2016 is here, and with it comes a new batch of in-season ingredients! Here’s what we got going on this month:

Beets
Broccoli
Citrus
Kale
Leeks
Pomegranate
Potato
Winter Squash

And, here our some of our fave winter recipes:

This Vegetarian Chili is delicious, and you can use sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, or even both in it! It’s chocked full of the good stuff and a great meatless option.

This Southwestern Spaghetti Squash is a great way to eat one of our favorite veggies, spaghetti squash. It’s literally as versatile as spaghetti, though, so don’t let this stop you – create your favorite mix of veggies, sauce, and even beans!

This Sweet Potato Cassoulet makes great use of leeks, and it’s a perfect option for a chilly winter’s night. It also reheats like a dream – perfect for lunches!

This Burrata Citrus salad is delicious and makes use of all the awesome citrus that is in season right now – what a win-win! We can never ever say no to burrata…throw on a grilled chicken, steak, or shrimp, and you’re looking at one sweet dinner.

We hope you’re getting after some cooking already this year!

HELLO 2016! We’re so glad you’re here! To kick things off, we’ve got a breakfast inspired desktop calendar for you.We’re big fans of breakfast around here (all the best foods are breakfast foods, no?). So go ahead, indulge in this digital good start to your day and the new year.

Hey everyone! For my next “Breakfast in Bed” post I was inspired by Ventana Inn and Spa in Big Sur. This hotel is gorgeous – it has inspiring vistas, hiking trails that stretch for miles, and a first class spa that’s just the place to relax when spending a weekend in the woods.

Paired with this stunning and tranquil locale, I wanted to share with you a recipe for a full breakfast: sourdough pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, a clementine or two, and of course a mimosa to start your day of adventuring, relaxing, or pampering off right! If you don’t have sourdough starter, you can make your own – the longer you can culture the better, and these are worth the wait!

For the recipe, head over to the Joyride blog, here. You can whip these up in your own kitchen anytime and pretend you’re in the Big Sur…or maybe head there yourself and take a vacation. And with that, I’m off to enjoy New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year, everyone!

Hey y’all! I am writing to you from snowy Chicago, where I’ve been hanging with my nephew and playing trains and general relaxing – it’s been a great holiday break! I wanted to share with you these cookies I think you should make ASAP – perhaps for a New  Year’s Party? Or a late-season holiday party? Valentine’s Day is coming? I can always find an occasion for a triple chocolate cookie.

Trader Joe’s has a lot of seasonal items, and one they recently started carrying was unsweetened chocolate, which was perfect for these cookies.You guys, I’m on a triple-chip roll, and I don’t care who knows it. Triple-chip means everyone gets what they want, and I get to have three cookies in one. That’s called a win-win-win. I used Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for the Browniest Cookies, but I used peanut butter and white chocolate chips, in additional to chocolate chips, to make these puppies.

Now, when the dough was done, I put it in the fridge for an hour or so, and when I remembered that the dough was in the fridge, I pulled it out to find it was too hard to mold into cookies, so I had to let it warm up for about fifteen minutes – just a note, if you find yourself questioning this dough. I also questioned it, but rest assured it yielded delicious cookies.

I will definitely say that you will need milk or coffee with these – they are very rich. But it’s worth it – these are certainly the browniest cookies. Good job, Smitten Kitchen!

Happy Christmas, you guys! Today, we’re talking champagne punch, and for good reason.

I feel like I don’t give you guys enough cocktails throughout the year, and for that I am truly sorry. It’s usually because I drink wine or I let George handle the cocktail making. But around the holidays, I am a sucker for a good punch because something about parties makes me want a big cup of something cold and sparkling. Also, I got a soda stream for my wedding and FINALLY just opened it because we have room now and am obsessively making sparkling water to put in everything.

This punch was no exception. Here’s a trick, ladies and gentleman: freeze your bundt pan with sparkling water and fruit and use that as your ice for the punch and you will have a cold punch without watering down the booze. You’re welcome.

The full recipe is here, but the general idea is this: add equal parts apple cider and sparkling water, and top it off with champagne to taste and pomegranate arils because they’re pretty and crunchy and full of antioxidants and they float. Magic. Make a ton of this for your New Year’s Eve party…it’s got plenty of water, and it’s sweet and fancy (because, hello, champagne!)

What else do you guys drink for NYE? Do you have a punch recipe you love? Share away!