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Happy Go Stuckey

Tethering Grace & Togetherness

A Thrill of Hope (& a printable for you.)

December 6, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

If ever there were a weary world, it is this one.

It would seem that if ever there were a world in need of Christmas, it is the one we walk through now.

But truly? The first world waiting on Christmas had to be the weariest. They had been waiting for Him for so long. Though we are weary now; they were wearier still. When would He come? How long would the wait be?

But still I see the ache of weariness in faces reflecting the glow of a stoplight. I feel it in my tensing shoulders when I dare to open the news. Much of social media is a black hole of more hardness than we can bear.

Our wild world is certainly a weary one.

And it’s tempting to give into the weary way. Our only defense against pervasive fatigue– is joy. Our only hope is to choose to remember the thrill of hope. Not a brave fortune cookie hope that all will turn out okay in the end— but the hope that many around us are scraping for.

It is the thrill of hope that makes the weary world rejoice.
The thrill of the hope that only ever comes in Him– it is the thrill that we know well. A thrill like that of Christmas morning, but better.

I want to live in that hope when the world seems bleak. I want to shine like twinkle lights; not in false happiness but in real, warmness of joy.

I need the whispered liturgy that comes from the church of my quiet car, my bedroom chair, my kitchen sink. Let every harried and hallowed place be a place where He is worshipped.

Even when the hope is mashed up beside the hard, we can know– there is nothing we will ever lose by hoping in our True Hope.

And to know that whatever it takes, even when the waiting seems long, my weary soul can still rejoice.

In thinking on this very thing, I made a little something for you and I, using a line from the beautiful Christmas Carol, O Holy Night. The lyrics are so lovely.

A reminder that even in the bleakest of times, our weary hearts can rejoice. I hope this gift brings that reminder close to you.

Just click below, save the PDF file and send it to your local printshop for printing. (I recommend printing it on cardstock.)

Download this free 8 1/2 x 11 artwork here: The Thrill of Hope-2 

 

Please be kind and give proper credit if you share! © Cynthia M. Stuckey. For personal use only, not to be distributed without permission, not to be altered or sold.

What I Learned & Loved in the Fall.

November 30, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

“Dear old world’, she murmured, ‘you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

It’s time again for sharing what we learned. These often range from frivolous to thoughtful with a smidge of random mixed in and this season’s recap is as colorful as fall itself. Stick around for the end and I’ll share what I’m reading, cooking, and a few favorite podcast episodes.

 

One. Leaving leftover soup in the refrigerator or freezer for later is an easy way I can be kind to myself. Admittedly last autumn, soup and I went through a rough patch. Following the release of Simmer, I needed a good long break from the artist formerly known as soup. But I’m pleased to announce, that we are reunited, Soup & I, and it feels so good. And truly, one of the best ways I can take nutritional care of myself in busy seasons is to plan ahead. Making and freezing soup makes that easy.

 

Two. Aunt Agatha (Poldark) was in Return of the Jedi. I have a very strange talent for facial recognition but only amongst actors & actresses. I get giddy when I realize I’ve seen someone before and then remember where before we can look it up. However, I did not realize that Aunt Agatha was Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. (Fun Fact: I was one year old when that movie premiered. I’ve seen it more times than I can count. #brothers.)

 

Three. In a natural disaster, the endless stream of media coverage is both a curse and a blessing. After a lifetime of being narrowly missed by hurricanes, we were lightly grazed with Hurricane Irma and lost power for several days. We had minimal damage compared to so many. But before the storm came here, it barreled right up through my home state with most of our loved ones in its’ path. Having power for awhile nearly made me a basket case because of the constant foreboding updates. The event taught me that a little knowledge may be power, but dwelling on all possible outcomes can be debilitating. Sure, comic relief came in the meme of Moana speaking to the eye of the hurricane and the one with Ross Gellar yelling “PIVOT!!!!” over the storm. But the quiet stillness that permeated the air when we did finally lose power was a strange kind of comfort.

 

Four. With every single October here that starts sweltering and ends crisp & colorful– I am home all over again. We celebrated our seventh anniversary of moving to Georgia this fall and each year it seems I learn a new lesson about surrender and finding and making home. This year’s lesson was a quieter one. A more peaceful head nod at how far God has brought us in our place-making, how much more delight I find with every new autumn. I feel more alive in the fall. I just do, and it seems that our initial surrender has deepened into a slow contented sigh.

 

Fall Favorites:

What I’m Loving in the Blue House Kitchen.

