a banana died in my backpack. 

-olive a. english

Keep a little fire burning. 

However small. 

However hidden.

-Cormac McCarthy

Steph’s Bacon & Potato Soup

My dear friend Stephanie held an amazing women's retreat last fall and she created such a welcoming and warm space for a group of women to rest, reflect, and retreat. She provided everything, including all the amazing food, one being this incredible soup! 

you’ll need:

8 strips bacon 

1/2 medium onion chopped small

3 sticks celery chopped small

2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth or stock

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 cups frozen corn

3 large Russet potatoes peeled & diced

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Prep your bacon (I use kitchen shears to make cutting it up easy) and add it to a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).

2. Once the bacon is crispy, take it out of the pot and remove to a paper towel lined plate. Leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot (I usually leave most of it)

3. Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes.

4. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

5. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute, stirring nearly constantly.

6. Add in the chicken broth and give it a good stir to ensure the flour has dissolved and the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pot. 

7. Add in the cream, corn, potatoes, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, and bacon. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer so it's gently boiling. Cover the pot so the lid is slightly ajar.

8. Cook until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes). Stir every so often. The soup will thicken up more the longer you cook it.

9. Season the soup with salt & pepper as needed.

messy hospitality

“c’mon in!” she says.

there is clothes folded, 

stacked against the wall, and 

toys in the living room begging to be played with.

the house looks and smells 

warm and clean,

so luxurious and functional,

the smell of clove, cardamon and cinnamon waft beneath our noses

she’s making chai from scratch.

she busies herself with ceylon cinnamon sticks and fresh ginger.

we talk of church,

husbands, 

and the fight with time slipping from our fingers like sand.

shepherd wakes up sometime in between our chats and the others jumping on and off 

the girls bed.

“do you want the pink gem or a red one?” rhema demands an answer from psalm, 

in her little mother voice. 

noelle pulls at the tail of her mother’s shirt,

“I’m hungry, mom!”

in the midst of all of this

Mallory somehow 

continues to:

finish making the chai, 

grab shep from his nap and change his diaper, 

start to make blueberry muffins with just a bowl, a spatula and a prayer, 

all while asking me thoughtful questions, making me feel 

seen, heard, and loved.

I sit there,

in awe of her.

her home is gorgeous, 

beautifully curated, and well designed, 

of course it is. 

but what I love more is the gift of time she is giving me, 

not waiting till all the clothes are folded, or the dishes are put away.

her presence is a treasure,

and I am honored to be invited in.

messy hospitality, I call it.

but it feels more like 

holiness. 

I want to be like her.

opening my home, 

my heart,

my calendar. 

not waiting for perfection,

but welcoming others into 

peace. 

into rest. 

I want to care for others and 

give and receive grace,

as we break bread, 

and bring shalom into 

the every day chaos.

mallory, 

you are a gift to me. 

your friendship, 

your wisdom,

your example.

opening your incredible home,

thank you for the blueberry muffins, the fragrant chai,

and a glimpse into 

His grace. 

Dumpling Soup with Homemade Broth and Bok Choy

 I have been watching countless videos and looking up recipes for different ways to prepare dumplings because i have had a massive craving for them. I don't think I am anywhere near ready to make a dumpling from scratch, but I do think i can whip up a rich hearty broth, and throw in some cooked from frozen ones in there. I oftentimes have a bag of frozen dumplings, and after coming up with this delicious soup, i will be making this on repeat this fall and winter. It was so easy, and I can't believe how good it tasted! I've never made a rich broth like this from literal water and ingredients! Wow! I saved a video of another favorite cook of mine that i follow on line, her name is Seema Pankhania, and she has a wonderful page full of the most amazing recipes and dishes. I am very inspired by her! She has a recipe for dumpling soup, which my recipe is heavily inspired by hers! I want to make that clear, as I believe we need to not just copy others and then put our own name on it. Rather, giving credit to others brilliant ideas, and sharing we where we draw our inspiration from. I did not copy her recipe ingredient by ingredient, I adapted and created my own, but I would have never even thought to make dumpling soup if it wasn't for her. She had the brilliant idea and I wanted to try it for myself. I am so glad i found her page, her recipes, her willingness to share all that she has learned! So here am i, following suit, and sharing what I have learned and come up with. Just wanted to get that out there. Now let's move on to the recipe at hand!

You'll need:

Caldo de Pollo. or chicken bouillon, i thought also one of the packets from a raman pack would be amazing too 

hoisin sauce 

chili crunch oil 

hot water 

1 egg, whisked 

6-8 frozen dumplings 

1-2 fresh bok choy, chopped 

green onion, chopped 

generous heap of chopped cilantro and onion 
sesame oil 

dipping sauce:

soy sauce, chili crunch, hoisin

In a large bowl, drop a heaping teaspoon of chicken bouillon. Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and chili oil crunch. Pour boiling hot water over soup base. 

Next, drizzle the whisked egg into the broth, creating an egg drop soup effect, use a fork to stir it in well. 

Drop in cooked dumplings that were boiled separately. 

Add bok choy, green onion, and cilantro and onion mixture. 

Drizzle with a generous glug of sesame oil. 

Slurp and eat and using dipping sauce for soupy dumplings. 

I'm telling you, this soup is souping. I hope you love is as much as I do!!