When it comes to writing articles, the first sentence can often make or break the rest of your piece. If you don’t get it right, your readers may lose interest quickly and leave your page.
That’s why it’s important to craft an intriguing introduction that hooks your reader and keeps them coming back for more. In this article, we’re going to share some tips for crafting a stellar intro to your next piece of writing.
Peach Cobbler
Peach Cobbler is a classic Southern dish that features fresh fruit, a dough-like topping and a light vanilla sauce. It’s easy to make and can be enjoyed on its own or with a scoop of ice cream.
The social media star Mama Sue is a beloved figure in Alabama, where she has built a community of followers with her cooking shows. She welcomes viewers into her home and shares recipes that are simple to prepare, seasoned with love, compassion, kindness and hope – qualities she believes we all need right now.
She is a retired teacher and former school administrator who is still married to her husband Harold Garrett, a coach at Vincent High School in Harpersville, Alabama, where she has lived for 48 years. They have two children, Chris and Amy, and nine grandchildren.
Her recipes include traditional Southern dishes that she learned from her grandmothers. She also uses ingredients most people have in their kitchens.
For example, she makes her own biscuits with cold butter, sugar and self-rising flour. She also teaches her readers how to make dumplings using flour tortillas.
After watching her cooking videos, many of her followers asked her to share her favorite recipes with them. Some of the requests are nostalgic, like Depression Pie, while others are comforting, like Egg Salad.
To meet her fans’ needs, she has started a series of daily video blogs called “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen.” She posts her recipes and comments on other food bloggers’ recipes as well. In her first nine months, she’s made over a hundred recipes and has received thousands of requests from around the world.
During her videos, she shows how to prepare her family’s favorite meals and encourages her followers to use their time and talent to serve others in need. She explains how cooking is more than just a way to feed the body – it’s a personal ministry that allows her to touch lives with love, compassion and kindness.
When she isn’t sharing her recipes on YouTube, Sue is busy canning her garden’s harvest and teaching her readers how to do the same. She has also written books of her recipes and sells them on her website.
Green Beans with Okra
This green beans with okra recipe is a great way to enjoy a tasty side dish. It uses bacon drippings, which gives it a hefty dose of flavor. It also uses low-sodium chicken stock to make it a healthy snack or main course.
The ingredients may seem like a lot, but the end results are well worth the effort. The okra, bacon, onions and chicken stock create a rich sauce that will have you licking your fingers in no time.
Sue Garrett, of Harpersville, Alabama, has a knack for cooking and sharing her recipes with family and friends. She has a Facebook page that has gained her thousands of followers.
She has received so many requests for her recipes and cooking videos that she now makes them on a regular basis. Her YouTube channel, which is called “Mama Sue’s Kitchen,” has become a kind of personal ministry.
In the past few months, her viewers have asked for everything from a tutorial on making depression pie to a recipe for beanie weenies (yes, that is a real thing). She has also been known to make a soup with one of her granddaughters!
She has been using Taste of Home as her partner for over a year. Her videos have racked up over 3 million views, and she has even won some awards along the way.
Squash Soup
If you love roasted butternut squash, you’ll love this easy and incredibly flavorful soup. It’s naturally sweet, a little bit savory and has a perfect balance of creaminess to make it the ultimate autumn comfort food. It’s also easy to prepare and is a great way to use up all of those extra summer veggies you have in the fridge!
Sue Garrett is a southern woman who prides herself on being a country girl. She grew up on a cotton farm and is still involved in agriculture. She loves to garden, can her homegrown vegetables and teach others how to do the same.
When Kate DeLoach, owner of DeLoach Farms, saw some of her recipes on Facebook, she approached Sue’s daughter Amy Martin about doing a video showing how to cook vegetables that DeLoach Farms delivered weekly. The video was a hit and hundreds of people shared it.
In July, Amy helped her mother create and post a page called “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen.” That page has now grown to over 50,000 views, thanks to the thousands of followers who have shared it daily. Many of the recipes she shares are time-honored Southern favorites, and some are new recipes that her followers have asked her to show them.
She also encourages her followers to be salt and light to those around them. This is based on the teachings in Matthew 5:13-16.
The recipes she shows on her YouTube channel are family favorites and have been passed down through generations. Her cooking style is very authentic and she cooks the dishes the way she was taught, including using cold butter, sugar, self-rising flour and sweet milk (which she later had to explain was just her Central Alabama way of saying, “milk”).
As a bonus, her recipes are also incredibly simple! They are full of healthy, whole food ingredients. This makes them a great choice for anyone looking to cut down on carbs, calories and fat in their diet.
She also takes great care to ensure her videos are safe for kids and adults alike. Her videos are a fun and informative way for parents to learn how to cook healthy, delicious recipes while also encouraging kids to try new things!
Chicken Noodle Soup
A hearty bowl of this chicken noodle soup is sure to warm the cockles. It’s also a great way to use up leftovers from your favorite dinners.
This soup comes together with ease, as it’s a combination of pantry staples. To start, chop the carrots and celery. Saute in a buttery olive oil. Stir in flour and cook for a few minutes until the flour is incorporated and the vegetables are softened.
Next, add the milk and cream of chicken broth. Using a whisk, blend until smooth. Once combined, stir in the cheese and a good amount of pepper.
This is a family favorite and it’s not uncommon for me to make this on repeat, especially on busy weeknights. You could even store it in the freezer and reheat on the stovetop when you’re in need of some home cooked comfort food. This recipe makes a large bowl, so you’ll have plenty to share. Best of all, it’s healthy. The chicken is a good source of protein and fiber, while the rice is low in saturated fat and calories.