Family Treasures
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Savory Weeknight Risotto
Exhausted from a long day of errands, I threw together a quick weeknight dinner of savory risotto with a gourmet twist..
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You’re So Vanilla
From my earliest memories homemade ice cream was a regular summertime treat. I don’t recall much of the preparation of said ice cream, only that I would “help” my dad as he hand cranked the bucket of sugary goodness- usually whilst sitting in the floor, working to the rhythm of whatever 70s rock was playing through his headphones- the cord of which was stretched from the console turntable across the room. I can see him sitting there in the shag carpet of the living room of our single wide trailer, back against the rust and green floral velour couch, bucket between his outstretched legs, head bobbing in time to the…
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@JoannaGaines Is My Spirit Animal
You may be living under a rock if you haven't heard of Joanna Gaines or Waco's Magnolia Silos, or even the HGTV show Fixer Upper. I'd venture to guess we might not even run in the same circles if this is the case. But, if you're like me, and Joanna Gaines is your spirit animal too, then we might end up being soul sisters. Read on for my review of our trips to the Silos and JoJo's newly released cookbook, Magnolia Table.
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Honor Your Mother(s)
Mother's Day recipes to spoil the wonderful women in your life!
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Missing
“So you keep a secret drawer with a few items of her favorite clothes. And you retreat to press your face into them, searching for the familiar scent of her that has long since faded.”– Suzanne Leitz Suzanne Leitz’s post perfectly sums up why I left this blog after only a few posts. It’s hard enough to be broken, but to be broken in public is raw and messy and sometimes you must step away and do the hard work inside yourself before you can relive the sweet memories. The loss of my beloved Nanny hit me hard. I thought I’d be the strong stoic type that holds everyone up…
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Happy Birthday, Nanny
Every year for my birthday my Nanny would call me and sing to me- usually early in morning before I was all the way awake- and we would laugh and chat for at least an hour. Then in September, her birthday would come and I would return the sentiment... it was tradition. Until this year. This year, I didn't get a birthday call from Nanny, and I missed it. Today is Nanny's 85th birthday- and I actually picked up the phone and dialed the number before it hit me. I laid in bed and cried for a while, then heard her get on to me for wallowing. She told me…
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Summery Goodness
My Nanny made some mouthwatering fried pies, but a close second was her peach or blackberry cobbler and my own Mama's homemade ice cream.
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Biscuits and jelly…
So my grandmother passed away in November. It still hurts to breathe some days- but I do it anyway. When we cleaned out her house, I collected a few sentimental items mostly related to cooking because she loved to cook and I sincerely believe that I inherited that from her. Many of my favorite childhood memories include her and (me) in the kitchen or have food attached to them somehow. As mentioned in previous posts, we found several quarts of frozen muscadines in her freezer and I brought them home to my freezer. I knew when I found them she’d been saving them to make more of that yummy jelly and probably give…
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Jelly legs…
One of the things my Nanny was really good at was making jelly. She grew up on a farm in Oklahoma so gardening- and by default- canning became second nature at a young age. One of the best memories I have of her canning abilities came in the form of muscadine jelly. When we would visit, she’d make scrambled eggs, biscuits and bacon and offer up a jar of this yummy sweet/tart jelly to slather onto her angel biscuits, which I did as often as I could. Occasionally she’d give a jar away at Christmas as a stocking stuffer and I always hoarded mine until I couldn’t hold out any…
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Nanny’s Recipe Hoarding Legacy
I’m a wife, mother, friend, literature nerd, photographer, and crafty domestic queen of my domain. I love, in no particular order (that’s a lie- there’s an order…) babies, kittens, food, good company, laughter, and sunshine. I am a procrastinator, often suffer from insomnia and writer’s block, and burn grilled cheese sandwiches every. single. time. I try to cook them- because I also get distracted easily (ooh look shiny sparkles!), which is why I just don’t cook those a whole lot anymore. My kids, in spite of my love for cooking and trying new recipes, love boxed macaroni and cheese and frozen pizza. Oh well- I chalk this up to parenting failure…