I Made You Something (and it’s finally feeling real….)

I made you something.

I’m writing this in between moments at a horsemanship clinic, with dust on my boots, sun-burned lips, and approximately fourteen other things I’m supposed to be doing.

And that feels oddly appropriate, because this thing I made was never meant to be a glossy, perfect-life sort of project.

It was built in the middle of real life… Around full days and late dinners. Around kids and animals and business and weather and the never-ending question of what in the world we’re going to eat tonight.

But somehow, right in the middle of all that, there’s still room for the ordinary magic: flour on the counter, onions sizzling in butter, a pot of soup on a dark winter night, and the quiet satisfaction of making something with your own two hands.

So today, I finally get to officially share it with you:

My new cookbook, The Old-Fashioned on Purpose Cookbook, is coming Fall 2026.

This book is very much a sister to The Prairie Homestead Cookbook, but it also feels like a reflection of where I am now.

Still from-scratch. Still practical. Still deeply rooted in home and the land… But a little more seasoned now— in every sense of the word.

Inside, you’ll find the recipes and kitchen rhythms I return to again and again: simple meals for real life, flexible frameworks, everyday bread and sourdough, from-scratch staples, preserving guides, and the sort of food that reminds us the kitchen doesn’t have to be fussy to be meaningful.

There are no gold stars for doing it perfectly.

There are no rules that say you must churn your own butter while wearing linen and smiling serenely at a spotless counter. (Hallelujah for that!)

This book is for the days when you have beautiful garden vegetables spilling across the counter… and also for the days when you’re staring into the freezer at 5:12 p.m. hoping inspiration appears.

It’s for the old-fashioned cooks, the aspiring old-fashioned cooks, the tired cooks, the curious cooks, and the ones who just need a little nudge back toward the kitchen.

More than anything, I hope this book feels like an invitation: Back to your hands, back to your instincts, and back to the steady, grounding work of feeding yourself and your people with what you have, where you are.

I’ll be sharing more peeks behind the scenes soon—the cover, photos, recipes, and all the little details that went into bringing this project to life.

But for today, I just wanted you to hear it from me first:

The Old-Fashioned on Purpose Cookbook is officially on its way.

And I’m so glad I finally get to tell you.

-Jill

P.S. The book will hit shelves in October, but Barnes & Noble is running a preorder sale this week. Now through Friday, June 26, B&N Rewards members can get 25% off with the code PREORDER25. So if you already know you want a copy, this is a lovely time to grab it.