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Winter is the perfect time to indulge your sweet tooth from time to time. It’s cold and dark and sometimes, you just need something to comfort you not to mention sweet treats and the holiday season are a match made in heaven!

With that in mind, here are some of the most comforting dessert food ideas you may want to try making if you feel like indulging yourself this winter.

Christmas Rum Cake

When the winter nights are cold having a little rum inside you is never a bad thing, but why drink it when you can combine it with sugar and spices into the perfect Christmas cake? Soft, rich, and more than a little decadent it will saloon lift you out of your winter funk with its heart mix of rum, pecans, and brown sugar.

Baked Alaska

This baked Alaska recipe is probably the perfect winter dessert. It practically embodies the spirit of winter with its cold center and warm, comforting exterior that looks more than a little like a snowy igloo that you might have made in the winters of your youth. 

Many people shy away from making baked Alaska because thewy think it will be tricky to keep the ice cream frozen while ensuring that the meringue on the outside is toasted to perfection, but it’s actually really easy when you have a good recipe because the meringue mixture acts as an insulator, preventing any melting from occurring and ensuring that you get to serve up an impressive dessert that is hot on the outside and cool to prediction in the inside.

Apple Pie

I’m not going to bother linking to a recipe here because the best apple pie recipes are always the ones passed down by family members, that remind you of your childhood when things were simpler. There is no denying that, when the temperature drips and you want something that will fill you up and make you feel warm and cozy physically and mentally, apple pie is the go-to of many Americans, and with good reason! Not only is it incredibly simple to make, but it is also rich, buttery, fruity, and perfectly spiced with cinnamon to give it that authentic winter aroma.

Italian Christmas Cookies

If you’re looking for something simple to bake that has a distinctive European flavor, you could do a lot worse than to opt for Italian Christmas Cookies, which are soft, rich, and satisfying, Even better, they are decorated with green and red sprinkles to give them that authentic holiday season look that we all know and love. Both almond and vanilla are used in the recipe I’ve linked to, which means that they have a much richer and unusual flavor than many classic American cookie recipes, but they are still recognizable enough as to be very comforting, too.

As you can see, there are lots of desserts just perfect for enjoying in the wintertime, whatever your mood or preferences may be, so what are you waiting for? Time to get baking!

It’s 2021, and let’s be real 2020 was a real doozy. When the new year starts everyone tries to eat healthy, get fit, lose some weight etc. I’ve personally been doing a paleo/whole 30 mix to try to shed a few pounds and get healthier. (*note I know Whole 30 is meant to be for 30 days but I’m just taking a few of the rules and applying them to my life to make it less restrictive so don’t come at me lol)

One of the main things I’ve been doing is adding more vegetables to my meals. Did you know that a vegan diet can help you lose weight? By swapping out unhealthy foods for vegan-friendly or vegetarian meals, you can lower your calorie consumption which is fantastic if you’re looking to lose weight. Vegetables are so low calorie and very nutrient dense. You can eat a lot more vegetables than you can say carbs and still feel full. 

Not only is eating more vegetables good for your body but it’s good for the earth. A plant based diet can help keep the soil clean, conserve water around the world and also cut greenhouse gas emissions. 

Diets always seem so restrictive but when you look at it in a different lens you can be more creative. You can try out the best sauteed kale recipes, vegan meat substitutes, and try making your own creations (I highly recommend Pinterest!) They’re healthy, they taste great, and they’ll teach you about unique food combinations that will enhance your cooking.

There are lots of unique breakfast and lunch ideas for a plant based diet that differ drastically from typical diets. There are also thousands of unique dinner recipes that you can try if you want some variety. If you want to add more vegetables into your daily routine, it really starts one meal at a time. 

Okay, if you haven’t gathered from the title of my blog, I love food. It not only serves as a beautiful means of turning ingredients into works of art, but it’s also a craft, a social experience, and an act of love to serve someone. However, for those who truly do adore the entire experience of eating and appreciating good food, ingratiating yourself in foodie culture can also be a great way to connect with your passion.

