There’s something about a cozy atmosphere that puts everything at ease for me. Like our kitchen and living room (we have an open floor plan) in the evenings. The lighting gets a little dimmer with our only sources being the light from our range hood over the cooktop, the three pendants over the island (which have Edison bulbs to boot) and the lamps on the end tables in our living room. There’s also a flickering candle on the coffee table and another one in a lantern by the staircase. My husband claims our couches have too many pillows, but there’s four on the large couch and two on the loveseat. Totally reasonable, right? And each couch has a thoughtfully draped blanket that’s meant to be curled up with at night. On my favorite days, you can find still warm, freshly baked goods on the counter inviting you back into the kitchen for a snack. It’s cozy and calm and…home.
It reminds me of my own childhood and the little things I didn’t realize would stick with me as much as they have. The home cooked meals, the atmosphere in the evenings and if there wasn’t a goodie on the kitchen counter at my parents you can bet there was at my grandma’s house. To this day, my grandma will always have baked goods to share when company comes over. Remember company? 🙂 And her house has the wood burning fireplace too….sigh, it’s my absolute favorite spot in the Winter. We have an annual Christmas cookie baking day and aside from the obvious baking and taste testing, enjoying that fireplace with her before the sun even comes up in the morning is what I look forward to most.
So when I think about the recipes I share here, I just want them to be good home cooked meals you share with friends & family and desserts that can be grabbed from your kitchen counter in the evening. I adore a good food presentation, but the success is actually everyone around you enjoying the meal you’ve prepared and spending a little extra quality time together because they stick around for seconds!
If you need a few recommendations to get you started let me suggest…
- Potato soup – seriously the best!!
- Bacon brussel sprouts salad – especially if you need to convince someone brussel sprouts are in fact delicious
- Grilled Havarti, tomato and basil sandwich – my favorite ‘grilled cheese’
- Dad’s Chocolate chip cookies – the softest ever and made healthier with a certain ingredient!
- Superfoods Soup – so, so good on rainy days with loads of nutrition!
- Rhubarb Pie with homemade crust – the homemade crust is key and there’s also a couple bonus recipes for other pie fillings!
Happy cooking, baking and most importantly…eating 🙂
Come follow along on Instagram if you aren’t already! Some of the simple recipes are found in my Instagram posts only and there’s plenty of random fun in my stories mostly courtesy of the little fur balls running around our house 🙂 @pinch.of.parsley
Have a beautiful day!
