My first official blog post will share not only a special revamped family recipe (made low carb), but the story behind the recipe, my great aunt Ailene who made it legendary in our family, her influence on me musically, plus the tiny southeast Oklahoma country church where I grew up which just celebrated its 85th anniversary in October 2024. How do I tie together such seemingly disjointed subject matters like the church my ancestors founded, a vintage pie recipe, my Aunt Ailene, and my music journey you ask?
To me, life is a tapestry of beautifully woven stories, experiences, and people. My utmost hope is that you will go on this journey with me as I share a piece of my heart and testimony. Like music, recipes have the power of bringing people together since we often attach positive feelings to the memories centered around special family gatherings and meals. Church families and potlucks are no exception.
The recipe itself is a vintage pie recipe published in the 1934 Hershey’s Cookbook. It was widely spread around America and would recirculate in women’s magazine advertisements in the seventies. The following ad is from 1973:

This eggless chocolate pie was originally called the “Snow Ghost Cocoa Cream Pie,” though in my family, the name affectionately morphed into “Aunt Ailene’s Snow Ghost Chocolate Pie.” Aunt Ailene was famous in our parts for doing it justice. In my family, we’ve always named dishes after the person who introduced the recipe if it became an instant hit and keeper. Examples include: Robert’s Beans, Claude’s Chili, Cindy’s Cranberry Cake with Rum Sauce, Jewel’s Pumpkin Pie, Jo Mae’s Spaghetti, Bonnie’s Amaretto Cheesecake, Ruth’s Lasagne, etc. I plan to recreate and share them all in time so bear with me.
Since one of the main goal’s of my blog is to honor my family’s legacy (while eating healthier and ministering to people), I cannot write this post without sharing about my Aunt Aileen and what an amazing, God-fearing woman she was. She was my Grandpa Benham’s baby sister born in 1925 and was a HUGE influence on my life in so many ways. She lived up the road and around the bend just a mile away, and that is considered a close neighbor where I’m from. My brother and I kept the dirt road between us hot with our bicycles and loved dropping in for iced sweet tea and whatever homemade goodies she had made. Speaking of my brother, I just had to share a picture of us after seeing the 1934 Hershey’s Cookbook cover below. Our photo would have made the perfect Tootsie Roll advertisement. Do we not look like the kids in this vintage Hershey’s ad?


Aunt Ailene was the epitome of a devoted farmer’s wife. She never had children of her own, so all of us nieces and nephews were like her children. She was tough, yet tender, and you didn’t want to mess with her because nobody could outrun her (some tried and failed).
When my brother and I were little, the only good thing about being stricken with an illness and missing school was getting to be Aunt Ailene’s patient. We got to lay on her couch all day with an endless supply of Lillian Vernon Catalogues to peruse, while getting petted to death and fed the most epic home cooked meals lovingly prepared by the quintessential farmer’s wife. Oh how I miss the innocence of the eighties.
Aunt Ailene had wash basins set in every sink and you had to wash your hands in the same soapy water everyone else had used. I’m not sure how often she changed the water and I thought it was gross as a kid. Now, I’d give anything to be back there again just to wash my hands in that recycled water, to smell and feel the soapy water on my hands. I would take in every creak of those old farmhouse floors and all the sights, smells and sounds, holding them close to my heart.
Aunt Ailene was up at the crack of dawn every morning preparing three square meals a day for my Uncle John who never retired from his toil as a farmer. Her beans, corn bread and fried potatoes were out of this world, and she often had a pie cooling in the windowsill. She introduced me to chili mac and 40+ years later I can still imagine the taste. I would give anything to have that recipe and to eat with them at that old splintered table just one more time. My list of questions would be endless and I would hang on their every word. When Uncle John died in 1996 at the age of 73, he and Aunt Ailene had just celebrated 53 years of marriage. She didn’t even make it six months without him before she was called home to be with the Lord. What a love story they had.
Now to that tiny country church and how it relates to the rest of my story … In 1939, when my Aunt Ailene was around 14 years old, her father, Cloyd Aretus ‘Claude’ Benham (my great grandpa born in 1878 who died about 20 years before I was born) donated Benham farmland and co-founded a little Southern Baptist Church with some other local farm families. My great grandpa Claude had lived in Carson since 1895 when that part of Oklahoma was still considered “Indian Territory.” Their new church was named Carson Baptist Church after their unincorporated farming community in Hughes County which hasn’t appeared on a map of Oklahoma since the thirties or forties. Many of the founder’s ancestors are still members of Carson Baptist to this day, including a few members of my family.
Carson Baptist Church just celebrated their 85th anniversary in October of 2024. They are still going strong because they love Jesus and people really well. I grew up a fourth generation member, and like my father and my Grandpa Benham before him, I was saved and baptized as a child because God ordained that I would be profoundly impacted by the ministry of Carson Baptist Church. The date of my baptism was December 16, 1984, exactly 40 years ago when I was 8 years old. What a legacy, so much so I wrote a song about the church and the community of Carson for the anniversary service that just took place. I’m attaching the lyrics below and am praying God provides the money and/or resources soon to make a professional studio recording of it. It’s the longest song I’ve ever written at 6.5 minutes, but I had so much to say. It’s also one of the most impactful songs I’ve ever written with a nice country influence to it. The song was dedicated to the “host of saints gone to glory” and to my precious daddy who passed on October 12th, 2021.
I am the musician I am today, in large part due to my Aunt Ailene’s influence through that modest little church where she had also grown up. My earliest memories are of her being the Song Leader there. I didn’t know it when I was little, but it was extremely rare in those days for a woman to be anything in music in the SBC other than a soloist, choir member, pianist or organist. Her sister-in-law, my Grandma Benham was the pianist, and together they made quite the duo. My beloved late cousin Robin who was 12 years older than me was also an accomplished pianist. Both Robin and my Grandma Benham inspired me to take piano lessons, and when I was 10 years old I was finally ready (roughly 1986). My mama always said she would never force her kids to take lessons or practice, and if I wanted it badly enough I would put in the hard work (which is exactly what I did).
In 1989, my Grandma Benham passed away suddenly from multiple massive heart attacks and strokes at only 65. Our family and little community were devastated and our church left without a pianist. My cousin Robin was away at college and couldn’t accept the pianist position. I was still 12 and had just graduated from the 8th grade, and didn’t even have three years of piano lessons under my belt at this point. Despite this and to my disbelief, the job of church pianist was bestowed upon me. I was completely fearful, unqualified and unprepared, but those people believed in me. Chief among them was my Great Aunt Ailene.
Carson Baptist bought me a simplified edition of the 1975 Southern Baptist Hymnal to start off my church pianist journey. If you know, you know exactly which hymnal I’m talking about. It was maroon with gold embossed letters and you probably still remember the page numbers of your favorite hymns too. Even the simplified edition was a challenge, though I found two achievable hymns for my first Sunday: What a Friend We Have in Jesus and Sweet Hour of Prayer. We would sing them for an entire month before I learned more.

