Summer may be gone but the Holiday Season is here and that means soooo much good food. Combined with holiday gatherings with friends and family and we’ve got some good times coming our way!

And don’t we all need some good times?

We thought Covid was on the way down and now we realize, no, it’s not. Hospitalizations are once again way up. This means the demand for nurses is way up. Which means all of our work hours and stress levels are way up while our sleep and relaxation hours are probably way down.

Now, I know what you’re thinking — the holiday season ain’t exactly stress-free, either. I know. 

So let’s pledge together right now, as nurses, to give ourselves a break this holiday season. To not strive for perfection. To not attend to every detail. And to just enjoy the family and friends that we can spend time with?

Does that sound like a worthy pledge? (Let me know in the comments if you think so!)

Great...so in keeping with the “less-stress” theme, let me share a couple of tasty Halloween-themed recipes with you. With easy recipes like this, you can take the stress out of your Halloween parties and your trick-or-treating get-togethers. 

That way, you can focus more on just being present with your people!

Poison Apple Punch

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This recipe comes to us via the Food Network and we thought it was just adorable.

When my kids were little, the neighborhood adults would usually host sidewalk cocktails along the way and I wish I’d had this recipe back then. Maybe you can use it this year!

You’ll need the following ingredients:

• 4 thick slices of fresh, peeled ginger
• 6 cups of apple cider
• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 red apple sliced into 8 wedges for garnish
• Gummy worms for garnish
• 1 750-ml bottle of sparkling cranberry-apple juice
• 1 cup cinnamon whiskey (optional, I suppose)

Here’s how you put it together…

1. Smash the ginger slices with the back of a spoon. Add the ginger, apple cider, orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, and cloves to a medium saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes and then pour through a mesh strainer. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate until chilled.
2. Poke holes in the apple slices with a skewer or chopstick and weave a gummy worm through each. Add the cranberry-apple juice and cinnamon whiskey (why not, really) to the chilled punch, mix, and serve over ice. Garnish the side of the glass with the apple slice.
    

Mummy Brie

This recipe comes to us from Delish and it’s as easy as it is cute.

Brie is a perfect get-together food that you can serve with crackers, slices of crusty bread, or sliced pears and apples. Everyone loves it and you can have it ready lickity-split so you can enjoy the people and not the prep!

You’ll need the following ingredients:

• 1 (7oz.) wheel of brie
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp of milk
• 2 mini pepperoni
• 2 sliced black olives

Here’s how you put it together…

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, unroll the pastry crust and cut into 1” strips. Wrap strips around the brie like a mummy; leave space between some strips to create the “mummy unraveling” effect and to leave room for the eyes.
2. Whisk together egg and milk and brush over the pastry. Transfer brie to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until brie is warm and strips are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
3. For yes, place 2 mini pepperonis into 2 sliced olives and position on the brie. Serve with crackers, sliced crusty bread, or sliced pears.

NursePower Empowers Nurses

Okay, yes, the holidays can be stressful but do they really have to be? This holiday season we want all of our nurses to take the Unstress Pledge. It involves 3 simple ideas to embrace:

1. We don’t need things to be perfect this year.
2. Being with friends and family is what counts.
3. We need to let ourselves be in the moment.

With all the craziness in our jobs, especially right now, we need to take care of ourselves and each other in the off-hours. That begins with making a simple pledge to remember what is truly important to us during this special season.