While I’m a total sucker for warm, sunny skies, I do love curling up by the fire with a hot cup of something and a good book, and I’ll take advantage of any excuse to spend my day in leggings and a hoodie. (Notice the constant presence of some sort of heat source?) But I have to say, winter’s biggest saving grace is the food. Soups, stews, fresh baked bread. Ultimate comfort food—which is pretty important when we’re freezing our tushies off.

One of our members took the time to share her simple system for weekly bread for her family, that can also used for hoagies, pizza crust, and cinnamon rolls! You’ll also find a free recipe printable - perfect for a simple frame in your kitchen.

Learning about the art of sourdough has been a fun process. I didn't get it right off the bat; it took me a few tries and a lot of reading and many troubleshooting conversations with my sister-in-law who already had it down. Being able to transform flour, water, and salt into beautiful loaves still makes me feel a little bit superhuman, but it’s really not as complicated as I thought. And once you understand how a starter works, there’s a lot of room to play and experiment.

Sourdough is beneficial in many ways: I haven’t seen a packet of yeast in a grocery store for the past several months, but aside from that, it has some great health benefits. It’s full of good bacteria and enzymes due to the fermenting process, and much of the gluten is processed out while it proofs, so its easier to digest—often even for those with a gluten sensitivity.

You’ve Saved All That Sourdough Discard, Let’s Make Some Waffles!

After almost a week of growing our own starters, we’ve got lots of sourdough discard sitting in the fridge ready to be used. This is an easy recipe for your weekend breakfast. I’ve also included two recipes quantities, depending on how much discard you have and how much breakfast you need. The instructions are the same for each. The 3 cup recipe made about 10 large round waffles. You can also freeze these and reheat them in the toaster on busy mornings. Enjoy!

I grew up eating my Mom’s version of spaghetti often. I remember being told by someone who does have an Italian background that it’s not the correct way to do spaghetti, but I truly do not care. It’s the way I learned to eat spaghetti, and now my kids eat it the same way. We have several different pasta and sauce combinations that we eat and enjoy, but this is for sure the favorite.

This chicken and this salad became a regular favorite; even my kids requested it. And now that the weather here in Virginia is finally beginning to warm up, it’s time for this salad to come back out to play. The chicken is a recipe that a friend of mine makes; she’s fed us often over the years, and this is a delicious way to grill it up. The secret is in the sauce.

I come from a family who firmly believes in the life-giving power of freshly baked things, especially bread… this recipe has become my own from a combination of many I’ve tried over the years. It’s bread for people who don’t bake, and it’s a great way to impress your friends—it looks like it requires quite a bit of skill, but it’s super easy—promise. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.