Have you just about had your fill of pestilence, politicians, and all manner of folks being ugly to each other?
I’m all for being informed, but dang if I’m not just tired of reading about it every day. Someone please tell me to turn the news back on when we have a vaccine on offer or a virtuous person to vote for or when there’s a national ordinance in place against pure orneriness.
So in the interest of sharing news in the well-that-beats-all category: here’s mine:
I’m pregnant again!
With another book, that is. Literary equivalent of Abraham and Sarah but minus the man.
Did I think I’d be telling you this so soon after birthing book baby #1? Golly Moses, it came as a surprise to me too. Or as they say around here, Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!
Lord have mercy, times have been tough. (That’s not a swear but a prayer.) We’ve cried together over the sorrows of life: racial injustice and hurting people and why Boomers are busting out of their homes.
But you know what, friends? I may not know diddly squat about how to fix anything that’s gone sour on us, but this I do know to be true: Life is still sweet.
So yes, ma’am, there’s another book baby been conceived, and I just went and spilled part of her name. Looks like we’ll be calling her Life is Sweet, Y’all! Inspirations with a Sassy Side
Her due date is February of the year after next – that would be 2022 – and maybe she’ll be borne into a post-pandemic world. But even if not, my publisher – that would be Tyndale House – and I are thinking that the world could use a touch of sweetness by then.
I can’t tell you what she’ll look like but I do know who she’ll resemble. Here’s a sibling right here.
And I am tickled pink to tell you what Life is Sweet, Y’all, will hold between her sassy little covers. Yes, she’ll have Bible-based life lessons (this child has her priorities straight), but she’s also fixing to give you household tips, quips, and recipes!
The test kitchen is somewhere in the mountains of western North Carolina, and I’m hoping one recipe will be named after my mom – Miss Eunice’s Hot-Fudge-in-a-Jar. I’m also wheedling a top-secret candy recipe from Mike’s Kentucky-born mama.
But here’s one I’m prepared to share with you right now: my Pimiento Cheese spread.
Up north I don’t ever recall being served pimiento cheese, but in the South you’re not a decent Baptist, Methodist, or Presbycostal if you don’t know how to whip up a batch for a church potluck.
Here’s my version for you to try. If you like it, give us a thumbs up so we know to include it in the book!
Maggie’s Pimiento Cheese Spread
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 oz (1 jar) diced pimientos, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise (Southerners swear by Dukes but any good brand will do)
1 Tbsp. onion, finely chopped
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Mix first 4 ingredients till blended, stir in cheese. Refrigerate. Serve on crackers or as a sandwich spread.
Life is sweet, y’all, but sometimes it’s got to be a little savory too.
Copyright 2020 Maggie Wallem Rowe
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Maggie's first book This Life We Share has just released from NavPress. If you're reading it, would you be so kind as to contribute a brief review on Amazon? Ratings and reviews help spread the word and get the book into more hands, minds and hearts. (With thanks to Judy Douglass)
