It’s an amazing time of year to be in the kitchen. Not only is it finally pleasant to turn on an oven or stove here in Phoenix (I don’t want to talk about how many days in the triple digits we have this year but suffice it to say that we broke records), but the seasonal flavors from October through December are varied and full of favorites (pumpkin! apple! gingerbread! peppermint!). I find so many of these flavors comforting and imbued with tradition, but today I want to talk about some of my favorite comfort foods that are there for my family year round. Warning: lots of carbs ahead… Continue reading
cooking
A Favorite Christmas Tradition…
There are so many things I love about the Christmas and Advent season. The marvel of lights, the gorgeous music, the specifically Catholic traditions (I’ve been slowly adding to our nativity scene each Sunday, and when we have a little more space one of my first wish list items is an advent wreath!) Then there are the family traditions which are some of my favorites Continue reading
The First “D” revealed and a Year End Wrap Up: Cooking
I’ve learned a lot from consciously trying to improve my cooking and try new recipes this year. There have been ups and downs… recipes that were so forgettable I didn’t even blog about them, epic failures that we threw out, and huge wins that we will keep cooking again for years. Continue reading
Winter Warmth
Well, Phoenix finally cooled down and we are looking to warm up a bit! This is the time of year when I absolutely LOVE having a gas stove because it heats up our whole kitchen and living room and makes everything super cozy… it also minimizes how much we need to turn on our heater! Continue reading
Cultivating Memories
As we head into the holiday season, I’ve been reflecting how best to intentionally spend my time. It feels like there’s extra pressure this year to make it special as it’s the last Christmas my son will be an only child and that makes it tempting to try and do ALL THE THINGS. But I don’t want to do all the things and feel the consequences of an already difficult pregnancy under the added stress of exhaustion. And for that matter, I don’t just want the holidays to be the time we’re consciously choosing ways to make memories with our kids. Continue reading
Cooking: Squash Fest
One of my favorite things about fall is fall produce and the return of one of my favorite CSA programs (they shut down for the summer here in AZ)- we got a TON of squash varieties last weekend so we’ve been brainstorming how to use all of this zucchini, grey squash, and yellow squash. Here’s a small sampling of the recipes we’ve been trying: Continue reading
Meatless Monday: Protein before the Candyfest
We made two meatless and tomato-less treats for dinner yesterday which means it hit everyone’s dietary needs all at once. We made some modifications to both the recipes to use what we already had in our pantry (because that’s the theme for the rest of the year- out with the old, before we’re ready to stock up for the new!) and while that turned out just fine with one recipe, I think I wrecked the other… LUCKILY the one that worked is packed with protein to help you (and your littles) ride out the Halloween sugar highs… Continue reading
C is for Curried Lentils, Crockpot Cooking, and a Cast-iron Skillet
My husband and I have a love of spicy food. This means we tend to eat a lot of ethnic food that contains a kick. Due to our location (Phoenix) and ease/price of ingredients, that often means Mexican food, but we are also huge fans of Thai and Indian food. Continue reading
Festive Halloween Stuffed Bell Peppers
So since becoming a single car family I spend a lot more time at home with my son instead of out at the children’s museum or zoo or even the library (though we are still frequent visitors to our local branch!), So I’ve made a conscious effort to keep things interesting for him on days that I have energy/am not feeling pretty sick. Continue reading
Crockpot Goodness: Pizza Dip
This week is rough. And it is only Tuesday. Luckily I have memories from a really fun Sunday night to hang onto! I had some ladies from my MOPS group over (more on this in an entry later this week) and since I wanted some fun snacks for us but also needed something really easy because I am constantly exhausted these days. Continue reading
Alphabet Resolutions 