I write about the kitchen a lot. Meal times are so important in this family. Everyone that is home at the time gathers around the table to eat together. We spend a lot of time together in the kitchen.
I FINALLY checked out the Azure Standard website, and placed my first order. It’s an online grocery store where you can buy healthier options in bulk. I just picked a few basics so that I can get the hang of ordering and pickup. That’s not what this is about, but I thought I’d share in case you haven’t heard of it. I’ll let you know how I like it when I pick up my order next month.
We have been busy in the kitchen this month. I love baking during the cold months. It warms up the house and our bellies all at once. I decided I’d start sharing some of our favorites that come from the kitchen each month.
Intentionality has been my focus this year. I am trying so hard to be more intentional with my time and energy. I’m trying to love and serve my family well. One of the ways that I show my love (I have learned) is by cooking. I love filling their bellies with foods that they love.. foods that are healthy and/or comforting. I also recognize my faults. I am NOT a morning person. If I want to make a good breakfast for my family, I need to do all prep the night before. In fact, the biscuit dough was made the night before. Scott cut out the biscuits and cooked them the next morning in this instance.
Some of these things are just simple. We try to do fruits and veggies with meals. Nourishing healthy bodies is really important to me. I decided to try cutting carrots into chips to make them more fun to eat. It really wasn’t more work than cutting them into sticks. Side note– you can store cut carrots in a jar filled with water and they stay crisp and don’t dry up. I eat way more veggies if they are easy to grab and go.
I’m tired of wasting time. Getting started is always the hardest part. I have regretted 0% of the time I’ve spent being intentional. I haven’t regretted teaching my kids skills that will last them a lifetime.
We are all happiest in the kitchen. Whether it’s gathered around the table for a warm meal, or playing a silly board game. Our kitchen is always bustling with life and love– and that’s precisely how I want it to stay.
I still need to can up a big batch of pears. We will make more bread this week. We also have been making our own pizza on Friday nights using the recipe from the Magnolia Table Volume 2 cookbook. We double the recipe. Half is used to make a big rectangular pizza on this sheet pan. The other half gets pressed out and allowed to rise a second time. It becomes delicious breadsticks.
Do you spend more time in the kitchen in the winter months? If you have any good soup recipes, please share them!! We like to do “soup Saturday” on our menu plans and I’d love some new ideas.