to be binged—preferably with a bottle of wine. (We drank this one during episode two and can’t recommend it enough.)
Chocolate Coffee Granola (Trader Joe’s)