Happy National Homemade Cookies Day! Let’s Write About Cooking and Our Favorite Recipes!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

Today, Thursday, October 1, is National Homemade Cookies Day! October 1 seems to be a baking trifecta because it’s also National Pumpkin Spice Day and Jiffy Cornbread Mix Day!

With cooler weather knocking on the door, a baker-writer like me can’t help being inspired to get out Grandma Wilma’s mixing bowl and stir up some old-school comfort food.

Wilma was famous for many things, including chocolate-chip cookies and homemade bread, but she also excelled at making pecan pie, mastering that crunchy yet gooey goodness with just the right combination of Karo syrup, sugar, pecans, butter, and of course, a homemade crust. It is in my beloved grandmother’s honor that I designed my upcoming writing class for Women on Writing that combines my twin passions for cooking and writing: Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing from the Kitchen – Live Zoom Class with Ashley Harris.

GRANDMA’S PECAN PIE: WRITING FROM THE KITCHEN with Ashley Harris

WEBINAR DATE: Thursday, October 22, 2026

WEBINAR TIME: 2pm – 4pm ET

DURATION: 2 Hours

LOCATION: Live webinar via Zoom

FEEDBACK: The last 15 minutes of the lecture will be open to Q&A. Students can also send questions ahead of time, to be addressed during the lecture.

SPECIAL OPTION: Receive a personal critique from the instructor of 3 double-spaced pages of your writing within two weeks of the class. This includes at least one submission recommendation will be provided.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: In the fall, as temperatures cool and we prepare to hunker down for the winter, we often start craving our favorite comfort foods. Those made from recipes handed down through the generations, from Mom’s Lipton Soup pot roast to Aunt Susie’s stovetop mac n’ cheese. For writers such as Isak Dinesen, Laurie Colwin, Ted Kooser and Jane Kenyon, food means much more than physical sustenance, it represents love, family, and inspiration. Writing about cooking also offers a tour of the senses—sight, smell, touch, sound and taste. In this special workshop we’ll review work by the masters and learn how to bring our favorite dishes (and memories) to life in poetry and prose. We’ll also discuss publication and the many opportunities available for writing about food and cooking.

What Students Have Said About My Classes:

“Thank you for a superb class (Writing from the Garden), full of writings to enjoy, helpful prompts to get us going, and your teaching style that elicits our curiosity and our desire to write. I loved your ability to pack in so much content and context into 2 little hours. Your bright outlook, your sense of humour and your encouragement is so welcome, and I look forward to many more classes with you! I am so happy to have found you. I have been looking for you.”—Yvonne Grandbois

“Thank you so much for a wonderful workshop (Writing from the Garden). I appreciated how organized and encouraging you were. You chose some great examples for inspiration. It was so lovely to write poetry—I hadn’t in a long, long time—and see the possibilities for crafting pieces about “the garden” that can go in so many different directions. You’re a fantastic instructor!” —Amy Faeskorn

“Thanks! What a fun class (Writing from the Garden)! I was very sad when it was over. I must take Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing from the Kitchen. I have thought about this for years.  I have so many stories to tell, and I need to know who to tell them to. “–Toni Riley

“Thank you for the wonderful workshop (Writing is for the Birds). I am still on Cloud 9. You are the best teacher, best poet, best role model I know. I am eternally grateful for you and all that you do. Thank you for your teachings, your feedback and suggestions, your giving soul. You give me confidence in my voice. Thank you.” – Mary Alice Dixon, author of Snakeberry Mamas: Words from the Wild

Ashley, you and all the attendees are inspiring. Your class (Writing is for the Birds) was such a pleasure! I was very impressed with your approach to commenting on the work attendees shared. You not only encouraged them but also highlighted specific details of what they did well. Thank you! I love your idea of letting birds help set a scene in place, time, season, and mood. And I’m hoping to add more birds to present and future writing projects. I’m also looking forward to your class on writing about fur-babies! With much appreciation, Rosemary Poole-Carter

