Coffee with Kel

Building relationships, encouraging hope

WhatAreYouWednesday

What Are You…Wednesday

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Happy mid-week, y’all!

It’s my second “What are you…” Wednesday. Last week, as you may recall, I asked what you are reading. I got a lot of replies on my FB to that question and I’m VERY thankful to have some great reading recommendations. I’m currently reading A Man Called Ove and even though I don’t have much reading time these days, I’m still really enjoying it. I’m excited to work through other recommendations that were given to me last week. THANK YOU for those and be sure to keep an eye out, reader friends, because I’ll be asking what you’re reading again soon.

What are you eating?

I am not a food blogger. I feel like I should just put that out there right off the bat. I share recipes and photos, but I’m really just a wife and mom who enjoys cooking for her family. There’s nothing fancy about my cooking at all. Thank goodness, fancy and tasting great don’t have to go hand in hand. (Can I get a witness?) When I ask what you’re eating today, it’s because I’m looking for kitchen inspiration. One of my 2017 aspirations is to incorporate new meals/recipes into our family’s routine. Besides convenience when schedules are busy, sometimes the reason we eat out is that I find myself bored with the “same old stuff” I often cook and want something different. Given that cooking for my family is something I enjoy, I want to find more dishes that become go-to staples in our household. Will you help me with that? Here’s the catch. I don’t eat red meat or pork. That doesn’t lend to much variety, I know, but I don’t eat those things and haven’t for more than 20 years. (In other words, I’m not apt to pick that back up again.) Sometimes I will prepare a roast with veggies or do BBQ pork loin in the crock pot for Mickey and the girls, but red meat and pork dishes are not commonly prepared. For our basic dinners, I tend to stick to poultry and fish. Ground turkey and chicken are staples around here, as you can imagine. I need some motivation, y’all…some kitchen inspiration. What are your family’s favorite meals, especially dinners? I would love to get recipes, links, anything. It can be make-ahead meals, crock pot meals, soups, casseroles…I want it all! I would even like some red meat and pork recipes because, hey, sometimes I make those for the family. Whatcha got, friends? Bring it on! Inspire me!

I really hope to get some feedback on this because I am in a rut and I need help. In turn, I promise to keep sharing some of our favorite recipes on the blog too.

Here’s to good cookin’…
Kel

What Are You…Wednesday

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Welcome to my first “What are you…?” Wednesday. I plan on making this a regular theme for Wednesdays. Posts will be anything from what are you wearing, to what are you cooking/eating, to what are you reading, listening to, thinking about, etc. I think this is a fun way to engage in conversation, share ideas and thoughts, etc. I hope you’ll join me in this.

My first “What are you…?” of 2017 is — What are you reading?

Here’s where I confess that I am in a reading slump. I absolutely LOVE to read, but I’ve been in a real slump lately, so I’m hoping y’all will post with some suggestions to get my nose in a book again. My favorite genre is southern fiction and I also tend to lean toward Christian fiction. Full disclosure, I don’t tend to like books with excessive foul language, “adult” situations, violence, etc. Moderation is okay, but I just tend to lean toward books with less of those elements. You know, personal preference and all. (wink)

Since I’m not currently reading anything, so I’ll share three of my favorite reads from last year. I am sharing links from Amazon because that’s easy. I don’t receive any affiliation funds from any book seller at this time.

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines

I just adore Chip and Joanna! Fixer Upper is so much fun to watch not only because they are incredibly talented at renovating homes (and I wish they’d come do mine), but also because they are just so genuine. I also admire the way they live out their faith and encourage people. (Side note, take a few minutes to read Chip’s New Year’s Revelation blog post. It’s awesome!) This book was a fun, easy read. My sweet Gran also read it and loved it! If you like the show and admire these two as much as I did, read this book. You’ll be glad you did!

Long Way Gone by Charles Martin

Charles Martin is definitely my favorite author. I’ve read all of his books, several more than twice, and  you can bet that when he has a new one coming out, I’ve got it on pre-order. In fact, I probably have a pre-order of the Kindle version so I get it quicker and the hard copy so I have it in my collection. I just love his writing and always look forward to a new Charles Martin novel. This book is, in essence, a modern day telling of the prodigal son and Charles does a beautiful job with a story that doesn’t sugar coat reality, but also reveals the beauty of grace. As always, highly recommended!

Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe

I randomly found this book at Goodwill and I’m so glad I did. I read it during our beach trip in September and really enjoyed it. Like I said above, I enjoy good southern fiction and this book fit the bill well. I really liked her strong character development in the female characters.

*****

So, what are y’all reading these days? Please post comments and give me some book recommendations. I am really yearning to get lost in a great read! Help me out with suggestions?

Best,
Kel