My Great Aunt Ailene leading singing in our second church building dedicated in 1989.


what happened to it and if the building is still standing or operational.

Just look at those Oklahoma skies I wrote about in my song “The House of God” …

are written about in my 85th anniversary dedication song “The House of God.”
Playing piano every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday evening would prepare me for a music degree at Oklahoma Baptist University and craft me into the musician I am today. I played until I left for college and it was all done under the challenging direction of Aunt Ailene. She wasn’t exceptionally gifted musically and didn’t play any instruments, but she had a heart of worship and she saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.
Aunt Ailene pushed me hard. She was relentless and challenged me publicly, never once accepting my pleas that a song was “too hard.” We would banter in front of the congregation sometimes — she from the pulpit and me from the piano. It was usually after she would surprise me by calling out a hymn number from some ancient volume of New Songs of Inspiration. Shaped notes were the bane of my existence, not to mention the print was tiny and the book wouldn’t stay open without four chip clips. Countless times I sat at the piano in front of the congregation embarrassed and decried “I can’t play that.” Aunt Ailene’s response was always the same, “yes ya can, yes ya can.” She simply wouldn’t take no for an answer and never gave in to my self doubt. Her toughness and belief in me turned me into an excellent sight reader, and I would eventually become an accomplished degreed musician who has led worship and shared my own original music all over the world.




Delicious and Nutritious: How to Make Coconut Covered Protein Balls
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of oats
- 1 cup of protein powder (your favorite flavor)
- 1/2 cup of almond butter (or any nut butter of your choice)
- 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut (plus extra for rolling)
- 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (optional)
- 1/4 cup of chia seeds (optional)
- 1/4 cup of dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
- 1/4 cup of water or almond milk (adjust for consistency)
Instructions:
- Gather Your Ingredients: Start by measuring out all your ingredients. Having everything ready will make the process smooth and quick.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the oats, protein powder, shredded coconut, and any optional dry ingredients like chia seeds or dried fruits.
- Add the Wet Ingredients: Add the almond butter and honey (or maple syrup) to the dry mixture. Mix well until the ingredients are fully combined. If the mixture feels too dry, slowly add water or almond milk until you reach a sticky, but firm consistency.
- Fold in the Extras: If you’re adding chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or any other optional ingredients, fold them into the mixture now.
- Shape the Balls: Using a tablespoon or your hands, scoop out portions of the mixture and roll them into small balls. Aim for bite-sized pieces that are easy to snack on.
- Roll in Coconut: Spread some extra shredded coconut on a plate. Roll each protein ball in the coconut until fully coated. This not only adds a delicious outer layer but also makes them look irresistible!
- Chill and Set: Place the coconut-covered protein balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Pop them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set. This helps them hold their shape and enhances the flavors.
- Enjoy! Your coconut-covered protein balls are ready to be enjoyed! Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them for a longer shelf life.
Why You’ll Love These Protein Balls:
- Quick and Easy: These protein balls come together in just minutes with no baking required.
- Nutritious: Packed with protein, healthy fats, and fiber, they make for a well-rounded snack.
- Customizable: Adjust the ingredients to suit your taste preferences or dietary needs.
- Portable: Perfect for on-the-go snacking, whether you’re heading to the gym, the office, or just running errands.
Coconut-covered protein balls are a fantastic way to enjoy a nutritious snack that doesn’t compromise on taste. They’re perfect for meal prepping, satisfying afternoon cravings, or even as a pre- or post-workout boost. Try experimenting with different flavors and ingredients to make these protein balls your own.
Happy snacking!
Did you try making these coconut-covered protein balls? Share your creations on social media with the hashtag #HealthySnacks and tag us! We’d love to see your delicious results!