Winter Recipes Archives - Cooking with Cassandra

Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Fully glazed brown sugar ham sliced and served with orange slices and rosemary on a white platter.

Looking for the perfect holiday ham that’s packed with flavor, easy to make, and guaranteed to impress your guests? This Easy Brown Sugar Glazed Ham recipe is everything you need and more. It’s sweet, savory, juicy, and has the yummiest sticky glaze with hints of garlic, orange, and warm spices. Whether it’s Christmas, Easter, or a cozy Sunday dinner, this ham will be the star of the table. And yes—it's so much better than the store-bought glaze packets. Once you try this homemade brown sugar glaze, you’ll never go back! And if you're feeling a little intimidated by cooking a whole...

Best Beef Chili Recipe

A bowl of hearty beef chili topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and fresh cilantro, served with toasted baguette slices.

Are you on the hunt for the best beef chili recipe? Look no further! This hearty, flavorful chili is my go-to comfort food, and I’m sure it’ll quickly become yours too. There’s nothing quite like a warm bowl of chili on a chilly night (I couldn’t resist). Packed with tender beef, my secret ingredient smoky bacon, beans, and a special blend of spices with a hint of brown sugar, it’s the perfect combo of rich flavors. In our home, we find it hard to stop eating—I've even had to explain to my husband that we can’t have this for dinner every night! If he had to pick just one dinner for the...

The BEST Easy Lasagna Soup Recipe

A bowl of creamy lasagna soup with wavy noodles, rich tomato broth, ground beef, and a dollop of ricotta cheese, served with a golden spoon.

Lasagna Soup Recipe This Best Lasagna Soup Recipe is the ultimate cozy, cheesy, and easy comfort food! Packed with all the flavors of classic lasagna—tender noodles, a rich tomato broth, and loads of melty mozzarella—this one-pot soup is perfect for busy weeknights. Topped with a creamy ricotta mixture, every spoonful is pure comfort. Ready in under an hour, this easy lasagna soup will be your new family favorite! Serve with garlic bread for the perfect cozy dinner idea. Lasagna Soup Ingredients2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 large yellow onion (finely chopped)8 garlic cloves...

The Best Pasta alla Vodka

Pot of Pasta alla Vodka topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil

There’s something about a big bowl of creamy Pasta alla Vodka that just speaks to my soul—especially when the sauce is rich, garlicky, and clings to every bite of rigatoni. It’s one of those dishes that feels a little fancy but is surprisingly simple to make at home. The tomato paste gives it depth, the cream makes it silky, and the vodka? That’s the secret to pulling all the flavors together into one irresistibly smooth sauce. I’m sharing my secrets for making authentic, restaurant-worthy Pasta alla Vodka right at home. For this easy pasta recipe I toss the onion in a food...

The Best Au Gratin Potatoes (Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes Recipe)

Golden baked au gratin potatoes made with Yukon Gold potatoes and melted Gruyère cheese in a white casserole dish.

When it comes to cheesy comfort food, Au Gratin Potatoes (or as some call them, Scalloped Potatoes) are always a winner. This recipe layers tender Yukon Golds with a creamy spiced sauce and perfectly melted Gruyère cheese for a side dish that’s rich, cozy, and just a little fancy. It’s perfect for holidays, family dinners, or anytime you want something that’ll have everyone asking for seconds. What are Au Gratin Potatoes? Au Gratin Potatoes are thinly sliced potatoes baked in a rich, creamy sauce with layers of melted cheese until golden and bubbly. While traditional scalloped potatoes...

The Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Introducing my absolute favorite mashed potatoes recipe! When it comes to comfort food, this truly is the best creamy mashed potatoes recipe you’ll ever try. These homemade potatoes are rich, buttery, packed with flavor, and incredibly easy to make. Whether served at a holiday feast or a casual family dinner, they’re always a hit. What makes these mashed potatoes so special? Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are naturally creamy and buttery, and when paired with garlic, cream cheese, whipping cream, and a touch of sea salt, the flavor is out of this world! The cream cheese adds a tangy twist,...

The Best Christmas Sugar Cookies Recipe with Easy Icing

Introducing truly the best sugar cookie recipe! These soft and festive Christmas sugar cookies are perfect for holiday baking and a must-have in your seasonal collection. My simple cut-out cookies come together quickly and are ideal for decorating with your favorite icing designs. One of the best parts? No chill time is needed! Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, and quick to make, this cookie dough has become a go-to for me and my family. This guide will show you how to make cookies that stay soft, hold their shape, and have a beautiful, shiny icing. Grab your favorite cookie cutters and enjoy...

Best Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Recipe

Do you love lasagna? I’ve tried it all from homemade, at my favorite Italian spots, and even the frozen kind from the grocery store. Each one of those experiences has given me the joy of eating comfort food which is just so flavorful and rich. But I love lasagna so much that I tend to overdo it! Is that just me, or can anyone else relate? So, when I discovered the idea of using spaghetti squash to make lasagna, I was excited to try it out. I’m here to prove that comfort food can be both cheesy and healthy! That’s exactly why I created one of my all-time favorites: Spaghetti Squash...

The Best Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

You're going to love this pumpkin cake as much as I do! It's a super moist, single-layer pumpkin cake with the creamiest cream cheese frosting—perfect for fall gatherings like Thanksgiving or a cozy weekend at home. The pumpkin makes the cake irresistibly soft and gives it that gorgeous orange glow. And then there’s the frosting—oh, that frosting that’s so irresistible I could eat it straight from the spoon! I’ve made this cake four times this month, and trust me, it’s that good. This recipe is foolproof, easy to whip up, and packed with real pumpkin flavor without being overwhelmed by...

Best Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe

Classic Stuffing | cookingwithcassandra.com

Discover how easy it is to put together a delicious, warm stuffing, that you’ll never go back to the boxed kind. Yes, prepackaged stuffing tastes fine and is an absolute breeze to cook, but there is no comparison once you try making this homemade version. There's something so special about home-cooked meals— nothing beats the comfort of making it yourself. Whether it's a cozy favorite like mac and cheese or your own twist on a classic dish like my turmeric ginger chicken noodle soup, the flavors are just better at home. Sometimes, they even bring back nostalgic childhood memories!...

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Noodle Soup Recipe | cookingwithcassandra.com

There’s nothing better than curling up with a comforting bowl of this one-pot turmeric ginger chicken noodle soup, which delivers on both flavor and nourishment. The power combo of ginger and turmeric is nature’s way of soothing colds and upset tummies, making this the perfect go-to when you're feeling under the weather. Packed with chicken, veggies, and egg noodles, every bite is hearty and satisfying—no more empty spoonfuls of just broth! I’m going to be repeating this recipe, along with my old-fashioned beef stew, all winter long. These are two meals I love to make in big batches,...

Old Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe

Beef Stew Recipe | cookingwithcassandra.com

I LOVE a good stew. They are the ultimate comfort food (followed by a cheesy hash brown casserole). They fill up your belly with food and your heart with warmth. There are so many variations of stew that are downright delicious: Japanese curry, goulash, and old-fashioned beef stew, which is today’s recipe. In January, when it’s freezing cold in Winnipeg, cooking up a batch of stew is an instant cure to get rid of the winter blues. Alright, maybe not an instant cure per se… there’s a wait time of 3 hours before you can dig in. But you know what I mean: it’s a lifesaver in our cold...