When South Carolina Army National Guard spouse Ronalyn Alston talks about her “Southern food blog,” she means savory, stick-to-your-bones meals — “the type of food that makes you want to ball up in bed and go to sleep,” as she puts it.
Her recipes have all the comfort you’d expect from Southern cooking, with a few lighter twists mixed in. For the Alstons, health and wellness matter just as much as flavor, and Ronalyn likes showing busy parents they don’t have to choose between the two. For her, cooking is — in and of itself— personal wellness.
“I cook all the time. It’s therapy for me,” she said. “When my husband joined the military, I was home with the kids and feeling lonely. I wanted to connect with other moms, to make their lives a little easier. That’s how the blog started.”
Stirring up connection
Ronalyn and her husband James have lived in South Carolina all their lives. The couple joined the National Guard later than most — after college, marriage and starting a family. James serves as a combat construction engineer with the 122nd Engineering Company in Saluda, South Carolina.
“It gave us a different perspective,” James said. “A lot of people join right out of high school. We came in as a family, and it tied us together in a different way.”
That family-first mindset carries over into Ronalyn’s kitchen. She develops every recipe on her site, RonalynTalston.com, and shoots all her own photography. Some dishes are quick and easy like her “Lazy Pasta,” alongside more elaborate meals, but all are built for real family life.
“If you don’t ever make a recipe of mine, I still want you to feel connected,” she said. “Food brings people together in a way that nothing else does.”
Food, family and community
The Alstons’ three children — ages 13, 9 and 4 — are Ronalyn’s built-in taste testers. Dinnertime at their house is a mix of tradition and flexibility.
“At least one meal a day, we sit together at the table,” James said. “If it’s not breakfast or lunch, then it’s dinner. We give thanks, check in and make sure everyone’s ready for the next day.”
Other nights, the family embraces what they jokingly call “room service.” “Sometimes the kids just want to eat in their rooms and have quiet time after a long day,” Ronalyn said. “We get it.”
Her blog has been featured on podcasts, in local media, and even on the Food Network, where she filmed in New Orleans with Octavia Spencer. She’s also a graduate of the Small Business Administration’s Boots to Business program and is working on a new project she hopes to unveil soon. (Stay tuned!)
Advice for other military spouses
For spouses thinking about starting a creative project or blog, Ronalyn’s advice is simple: “Do it. Believe in yourself. Be your biggest fan and put in the work. Channel your emotions into something that’s going to be fruitful for you.”
She also urges spouses to protect their own well-being. “If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else. That was a lesson I had to learn. When I realized I needed to refocus, I stepped back for a bit. Now I’m excited to get back to it.”
How to connect
Readers can explore Ronalyn’s recipes and follow her journey at RonalynTalston.com. Even if you never try her baked drumsticks, she hopes you’ll leave with a sense of connection.
“We all eat every day,” James added. “If you can take that time to make good food and have good fellowship, it’s going to be good for your spirit.”
