Joyously Domestic

My name is Angela. I am a wife to Steve and a mother of five (ranging from ages thirteen to thirty). I am blessed to be a stay-at-home mother and spend much of my time in the kitchen. I started blogging in the spring of 2012 and it has been an amazing journey thus far. Food has always been a very important part of my family. I grew up with grandpar... ents who had huge gardens. I spent a good part of my summers each year helping to plant, weed and harvest. We canned for weeks each fall. We processed corn, beans and lots of other fresh produce for the freezer, as well. We'd go apple, pear, peach and berry picking, then spend an entire weekend making jams. My mother always cooked from scratch for every meal. And, she is a fabulous baker. I learned lots of scrumptious Southern recipes from my "granny" who was born in Kentucky. And, another grandmother often let me come to her work with her ... she was a private chef for years. Every holiday, birthday, anniversary and special occasion was a huge event on all sides of my family! We'd spend the day cooking together, then sit around the table for hours sharing food, stories, laughs ... and making memories! I am blessed to have in my recipe arsenal many of those same recipes from my childhood that have been passed down through my family. I revel in the fact that I can now spend time in my own kitchen with my children sharing many of the same recipes that I was taught to make from my grandparents and mother. I am a firm believer that food can be more than just nourishment for our bodies. It is a beautiful thing when it is, also, nourishment for our souls. It is something that connects us on so many levels. I grew up with a mother who was regularly taking dishes to someone who had just had a baby or had just had surgery. She'd spend weeks at Christmastime making candies, cookies and breads to deliver to our friends and family. And, my Southern grandmother never let anyone leave after a visit to her home without a "care package" of canned goods, leftovers and freshly-made ...Read More