Winter Squash & Apple Minestrone with Quinoa & Brown Rice

Hello, friend.

With Thanksgiving over, all the turkey consumed, and just a few measly crumbs of stuffing left in the pan, I can officially say that I am 100% in the Christmas spirit right now. The holiday season is definitely my favorite time of year. Not the actual day of Christmas per say, but rather the time leading up to the holiday itself. I feel that the day of is hectic and kind of a blur. In an instant, it’s over before you feel like it truly began. The season leading up to Christmas is different, though. It’s festive, fun, and exciting. The days leading up to it gives you more time to embrace the season fully. I love being able to decorate my apartment in twinkling lights and garland, baking holiday cookies in the kitchen with Momma Crawford, and watching endless holiday television specials under a warm blanket drinking hot chocolate. It’s this time of year, where the days are chilly and the nights are long, that I crave something warm and comforting to eat. In the winter, I love turning on the oven and roasting seasonal vegetables, filling the apartment with warm, aromatic scents. Squash is such an easy ingredient to work with and tastes delicious in a variety of dishes, especially in soup. To say goodbye to the autumn season and hello to the long winter months ahead, I have teamed with Hodgson Mill once again to bring you a great “grain” recipe that will get you through the coldest of days.

Iron Skillet Shepard's Pie with Cheddar Biscuit Topping

Hello, friend.

It's official, the first snowfall of the season happened this past week. Now I’m done and ready for spring. Please, and thank you.

For Christmas this last year I received so much cast iron. From pots, skillets, casserole dishes, plates, and more, it was truly a cast iron Christmas for me. If you’re new to the blog, a very important fact about me is that my love for cast iron runs deep. I love it. Scratch that, I’m obsessed with it. There is something so rustic and charming about cooking or baking in a cast iron skillet. It tells a story of dinners past and meals gone by. When I’m using my cast iron skillet, it makes me think I live on an old farm in the deep south and I’m making a beautiful Sunday brunch for friends and family. I also am known to daydream, a lot.