  • This Zuppa Toscana Soup (you saw that coming, right?) I add chopped carrots and double the kale.
  • This Apple Crisp, because though it’s technically dessert, I like to cut the sugar and serve it with greek yogurt for breakfast.
  • Kale Salad like the one from Caviar and Bananas in Greenville.
  • And finally, the Plan to Eat website is rocking my world. I have tried several different meal planning/ meal prep helps and this one finally seems like a winner. It’s inexpensive and I can link recipes from anywhere. It’s kind of like a recipe database which I can then drop onto my meal planning calendar and then generate a shopping list. They’re offering a 30-day trial which was more than enough for me to realize I loved it.

Books I Finished in the Fall.

  • Everyone Brave is Forgiven. Beautiful and still a bit tragic, this was very different from the last few WWII novels I read. I imagine it’s quite true to life, though. The premise of the book is creative and intriguing.
  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Lucy and I are slowly working through the Narnia series and I find something new with each one.
  • Anne of Avonlea. Simply lovely, of course.
  • The Monster in the Hollows. This third book in the Wingfeather Saga was my favorite so far.

My list is a bit short this time. As it is, I have about ten other books I started in the fall that are still in progress. I can’t commit to just one book at a time. Ask my husband. He has to look at my crazy to-read pile which could be its’ very own end table. Any one else in this club?

Favorite Fall Podcast Episodes.

Wear Better Pants. Episode 11 on The Next Right Thing Podcast with Emily P. Freeman

Faithfulness & Work in the Season of Young Children. Risen Motherhood with guest Ruth Chou Simons

C.S. Lewis on Table, an Oxford Prof and Why Stories Matter with Sally Clarkson, episode 104

 

*** I love this seasonal practice of paying attention that Emily Freeman hosts. Feel free to hop over there and see what others learned also. I would love to hear what you learned this fall. Just write in the comments or in a quick email.

 

As always, amazon links may be referral links but the opinions are 100% my own. 

Cozy Christmas Reads

November 28, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 7 Comments

The entire month of December calls me to slow down. Even though we have to fight the busy-ness off with a large stick, I love the natural slowing that eventually comes. One of the ways I remind myself of the importance of a hushed schedule, the need to pull in just a bit with my people– is reading.

For several years, we’ve slowly added to our Christmas book stack a few at a time. I’m always searching the holiday sections at used book stores for fall and Christmas books.

Here’s a list of our favorite Christmas books. I hope they help you on your journey as you embrace hope and togetherness this season.

 

Our Favorite Sacred & Semi- Serious Christmas Books: 

Buck Denver asks, “Why Do We Call it Christmas?” This discusses the real person of St. Nicholas and what he has to do with Christmas as we know it. (There is also a DVD in the What’s in the Bible Series, by the same name: Here’s the link, but check your local Lifeway Store:)

’Twas the Night Before Christmas (fun little vintage golden book version)

Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker

Who is Coming to Our House?  (Simple and sweet for littles.)

God Gave Us Christmas

Christmas Cookies: Bite Sized Holiday Lessons By Amy Krouse Rosenthal (This is really fun picture book that deals with the anticipation and patience of the season.)

The Legend of the Candy Cane

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

The Mitten By Jan Brett

A Little House Christmas Treasury: A Collection of Festive Stories (We LOVE this one. I mean, Laura Ingalls Wilder!)

And… I just requested this at the Library because— ANNE SHIRLEY.
Christmas with Anne and Other Holiday Stories (It’s a collection of Christmas stories from the Anne books and it looks so fun. Thank you, local library for having it in stock.)

Home for Christmas by Jan Brett

Christmas in America (blends a little early American History in.)

 

Our Favorite Silly Christmas Books:

The Christmas Puppy  (Simple, cute story— all books with dogs are favorites here.)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Charlie and the Christmas Kitty (the perfect combination of the Pioneer Woman and Charlie the ranch dog!)

Olivia Helps with Christmas

Peppa Pig & the Lost Christmas List

Llama Llama, Holiday Drama

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (We’re adding this one this year for the first time!)

The links above are all referral links, (which means that at no extra cost to you, Amazon thanks me for pointing you in the direction of the books listed.) But by all means, search your used book stores for these treasures. If you have a 2nd & Charles store, that is where I found many of mine.

I’d be delighted if this list helps you curate your own Christmas book stash, and I’d love to hear what your own top picks are in the comments or by email.