Connecting with food outside being a seasoned eater can help you learn more about the art and practice, and it can also educate you to no small degree. For instance, if you enjoy steaks and eating high-grade beef, learning about the maintenance, rearing and care practices of Wagyu cows can be a fantastic idea. It textures our knowledge that little bit more, and we can therefore pass on our knowledge. But how else might you connect with food outside of eating it? Here are some ways you can step up your food knowledge.

Read Up On Food History

Read up on food history. From shows such as A Taste of History or reading into a particular ingredient or foodstuff, such as the first creation of sandwiches or the true societal-shifting implications of hunting down salt, the more you understand about how culture has developed the more you can gain an appreciation for it. Additionally, you will also find yourself appreciating other cultures more, as no one society, civilization or race of people has ever had a monopoly on fantastic food. For this reason, the act of learning allows us to appreciate our mealtimes more.

Visit Food Destinations

Visiting authentic locations can be a fantastic means of exploring your gastronomic interest. For instance, heading to Marseilles can help you eat at the restaurants prized among the culinary world, with legendary chefs that are still serving incredible food to this day. Appreciation is the name of the game here, and you’re sure to appreciate such a wonderful display of worth in more ways than one here. It’s even better if you can share this journey with those you most love, as the act of sharing a meal in a social setting is perhaps the only exception to the phrase ‘hunger is the best sauce’.

Source Incredible, Quality Treats

It’s important to treat yourself, and that means going for the best of the best when it comes to a certain foodstuff or ingredient. Sure, you may enjoy eating crab, but have you ever ate crab freshly picked and cooked from the ocean that morning in New England? Sure, you may enjoy pretzels, but have you tried the best pretzels from esprovisions.com?

The more we can try the best of the best, the more we’ll be able to distinguish quality from quantity, and good preparation techniques from the ineffective. That’s a vital skill to have.

Do you ever go through ruts where you can’t think of what to eat, or you don’t really crave anything? Ever just eat the same thing over and over again? Especially after a long day of work, the last thing I want to do is think about what I’m going to cook – or even worse have to grocery shop for. I’m on a mission to enjoy the process of food again. Here are some tips I have to make food fun!

Make Dinnertime an Experience

The best place to start when it comes to falling in love with your food again is to do as much as possible to make dinnertime an experience. There are a lot of factors that you need to keep in mind when you are looking to achieve this, and it is important to embrace this. By turning dinnertime into an experience, you make it exciting and something to look forward to. A lot of people view preparing and making dinner as a chore, and a lot of this is to do with mindset. By viewing it as a complete experience, you can look at it as a more positive experience, and this will enhance your enjoyment. Turn on your favorite podcast or jam out to your favorite song while you cook.

Expand Your Culinary Skills

Expanding your culinary skills is another massive thing to think about when trying to rekindle your love for food. If you can learn and try out new recipes, you will be well-placed to improve your knowledge and understanding of culinary skills. You could even extend to baking as well, allowing you to make cakes and tasty treats. Visit Loaves and Dishes for some recipes that will help you with this, and get the process started right now. I love looking up new recipes on the weekends and try to plan out my what I’m going to cook for the week. Try to switch it up with something you’ve never tried before!

Treat Yourself by Eating Out

If you want to really have a great food experience, you need to treat yourself by eating out now and again (something I partake a little too much in haha!). There are a lot of factors that play a part in helping you find the perfect restaurant, and it really depends a lot on what you want to eat. I’ve written some blog posts that might help! Check out the top 5 brunch spots in LA for starters! Rewarding yourself by eating out is an excellent way of viewing food as a treat, and it removes some of the stress of having to cook yourself. 

Learning new recipes, cooking and baking more, and enjoying eating out on occasions is essential. Food is one of the best experiences we can have, and this is something that can really help enhance and enrich your life. 

I’m always looking for new restaurants or recipes to try out, so if you guys have any favorites let me know in the comments below!