Kelley Roxie - At our table: favorite recipes to share with the people you love

DooDah Doodles

Table Topics

Chicken-Chile Quiche

Invisible Guests

Mac and Cheese

Ill Have What Shes Having

BananaChocolate Chip Bread

Loaves and Fishes

Jans Just Dew It Apple Dessert

Timeless Tips

Because I am a person who really responds to color and light, I consider it such an honor to have my thoughts and recipes sharing the same page with the incredible art of Shelly Reeves Smith, my friend of more than 30 years. Thank you for your continued interest in our work and for sharing it with the people who gather at your table.

When I first broke the news of another book to my family, they reacted with a fist-pumping Yes! I understood in that moment how limited my cooking had become and how much my family had missed that feeling of abundance that an active kitchen creates.

How and when did it happen that wide circle I walked around the kitchen? Blake (my son) was away at college and we had a busy calendar with Brookes (my daughter) sports schedule. Lately, it felt like I didnt have enough time in between all the scheduled events to put a real meal on the table. This was one of my excuses, along with, If I cook a big meal today, when would we even be home to eat the leftovers? Havent you had similar questions floating around inside your head regarding your meal planning?

And yet, every time we sacrificed table-time together, it seemed as if those grab-and-go meals were draining us of our energy and enthusiasm, instead of lifting us to a higher and healthier place. But as we all know, one day at a time we give those days away, until they become years given away.

So, in the middle of the creation of this book, I saw that I did have enough time to be in my kitchen. And I did have the resources to create fun meals to share with the people I love. I also discovered that we enjoyed more family time when we prepared meals together. I found that gathering for meals around our table energized all of us and helped us to see how full and rich our lives were. I wanted to continue to approach mealtime with this attitude we have more than enough of everything we need, and we have today .

Perhaps youll find what I am discovering in this process. Abundance is all around us. Its not always a tangible thing. We have found not only an abundance of food and the time to prepare it but also wisdom, joy, encouragement, and grace. All of these things are around our table, waiting for us to acknowledge them. This book is about that kind of abundance.

My hope is that, as you use this book and spend more time in your kitchen, youll discover that your cup runneth over in all these ways and more.

And now I wish you more abundant time at your table,

Roxie Kelley

Our readers seem so appreciative of the fact that most of the ingredients listed in our books are fairly easy to find. We live in a resort area that is really just a group of small towns surrounding a big lake. So I completely understand how difficult it might be if you live in a remote area to find what you need to prepare a recipe.

Below are brief descriptions of some of the basic ingredients used throughout this book.