I’d truly love to know– what are your can’t miss Christmas Books? Do you wrap them one by one or just place them in a basket near your usual reading spot? I’m a basket person but the wrapping always sounds fun. 

 

On Being Settled & Apple Crisp

October 27, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 5 Comments

When we moved to Georgia several years ago, we left North Carolina at the height of a colorful Fall. Admittedly, I was afraid that the classic Autumn patchwork I loved would not show up in the South.

But I was completely wrong.

Three days after we moved into our new home, a parking lot made me cry. In my new favorite spot at my brand new Target, I shut off the car and looked up– straight into a row of fiery red trees. Hot, happy tears brimmed my eyes. Because as crazy as it is, I thought we were moving away from a proper Fall — and I was more than happy to be surprised.

In seven Autumns, I have been educated on all the things that surprised me about that first season. I know that our house requires sweaters and cozy socks beginning in early November. I now know what shade of blue an October sky is. I know that Halloween is often balmy and warm. And by the time I stand in the kitchen amidst pumpkin pies and cranberry sauce– our backyard is ten thousand show-offs of a finally realized Autumn.

With every single October that starts steamy and ends crisp & colorful– I am home all over again.

In all this slow realization that I am more settled with each season, I find the deep desire to relish my today. To know that I mustn’t cling where I haven’t been grounded. To remember that God is good, no matter how I feel.

Do you know how it is to be caught between a once home and a not-quite? I do. I’m not in that place of change anymore, but I might find myself there again one day. That knowledge makes me want to be the one who speaks into the places you’re feeling green, and new, and not yet comfortable. I want to tell you it’s ok even if it isn’t easy yet.

Because it takes time to make a place in a new location. Our hearts need room to settle slowly, one new memory at a time.

We do different things now than we did back then. Our Sundays are different. Our Saturday mornings, too. Our coffee shop has changed and changed again. But in the years that we’ve learned the song of our opening kitchen door, we have found it– the familiarity of place-making. Still, I feel like home is more an act of surrender than it is an address on our electric bill.

You might feel that– at least the painful part of the surrender. You know it doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes the work is in the love that we choose for the place we are given. We make accidental memories and then return to them again like a child in a twirl. Sometimes we build it with conscious decisions to celebrate the present. Other times it is built in us despite our desire to run away, back to what was familiar.

But I know that even when we are not yet comfortable, God is good. I know that when we would choose to change a thousand things, He is doing a thousand things deep within us. In that place that is only uncovered in the uncomfortable, He is at work. And He can be trusted.

*******

One of our family’s accidental traditions has grown into a brief, yearly trip to the Georgia Mountains. This year we picked apples in late summer and hiked and rested and laughed until the very last minute was over. My sweet mother in law made this delicious Cinnamon Apple Crisp and we’ve made it three times since then. See what I did there? Accidental tradition. It’s warm and simple and spiced and delicious. Make it. You won’t regret it.

Print
Apple Crisp
Author: Cynthia Stuckey
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  30 mins
Total time:  40 mins
Serves: 8-10 servings
 
Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup melted butter
  • 7 cups sliced, peeled, cored apples
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • ⅔ cup All purpose flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp white or raw sugar
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon plus ½ tsp cinnamon
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 375' F
  2. Butter or spray a 13x9 Glass Baking Dish
  3. Layer apples in the bottom of the dish, sprinkle with lemon juice, tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon
  4. In a large bowl, combine flour, pecans, brown sugar, salt, oats, melted butter, and cinnamon. Mix.
  5. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples
  6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until light brown.
  7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
3.5.3228

 

Roasted Vegetables (they’re simpler than you might think.)

September 7, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 2 Comments

Roasted Vegetables. Those two words make my foodie heart swoon.

When eating out, if I see roasted vegetables on a menu, I will almost always order that thing– whatever it is. Roasting brings out all the flavors with very little effort or extra ingredients. I’m fairly certain that we’d all enjoy a lot more vegetables if they were roasted.

They feel fancy enough for a dinner party, though they’re simple enough for a regular Thursday night. If ever I am running out of side dish options for the table, I will usually just grab whatever vegetables are in the fridge and give them a good roast.

Here’s my basic recipe and a few tips that make ALL the difference when roasting.

