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Comfort & Joy
God had been silent for 400 years. 400 years. I feel isolated and dejected if haven’t encountered Him in a couple days, the very idea of silence for that length of time breaks my heart. For those who knew and waited, when they heard the stirrings that something was happening…can you even imagine what their hearts felt? And then, when it happened…when God’s own Son was born. The HOPE. The thrill of HOPE, the weary world REJOICES. Things we take so much for granted because we’ve always known those beautiful carols, the scriptures have been read to us since we could sit still. I find myself trying to explain this…
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The One About Grief
I don’t want to write about grief. I want to write about food and projects and books I’ve been reading. But, here I am. I was awoken from a deep sleep, and know that I have no hope of going back unless I express these thoughts and feelings. So, here I am, for better or worse, raw, vulnerable, and unfiltered. Frozen. That’s how I’ve felt for a while. Not fully feeling. Only doing what needs to be done, taking care of others, but unable to dip much into the creative current that usually lives right beneath my surface. Surface. That might be the key. Things on the surface are held…
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How’s She Doing? 5 Years Later, aka “No Really, I’m Good”…with asterisks
Five years ago this week was one of the longest weeks of my life. My diagnosis had been confirmed the week before, and we were trying to prepare for surgery the following week, but even that date was in the air. My children were in elementary school, and we were doing our best to give them safe answers when we didn’t know many answers, and keep them feeling safe when that definition was a bit wobbly for all of us. I was trying to focus on work enough to assure that things could run smoothly without me (*update, apparently they can 😉 iykyk). I was trying to process so much…
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My Sue
My mother, Sue Salley, died on Monday afternoon, July 19th almost seven months after her husband and my daddy, George, died. Those seven months in between were so hard on her. She tried to push through, and we tried to push her to push through, but she was tired, and she was sad. Until the moment she left us, I was planning for “how can we make Mama better?”. I know that now, she is so much better – she is pain-free and whole and unburdened and joyful – those are things only possible for her in heaven. My heart misses her terribly, and I hope to honor her with…
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Comfort When You Need It – Tomato Soup
Today is bleak. The sky is gray. The temperature in central Mississippi feels colder than the thermometer reflects. Our nation has gone bananas. I am grieving the loss of my daddy. Bleak. In the midst of today’s bleakness, I feel the pull toward all things that bring comfort (I’m certain I’m not the only one). Tomato Soup ranks #1 on my internal list of comfort food, so I made it for myself for lunch today. Warm and savory, it did the job it needed to do. I thought I’d share it with you. Tomato SoupOnion – 1 cup , choppedCelery – 1 cup, choppedCarrot – 1/2 cup, gratedSalt – about…
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My George
My daddy died last week. He was 91 years old, his body was tired, and his spirit was ready to be with Jesus. I can’t help but think of II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Even though I’ve known this was coming for a long time, it’s harder to let him go than I expected. He was 50 years old when I was born…I remember wondering when I was younger if he would be around for my wedding or to meet my children one day. He walked me down the aisle, helped me till my first garden…
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Thanksgiving How-To: Cornbread Dressing
Thanksgiving has arrived. This year you may find yourself “in charge” of all the food by choice or by circumstance. You may feel completely prepared for this challenge, or you may be staring into space wondering how in the world food will magically land on your table. I’m here to help…with the dressing at least. Here’s a video to walk you through all the steps involved in making good cornbread dressing: Printable Recipe: Hope you enjoy! And, Happy Thanksgiving!
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Red Beans & Rice – Instant Pot Style
Yesterday afternoon was an overcast Sunday, and I had a hankering for cozy food. Mind you, my family was having an honest to goodness lazy Sunday afternoon. I was having trouble mustering up the required amount of energy to decide what cozy food I should make, let alone cook the actual food. I knew my hours were running short, but the hankering did not go away…I started mentally going through my pantry, and as soon as I thought “all those Camilla red beans I still have after an early quarantine trip to Costco”, the decision was made. Red Beans and Rice for the win! You may be questioning how I…
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Cast Iron Magnolia…Kitchen
Hi everyone! If you have read much of this blog in the past, you know that I love to cook and bake, so I’ve decided to try a little something new and make a business of my baking. I’ll still use this site to blog recipes and thoughts and projects, but now you’ll also see a “Cast Iron Magnolia Kitchen” page that lists the products I’m currently baking. You can place an order directly in the website and I’ll contact you to determine when and where to meet up with the goods…OR, you can just shoot an email to castironmagnolia@gmail.com with an order, question, or special request. For now, I’ll…
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My “Go-To” Chocolate Chip Cookies
So, here we are…8 weeks or so into this socially-distanced quarantine. My days have swung the pendulum from excessive productivity and positive to utterly lazy and grumpy – and every point in between. Lately, I feel like my family is gravitating toward needing comfort (specifically, comfort food). To that end, I made chocolate cookies. Is there anything more comforting that chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven? Here’s a video of the cookie process: [wpvideo ukkXLeoX ] And…the recipe: 3/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup malt powder…
affectionately known as "Mama Devin" to some…
