A Fresh Start
An exciting new platform for more connection with you!
Thank you for showing up
Hi! I’m Molly, and I’m excited to introduce you to my Substack space. If you are like me, you have limited time and many distractions, so I want to let you know how much I value your time and attention. My mission with this space is to provide a unique perspective, practical tools, and an interactive community around the topics I cover.
Recipes
This is an evolution of my recipe blog, auntiechatter.com, which I started in 2011 to preserve family recipes and teach my young adult nieces to cook. Don’t worry, the original blog isn’t going anywhere; you can still access your favorites or search among the 200+ recipes, all with step-by-step instructions, but new postings will be here on Substack. I will post new recipes and revisit some favorites from the blog that need refreshing or simplifying. I’m all for simplicity these days.
New features will include video demonstrations, sharing favorite products and equipment, shopping lists, and food cost breakdowns. I continue to be amazed when I calculate the cost of making meals at home. It always comes to a small fraction of what I would pay for eating out. More so now than ever, the costs to your wallet and your health are greatly reduced when you cook for yourself and your loved ones.
Paid subscribers will have full access to all content and Zoom group cooking classes, which will begin in the fall.
Oh, and no annoying ads will pop up as you scroll through new recipes, crossing your fingers that you won’t have to reload the page by the time you get to the content you want! (Or is that just me?)
Family
My twin daughters have just graduated from high school, so parenting is changing yet again as I face an empty nest. I look forward to guiding them when needed, watching their interests and personalities deepen and develop, and forming adult relationships with them. They make it easier than most to be their mom. Those familiar with our story know we’ve been through challenges that could have broken us. Still, with the help of incredibly supportive family and friends, we face the future with optimism and gratitude, along with a fair amount of trepidation.
That said, I’m not above a little rant now and then. Uncertainty looms, and it is scary as hell. I never imagined being alone at the not-young, not really old age of 56, but here I am. My husband, Bob, passed three years ago; we had been married for thirty years, together since I was eighteen and he was twenty-one. This was not the plan.
Community
I know I’m not alone. Many friends are facing major life changes, whether it be from loss, divorce, an empty nest, career changes, taking care of aging parents, or becoming grandparents. It's not all bad, and it’s not all good; sometimes, as we know, the worst challenges lead to the greatest joy.
For better or worse, I am an open book, and I strongly believe in the power of sharing our personal stories. I hope you join me and feel that this is a space where you can share yours as well. As we grow, I would love to have regular Zoom calls for coffee or wine chats. (I’m brainstorming more ways to connect as I write… book club maybe? :))
Subscribers
There are a few ways to subscribe. Whichever you choose, I am so grateful for the support. If you feel like sharing recipes and posts with others, that is extremely helpful as well!
Free. You will have access to recipes and other public posts.
Monthly. You will have full access to recipes, posts, videos, Zoom classes (starting in September), and anything else I decided to put on here. You will also be able to comment on posts, ask me questions, and join the community on the group chat.
Annual. Same as monthly but you will save a little $.
Founding Member. Same as monthly but you will be super supporting my dream of getting more people comfortable with their skills in the kitchen and developing a nurturing, fun community.
Excited to dig into your recipes Molly!