Welcome to my kitchen and “Life, Love & Lasagna”.

I am making a comfort food 

because it’s the week before Christmas and

I want some comfort.

2020 has been such a roller coaster ride, up and down, 

and here we are at the holiday season and not everybody feels like celebrating.

Or maybe they don’t feel like celebrating in the usual way.

I know that my family is not celebrating as we usually do

and I’m sad about the changes.

So I’ve got this big ol’ hunk of cheddar cheese 

and I’m grating it up to make

one of my Dad’s specialities:

Grando’s Mac and Cheese.

I love to make this. 

We’re Southern.

Mac and Cheese is a staple on our holiday table.

Now this is my DAD’s recipe 

He makes it like my Grandma made Mac & Cheese 

so when I make this macaroni & cheese, 

I’m transported back to Thanksgiving and Christmas at my Grandmama’s table 

with my family and cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents there. 

It just really makes me feel good.

And I need that. 

I want comfort food.

It helps me cope with the stress of the holidays.

It really is okay to NOT feel like celebrating.

Celebration gives us this idea of pumped up, excited energy.

That may not be the feeling that you have at the end of the year during December of 2020.

It’s not the feeling I have

And that’s fine.

It’s okay to want comfort more than you want excited celebration.

It’s okay to want to feel peace,

to be peaceful,

to be centered,

to have calm through this season.

It really is okay.

Find the things that bring you comfort. 

Whether it’s eating macaroni and cheese or

snuggling with your dogs on the couch or

sitting quietly for a few minutes and breathing deeply.

Whatever it is that brings you peace,

find those moments during this season and

bring peace and calm into your holiday season.

Peace and comfort, my friends!