Bethany Barker
Salad Season!
Spring has arrived with gusto in Kentucky. We are still having lots of rain and some cool days but the green life everywhere is a treat for the eyes and soul. We have planted our little backyard garden and are getting excited about being able to eat what we grow ourselves. It always feels like such a miracle for us ‘brown thumbs’ to put a few seeds in the ground and eventually receive something that is edible. We are amazed … Continue reading
Eating from the Pantry
I have begun to re-read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and she suggests we consider, “what do I have available to eat?” instead of “what do I want to eat?” This perspective naturally shifts the focus towards eating what is local and in season. There are plenty of options for us during the gardening months. For example, here in Kentucky, tomatoes are abundant and delicious in the late summer and early fall. But in winter our choices seem more … Continue reading
Party Tips—Impact and Contributions
By now, you have probably been to at least a handful of Christmas and holiday gatherings. They can be a highlight of the season for us. I am still on this journey of finding small ways to honor God and love my neighbor by caring for His creation. So I have been trying to take mental notes about how my impact and contributions can be more deliberate at these celebrations. Maybe you can help add more tips to my list: … Continue reading
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
This blog was originally posted in July, but was lost when we switched websites, so it is being reposted now. July is ending and it seems to be that time of the gardening year when we all have more zucchini than we can eat or give away. We have probably all heard the jokes about this being the only time when country folk lock their houses to avoid neighbors dropping off any extra zucchini. In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver even calls … Continue reading
Roasted veggie foil packets – Welcome, fall!
Being outside is a common interest that my husband and I brought to our marriage, and we are both still refreshed by most any opportunity to be in creation together. Now our outdoor adventures include our young kids and, whenever possible, we like to invite others to join us, too. Last night provided just such an opportunity. Good friends gathered with us for a backyard dinner with a campfire. We cooked most of our evening meal on the coals, fellowshipped … Continue reading
Brussels Sprouts– from icky to incredible!
“I want more Brussels sprouts!” was recently heard around our dinner table. I do not even remember eating Brussels sprouts as a kid, which makes me think that my parents did not like them either, so I must have been spared this typical childhood aversion. A couple of summers ago we chose to be a part of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a program with a local farm. At first we were nervous about making the financial commitment because we basically had … Continue reading
Baked Oatmeal for Christmas Morning!
Baked Oatmeal—like warm cookies and milk for breakfast! If you ask our kids what they want for breakfast, one of the most likely answers will be screamed out in unison, “Baked Oatmeal!” Few things delight them more than peeking through the oven window to see Baked Oatmeal cooking for our breakfast. Okay, our kids may seem weird, but you have got to try this one—it will convert even the staunchest oatmeal loather! One of the books I recently read encouraged … Continue reading
Pumpkin Pancakes and Black Bean Bisque
This fall, Friday nights have become “Brinner” at our house, Breakfast-for-Dinner. We have a couple of friends who regularly join us and then also invite some others to come, too. It is a great way to kick off the weekend and we all look forward to spending some relaxed time together after a busy week. Our kids anticipate Friday nights as much as the adults. To kick off cooler fall weather, one of our recent Brinner menus included more of … Continue reading
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins… These are all recent menu items around our house. And we haven’t even gotten to the pumpkin pie yet! Pumpkin seems to have become the Flavor-of-the-Month around our house. I’ve been trying new recipes that utilize the pumpkin puree that we got from our first little pumpkin patch. We are the first to admit that we are not very technical when it comes to gardening. We had our young children … Continue reading
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