The kitchen has always been the heart of the home for my family. It’s that magical place where great meals were cooked and shared, stories told (some not true), manners, compliments, and plans for the week exchanged. Drying dishes with my grandmothers, silly antics with my mother and brother, snapping the wet towel against a naked leg were all a part of being in the kitchen. 
Both my grandmothers, mother and aunts knew how to fill a kitchen with the aromas of diets forgotten. Since my family came from Tennessee, mealtime, was pretty much a religion. Grace was always said, no TVs or radios, and laughter filled the air with the kind of human music you watched on The Waltons. Bliss.
This is a new series I’ll be posting once a week. You’ll meet authors 
and see their kitchens. They’ll share a recipe with you and tell you their tips, hacks, shortcuts and about their amazing journey into writing. Mostly it will be about that workplace they call a kitchen. Until they get their spatulas and spices ready, you can have a look around my kitchen. Hopefully you can’t see the built-up grease or crumbs the dog missed on the floor. My recipe is at the end.
Do I cook much? Nothing like when the kids were all home. I still cook big dinners for the family every couple of weeks now that I’ve moved to Oklahoma and they are closer. But when the husband is on the road I might just eat over the sink or fix some bacon and eggs. My go to sandwich is grilled cheese which I love to take onto the patio and enjoy the pond. I’m not sure you can see the pond from my pictures but it’s right outside my kitchen.
Confession time; I love dishes. Old. New. Chipped. Fancy. Plain. I need to go to Dishes Anonymous, if there is such a thing. I rarely use paper plates, even when the grandkids are here. I like cloth napkins and if I use paper ones I like for them to be festive. As you can see in the photo I collect Polish Pottery. The really fun thing is I started the collection years ago when I got my first piece at Cracker Barrel. When they decided to discontinue it, I stopped at everyone between St. Louis and Nashville, Tennessee to pick up what they had left. My grandmother loved my determination. Now it is really pricey so when I go to Marshalls, Tuesday Morning or T.J. Maxx and find a piece, I snatch it up like I’ve found the Holy Grail. 
I love to grill this time of year. I’ve included some pictures of the patio because it is an extension of my kitchen. It is the reason we bought the house. Eating outside in Oklahoma is pretty much a ten-month thing. (My husband would disagree with that.) I’ve been known to take my breakfast outside in November and December wearing a coat.
Having the kids around the table, inside or out, holiday or for no reason, is part of who I am. Having the kitchen crowded, loud and full of delicious food has carried over to my own grown kids. They are a lot more relaxed about it than me. I want that Martha Stewart experience. My granddaughter says it feels fancy at my house. That’s me; barefoot and fancy. 
Blurb for An Unlikely Hero
Some heroes wear high heels & smell like chocolate chip cookies. Her name is Tessa. http://amzn.to/1dxkHOo
No one in a gated community would suspect that a Libyan terrorist lived nearby. When her little girl tells Tessa Scott, a falling star landed in their backyard, she tells her to make a wish. Sending her family on vacation the following day after a fight with her husband, Tessa Scott realizes the falling star is a possible bomb. A no-nonsense Captain Hunter enters her home on false pretenses saving her life. Forcing the secret world of terrorists, assassins and national security into her once perfect life, fate forces Tessa to survive the unthinkable, including a complicated partnership with Captain Hunter.
Relying on a little faith and courage, Tessa discovers a hidden strength she never knew existed. Being shoved off a cliff to escape a forest fire,
becoming the bait to draw out men who are bent on destroying life-saving isotopes and facing the assassin who claims to have murdered her family brings together a group of disgruntled agents that begin to believe in the possibility of a higher power.
And there you have it for the beginning of the Sizzle in the Kitchen series. The next two authors are Molly Neely and Willy Robbins. Sign up on the lines to the right and never miss the fun. I’d also love for you to sign up for my newsletter at http://eepurl.com/doIUbv. And as a bonus for signing up, you’ll receive An Unlikely Hero for free.
2 Responses
Your kitchen is beautiful. I used to love to make cookies, but since it’s a rule you have to eat one out of every batch, I’ve quit making them. I’m fat enough. I also love eating breakfast on the patio. Mine isn’t nearly as clean as yours, though. Always have to scoot stuff out of the way for my computer.
I don’t usually take my computer outside because I tend to stare at the water and the flowers too much.