Welcome to life from the messy middle.
Where stories matter. Recipes are measured from the heart.
Home is a reflection of what brings you joy. And hope is free for the taking.
And she let go of yesterday so her heart could find joy today.
Someone, Somewhere, Sometime … Probably.
In The Kitchen
CLASSIC HAMBURGER STEAK
This is another “fam favorite” around here…classic hamburger steak and gravy. Watch to end of video (or read instructions well!) to see how I made the gravy with NO lumps – because no thank you! Thanks for watching! Until next time, Happy Cooking…xx, mb
GRANNY’S APPLE DUMPLINGS
This dish takes me right back to my childhood! These apple dumplings were my favorite dessert that my Granny Austin would make. For some reason I’ve let the idea of peeling and coring apples keep me from cooking with them. No more! I go…
EASY CHICKEN PASTRY
If there is one dish I would love to eat again at my Granny’s table for Sunday lunch it would be her chicken-n-pastry. I can see her rolling out the dough, cutting it in strips and putting it in the boiling broth. Truly a southern comfort food staple!
COWBOY CASSEROLE
We’re back in the kitchen! Today we’re making a quick and easy (and very tasty) Cowboy Casserole. Evidently cowboys are partial to tater tots. Who knew? Such a good dish to add to your weeknight rotation.
CAST IRON SKILLET CORNBREAD
Skillet cornbread is the cure to a lot that ails. Especially when you incorporate large amounts of butter and the other great butter – buttermilk. Ok, that’s not butter, but it’s in the name and that has to count for something.
BEST EVER CHICKEN FRIED STEAK
Few things say southern like Chicken Fried Steak and I think everyone needs to know how to make it! It used to intimidate me, but I’ve made it so much now it’s become second nature – almost as much as eating it is. It’s not hard to make and…
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles…
From the heart…
HOPE NOTES
The Longest Season
Holding On When There Is No End In Sight
It’s my birthday. Forty-seven years ago today, my mom and dad were on their way to the hospital after church to meet their first child. An expectant, possibly sobering, October Sunday drive lined with falling leaves in hues of gold and red, as they welcomed a new season into their lives.
This forty-seventh year is no different for their daughter. I look outside and see the sun coming over the trees, peeping through amber leaves, and welcome the brisk air brushing my skin through the open window. The season outside is changing, and mine is, too… READ MORE
HOPE NOTES
Waves in the wilderness.
No Way Out.
Some of my fondest childhood memories are soaked with the salty air of North Carolina beaches. In particular, there is a special pocket of memories holding two summers our family vacationed at what was then a sleepy southern NC island beach just far enough away from much more hectic Myrtle Beach, to allow a long drive to supper and a short walk to the sound. My favorite memory is on my hands and knees skimming the shallow waters with my dad, digging for sand dollars. Round, living, breathing treasures, we scooped up and took back to clean in a bucket of water and Clorox, then dried them out and took them home as a remembrance.
The shallow water was inviting, more so than the beach where the waves could knock me down and the undertow could pull me away from the safety of the shore. I preferred the calm water then and I prefer the calm water now, but preference doesn’t always equal circumstance. READ MORE