A cool watch that won’t break the budget and looks sharp at work or at home. (The Reed Shop, $120)

Because this game would make for a hella fun night. (Poor decisions? What poor decisions?) (Marbles, $24.99)

The softest fleece-lined sweatshirt EVER. (Marine Layer, $88)

The perfect glass for his nightcap. (Uncommon Goods, $17.95)

Baking with my children is easily one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I’ve written about all the things we make together on this blog for many years. This year my son is almost three and he is getting in on the action too. It is so much fun to have him take interest in the kitchen. The only tricky part for me is finding baking projects that are manageable for him, but still interesting enough for my daughter who is several years older, and I can always find ideas here.

One of our favorite everyday meals lately has been lasagna. I have a few variations I make, but basic beef are still our favorite. I like to switch up the flavor now and then so sometimes I try out a new meat or seasoning. It doesn’t always go over, but recently I tried something that was a huge hit.

I’ve been all about simple soups this fall. I like to combine a few strong flavors, pureé them until smooth, and enjoy a bowl of comfort for our meals. I’ve never been a huge fan of curries, but combining curry with butternut squash somehow works. The warmth of the spice pairs beautifully with the natural sweetness of the vegetable and it makes for a satisfying bowl of soup that needs little adornment.

My friend Jessie moved into a historical home in Southern Connecticut two years ago. When she and her husband bought the house the kitchen was basically non-functioning, so they were forced to renovate before they moved in with their two young children and dog. Given the time crunch and unique space they were working with I think they did an amazing job. Since they plan to renovate further in the future they used Ikea to design and install their kitchen. It was a cost effective way to build a space they can use for the next few years while they save up for more extensive work.

This fall I was thrilled to chat with Jessie about her kitchen design and how they made design decisions to accommodate their busy family life.

1) What was the kitchen like when you bought the house and how did you decide on the design that you did?

We bought our 1826 house as a short sale. The previous owner adored the house, but she hadn’t updated much since Madonna topped the charts… a good thirty years I’m guessing. Quickly upon taking ownership, we discovered that replacing the boiler was a top priority, and we decided to install a dual air conditioner while we were at it. Poof. There went our fancy kitchen budget.

At first, I convinced myself that it wasn’t so bad… aside from the dried islands of jam and jelly inside the cupboards, many of which appeared to be older than me!

Time and convenience were critically important to us. The sale of the house had dragged on for far too long (short sale=6 months process), so we were very eager to get situated before our kids’ school started. We’d used an Ikea kitchen in a weekend home in Southampton and liked the clean look. Ikea offers great software for executing your design–you just input the measurements. They can help you fiddle around with the plan in the store (go during an off time–the process may take a few hours, and consider hiring a contractor or professional through the store to do the actual execution–it’s daunting). We loved the idea of axing the lead time; we could yank out the old kitchen and not have to wait for months on end for a custom one to arrive (or have to live through the demo while making dinner on a bunson burner).

Let’s put it this way: a friend of mine graduated from Harvard’s school of design for architecture, and one of her professors uses Ikea religiously. If it’s good enough for him….

Now that we’ve fully recovered from Halloween season — it really is a whole season, the events take up the whole month of October — I am buckling down for the holidays. This year I am feeling cozy and in the mood to nest. We’ve been having lots of people over lately and I’ve been focusing on comfort food and seasonal fruit desserts. A recent favorite is this super duper easy pear crumble. It is loaded up with fall spices and tons of delicious fruit. The top is crispy and crumbly and brimming with caramelized fruit juices.