I know we told you we were going to be away for a couple of weeks, and we are. But today something happened that is on the level of lifetime dreams for me (Debi). Tom and I both wanted to share it with you in this special Foodie Friday edition.

Back in the day when newspaper publications were our only source of news, they would come out with “Special Editions” for breaking news. Today’s post deserves the “special edition” category.

Being foodies, we love cooking shows. When The Lost Kitchen first aired in January of 2021, I fell in love with Erin French’s concept to love people by the food she made. She exudes hospitality, which is what motivates my love for inviting friends into our home for good food and conversation around our table. Reading her book, Finding Freedom, made me love her even more. She has survived so much adversity in her life and ended up succeeding beyond her wildest dreams!

In order to eat at her table, each year I have mailed a post card to Freedom, Maine, hoping for my card to be drawn for a reservation at The Lost Kitchen. With her popularity on Magnolia Network, the odds of getting a reservation was quite slim.

When Tom and I planned this trip to New England, I expressed my desire to go to Freedom and see her place. I didn’t need to eat her food—I have both of her cookbooks and can make anything I want—I just wanted to see The Mill. I was thrilled to see that they were hosting a Farmer’s Market the day we were planning to go.

So despite the 70 year breaking heat wave in New England, we set our GPS for The Lost Kitchen. Although the heat was extremely disappointing, we grew more excited with each mile.

When we finally got there, we didn’t see a farmer’s market. We walked up to the Mill and discovered to our surprise, lunch was being served!

We ordered the organic fried chicken and strawberry shortcake, all the while watching Erin do her magic in her little kitchen.

Even though the heat index was over 100°, eating hot chicken outside, overlooking the mill pond was a dream come true. I met Erin and she allowed me to take a photo of us; my heart was full!

As we headed towards our car, we saw Erin’s husband, Michael, coming up the driveway. He stopped and chatted with us about the scorching heat. Such a kind man whom I respect for the way he loves Erin.

Finally we chatted with the a guy selling cheeses by the road. He is the one who revealed the miracle of this day. I asked why there was no Farmer’s Market. He explained it was canceled due to the extreme temps. Erin decided to do a pop-up lunch instead!

So the heat Tom and I had been complaining about all week, was actually securing for me a dream come true. What a God we serve who orchestrates such plans.

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Thank you for stopping by today. We pray this story inspires you to look for God’s blessings in the midst of hard things. His plans for us are always good. This is a promise worth clinging to!

Embracing the heat for the good it provides,

Tom and Debi ❤️❤️