Vegetable Roasting Tips: 

  • Uniformity. The closer in size your pieces are to each other, the more evenly they will brown (re: not burn before the rest are done.)  Don’t stress about this, just keep it in mind. You can see in the photo above that this isn’t an exact science.
  • Higher Heat. Vegetables cannot truly roast until about 400′ or even 425′ — anything lower and they take too long and may get mushy.
  • Parchment Paper. This one is obviously optional, but you will use way less oil if you grab some parchment and let it handle the non- stick factor for you. These pre-cut sheets are a convenience item I love.
  • Vegetables need space to cook well. They’re introverts, basically. But really, they need a little bit of space between themselves to allow the air to circulate, otherwise they steam instead of roast. This is why you cannot roast in multiple layers. As Julia Child said, “Don’t crowd the mushrooms!”  *I usually end up using two pans if we are roasting a lot, but with the parchment the cleanup is easy.
  • Don’t Over-Season.  The best part about roasted veggies is the natural flavors that come out as they roast; I’m looking at you– carrots. I always add a pinch of seasoning to start with, and then taste them again at the end.

Print
Roasted Carrots
Author: Cynthia Stuckey
Prep time:  5 mins
Cook time:  20 mins
Total time:  25 mins
 
This method works for broccoli, corn, peppers, onions, mushrooms, brussels, sweet potatoes-- even fresh green beans! Just alter your cook time a little if the vegetables are smaller, like corn.
Ingredients
  • 1lb. Fresh, peeled carrots, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut on the bias in 2-3 inch pieces.
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
  • (optional, fresh thyme, chopped.)
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 425' F
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add a drizzle of olive oil.
  3. Toss the carrots on the baking sheet, add another drizzle of olive oil and toss them with your hands.
  4. Add a pinch of kosher salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper and thyme if using.
  5. Roast for 10 minutes, then toss with a spoon and roast for 7-10 more minutes.
  6. Add a few more minutes at the end until they are beginning to brown in places and are as tender as you like, we prefer no longer crunchy but not too soft.
  7. Taste for additional Salt & Pepper.
3.5.3228

 

 

What I Learned this Summer

September 1, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

This is what it is to truly summer. To delight in what we hold, knowing we won’t hold it for much longer.

The quarterly practice of paying attention to what I learn is important to me. The weeks tend to fly by and if I don’t stop and mark the days and moments, it’s hard to remember what I brought away from them. Emily Freeman always gives me a friendly reminder to remember with her What I Learned posts– if you would like to add your own list or peruse what others have learned, hop over here for a visit.

1. Pre-cut parchment paper sheets, make life easier and are a convenience item I can completely justify. They mean we will eat healthier and have faster clean-up on a weeknight. Two words: Roasted Vegetables.

2. Creating an atmosphere of simple fun and joy means as much as creating a masterpiece. About half way through summer– completely discouraged with all I had not accomplished, I remembered the importance of welcoming my absence with open hands. Did you have a moment like this?

3. You all love scones as much as I do. I shared a recipe for our favorite Peaches & Cream Scones and many of you made them and wrote back to let me know. I simply love that you did because it makes me feel like we’re in the kitchen together.

4. The reason for a celebration is often its’ own lovely reward. Lance and I celebrated ten years of marriage at the end of August. We celebrated in a cabin with fifteen other family members. We celebrated with an amazing dinner date just the two of us. We celebrated for days before and several days after. It was a big deal to both of us– but without a doubt, the greatest gift– the most spectacular glittering part of our anniversary? Realizing that TEN YEARS of marriage is its’ own beautiful gift. More thoughts coming on this later. 

5. I will always love butter (does that sound as weird as it does as I type it?) But I had forgotten how much I enjoy olive oil in baked goods. I made both Shauna Niequist’s Berry Crisp with olive oil and these muffins and was reminded how good and light it can be. Try substituting olive oil in something– perhaps you will like it too.

 6. The mountains in Summer are not the mountains in Fall, but they are spectacular in their own way. We picked apples in flip-flops. We went tubing down the river and fell in once or twice– all without frostbite. We hiked and picnicked and splashed in the lake and then dried out in the late summer sunshine and all my mountain memories are sitting here with me, long before the weather turns cool.

 

7. It appears I only wore one shirt all summer and it’s this one. Scanning through Instagram, I realized that I was wearing the same shirt in every photo of myself. It’s my favorite– so why not? How’s that for a capsule wardrobe/ summer uniform? Do you find you wear the same few things?

8. Reading fiction increases both my empathy and my understanding.  I’ve read several books in the WWII genre this summer, all dealing with different aspects of the war and the brave ones who walked through it. I’m amazed at the stories of both the resilience and the hardness of it all.

