In this episode, Dina chats with friend and guest Ruth McKeaney — former attorney turned home renovator, cookbook author, and host of Hungry for Home. Ruth shares how she went from the courtroom to flipping houses with her husband, moving every 18 months while raising five kids, and discovering her creative side through necessity.

They talk about:

• Faith in uncertainty — Ruth’s journey of trusting God through constant moves, chaos, and identity shifts.
• Marriage as a team — how she and her husband supported each other during 16 years of renovations.
• Hospitality + kitchen life — freezer marinades, her go-to takeout, and the gluten-free Trader Joe’s cake she hides from her kids.
• Signature recipe — her “Barely Baked Cookies,” kept in frozen dough balls so she can bake fresh cookies for guests anytime.

Ruth’s story is full of heart, humor, and encouragement for anyone navigating change, motherhood, or building a life centered on home and faith.

This week in the kitchen:

Featured recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies from Hungry 4 Home Cookbook

Ingredients

4 sticks butter

2 tablespoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2½ cups brown sugar

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ teaspoons baking soda

5 cups flour

1 bag of good chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli)

Instructions

Step 1: Soften the butter until partially melted. Stir in brown sugar, sugar, vanilla, and eggs.

Step 2: Combine salt, baking soda, and flour in a bowl.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix by hand. Do not overmix! Stir in chocolate chips.

Step 4: Using an ice cream scoop, spoon generous balls of cookie dough onto a greased and lined baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or overnight).

Step 5: When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F on the convection setting.

Step 6: Put the cold cookie dough tray into the oven and bake until the edges are brown but centers are still gooey (about 10 minutes). They will look “barely-baked.”

Resources: Dina’s Cookbook-https://www.amazon.com/At-Kitchen-Sink-Recipes-Cookbook/dp/0593728939

Hungry 4 Home Book: https://www.hungry4home.com/shop2/p/hungry-for-home-a-year-together-at-hillside-farm

Connect with Ruth: https://www.hungry4home.com/

Ruth’s Instagram: @hungryforhome

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

DishItGirl is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org