What Kind of January Cook Are You?

January is here. Everyone's tired. The sun sets at 4:37 PM. We deserve better food than punishment salads. So let's have some fun.

This was originally a Casserole Confidential email dated December 30, 2025.

Hey y'all,

I want to say thank you for traveling life with me -- I appreciate each and every one of you. Y'all are such an encouraging, kind, and generous bunch of humans. It's proof that, despite what we hear and see all around us, there is good in the world.

Maybe it's silly to think a great casserole recipe or a delicious cake recipe can change the world but I like to think it can bring comfort to someone and make them feel loved. And, if it's my recipe, then I feel like I get to have a positive part in all of y'all's lives.

Ok... enough soggy emotions. Let's eat. I'm just going to rush through today so I can finish planning 2026. It's going to be a good one, y'all.

(Y'all, there might be affiliate links below-gotta keep the coffee flowing so I can keep sharing the recipes you love!)

What kind of January cook are you? (Be honest. Your kitchen already knows.)

Dinner time rolls around and you're:

A) Already tired. Like… pre-tired.
B) Defiant. Biscuits will fix this.
C) Reaching for the soup pot on instinct.
D) Saying "this is easy" out loud, suspiciously.

2. Your ideal January dinner:

A) Something that feeds everyone with zero commentary
B) Something warm, carb-forward, and a little rebellious
C) Something that simmers and makes the house feel safer
D) Something you swear is simple but still slaps

3. Your tolerance for chopping onions:

A) Minimal
B) Worth it if butter is involved
C) Fine, as long as there's a big pot
D) "It's not hard, I promise"

4. When a recipe says "weeknight-friendly," you think:

A) Define "friendly." I am fragile.
B) If it involves carbs, I'm listening.
C) Good. I can let it simmer and ignore it.
D) It probably takes 10 minutes. Tops. Maybe a touch more.

5. Your January cooking soundtrack is::

A) Silence. Blessed, uninterrupted silence.
B) Cozy jazz.
C) Ambiance sounds like the ocean or a thunderstorm.
D) a 1990s girl band track.

6. Your ideal January kitchen vibe is:

A) Low lights. Minimal talking. Everyone survives.
B) Warm lamps, candles, something mellow playing, butter on standby.
C) Steam on the windows, something simmering while you catch up on Good Witch on the Hallmark Channel (or Netflix).
D) Your favorite cooking show while you insist this is "basically nothing" as you reach for the imported rose and cardamom spice mix.

Whichever one you are-good news. I've got recipes that match your energy this month.

If your answers are mostly A you are:

🥘 The Exhausted Matriarch Feeds everyone. Wants zero commentary. Needs dinner to work. You are holding everything together with a grocery list and pure force of will.

Your January cooking style: Big dishes. No drama. Everyone eats. You rest.

You should be making:

Make-ahead casseroles
Slow cooker dinners
One dessert that lasts three days

Recipes to consider:

Mississippi Pot Roast . 6 ingredients. Throw it in. Walk away. Come back victorious. Big, cozy, smells like competence, and makes everyone think you have your life together.
Easy Beef Taquito Casserole . Frozen taquitos. Jarred sauce. Canned olives. Basically kitchen magic.
Alfredo Ravioli with Chicken and Spinach. Open a jar. Pick up a rotisserie chicken. Boil some ravioli. You've got this.

If your answers are mostly B you are:

🧈 The Rebellious Biscuit Maker: Refuses to suffer just because the calendar flipped.

Your January cooking style: Carbs as protest. Butter is a moral stance.

You should be making:

Drop biscuits
Carby skillet dinners
Cozy breakfasts-for-dinner

Recipes to consider:

Biscuits and Gravy . Fast. No rolling. No patience required. Peppery gravy, tender biscuits, and the quiet satisfaction of choosing carbs on purpose.
Skillet chicken pot pie with biscuits. Golden biscuits on top. Creamy filling underneath. All the comfort, none of the fuss, and it feels like a small rebellion against productivity culture.
Cheesy chicken chile bubble up is pure biscuit rebellion-soft, golden biscuit pieces rising up through tender chicken, green chiles, and unapologetically injudicious amounts of cheese.Everything bakes together into a cozy, pull-apart dish that feels a little defiant and very satisfying.

If your answers are mostly C you are:

🍲 The Soup Goddess: Believes in the healing power of a simmering pot and a quietly humming house. You heal people with steam and salt.

Your January cooking style: One pot. Long simmer. House feels better immediately.

You should be making:

Brothy soups
Creamy soups
"It tastes better tomorrow" soups

Recipes to consider:

Ginger chicken and rice soup. Quiet, steady goddess energy in a bowl. Tender chicken, soothing rice, and gentle ginger come together in a broth that feels grounding and restorative without trying too hard. The kind of soup you make when the house needs calm and you need dinner to take care of itself.
Slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup. Creamy, cozy, and indulgent in a way that feels deserved. Soft gnocchi, tender chicken, and a rich, comforting broth simmer all day so dinner shows up warm and ready when you are not.
Slow cooker beef and barley soup . Strong, steady, and quietly abundant. Slow-simmered beef, hearty barley, and vegetables melt together into a thick, soul-settling soup that tastes like patience and good judgment.

If your answers are mostly D you are:

🥄 The "I Swear This Is Easy" One: Means well. Says it's simple. Still somehow impressive.

You mean well. You really do.

Your January cooking style: Low effort, high payoff, slightly underestimated.

You should be making:

Shortcut dinners
Semi-homemade miracles
Recipes that look impressive but don't ask questions

Recipes to consider:

Slow cooker angel chicken. Creamy, comforting, and suspiciously good for how little it asks of you. Chicken slow-cooks into a rich, silky sauce that tastes like you stood at the stove nurturing it all day. You didn't. You swear this was easy. (It was.)
Slow cooker cherry chipotle pork chops . Sweet, smoky, and just bold enough to feel intentional. Juicy pork chops simmer in a cherry-chipotle sauce that sounds fancy and tastes even better, all while you do literally anything else.Low effort. Big payoff. You will absolutely say, "It's really simple."
Crockpot French onion pot roast . Deep, savory, slow-cooked comfort with dramatic flavor and zero drama from you. Tender beef, caramelized onion goodness, and a rich broth that tastes like patience and skill. You'll casually mention it was easy. People will doubt you.

👉 Hit reply and tell me which one you are