Dec 16

Dec 16 The Joy of Giving

Gwen Smith

Christmas, Mindful Kitchen

This guest post, by Rachel Schelb, explores the joy we invite into our lives when we intentionally give to others.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy

Dec 11

Dec 11 The Joy of Gathering

Gwen Smith

Christmas, Mindful Kitchen, Hosting

This guest post, by Pamela Henkelman, examines how to invite your grown children into the kitchen during the holiday season so that you can enjoy cooking, eating, and gathering together.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy

Dec 4

Dec 4 The Joy of the Holidays

Gwen Smith

Christmas, Mindful Kitchen

This guest post, by Tiffany J Marie, explores the joy we can find during the holidays as adults who choose to live a childfree life.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy

Nov 27

Nov 27 The Joy of Presence

Gwen Smith

Christmas, Thanksgiving, Mindful Kitchen

This guest post, by Joy Marker, challenges us to set realistic expectations as we head into the holidays to keep disappointment from stealing our joy.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy

Nov 20

Distractions and busyness can be barriers to experiencing joy. And the holidays are full of both distractions and busy schedules. In this week’s post, Julie Lefebure encourages us to live joyfully and less distracted lives during the holidays, offering some proactive tips on how to achieve the joy of being present in the holiday moment.

Guest post by Julie Lefebure, author and host of the Encouragement for Real Life podcast.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy.

Nov 13

Nov 13 The Joy of Mystery

Gwen Smith

Mindful Kitchen, Thanksgiving, Christmas

In this guest post, Alyssa Stadtlander encourages us to reflect on the magic and mystery of the holiday season and challenges us to not lose our childlike wonder of the holidays.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy.

Nov 6

Nov 6 Repeat the Sounding Joy

Gwen Smith

Mindful Kitchen, Thanksgiving, Christmas

This week we’re kicking of the holiday season with a series about joy. Not to be confused with happiness, joy is a deep and true state of being. It contains so much and we expect the holidays to be full of joy. In this series, I and the guests I’ve gathered to the Hearthside will explore this concept and what it means for us the holiday season.

Part of the Special Holiday Series: Repeat the Sounding Joy.

Oct 28

Oct 28 True Crime in the Kitchen

Gwen Smith

Foodspiration

Who else listens to podcasts while they meal prep? Sharing my top five true crime favorites from The Dropout, and Dirty John to West Cork, S*Town and Bear Brook.

Oct 22

Oct 22 5 Recipes to Make Your Kitchen Smell Like Fall

Gwen Smith

Foodspiration, Fives

5 Recipes to Make Your Kitchen Smell Like Fall: apple spice coffee cake, molasses cookies, cranberry applesauce, cranberry apple baked oatmeal and pumpkin bread. Plus a few bonus recipes. May your kitchen smell like cinnamon and cloves all autumn long.

Oct 16

Oct 16 7 Spooky Reads to Enjoy while the Slow Cooker Makes Dinner

Gwen Smith

Foodspiration

My list of seven spooky reads just in time for Halloween. Grab your slow cooker and make a homemade dinner all while reading! Book synopses and drink/food pairings included!

Oct 9

Oct 9 5 Ideas for Using a Butternut Squash

Gwen Smith

Foodspiration, Fives

Butternut squash is a healthy and delicious vegetable. Need ideas on how to use a butternut squash? Look no further, here are five ways to use this veggie as fall season. Butternut squash soup (bisque), sauce, risotto and curry ideas.

Sep 25

Sep 25 5 Easy Options for Meatless Monday Dinners

Gwen Smith

Foodspiration

Meatless Monday can be a refreshing way to reset and eat lighter after the weekend. While we don’t live by food rules around here, we’ll often choose a meatless option on Monday (especially during Football season!) to enjoy a simple dinner on the first work day of the week. In this post I share five go-to options from our kitchen.