9. We need to be reminded that as Tolkien wrote,“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

The most beautiful stories continue to pour from Texas as they continue to battle in the aftermath of Harvey. If you are a reader there in the midst of this terrible time, please know we are praying and giving and desiring to help. If you are not and are still looking for a way to be involved, Melanie Shankle has a great list of ways you and I can help.

 

Your turn! I’d love to hear something you learned or loved this summer. Onward to Fall! (Well, onward once the temperature drops below 86′) 

If you missed my Spring What I Learned list, you will find it here.

What I’m Loving Lately

August 18, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey Leave a Comment

“There was nothing like a Saturday – unless it was the Saturday leading up to the last week of school and into summer vacation. That of course was all the Saturdays of your life rolled into one big shiny ball.” — Nora Roberts

A change has definitely occurred in our house. Mondays begin with a bang and zipping backpacks instead the lazy “let’s throw the pool towels in the wash…” of only two weeks ago. And as much as I miss the freedom, it’s good to find our schedule bearings again.

However, sharpening pencils and packing lunches makes me instantly wish for Autumn. Georgia still feels like the inside of a greenhouse and Fall feels months away. August is the time of both/and. Longer days and busier weeks. Scorching temperatures and the promise of something different on its way.

Here are a few things I’m loving during this “almost but not yet” month of August:

  • The Next Right Thing Podcast by Emily P. Freeman. In keeping with her goal of “creating space for your soul to breathe,” Emily has found another medium with which to gift us with her kind words. This podcast is for you if you find yourself in a season of transition, waiting, or decision making. Even the music is lovely and hope-filled.
  • This Lemon Zucchini Bread made with Olive Oil. A sweet new friend and neighbor brought us muffins from this recipe and they were so good, we already replicated them to share with another friend.
  • Speaking of which, I’m truly loving cooking from a cookbook lately. There’s a world of great recipes to find via Pinterest, but there is something about cooking from a page you don’t have to refresh every few minutes. Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist is one of my favorite books in the whole world– and I’ve been cooking from it frequently.

Recent Reads: 

  • The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I know, all of you who told me this should be the next selection in my WWII binge– you were 100% right. It was beautiful and satisfying with gorgeous writing.
  • Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot. I’ve read this book multiple times but it always brings me something new. The brief essays are perfect for daily short readings.

Lately In the Blue House Kitchen:

  • Italian Chopped Salad
  • Green Jacket Salad 

(We have a family trip coming up soon so I’m trying to focus on my greens. Aforementioned muffins not really helping, even though they do have a vegetable inside.)

What about you? What are you loving lately? I’d love to hear what’s working for you in this end of summer/ not quite fall time.

On Grief and Soup

August 16, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

I have always believed that God does not waste our pain. That there is purpose in it– to refine us, to draw us closer and to bring Him glory. But there was a time, several years ago, that I thought He must not see me. I was certain that feeling of the rug being pulled out from under my feet was the fallout of God looking the other way for a second— taking His eyes off me.

I lost two different babies in the same week, four years apart. The first loss broadsided my joy like an eighteen-wheeler on black ice. The second time, grief wore clothes of disbelief. A repeat miscarriage hurt just as much as a first. My medical chart now contained the foul words, history of loss.

I sat in a familiar place, watching a happy procession of growing bellies — each followed by a smiling face. 
I sat waiting to walk through the same set of doors and hear what I knew to be true. More loss. Again. Compassion with a large helping of sad news and sympathy.

I was way beyond small. I was anonymous.
My hands ached to smash something. I needed to shout words of anger at a body that let go when it should have held on for nine full months. I seethed at the thought of not being hospitable to another new life.
I sat in my car and stared straight ahead at a tree on fire with Fall and watched the leaves dance all the way down to the hood. I sat there a very long time, until I thought I could open my hands and let Him have it all. The bottomless disappointment. The gut- wrenching sadness. The fear of next time. I prayed. I cried. I surrendered.

Then I attempted to walk away and leave my grief sitting there on the asphalt studded with Autumn. I intended to move forward holding only hope and peace and trust. 
But days later sadness rose in my throat; pain still seared through me white hot and stinging. I was genuinely shocked and aghast at my boomerang of grief.

Why do we think we are that strong?
Why do we think that grief and hope cannot exist alongside each other?
Why do we question what we know?

We forget that God is either sovereign or He is not. He is either sovereign over all, even the days that threaten to leave us crawling, grasping for hope— or He is simply, not.
 I believe that He is sovereign over all. I know in my heart and I read in His Word that He is El Roi, the God who sees.

