Food and Faith in Holston Conference
Somehow, we got into the business of making old-fashioned salads for our free drive-thru meal ministry at a United Methodist church in Knoxville, Tennessee. That may have happened because we have limited oven and storage space, so we aim to have at least one cold dish to make ahead and stash in the refrigerator. At... Continue Reading →
It’s been years since I did a chocolate Easter egg story. So when I heard the Mt. Olivet United Methodist Women were prepping for a season of peanut butter-mixing and chocolate-dipping, I had to find out more. Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church is located in Galax, Virginia. Nancy Spicer, who the pastor called “the main... Continue Reading →
I’m on a small team of people who run a food ministry in north Knoxville, Tennessee. Our friend Marci Villanueva created these cookies because we need to use up sweet potatoes stored in our freezers, but also because we wanted to provide dessert a little special for last Saturday's free takeout lunch. The sweet potatoes... Continue Reading →
In our last post, we shared a new feature on our denominational website, Our United Methodist Table, and a vintage recipe for Potato Puffs. Here's another vintage recipe -- from 1978 and Macedonia United Methodist Church in North Carolina -- for Lemon Whippersnaps. https://youtu.be/8ND2gUaJLVk Let us know if you try it! You may reach me... Continue Reading →
Oh, how I love those sacred recipes from covered-dish dinners and bake sales of lore, where many are gathered with plastic comb binders and the culinary saints whose names are preserved on the pages will be blessed from tabletops for generations to come. Just kidding, sort of. I have loved cookbooks since my 20s, when... Continue Reading →
You could say Alex Shelton has a bun in the oven, but for the moment, she’s taking a break from baking cakes. That’s because this talented cake decorator is expecting her second child, Sophia Grace, on June 18. She’s staying off her feet until the baby comes, yet the requests for sugary fantasies have not... Continue Reading →
The first time I ever heard of chocolate gravy, I was well into my 50s. "That’s a thing?” I asked. “It’s a Southern thing?” How could I have missed it? Yet miss it I did. I was visiting Camp Lookout when introduced to the notion of ladling warm chocolate sauce over split biscuits for breakfast.... Continue Reading →
“To ease the pandemic stress, we started baking.” That’s what Chris Sneed posted on his Facebook page with this photo of an appealing slice of cake. Of course, I had to call Chris to find out more. “Today we made my Great-Granny Mattson's Oatmeal Cake,” Chris said. “Many people say I am just like my... Continue Reading →
Yesterday I had an eye-rolling moment as I listened to an NPR interview. The subject was Sam Sifton, founding editor of NYT Cooking – of which I am a fan and paid subscriber. Sam talked about how he enjoys going to his pantry and conjuring creative meals with available foods that don’t require another risky... Continue Reading →
When the churches were closed due to coronavirus, a couple of youth members at Rye Cove United Methodist Church didn’t want to stop reaching out to the community. Allison Vincent, age 12, and Lindsey Vincent, age 11, are part of a youth group that “absolutely loves to cook,” says their mother. Cooking has been a... Continue Reading →
