Love, Stirred In

Love, Stirred In: A Collection of Meals, Memories, and What We Carry
Some recipes feed a family. Others tell a story.
In Love, Stirred In, Evangeline Pesca invites readers into the meals, memories, and traditions that shaped her life. Born and raised in the Philippines and later building a life and family of her own, she learned early that food was never simply about nourishment. It was how love was expressed, how comfort was offered, how celebrations were shared, and how family stayed connected through life's changing seasons.
Within these pages, recipes are paired with personal stories, reflections, and the lessons gathered around kitchen tables over generations. From weeknight dinners and family favorites to dishes tied to childhood memories and treasured family traditions, each recipe carries something more than ingredients. It carries the people, moments, and experiences that gave it meaning.
This collection honors the mothers, grandmothers, daughters, and friends whose love often appeared in the form of a meal prepared, a table set, or a seat held open for someone who needed it. It celebrates the ordinary moments that become the memories we cherish most and reminds us that some of life's most important lessons are learned not through grand events, but through everyday acts of care.
Filled with comforting recipes, heartfelt stories, and reflections on family, belonging, resilience, and gratitude, Love, Stirred In is both a cookbook and a keepsake. It is an invitation to slow down, gather with the people you love, and recognize the beauty hidden within everyday meals.
Whether you come for the recipes, the stories, or the memories they inspire, this book offers a reminder that food has a unique power to connect us-to our families, to our histories, and to one another.
Because long after a meal is finished, what remains is often the love that was stirred into it.