It's about to get real.
I was awkward as a teenager - though, let's be honest, who isn't? Heck, I was awkward in college. And early adulthood. Maybe I'm still quite awkward, but at least I feel more comfortable in my skin these days.
It happened somewhere in my mid-twenties. I began to understand who I was and what I was supposed to be doing here.
Not to sound dramatic (*heavy sigh*) but part of that is cooking. It just is. My deepest mental fogs and anxious thoughts can be lifted while kneading bread, dusting scones with powdered sugar, or roasting tomatoes.
It's just the way I am. So it's about to get real.
We've spent the better part of eight years building this blog and in it, we've covered everything from cloth diapers to mental breakdowns to cleaning the house to everything in between. But I hear you and your feedback to me over these past few years has been quite clear: you want more FOOD.
This past fall when our pilot premiered on Food Network, I thought this is it! We're taking real food to the masses, baby. Move aside white sugar, prepackaged meals, and freezer food. It's time for fatty meats, fermented vegetables, and whole grains. It's time for sourdough! For kombucha! For cheese! For rich, cleansing, fulfilling, real whole foods.
*Insert tire screeching noise*. Hold on Shaye. Not so fast.
When we heard from the Food Network that they weren't going to pick up our series of Homestead Table, the news came with subsequent pain - you know the kind of tears you really don't want to cry, so you hold them in your chest, and as they climb your throat against your will, the pain is almost unbearable? It was a little like that.
But then, as the wound began to heal and the tears dried, I started to see this "No." as an opportunity to share - without thought given to ratings or acceptance. Perhaps the world isn't quite ready for sauerkraut, homemade sausage, raw milk, and pastured eggs - but my guess is that you are.
And that's part of why you're here.
Though I can't share our mission entirely just yet (it's BIG, y'all), I wanted to share with you a taste of what is to come. I've spent the past few weeks piecing together a handful of autumn recipes, with photos and detailed instructions, for you to try as we drift through these last few weeks of summer. These recipes are designed to get you in the kitchen - not because you have to be there, but because you're inspired to create something delicious. It's that inspiration that'll keep your kitchen full of joy!
The blog is no longer in its awkward adolescent stage. We know why it's here and what it needs to be for our community. These new, fresh recipes are the first of much to come this season.
Thank you for being a part of it.