I've been meaning to share more music here since the first 5 Favorite Songs post last spring, so without further ado I'm sharing not My Top Five Favorite Songs, but five more favorite songs:

• Hello, Adele
  • No explanation needed. I don't know anyone who isn't playing this one on repeat.
• Save the Last Dance for Me, Michael Bublé
  • Never fails to put me in a good mood. We actually played this as the last song at our wedding, which was so fun. I've also been listening to his Christmas albums nonstop for the past two weeks and it's been awesome.
• Patron Saint, Regina Spektor
  • I think this is my favorite song on this album. I love everything Regina does, but this is one that I can listen to over and over again.
• Below My Feet, Mumford & Sons
  • Perfect for moody winter days. I love it so much.
• Sæglópur, Sigur Rós
  • While we're on the subject of moody winter days. I love Sigur Rós when I'm working because the words are super subtle and also in another language, so it doesn't mess up my concentration.

What are five of your favorite songs?

There aren't too many dessert recipes that I make over and over again without fail, but this is definitely one of them. We have it at birthdays and engagement parties and anywhere our family and friends gather to celebrate. It's a flourless chocolate torte and it's absolutely perfect for the holidays--I start making it for Thanksgiving and don't stop until well after New Year's Eve--so when Nestlé asked me to use some of their products in a holiday treat, I remembered that people have been asking me to share the recipe on Freckled Italian for years, so I whipped another one up last night and I'm finally posting it.

This torte is super rich and luxurious, but it's incredibly easy to make and takes no time at all, giving you more time to watch holiday movies and spend time with your family. Here we go.

Ingredients:

• 13 ounces of good quality dark chocolate (I used Nestlé Toll House Dark Chocolate Morsels but you could also use bittersweet--here's a coupon)
• 1/4-1/2 cup agave nectar (depends on the sweetness of your chocolate)
• 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened butter (plus a tablespoon or so to grease your pan)
• 6 eggs
• Optional: a couple ounces of white chocolate chips, melted and drizzled; slivered almonds; rasberries

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a saucepan, bring water and agave nectar to a boil. Turn heat down to low and add the chocolate, stirring constantly until melted and smooth.
3. Add the butter to the chocolate mixture and stir gently until melted.
4. In a separate bowl, gently combine the eggs (don't whip them--you want to combine the yolks and whites as gently as possible to keep them with as little air as possible).
5. Slowly pour the eggs into the chocolate and butter mixture and gently fold until combined.
6. Pour the batter into a buttered cake pan (cover the bottom with parchment paper and bake in a water bath at 350 for 45 minutes--I just get a big sheet pan and place the cake pan on top of it, then slowly pour water into the sheet pan.
7. Place the cake onto a platter (it helps to freeze the cake for a few hours so it pops right out), and garnish with white chocolate drizzle, slivered almonds, and/or fresh raspberries. 

Grab some coupons for your holiday baking right here, and check out Nestlé on Facebook and Pinterest!

This post is brought to you in partnership with Nestlé.

Every Friday, Rob and Ender and I wake up a little early and walk to the coffee shop in our neighborhood. It's my favorite part of the week.

So I'm sitting here with my laptop, on the couch with my coffee, looking forward to a weekend of sleeping in and Christmas decorations and a few breweries with friends. This time of year is so beautiful and complex: there's something really sad about the holidays for me sometimes, and I'm not sure why. We lost Rocky almost two years ago and I always think about him even more than usual around this time. My parents are moving, I have my first MRI scheduled, and life is generally stressful for me right now. But the weather, the music, the twinkly lights--I love it all. I think nostalgia just creeps its way into every little corner of Christmas and the new year, which makes the season beautifully layered and complicated. Just some December thoughts for you this Friday morning.

But before we call it a week, I wanted to share some links with you:

• A very important PSA: How to Make Your Name Plural this Christmas Season.
• 'Paris is a Party': Responding to Tragedy, France turns to Hemingway. Literature matters.
• Something I'm working on all the time: Choose to Be Grateful. It Will Make You Happier.
• I think we could all use a little more of this in our world today.
• Mark Zuckerberg's letter to his daughter is so wonderfully optimistic.
• Would you ever give up coffee and alcohol? Frankly I'd rather give up booze than coffee!
• I really loved this list: 50 Ways Happier, Healthier, And More Successful People Live On Their Own Terms.
• Sponsored by Nestle: some Toll House coupons (apparently it's National Cookie Day!)

And it wouldn't be the holidays without a wish list:

• These booties.
• This tee shirt.
• This gorgeous bag.

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Wishing you a warm and cozy weekend, friends.