Podcasts Biscuits and Jam Podcast Jen Hatmaker On Her New Cookbook And The Magic Of Bringing Everyone Around A Table By Sid Evans Sid Evans Sid Evans is the Editor-in-Chief of Southern Living. He is responsible for the editorial vision, direction, and content for the iconic brand. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on September 19, 2023 Close About Jen Hatmaker Jen Hatmaker grew up with a father who was a pastor in the Baptist church, moving the family from Kansas to a series of small Southern towns. For a long time, though, she’s been a die-hard Texan, which is very evident not only in the food she loves but also in her fierce independent streak. Her new cookbook, Feed These People, breaks just about every rule and tradition you’ve ever seen in a cookbook - from the ingredients to the directions to the occasional curse word - but that’s what makes it fun. What Jen Hatmaker Talks About In This Episode Her love of the Texas Longhorns and football Writing and working on her new cookbook, Feed the People Finding home in Austin, Texas Her relationship with the church Memories of the church potluck Cookbooks and the significance in her life Her mother's cooking The meaning of the table and Southern hospitality Fajitas al Guajillo recipe Her game day spread Courtesy Harvest Quotes From Jen Hatmaker "I'm in Austin and I've been here 25 years. I have never lived anywhere even remotely that long. Not even a fraction of that long. My kids were born and raised here. This is home...And so now at this point after my sustained campaign and my propaganda, my parents live here, my two sisters and my brother and all their families. So we have transferred the family unit to central Texas. And this is where we all are now. And so Texas is at this point so deep in my bones, it's as if I was born at the Alamo. This is what we know. This is all my kids know. And I think this is where we'll stay. - Jen Hatmaker Jen Hatmaker Everybody brings their A-game to the church potluck. No one's phoning it in. There's no store-bought cookies. This is the all-star roll call. My grandma would bring fried chicken. I would walk a hundred miles barefoot to get that fried chicken right this second. Particularly in our Louisiana days, even our Arkansas days, there wasn't a dish on the table that wasn't doused in cream, cheese, butter, cornflakes, Ritz crackers, cream of mushroom soup. These were the building blocks of the casseroles and they were delicious. And anybody who says otherwise is lying. I learned to pile up my plate. I learned that dessert gets its own plate at the potluck. — Jen Hatmaker "The magic is not that you're a good cook or that you know how to build a stunning dinner party menu. None of that even really plays in. Is it nice? Sure. It's just a bonus. The people around the table and the chairs... That's the magic. I know that simply by being an invited guest. I know when I walk away from someone's dinner or party, what has actually made me feel loved and seen and like I belong there, like I'm included. It has nothing to do with what they fed me and everything to do with the warmth of the home. And this open door policy where people go, 'Just grab another chair.' I love that. I try to run a family like that. I mean, with five kids you can imagine that the text will come in or the call, 'Can so-and-so come for dinner?' Of course. Yes. There's always another chair. That is my philosophy. Not just about eating, but about life. And I've been such a delighted recipient of hospitality so many times. More times than I can ever count. I watched my grandma do it, I watched my mom do it, I watched her friends do it. It's been modeled for me my entire life and so, I'm excited to watch my kids start doing it." - Jen Hatmaker About Biscuits & Jam In the South, talking about food is personal. It's a way of sharing your history, your family, your culture, and yourself. Each week Sid Evans, editor in chief of Southern Living, sits down with celebrity musicians to hear stories of how they grew up, what inspired them, and how they've been shaped by Southern culture. Sid takes us back to some of their most cherished memories and traditions, the family meals they still think about, and their favorite places to eat on the road. Download and listen to this episode of Biscuits & Jam with Jen Hatmaker on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or everywhere podcasts are available. Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors Download Transcript Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit