In our home, grilled cheese and soup make a gray day brighter. Egg scrambles, chicken pot pie, pesto pasta, and Friday’s homemade pizza warm more than just our bones. My friends, the crockpot and cast-iron skillet, rarely rest, and I am always on the lookout for recipes with words like hearty, cheesy, and easy that I can make my own.

My husband and I joke that if I ever had my own cooking show it would be called, Winging It. I rebel against directions. Measurements are suggestions. It’s why I leave baking to my friends. I love one pot meals. Butter, olive oil, and roasted anything rarely leads me astray. Cheese only makes food better. I might add Cozy Cooking to my show’s title. Yes, Cozy Cooking- How to Wing It and Relax in the Kitchen.

I’m all about not working too hard in the kitchen. Chances are when it’s time to cook a meal I am tired because it’s morning or because it’s 5 pm and the day is winding down. I need meals that come together without a lot of brain power. I want to pour myself a cup of coffee or a good IPA, turn on a podcast, and let the food do the work.

These winter days are lingering, and I don’t know about you, but my family and I need a little sunshine and as much cozy and relaxation as we can get. February was rough. We found out our new to us house is pretty broken. We already know March will bring huge home repairs, lawyers, and dissolve our savings. It all sucks cozy and relaxation away, big time, so I have to intentionlly look for ways to bring them back.

While I can’t control the weather or the mistakes others made, I can focus on what I can do. I can hire good contractors, be grateful our home is warm and still standing, that we are all safe, and have the resources to get the help we need.

I can cook for my family. I can set the table. I can gather us together.

The consistency of sitting down together every night feeds our souls on the good days and the bad. It did when I was a child too. No matter the house we lived in, the country we temporarily called home, or the table we sat around, six o’clock was dinnertime. I could count on it. Many of my friends who need a place to land did too.

Dinnertime is as sacred in our home as it was when I was a child. Not because it’s perfect. My children bicker, kick each other under the table, and pick at their food just like my sister and I once did. It’s sacred because no matter the weather, the chaos, the bills that need paying we are together.

We hold hands and my son offers the same prayer he’s said out loud since he was small. My husband eats fast. My daughter eats slow. The dog waits patiently for crumbs and never has to wait long. I try to get the kids to eat something green. Sometimes they do.

Dinnertime is sacred because it means we’re keeping on, and some days that’s all we can do.

While we put our house back together, a focus on food and family feels right. Check back each week for our family’s favorite “recipes,” my favorite cooking tips and tricks, meal planning, and more. You can also find ways to get kids cooking and follow along on my IG stories for our favorite meals, brands, and resources.

Be well, friends,

xoKelly