From Scratch & Beautiful Distractions.

I am writing a cookbook. You know this, no?I have been slaving away, hour upon hour, recipe upon recipe, to try and bring you a cookbook I am proud of. Not only have I remade and reshot a bunch of the old recipes from the blog, but I’ve also adapted a few and even included some new ones. It’s a cornucopia of recipes, my friends. And it’s going to be rad.I’m in the final stages of the content right now – just finished up the second to last chapter last night.And with the addition of a few formatting changes, photographs, and color blocks, we’re going to be really cruisin’ for a late spring/early summer release date.Truth be told – I CAN’T WAIT!My only struggle is that I want to include so many more recipes, add so much more content, and cover topics further in depth. Alas, that is not the point of this cookbook. Perhaps future cookbooks. This one, however, will serve as a culmination of The Elliott Homestead’s recipes to date. It’s an overview and detailed taste of every day life in our kitchen.The title?So glad you asked.The Elliott Homestead: From Scratch.The purpose?To share with others what a traditionally prepared, whole-foods diet looks like on a day to day basis in a busy home. To help build confidence in knowing that one isn’t just feeding their family, they’re nourishing them. And to prove it's possible to do on a budget.Despite all the late nights, early mornings, and technical frustrations, I’ve had so much fun getting to work on this cookbook – it’s been a great project for me to focus on. And I’m thankful that soon it will be tangible and accessible to all!All that being said, we do have one major problem with the cookbook. You see, as much as I’d like to sit and devote seven…eight…nine hours at a time to working on it, my 'work' is quite often 'interrupted'. Sometimes by the telephone. Sometimes by the laundry. But more often than not, it’s interrupted by the hobbit:Sorry, baby. But you do kind of resemble a hobbit.You’re…portly.Stout.Short & fat is what I’m trying to say.You do have cute toes though. Toes that can easily distract me from said cookbook projects.As I’m kissing these little feet and snuggling my cheek into his chest, sometimes the monster will creep up in my head. It says things like “Format!...” “Create a new recipe!..." “Better get busy on that writing slacker!...”And then I proceed to yell at the monster, reminding him that my baby is only a baby for a short window of life and I want to kiss him and nuzzle him and hold him and smell him and savor him as much as humanly possible.And in my mind, I can’t think of a better reason to be working slow & steady on a project than the beautiful distraction of my babies.And as much as I’d like to hammer out the book in a few weeks, it ain’t going to happen. There is life happening on the other side of this computer screen – a vibrant, loud, colorful, and messy life.It involves a lot of poopy diapers.And breastfeeding.Add sippy cups of milk.Though, I’m just seeing now as I type this, these beautiful distractions are the reason I’m writing this cookbook in the first place! I cook from scratch to have the knowledge of what I’m feeding them and the confidence that comes along with high-quality, whole foods.I cook from scratch to nourish my family. To play my small part in their health and wellness.And so I prepare whole-food, heart-healthy meals from scratch. Day in and day out.And that experience, that joy, is what I'm so excited to share with you.