His eyes aren’t searching for a place to land, a place void of awkward. He is looking straight at us.
He does not stand afar off, blushed and embarrassed at the depths of our sorrow. He comes and sits with us in the pain that weighs on our necks.
He sits near enough to whisper in our ear, “It will not always be so.”

I know there is always hope, there is always room to look up. I know there is always God with a purpose and a plan for our pain.

But still I know that grief takes time. Just as we cannot view His purpose in our pain, we cannot circumvent the process. We cannot muscle our way through grief and choose for it to be over. You and I cannot avoid the wait, the walk through to the other side.

We will always feel the effects of the curse of sin winding up around our feet as we walk toward home. Not made for this world, we often forget how inhospitable it can be to our souls that were carved for more. Angry with our grief, we may rely on our own ability to cope in record time and be frustrated we cannot take any side streets to being okay again.

But we simply cannot rush the process of pain.

In the crushing realization that it still hurts, therein is the need we have for Him. There is where He begins to do the work. Deep in the pain that isn’t yet fading, is the beautiful mystery that He is always doing something new.

I know now that it takes how ever long it takes. I know that time doesn’t heal pain; Jesus heals pain. We cannot rush what He does in our sadness. One day the waiting will be over. We will see with our eyes what we felt in our souls all along. We will agree with C.S. Lewis and say,
“Things are far better ahead than anything we leave behind.”

“Things are far better ahead than anything we leave behind.” — C.S. Lewis

But today is not yet that day; we press on both in joy that is here in our laps and joy that is still on the way.

In times of uncertainty or disappointment and pain, I tend to make a lot of soup. During this particular season of hard, I utilized my slow cooker nearly every day. Though I am at home in the kitchen, nothing makes grief so acute as staring into a fridge at 5PM and hoping dinner materializes. My slow cooker always helps me forget the long wait. I focus on the ingredients for fifteen minutes in the morning and then forget until dinner time.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash & Apple Soup is a comforting autumnal reminder that time is a gift and better things are coming at the end of the wait.

You have been reading an excerpt from Simmer, Six Seasonal Soups & the Stories that Inspired Them. Click below to download your free copy, including several other essays and all six recipes.



Peaches & Cream Scones

August 3, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 3 Comments

Every scorching summer, I buy a ton of ripe but not yet soft peaches and bring them home gingerly as though they are made of blown glass. They cover our wooden table like a polka-dot pattern of pink and orange and we wait a few days until they begin to soften.

Also with annual regularity, I plan to make these peaches into jam but nearly every year we end up eating them just as they are, chasing sweet juice down our chins with a paper towel.

There are many great recipes that highlight peaches, this one being one of my favorites. I also love to add sliced peaches and grilled chicken to arugula or spinach for a smashing summer salad. My friend Kristin Schell shared a fabulous Bacon, Peach, & Arugula Sandwich recently and I confess I made it twice. Two days. In a row. (It’s that good. And yes, I should be ashamed of myself, but I’m not. Because Summer comes but once a year.)

When peaches are at their peachiest peak, the best way to eat them is fresh and not baked into something. I only tend to bake with them if they are softening faster than we can eat them. But last week I noticed I had several peaches ripe and ready at once, so I toyed around with my basic scone recipe to make Peaches & Cream Scones. These were both flaky and dense like true scones should be.

This is my fourth scone recipe published here and it likely won’t be the last. Scones are definitely my thing; both from the love of my English Grandmother and my kindred spirit friend who taught me the joy of chocolate chip scones. You don’t mind more scone recipes, do you?

They are the single most requested weekend breakfast treat in the Blue House, and I’m pretty happy being the scone girl. I hope you not only love them, but love how easy they are– and how much they cause you to realize what a baking rockstar you are.

 

Print
Peaches & Cream Scones
Author: Cynthia Stuckey
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  12 mins
Total time:  22 mins
Serves: 8 or 16
 
