Miss Kay's Duck Commander Kitchen (26 page)

“Muffins for Moms” Mentoring Group

Muffins for Moms” wasn’t my idea, but I was quickly pulled into it by two of my good friends, Kim Neal and Darlene Nugent. I didn’t mind it, though, because it involves two things I love—cooking and talking. I’ve spent most of my adult years talking to young women about their marriages and encouraging them to stay strong and be the women God wants them to be. “Muffins for Moms” is a mentoring group that meets once a week. We meet in the mornings, so we bring some type of breakfast food. But this is just one of the mentoring groups I’ve been involved in over the years. Another one I am involved in now meets once a month for a meal. Through these groups, I get to share my life story and hear the life stories of other women.

Each week one of our group members hosts our session. We learned a long time ago that it’s not about the place, it’s about the people. I’m thankful for each of these women and their desire to grow to become better women.

Part of what I always tell the young women I encounter is about my early years of marriage when Phil wasn’t living right. Phil had graduated from Louisiana Tech University and had already begun a life of partying. Phil graduated with a master’s in English and had landed a real job
at a school in Junction City, Arkansas, so I had hopes that his life would turn around. But I soon discovered our “smooth sailing years” would have to wait. Phil chose to hunt and party over being a husband and a parent. His partying lifestyle got so bad that I thought our marriage was over, and if it wasn’t for hearing my Nanny’s voice in my head telling me, “One day you will have to fight for your marriage,” I might have gone the route of divorce. But I didn’t, and in time and with lots of prayer, Phil turned his life around and we began a new life living for Jesus.

Three of my boys went to a school of preaching, and Phil has preached for years; but I’m really the talker in the family, so teaching other women comes naturally to me. I love sharing my life with them and listening to them as they share theirs.

Our former youth minister, Mike Kellett, used to tell our young people, “When you’re through with sin, it’s not through with you.” Meaning, once we turned our lives around and knew God had totally forgiven us, we still had to live with the consequences of our past mistakes. Our children had seen and heard things they did not need to see and hear at young ages. And Phil had to answer to the law for some of his crazy antics. But we plugged away at doing the right thing, and over time we made great progress, and our family grew strong in the Lord. As our children got older, we went through what many other parents go through—two of our boys began living a
life contrary to our beliefs. My heart was so heavy as I prayed and cried for my sons to get their lives right. Once again my prayers were answered, and today all my boys walk in the love of God. But the journey wasn’t easy.

I’m so blessed to be able to tell my story and use it to help others who are struggling, whether it’s in marriage and with their kids or whatever. God has given all of us life stories and, through those stories, healing can happen. The famous preacher Rick Warren says, “Never waste your hurts.” I also believe that. I want my hurts to help heal others. You can do that, too!

I love all the women in this special group and thank God that I’ve been chosen to share my life with them. Wherever you are, look for someone in your life who needs a helping hand or a calming voice.

We can’t resist a little silliness! Life is hard, and learning to laugh and have joy is a key part of getting through each day. Each of these women has a story. You do too. Share it with someone else and bless their day!

Good Morning Muffins

Makes 18 muffins • 2 regular 12-cup muffin tins

Nonstick cooking spray

2 large eggs

³
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cup vegetable oil

¹
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₄
cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar (either light or dark is okay)

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

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teaspoon salt

1
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cups peeled and shredded apple (about 2 apples)

1 cup shredded carrots (1 large or 2 medium)

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cup sweetened shredded coconut

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cup raisins

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cup sliced almonds

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 18 of the muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla until well combined. Add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

3. Stir in the apples, carrots, coconut, raisins, and
¹
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cup of the almonds. Divide batter evenly among the greased muffin cups, filling each about
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full. Sprinkle the remaining almonds over the batter.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

Tip
  You can use an ice cream scoop to easily scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Also, these can be wrapped and frozen for up to a couple of months.

A Note from Miss Kay

One of my sweet “muffin” ladies contributed this recipe. I always feel like I’m eating something really healthy with these muffins. Of course you can adjust it as you like. Some people don’t like raisins, so feel free to leave them out. Enjoy!

Perfect Pumpkin Spread

Makes about 3 cups

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

7 tablespoons pumpkin butter

1 cup chopped pecans

3 slices bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 3 tablespoons)

About
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cup chopped green onions or scallions

Crackers, for serving

Mix everything together. Serve with crackers of your choice.

A Note from Miss Kay