The class (Situational Humor II) was captivating, chock-full of resources and encouraging.  It flowed well and it was very well-organized.  I appreciated your recommendations to spice up the writing and reference The Emotion Thesaurus.   (Could there be a potential class based on those?) And the list of where-to-submit suggestions and what to read were excellent. I’m so glad I purchased the class!  And look forward to Part III next year! – M.J. Vieweg

Great presentation! Lots of food for thought and future writing. Writing is for the Birds was just the right amount of each element…the examples, the writing to prompts, the resources, etc. Thank you for doing this! – Betty McCreary

Ashley, Writing is for the Birds was an absolute JOY AND DELIGHT! The presentation, the participants, the prompts, the poems, the pacing…I loved every minute! – Michelle Seitzer      

Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing From the Kitchen: Class at a Glance

In two short hours, I’ll share a menu of cooking and food-based writing from authors that’ll get your tummy rumbling and inspire you immediately. I’ll cover the many ways that writing about the kitchen and comfort food can captivate readers through themes of love, nostalgia, family and more, plus tips on bringing the sense of taste alive. Along the way, we’ll participate in three writing prompts to generate your own prose and poetry, along with a selection of markets where you can publish your work. For an extra fee, I’ll critique your work and provide a targeted submission recommendation within two weeks of the class.

Topics include:

  • The value of writing about food and cooking – how it can elevate our work
  • Excerpts from food-based writing through the ages to inspire you
  • Discussion of the connection between food and themes such as love, nostalgia, family, faith, and healing
  • Tips for writing about food and the kitchen, from opening Grandma’s recipe box, to remembering her time-worn techniques, and exploring the many dimensions of taste (one of the most challenging senses to describe but the most rewarding)
  • Three prompts to generate poetry and prose on your own
  • Overview of markets to publish your work
  • Recommended books featuring food writing to continue to inspire you
  • Q & A

Materials Needed: A pen or pencil, a writing pad, and your imagination

Ashley Memory

ABOUT ME: Ashley Harris is a teacher and dedicated home cook who spends as much time in the kitchen as she does writing. She’s written about her beloved Grandma Wilma’s cooking for a number of publications, such as Bezzy M.S. (How Baking Taught Me to Slow Down and Rise Up), Wired (How to Preserve and Share Grandma’s Recipes), and Pinestraw (Modern Conveniences and the Wisdom of the Ages). Since 2021, she’s served as a critique editor and judge for WOW’s quarterly fiction and nonfiction contests, and her favorite hobby, by far, is helping other writers achieve their publication dreams.

Grandma’s Pecan Pie: Writing From the Kitchen with Ashley Harris (Thursday, October 22, 2026, 2pm – 4pm ET) Limit: 20 students. Early registration is recommended.

COST: $45, which includes one two-hour webinar with a 15-minute Q&A with your instructor.

OPTIONAL CRITIQUE ADD-ON: A personal critique from the instructor of 3 double-spaced pages of your essay for $55 ($100 total) and one submission recommendation.

To register, click here and scroll to the bottom of the class listing.

I hope you’ll join us and share your own memories from the kitchen! We’ll trade both writing and baking tips, I’m sure!

Until next time, take care, and I hope your writing is rolling as smoothly as your grandmother’s pie crust!

Ashley

Nothing Ever Happens Around Here

Posted on by Ashley Harris

When I first moved from an urban area to the wilds of Randolph County, what I believed was the middle of nowhere, I admit to being a little concerned. Would I make new friends? What about my favorite chain restaurants, not to mention the malls? What about the silence? The scenery? What if the all the green fields just blended together into monotony? And most importantly, what would I write about? What if nothing ever happens around here?

Six years later, I can truly say that none of my worst fears came to pass. I’ve made plenty of friends, many of whom are farmers, and I’ve learned just what these fields can do. One of my friends even raises donkeys, and recently I held my first 5-day old donkey jack! I also keep in touch with cherished friends from far away as New York City through Zoom and other platforms.

Meet Baby Copper–just 5 days old and 25 pounds!

