Joanna Gaines Reveals Rare Photo of Her Mom as She Archives Her Thanksgiving Recipes

Joanna Gaines occasionally shares snaps of her five kids with her fans on social media, and she even more rarely posts photos of the rest of her family. Last week, the former HGTV star gave fans a glimpse of her life as a daughter, sharing a post featuring her parents, Nan and Jerry Stevens, in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

Gaines posted a slideshow of snaps of the trio’s day in the kitchen, starting with a photo of her mom cooking and following it with a snap of her dad basting a turkey. The third photo was a closeup of several handwritten recipes that were written by Gaines herself after watching her mom cook, something she shared in her caption that she had wanted to do for years.

“For years I’ve wanted to write down my mom’s full holiday meal that she has made since I was little,” the designer wrote. “It has always been hard for her to just give me the recipe because she cooks “to taste” so nothing is ever written down or measured. She just wings it every time and every time it’s my favorite. So I cleared my schedule and sat and watched her every move and wrote it all down. It feels like such a gift to finally have these recipes of my mom’s on paper, all written out. And the even greater gift was the time we got to spend together in the kitchen today. This thanksgiving, I’m extra grateful for family, tradition, and good food.”

Gaines also shared a message of thanks to her fans, posting a photo of herself with her husband, Chip Gaines, and reflecting on how far she has come.

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how grateful I am for all of YOU and the support and encouragement you’ve shown to our family and our business over these last few years,” she wrote. “When I was blogging years ago to an audience of about 17 people, I would have never dreamed of any of this. You all are truly so kind, big hearted and the most supportive. We wouldn’t be here without you.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Rob Kim