- Page 9 of 69 - Wholesome Recipes Made for Sharing

December 12, 2016

Chocolate Almond Spelt Cookies

For as busy and stressful as December can be, I still love it for its reminders of hope and joy, and also for its richness in celebrating traditions. Ryan’s family makes the same lebkuchen, fudge, and bourbon balls year after year, and they always bring back sweet memories of loved ones and happy times together. As a child, I always looked forward to the scent of homemade gingerbread houses in the oven. My mom would stay up all night baking gingerbread walls and roofs for me and my cousins, and in the morning everything was magically ready for assembly, with heaping bowls of candy and icing for us to decorate to our heart’s delight. As our own family has begun forming our own traditions, there are a few recipes I hope will make yearly appearances- our biscotti tree, these classic gingerbread boys and girls, and Christmas morning stollen. I always make sure to leave at least some room to add something new each year as well. I’ve had my eye on Dorie Greenspan’s world peace cookies for a while now, and decided that this year seemed especially appropriate for making cookies so fondly named “world peace”.

December 5, 2016

Lentil Quinoa Chili

How about a warm and nourishing bowl of soup to balance out all of those holiday sweets? With all of the cookie-baking and festive gatherings, I’m already having to pace myself. This chili is an updated version of a lentil chili that Ryan’s mom would often serve during our dating years, and there are many happy memories associated with this recipe. Here I’ve added quinoa for heartiness and fresh roasted green chilis for an extra layer of flavor. Nothing against canned chilis, those are great in a pinch, but taking an extra few minutes to roast them fresh adds depth and really sets this chili apart. Having big a pot of soup simmering on the stove in the midst of this hurried and often stressful month is always calming and quieting for me. Hope it is for you too.

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November 25, 2016

Nutcracker Sweet Holiday Cake

This post is sponsored by Celestial Seasonings and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I grew up drinking Celestial Seasonings and honestly love their line of teas.

With Ryan’s parents hosting Thanksgiving this year, I actually took the day off from cooking and enjoyed a slow morning at home with the kids and working on our Thanksgiving tree together. It’s hard to believe, but his parents specifically instruct me not to bring anything for the meal. Although it feels a bit strange not to be cooking on a holiday which is so centered around food, this year I embraced it and focused my heart on simply being thankful.