It is not quiet in the country. Oh no. The birdsong here is deafening, from the wood thrush to the pileated woodpecker soaring overhead with his eerie primeval cry. We’re close to the local airport, so there’s always a new whir circling overhead. A special thanks to Mom, who introduced us to the terrific flightradar24 app, so now we know that the Boeing overhead came from Atlanta and is on its way to Liege, Belgium! So much for being in the middle of nowhere. My pilot grandfather would definitely approve.

Meet Max, my new work-out routine!

Boredom remains the least of my worries. In fact, I was more bored in the city! We’ve had at least one fugitive in the woods, two rattlesnakes (this year alone), a stranded racoon, and just recently, a stray Siberian Husky pup came our way.

I don’t miss the malls at all, which is a good thing since the pandemic seriously altered the world of shopping. And nobody here cares about fashion anyway — it’s more about comfort! As for the fancy restaurants, I’d rather live three miles from from my beloved niece, who sends me a text such as “Hey, can I come over and make pumpkin cheesecake cookies with you?”

Cooking is just one of the things I’ve found to write about, and there’s been so many more, from sewing and building to gardening and butterflies. In fact, if there were any more going on around here, I wouldn’t have time to sleep!

For the next few months, I’ll be concentrating on my memoir, a project that I hope will blend together many of my experiences through the years. So for this reason, I hope it slows down here just a little bit.

What I’ve Learned About Writing from Watching Beat Bobby Flay!

Posted on by Ashley Harris

My friends know that I love cooking almost as much as writing. I cook when I’m happy, I cook when I’m sad, and I even cook when I’m mad. Naturally, I also write about cooking.

I am also a huge fan of the Food Network show: Beat Bobby Flay! Lately I’ve been musing a little bit on what this show means to me as a writer. And as strange as it sounds, there are actually many lessons we writers can take from this popular cooking competition show, especially from the celebrated chef himself.

Never bore your readers….or the judges. Just as Bobby surprises the judges with little flourishes such as adding pickled shallots, fried okra, or a crispy bottom layer to his rice, we should also delight our readers (and judges) with fresh diction and unusual revelations, about our fictional characters or about ourselves when writing essays.

It’s all about the presentation. One of the many things I adore about Bobby is how he always, always, always, no matter how stressed he may be, thinks about the presentation of his dish to the judges. Somehow he manages to find time to sprinkle a few chopped chives or parsley on top or drip a curly-cue of sauce on the side, and give each plate that Michelin-star appearance. Similarly, we need to be thinking about the presentation of our work. No sloppiness, no typos. Our writing deserves a careful proofread every time, and of course, a snazzy title.

Never let ‘em see you sweat. Bobby is unflappable. No matter how many curve balls are thrown his way – such as the time someone tied an arm behind his back or outlawed peppers – Bobby forges ahead and finishes, even when he’s forced to bake, which he admits is not his strong suit. This ability stems from just one thing—his unending love of cooking. The same goes for writers. If you are not absolutely loving what you’re doing, even in the toughest of times, this may not be the field for you. Loving our work is what makes us want to follow through and enjoy the ride, in the same way as Bobby.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. The celebrity judges have so much fun with Bobby, whether forcing him to play the kazoo, singing in his ear, or just plain trash-talking him, they really try to push his buttons. But he never caves to the pressure. Instead, he just plays along with their antics and laughs, even as he fights to the finish. In his example, we writers shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to chuckle, whether it’s by adding a touch of humor to a poem or by poking fun at ourselves in an essay. This element comes naturally to me because I’m always doing something goofy.

Be humble. Bobby’s humility is what I admire most about him. In his own words, he is not afraid to fail. This means that the three-time James Beard Award winner and repeated Iron Chef, can afford to greet his competitors with respect. “I’m worried,” he’ll admit, when he faces a chef with a reputation for excellence, and I think he means it. And when another chef does beat him, he shakes their hand (or hugs them) and walks off the stage like a true champion, giving the winner their own moment to shine. The power of expression comes with tremendous responsibility, and as writers, we should always remember to be grateful and kind.

What about you? Do you have an idol outside the writing world that you admire? Think about it, and you might find new ways of inspiration.