Meet Courtney Hill

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Hill. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Courtney, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
My Tagline is “Bringing back the family meal with simple recipes, using real ingredients, that you’ll actually make.” I love the family and what it means to society. My background is in Family and Consumer Sciences education. I have my Undergrad and Master’s degree on the subject. God’s design for the family is a beautiful thing. It used to be a common thing for families to sit together around the dinner table but now our schedule are often so busy that we barely have time to talk to each other let alone sit down for a meal. I want to teach my audience that cooking at home isn’t impossible. It can be budget and healthy diet friendly as well as time efficient. It just takes some planning, preparation and education. Let’s bring back the family meal with simple recipes, using real ingredients, that you’ll actually make and as a byproduct help emotional and physical health, budgets, and so many of the problems plaguing our society today.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I grew up in a smaller in Southwest MO, then moved to the city in my adult years. I learned most of what I know about cooking from my mother, who learned from her mother. I didn’t grow up on the farm, but I have relatives who are farmers and, well, let’s just say we know a thing or two about good food! I learned the rest of my cooking knowledge from my formal education. I have a master’s degree in family and consumer sciences (FCS), and I taught high school FCS for four years. I decided to stay home when my twins were born, and I loved being home with them. I still love teaching and the FCS umbrella of subjects. I think they are essential and teach us how to become functioning adults and members of society. I approach my recipes with an educator’s mindset. Hopefully you find them easy to follow and easy to prepare.

I am married to my love. We have been married since 2005. He is a very talented commercial photographer. We own 8183 Studio in downtown KC where we have our Production studio where we produce outstanding stills and motion adverting content for business and agencies. I work at the production studio as the chief financial officer. We have two children—fraternal twins. Being twins has its unique joys and challenges, and we love them very much!
I am a very crafty person, and I love to create and work with my hands. My hobbies include knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch and embroidery, sewing, quilting, canning, gardening, cooking, baking, and cookie and cake decorating. I also love to throw pottery but haven’t found the time in the last few years. I am a mid-century girl at heart. I love the fifties and anything vintage. Some of my favorite pastimes are thrifting and antiquing. The theme of my cookbook definitely has the mid-century vintage vibe that I love, and so do a lot of my recipes!

While I was a stay-at-home mom, I found myself slipping away a bit. I was knee-deep in dirty diapers and schedules. I needed to do something for myself as a creative outlet. So I created a video cooking blog to share my recipes and teach people how to cook simple and delicious meals for their families. I started it in January 2015 and have enjoyed every minute of it. This cookbook is a companion to the blog. I hope you enjoy the recipes and check out the how-to videos on my blog: www.cookhomemade.net

I want to inspire and teach a new generation how to cook great meals at home for themselves and their families. I want to bring back family meals and time spend together with mom or dad in the kitchen preparing them. I bring a modern spin to classic vintage-style recipes.
I love being from the Midwest. It’s the heart of the country, and there is so much wide-open space, even in the city. A lot of my recipes are inspired by my Midwest roots. I hope this cookbook gives you some staple recipes you will share
with your families. Enjoy the food and the time together!

The cookbook has always been a dream of mine and I guess I’ve been writing it as long as I’ve had my blog. It was always a distant dream of “some day I’ll write a cookbook.” I actually sat down and wrote the context a couple years ago and in the early stages of the COVID shut down I just decided to send it to any publisher that was accepting unsolicited cookbook proposals. I got a lot of no’s but then I got one yes. That was the motivation I needed to really give it a shot. I knew I wanted it to have a vintage feel and the shut down actually gave my husband and I time to try out a few photos. I wanted them to have a 1940’s 1950’s and after the first two photos, I knew it was going to be awesome and so unlike anything on the market today. The cookbook is out now, it’s available on Amazon and through my publishers website https://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/cookbooks/all/homemade-the-american-family-cookbook/

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Positivity, Perseverance, and Proactiveness – There are lots of fears that will try to keep you from reaching your goals. Have a little positivity goes a long way. There will be lots of obstacles along your journey. Keep going and overcoming each one as it comes. Be proactive towards your goals. Reach out, take shots in the dark, always keep learning and improving so that when your moment comes, you’ll be ready. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my faith in Jesus and the work of the spirit in my life. Find a bigger purpose.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with all that we have going on in our jobs, families and the world around us. When I am feeling overwhelmed I start with making a list of all things I need to get done. When the are written down, chances are they won’t seem as overwhelming. Then I prioritize the list. What has to get done first, second, third and what can wait if I run out of time. Starting the day early with a quiet cup of coffee and scripture reading really sets me up for success. It brings me a “peace that surpasses all understanding” and I feel like I can conquer the day. Taking time to breath throughout that day is very important. When I start to feel anxious I take 10 deep breaths and it calms me down. Having realistic goals and celebrating little and big wins and a great way to help with feeling overwhelmed. Also simplifying your life. What is causing you the most stress? Is it necessary? Can you cut it out of your life? If so, then do.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Ryan Hill, 8183 Productions

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
Local Highlighter Series

We are so thrilled to be able to connect with some of the brightest and

Highlighter Series
Who taught you the most about work?

Society has its myths about where we learn – internships, books, school, etc. However, in

Highlighter Series
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?

We asked some of the wisest people we know what they would tell their younger