family

The Love Language of Cooking

August 26, 2021 by Ellen Leave a Comment

Today’s guest writer is my friend Mitzi Neely from Peacefully Imperfect. I love how Mitzi weaves tales of love and faith in with her oh, so good recipes! AND: We are “twinsies” who share the same birthday! Enjoy!

As a little girl, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents. Besides telling stories and sharing giggles, much of what we did was centered around faith, family, and food. My sister and I used to say that our school cafeteria would have the best food in the world if our grandmothers were the chief cooks! Can I get an amen?

As I reflect on my time with them, I remember my grandparents as a great source of joy. They lived simple, productive lives and were strong people, rooted in Jesus. They distanced themselves from drama. They were frugal and didn’t spend what they didn’t have. And they loved their family and their neighbors.

Those time-honored qualities are laced in legacy. My grands may have had less on the material side of things than some, but the formula for creating a godly family was more important. With each one, it was always God first, family second, job third, and so on. They possessed beautiful, giving hearts and had spirits to match. More than anything, I saw them model extraordinary love and kindness to everyone they met. I’m thankful for their influence in my life.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15

Some of my earliest memories in the kitchen were helping my grandmothers make a dewberry cobbler, banana pudding, or meatloaf. Along with my mom and mother-in-law, they had a huge influence on my life, both in the kitchen and as a wife and mother. They were models for Christ-like living, savored the family unit, and taught me that cooking was more than combining ingredients. For me, cooking is a language of love, an act of service, and a space to create comfort on any given day.

I am an avid cook who loves to bring joy to others through a good meal. I appreciate my time in the kitchen and consider it a sanctuary to restore, refresh, and refuel my soul. When it’s filled with the hustle and bustle of family and friends, it’s the perfect place for genuine fellowship where memories are created and time treasured.

As a way of sharing those memories, I am pleased to announce a new project, Zizi’s Kitchen, to be published in late October 2021. Zizi’s Kitchen was designed to help you create your own special moments around your table. It’s a place where hearts gather in faith-full fellowship alongside amazing recipes to build lasting memories with those you treasure most. I pray you enjoy your time together and whisper your thanks to God for His abundant love and unfailing promises.

Blessings to you,

Mitzi

To speak her Love Language to us, Mitzi is sharing one of her favorite recipes! Enjoy!

PARTY POTATOES

1 bag 32 oz. Southern Style Hashbrowns (little cubes, not shredded)

1 pint whipping cream

2-3 cups Colby/Monterey Jack grated cheese

Salt and pepper

Parsley

1 1/2 sticks melted margarine

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole with Pam on bottom and sides of dish.

Place potatoes in dish; pour whipping cream over top of potatoes; sprinkle salt and pepper over potatoes, and grated cheese. Pour melted margarine over cheese and sprinkle with parsley.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes covered; cook uncovered for another 30-45 minutes until done.

Absolutely delicious! Always requested! Subject to rave reviews! ENJOY!

Mitzi Neely is known for encouraging and inspiring people of all ages through her teachings on grace, love, joy, and peace.

Her primary goal is to use her gifts and talents as God leads, always waiting patiently before turning to the right or to the left, listening for His voice saying “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21 NIV

Mitzi’s heart is to lighten your load, while conveying her message that nobody’s perfect. Her desire when she speaks, sings, creates, or instructs is honesty and transparency, such that God receives glory and honor. She is the founder and ministry leader of Peacefully Imperfect and is the author of A Thankful Heart: 30 Days to the Grateful Life, Dwell in the Psalms, and JOY for Everyday Life. Mitzi is also the assistant superintendent of an East Texas school district.

She and her husband, Jerry reside in Longview and enjoy their family and friends when they aren’t working on the farm or tending to school.

Follow Mitzi at peacefullyimperfect.net because the joy of the journey is learning His word together.

Remembering Mama: We’ll Never Leave You

May 11, 2017 by Ellen 7 Comments

Deep pools of blue stared intently at me, listening to each and every word that came out of my mouth. If the saying is true that “the eyes are windows to the soul”, then I was getting a glimpse into my mama’s soul. What I saw staring back at me was complete and total trust and love. Deep, deep, pools of love and trust.

“Mama, you’ve had a stroke. It was pretty bad. You can’t move your right side, and you can’t speak properly.”

Mama slowly nodded, her eyes never leaving mine. Eyes still full of trust, it was as if the words coming out of my mouth were a lifeline for her. Only, I didn’t have much to offer.

“We may need to put you into a nursing home for rehab. But only until you get better! It will be a nursing home that has specialized physical therapy for stroke patients.”

She nodded again. The complete trust was replaced with a tiny frown on her forehead. I knew what she was thinking. She had always told us “Please don’t put me in a nursing home, if you can help it.”

“Mama, we are not going to put you there and forget you. You are going there to get better! We will be there every day. We won’t leave you. I promise it won’t be like the time you and Daddy got locked in the psych ward! I promise!”

The look of trust returned, and a lop-sided grin replaced the frown on her face.

My brothers, sister and I made a promise to Mama that we would never leave her or abandon her. She trusted us with everything in her mama’s heart. She knew how much we loved her, and that we would keep our promise to her. She could trust us.

We were true to our word. That night almost six years ago, when Mama slipped away from us and into the arms of Jesus, we were right there with her. Even when the coroner took her away on the gurney, we stayed beside her. Because we had promised.

People may come and go in our lives. Some will even abandon us. But God is with us forever. It’s His promise.

“…for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5b (HCSB)

I love how the Amplified translation states it:
“I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” Hebrews 13:5b

Assuredly, He will not, will not, WILL NOT, relax His hold on us or leave us without support. He won’t let us down or leave us helpless. He won’t. We can trust Him, because He loves us. And that love will never fail us.

This promise is everlasting. There is no time limit. You can’t do anything that will make Him go back on His word. It stands forever.

Forever. I can live with that, how about you?

Father in Heaven, thank You for the promises You have given – that You will never, never, never abandon us! Thank You for loving us that much! In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Grace be with you,