I have always been passionate about feeding my family; since the day I walked down the aisle and married my husband of fifteen years, there’s always been a little June Cleaver in me.  I’m not talking about just throwing a banana at them on their way out the door (although there are worse breakfasts), or swinging through the drive-through on the way home from sports practice, but actually nourishing them – their bodies, yes, but also their hearts and souls.  Family meals around a table do so much more than fill tummies.  They provide comfort.  The family table becomes a place to put the woes of the world on hold, escape, pause, maybe even laugh.

Never in my lifetime have I needed more of an escape from the troubles of the world than now.  As our family tries to navigate this current crisis, we are largely doing it from our kitchen table.  The one thing that seems stable and happy each day is food.  Breakfast together.  Dinner together.  Food that brings joy, not just calories.  Cooking and gathering my tribe together twice each day provides escape and normalcy and gives us all something to look forward to.  If you’re more of an instant-oatmeal-and-frozen-pizza kind of cook, now, with so many hours and days to fill, and a house full of people that need comforting, might be the time to stretch yourself into muffin-and-baked-pasta-deliciousness territory.

For as many days as this crisis lasts, I’m going to share our family’s daily meals with you.  My hope is that meals and recipes shared here act as inspiration to craft delicious food and create joyful moments twice each day with your family.  Because right now we all need joy.  And maybe also home-made mac and cheese.  Happy cooking!