The Ways of Her Home

Embracing the homeward call

Fluff the Nest Friday: A Little Pumpkin Inspo

Happy Friday! I've yet to display pumpkins at my front entrance because it's been so warm here and my past attempts at putting them out too early always resulted in them rotting before we made it to Thanksgiving. However, after my 52-degree walk this morning, I'd say we're turning a corner with the weather! Woohoo! My daughter and I took a trip to Texas this week to visit my married daughter (I'll have a post about that next week) and while enjoying some fun outings I noticed a lot of beautiful pumpkin displays that inspired some good ideas for my own home. Above are some pretty arrangements at the Fables bookstore and below are several more we saw at Magnolia. Something that ... Read more

Tidbits from September

I pray all of you have been safe from the destruction caused by the hurricane over the weekend. It has been so heartbreaking to see the news footage and hear the ongoing reports of more lives lost. It was a sad ending to September. September passed so quickly, I didn't even take many photos of daily life. I'll need to be more intentional in October. But here goes anyway. I did a lot of bread baking in September but still haven't gotten back into sourdough other than just keeping my starter alive. What you see pictured in these photos is yeast bread using my milled grain. It's my family's favorite. On Labor Day we stayed home, did a little work in the morning, and then ate a ... Read more

Wrapping Up Apple Month 🍏🍎

Hello and HAPPY FALL! I'm so happy we can officially say it's fall now! Today's post will be my last of the September apple recipes. I have 2 new recipes to share and then I'll give a quick run-down of all the apple recipes on my blog so you can have them in one post. Ok, here goes! Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie Anyone opposed to starting with dessert? Good because I've got a delicious one to share today. It's Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie and I try to make it sometime during the fall or for Thanksgiving. It is just heavenly! This recipe is by Brown Eyed Baker, and you can find the link here. Next is a savory Apple and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken that I love to make in ... Read more

Fluff the Nest Friday: Candle Making for the Fall Home

One thing I love to do after fluffing the nest is to light a candle! The flickering light reflects off of those freshly cleaned surfaces and the scent adds a pleasing aroma around the home. Sometimes when I need motivation to clean, I may even go ahead and light the candle before I begin my work just to get me inspired and moving. I found this pretty acorn dish at Home Goods a couple of weeks ago. What actually caught my attention was the fact that it's a dish for baking a wheel of brie in and I enjoy serving baked brie during the holidays. I loved that it's an acorn with a matching lid to keep the cheese hot until time to serve and little handles on each side to carry it. It's just so ... Read more

Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Here's an easy and delicious recipe for a salad that suits the season! I like to put out the following ingredients and let everyone build it the way they want: Fresh spinach Chopped grilled chicken Chopped bacon Blue cheese Toasted pecans Sliced apples (pears are delicious too!) Dried cranberries Apple cider vinaigrette— this one is delicious! I serve this salad as a whole meal with the chopped chicken or as a side to a chicken or pork dish. I love the flavors and textures in this salad! The sweet apples, savory bacon, pungent blue cheese, chewy cranberries, crunchy pecans, and tangy vinaigrette— it’s my idea of a perfect salad! ... Read more

Fluff the Nest for Fall

Too early to decorate for fall? Nah!! I usually try to wait until the official first day of fall to decorate for the season, but this year I just couldn't wait that long! My daughter and I have been longing for autumn days and have decided to just go ahead and jump in with some decorating and baking. I brought down my box of fall decorations from the attic last week and have put out a few things each day after school, beginning with the entrance. I added some fall stems and tan gingham ribbon to my front door basket but haven't done anything to the front porch so that will come later. I've got to get outside this weekend and do a lot of yard work, so I'll probably go ahead and ... Read more

Apple Brie Stuffed Chicken

Hey friends, I've got a delicious apple recipe today that you can put on your September "Apple Month" menu! Last night I was going to make a cheddar apple stuffed chicken recipe that is one of our favorite fall meals but decided late in the day to switch to a new recipe with brie cheese that I've wanted to try. This recipe is all over the internet so I wouldn't even know who to give credit to, and I made my own adjustments anyway. I'll give you a little run-through with photos and then attach the printable recipe. I washed and patted dry 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut slits into them to create a pocket. Then I seasoned them lightly with salt and pepper, both sides plus ... Read more

The Story of Two Apple Cakes

Happy September, everyone! And Happy Apple Month!! I'm excited to have apples back in season and back on my table in the form of different recipes. My first apple post this year has a little history behind it so this is the story of two apple cakes which starts with the story of two cookbooks. In high school, I worked in the food court of a mall.  My manager's husband worked at a bank and so at Christmastime when she bagged up some goodies for the employees, she included his bank's cookbook called All Aboard, Alabama. I can assure you that I was the only 16-year-old working at that yogurt shop that was actually thrilled to be given a cookbook for a Christmas bonus, ha! I had cooked ... Read more