Delicate Flaky Scones studded with tiny pieces of summer peaches. Note: if your peaches are very ripe and juicy, toss them in flour before adding to the scone dough, and don't over-mix.  These, being cream scones are made with heavy cream instead of egg, butter, and half and half.
Ingredients
  • 2 cups All Purpose Flour
  • ⅔ cup of Rolled Oats
  • 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • ¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup of Sugar, my preference is raw sugar.
  • 1 large peach, diced (peeled or unpeeled.)
  • 1½ cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
Method
  1. In the large bowl of a food processor, blend together the dry ingredients (flour through sugar.)
  2. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  3. Add peaches and then pulse quickly once or twice or mix with a fork.
  4. Add the heavy cream and then pulse 2-4 times.
  5. Take care not to over-mix. You can do this step by hand with a fork or spatula.
  6. Invert the food processor bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
  7. Work dough lightly into a rough circle. It may be slightly shaggy, but just lightly pull it together with your hands.
  8. Once the circle is formed, cut into 8 large or 16 small wedges.
  9. Place wedges onto a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
  10. Just before baking, brush the tops with a smidge more cream and a sprinkling of raw sugar.
  11. Bake at 425' for 12-14 minutes. They should be light brown on the bottom, and even lighter on top. These scones freeze very well, but freeze them the same day for best results.
3.5.3226

A Summer of Rhythm & Absence

July 13, 2017 by HappyGoStuckey 1 Comment

The sun is rising higher, earlier, every day and the birdsong is drowning in the noise of a hundred frogs. We’ve plowed through dozens of sticky popsicles and my library card is practically glowing from being swiped and handed back to me.

The peaches are in, the tomatoes are ripe— we are building meals around both. Because in our southern corner, July is a lot like visiting a farmer’s market… which happens to be located on the surface of the sun. The upside is all the amazing produce. The downside is the way your legs, in shorts, meld to the front seat of your car.

Hot, steamy weather aside, I know the seasonal gifts are among the best.

This is what it is to truly summer. To delight in what we hold, knowing we won’t hold it for much longer. To embrace long mornings and loose schedules. These brief months have a pace all their own— more laissez-faire, less get it done. Summer is rest.

For the second summer in a row, I took an accidental writing break. I didn’t mean to do it. What I *meant to do was have a summer full of words written. Sentences strung together into paragraphs for you. But maybe you needed to hear less from me this summer. I needed to write less, and listen more.

Often even as we savor summer, a break can feel like an indulgence– especially when all our roles are mashed up together. I like to choose my absence, but welcoming the effect of it is often harder. Maybe it’s hard for you too?

Maybe you’ve spent your whole summer feeling torn between what you thought your summer should be and what it is. Maybe you thought you would spend these months playing catch up, but instead you’re playing UNO and monopoly and camp director.

Maybe you had an amazing week away or day with your people only to scroll through your phone at ten pm and feel completely defeated— as though you failed miserably at a to-do list that wasn’t even yours to begin with.

Maybe you feel completely at peace with where you have been placed– until you notice the dreamers and doers all around you who seem to have excess time for both dreaming and doing. The internet isn’t much help in this one I’m afraid– even in summertime.

But if the internet in summer is the ocean— I’d choose to be the beach at sunset rather than the cruise ship port. It is okay for us to choose to be where everyone is not for a season. 
Because if I’m not out there, it is because my place is in here. When less is what I’m called to, less is better. Less is the quiet path of more.

As I’ve been praying and considering what this season means for me, I’ve written a short manifesto for last few melting days of summer.
Perhaps you need it too?

A Summer Manifesto of Rhythm & Absence

I will breathe in summer and not hold it up against seasons of greater productivity.
I will not scrunch up my nose when I think of all that August will bring; I will open my hands to July and enjoy its’ slower gifts.
I will seek to integrate. I will create when I can, and be happily content with it.
I will smile and not sneer at these days of fluidity and fun.
I will not roll my eyes at the audacity of myself, thinking I could do it all.
I will not stop trying to balance both the good rest and the good work.
I will see the beauty in a period of less and embrace the knowledge that if rest is offered me, rest is where I am most needed.
I will eat popsicles with my children, not always hand them one and use that ten minutes to get something done.
I will stop thinking about what I haven’t accomplished to focus my whole face on their whole face.
I will remember that cultivating an atmosphere of simple fun and joy, means as much as creating a masterpiece.
I will take this break with my whole heart & see it as a gift wrapped in beach towels and tied with a jump rope bow.
I will choose wave skipping and seashell searches over chasing someone else’s goal.
I will stay in my own lane and swim happily in it.
I will remember that though summer is a gift, it is brief– and August is already on its’ way.

 

 

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I'm Cynthia and I'm so glad you're here. I am an introvert with an extrovert's love of gathering people together. I love good books and capturing moments. Whether you visit me here or on my own front porch, I'll be the one holding the Iced Coffee for us both.

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Truth: I am not the best cookie baker in our house Truth: I am not the best cookie baker in our house. It is hands down @friar_stuck — Today he added a pinch of fresh orange zest to Oatmeal Scotchies and they taste just like childhood.

