I have been spending a lot of time in the kitchen since my grandfather died on 20 December. It is therapy for me and a healthy way to grieve. I am filling the bellies of my two guys and I feel a sense of joy by making things that send my husband back for seconds. I baked four Apple Dapple Cakes over the holidays, whipped carrots and parsnips, baked fluffy whipping cream biscuits that melt in your mouth and then created Smitten Kitchen's delectable Icebox Cake.

I baked the Barefoot Contessa's buttermilk soaked oven fried chicken, 101Cooking's Roasted Cauliflower Popcorn, baked acorn squash with a buttery brown sugar & orange peel zest glaze, made a lemony waffle batter for the Texas Waffle Iron and a pull-apart coffee cake that is made with refrigerated biscuits, sugar, pecans and butter.