The spicy smell of Beth Parks’s pumpkin bread fills my house. I realized today that many of my favorite recipes are from my Texas friends. And beyond the recipes, there was a hospitality that I learned as I sat in their homes. The Armgas, Mary O’Neill, and Nancy Judd were truly gracious in sharing their homes and celebrations. There was Leslie Woodfield who taught me how to make shaved ice and Sharman Grimmer who demonstrated the power of blueberry muffins or apple crisp in a meeting. There were the generous and well-timed dinners from Julie Smith that saved my life and my amazing sister-in-law, Melinda and all of her Sunday dinners. That woman can even make Chinese food. I have many friends to thank for their recipes that I have used in the past few weeks:
Christine Giles: Taco Loco, chicken casserole, spinach salad with cranberries and poppy seed dressing
Beth Parks: pumpkin bread
Andrea Dickinson: chicken tortilla soup
Aileen Duncan: meatballs
Rebekah Calabuig: taco soup
Heather Helquist: broccoli soup
Cinnamon…allspice…nutmeg…*sniff* I miss all y’all.