My grandma used to make these and serve them to me on a pink plate with a small glass of sprite with ice. At 39, I now realize two things— 1. She would have adored my husband and 2. these cookies go best with coffee or tea.

What cookie makes you feel eight years old again?
There’s something unusually long about the winte There’s something unusually long about the winter months when we’re in a season of slow growth and imperceptible change.

The landscape outside your window TODAY can feel like it’s your landscape forever but it’s actually not.

If the view from where you stand looks rather bleak and not at all how you hoped, can I remind you to look up? 

These trees in my own backyard, captured this morning, last March, and last August, will continue changing in their own rhythmic way whether I’m watching them or not. There’s a comfort in that for me today— and perhaps for you.

Whatever looks slow and unmoving, with change almost too gradual to detect— is still very much in a pattern of forward transformation.

And these quiet days in the midst of our January-ness— we can be reminded that growth never really stops, especially in the hidden places.

#wonderfortheweary #feastingandforaging #bluehousebackyard
Not moving from this spot, except to boil the kett Not moving from this spot, except to boil the kettle for more tea.

This is the first complete weekend that we’ve been home since Thanksgiving. 😳 It sounds awful, especially for this homebody, but really what it means is, we’ve celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with family, attended one beautiful family wedding (Hey, Shelby! 👋🏻❤️) one 90th Birthday party for our beloved Granny, and had a family trip. They were all such sparkly gifts. Ones I don’t take for granted and so very different from last year.

But I do love home— and am happy to spend the second half of the day right here with this book which I’m truly enjoying. 📚❤️
The inhabitants of the Dickens Village wanted me t The inhabitants of the Dickens Village wanted me to tell you three V. important things. 1. After years of having one pub and no church, they are *finally* getting a church tomorrow, thanks to FB marketplace. And all the people said, “Amen & Huzzah.” 2. We’re still keeping Christmas over here — Though we’re slowly bending towards back to normal. The tree still lives and we’re celebrating the tenth day of Christmas with a fire & coziness before we pull out the pencils tomorrow. And finally, 3. Everyday Affogato. You might need this tiny pick me-up in your life. One shot of hot espresso poured over a tiny serving of vanilla ice cream. Please and Thank you.✨ #merrymerrystuckeys
2021 was a year of change for nearly all of us. Mu 2021 was a year of change for nearly all of us. Much of which we are happily taking with us into 2022.🥂

Nine squares is not sufficient to reflect the ways we’ve grown and changed, but it is a glimpse of the graces of the year behind us.

Not pictured: waking up to find our children taller and suddenly at our eye level, new laugh lines on our faces, sweltering pool days, fireplace dinners, Marco Polo chats with friends, family weddings & visits, mountain air breathed, books read, new jobs begun, school days, approximately 52 pizza nights, new rhythms & schedules, house repairs, car issues, and God always before us, behind us and within us. Soli deo Gloria. #thebestisyettocome
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave t On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… 🍦Four Honeymoon milkshakes from the Dreamette. We’re going out with a bang, at the spot where their Grandparents grew up eating their ice cream. It’s absolutely the GOAT.
🎄✨Merry Christmas from Team Stuckey!✨🎄 🎄✨Merry Christmas from Team Stuckey!✨🎄

2021 has been full of new things— but I’m grateful we have walked through them together and in God’s sovereign hand. 

Pro (🤣) -Tip: if your Christmas cards say Happy New Year, you have longer to mail them… 📮🥂
Okayyyy @smittenkitchen ‘s Gingerbread Bûche de Okayyyy @smittenkitchen ‘s Gingerbread Bûche de Noël was fun and delicious. 4 out of 4 Stuckeys agree we have a new Christmas dessert! 🎄❤️

Happy Christmas Eve, friends— especially all you midnight merry makers! Hope you find all the stocking stuffers you hid.🙈
Do these Mince Pies make me look One-Quarter Briti Do these Mince Pies make me look One-Quarter British?

Truth be told, my grandma always used the jarred mincemeat and I wasn’t a fan as a child. Only last year did Lance and my Mom collaborate in the kitchen to try out homemade mincemeat filling and let me just say, we are never quitting these! 😍

The filling we use is from @bonappetitmag and it’s really good. It’s a gorgeous blend of apples, dried fruits (cherries, apricots, sultanas, figs, currants) with apple cider, spices, and a few other things. No meat, though.

Happy Christmas from the Jolly Old Stuckeys! 🇬🇧🎄❤️
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