The Homesic Lifestyle

Oh my gosh, y’all!! 🥹❤️

You know what? I’m gonna brag on myself for a minute because, dang it, I’m proud of me! 😂

I still can’t believe I actually wrote a book, much less published it and had people WANT to read it!

I keep breaking my own little records, and every time I turn around, there’s another reason to celebrate! And I owe so much of that to every single one of you who has purchased my book, shared my posts, or simply cheered me on.

I’m amazed at myself for finally doing something I’ve wanted to do for years, but I’m even more amazed at the love and support y’all have shown me. I truly never expected this, and I can’t thank you enough! ❤️

And hearing that my words have actually resonated with people? That means more to me than you could ever know.

If you’ve purchased Still Rearranging and finished reading it, I’d love it if you’d take a minute to leave an honest review on Amazon. Reviews help other readers discover my book and decide if it’s something they’d enjoy, too.

Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

I’m a published author, people are reading my words, and I’m pretty darn proud of that!

And apparently, I’m not done surprising myself yet! 😂❤️

Whipped Cinnamon Honey Butter

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks / 226 g) salted butter, softened
⅓ cup honey
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt, optional, to taste

Instructions

1. Whip the butter. Place 1 cup softened butter in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or use a hand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed for 3–4 minutes, until noticeably lighter, fluffy, and almost white.
2. Add the sweetness. Add ⅓ cup honey, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon light brown sugar. Start mixing on low, then increase to medium-high for 2 minutes.
3. Add the flavor. Mix in 1½ teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Taste before adding any extra salt.
4. Whip again. Beat for another 1–2 minutes until everything is smooth, creamy, and airy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
5. Serve. Spoon into a small bowl and serve immediately with warm sourdough rolls, or refrigerate until needed.

Oh my goodness, these homemade sourdough Hawaiian-style rolls turned out AMAZING! 🤤🍞 Soft, fluffy, buttery, with just the right amount of sweetness and a beautiful golden crust! Made them from scratch to go with our smoked brisket tonight, and let me tell you… store-bought rolls don’t stand a chance! 😂❤️

Recipe in the comments

Same-Day Sourdough Sandwich Bread!

Soft, fluffy inside, slightly crunchy golden crust, and incredible flavor. And the best part? No overnight refrigeration needed! This is a same-day bake!

Here’s how I make mine!

Ingredients:

100g active sourdough starter
325g water
20g olive oil
500g bread flour
12g salt

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together until a shaggy dough forms.
2. Perform 4 sets of stretch and folds, 30 minutes apart.
3. Allow the dough to bulk ferment for approximately 4 hours, until it’s risen nicely and looks airy.
4. Shape into a sandwich loaf and place in a loaf pan.
5. Let rise again until the dough reaches the top of the loaf pan and begins to rise above it.
6. Preheat oven to 440°F.
7. Cover with a second loaf pan and bake for 25 minutes.
8. Remove the top pan and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, until beautifully golden brown.

And that’s it! Beautiful homemade sourdough sandwich bread with a soft, tender inside and just enough crunch on the outside.

Perfect for sandwiches, toast, or simply a warm slice with butter.

I’ve made a lot of sourdough, but I keep coming back to this simple recipe. Sometimes you just can’t beat the basics!

Sweet potato casserole or dessert? I’m not asking questions—I’m getting a second helping. 😂🍠

If you love Ruth’s Chris sweet potato casserole, here’s their recipe with that buttery, crunchy praline-style pecan topping! Perfect alongside dinner—or for Thanksgiving. 🧡

RUTH’S CHRIS SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
Serves 4

FILLING
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

PECAN TOPPING
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flour
¾ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup melted butter

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Heat oven to 350°F and grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Mix all filling ingredients until smooth and spread in the dish. Make sure the potatoes have cooled slightly before adding the egg.
3. Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the filling.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and set. Let rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Gluten-free option: Use gluten-free 1:1 flour in the topping!

Save this one—you’ll want that pecan topping again. 😋

If you hear screaming, laughing, crying, or some combination of all three coming from my house… mind your business. 😂

It’s just me still trying to process the fact that PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY BUYING MY BOOK.

Like… I wrote a whole freaking book, self-published it, put it on Amazon, and y’all said, “Yep, I’ll read that.” And then some of you came back and left FIVE-STAR REVIEWS. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Excuse me while I lose my ever-loving mind for a minute. 😂❤️

And apparently, the number of copies this little independently published book has sold in its first week is kind of phenomenal for a self-published author.

WHAT?! 😭😂

I don’t have some giant publishing company behind me. I don’t have a massive marketing team. I’m just me, over here figuring this whole thing out as I go.

So if this book is doing well, I know exactly who I have to thank.

YOU GUYS.

Thank you for buying it, reading it, sharing it, talking about it, recommending it, and simply showing up for me. That part means more than I could ever put into words.

If you’ve already finished Still Rearranging, please don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon. Those reviews really do help other readers find the book, and I promise I read every one while attempting to act like a perfectly normal, calm author.

Spoiler alert: I am neither normal nor calm. 😂

And if this book makes you think of someone who feels behind because everyone else seems to be getting married, having babies, buying houses, getting promoted, or somehow checking off all the boxes “on time”… share it with them.

Or maybe it makes you think of the person who does EVERYTHING for everybody else and still insists, “I’m fine.”

This book isn’t really about being a woman or being a certain age. It’s about realizing that somebody else’s timeline doesn’t have to be yours, that you don’t have to carry everything handed to you, and that it’s okay to make some room for yourself in the life you’ve built.

I still can’t believe this is real.

Seriously, thank y’all for showing up for me.

Now excuse me while I go check Amazon again like I haven’t already checked it 47 times today.

Still Rearranging: Making Room for You in the Life You’ve Built

Available on Amazon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://link.amazon/B08jGc2JD

I have to brag on this one a little because this cake turned out AMAZING. 💜💛

Three layers of soft, fluffy gluten-free vanilla cake with a purple and yellow swirl inside, finished with homemade vanilla buttercream and all those little piped details.

And when I say you would never know this cake was gluten-free… I mean it. The texture was soft, moist, fluffy, and the flavor was absolutely incredible.

I’ve been working on getting my gluten-free cakes to taste just as good as anything made with regular flour, and this one is officially a keeper.

Definitely adding this recipe to the recipe book. 💜

Recipe in the comments

Well, this is pretty exciting! 🥰🍳

I was officially accepted into Sur La Table’s The Kitchen Table community as a collaborator/advocate!

If you know me, you know how much time I spend in the kitchen — cooking, baking, trying new recipes, making sourdough, and usually making a giant mess while I’m at it. 😂 So getting the opportunity to work with a brand like feels like such a fun fit.

Through The Kitchen Table, I’ll get to participate in challenges, try and share Sur La Table products, and bring you along for the recipes, kitchen experiments, successes… and probably a few “well, that didn’t go as planned” moments too. 😂

I’m really excited to see where this goes, and I’m especially grateful that sharing something I genuinely love doing is opening up some new opportunities.

Looks like we’re officially taking this kitchen obsession to the next level. ❤️