"...and they ate with gladness and simplicity of heart"
Winner :: #2 Kaylin! Recently a press release arrived in my inbox announcing the launch of a local chocolate company, Hello Cocoa, in Northwest Arkansas. “Awesome, it is about time” I said out loud to no one in particular as I read it. You see, I had often wondered why our area wasn’t producing artisan chocolates. We are a hotbed of local entrepreneurs in many industries out here, including tech, social, retail, and food movements. So, I wondered… why not ...
Ding. The timer on the oven sings out and lets you know that it is time. Time to remove the roasted garlic. Thankfully, you remember to stand back as you slowly open the oven door in a way that the wafting steam doesn’t blast you in the face. You close your eyes and breathe in. Deeply. Is there anything that surpasses the heavenly smell of oven-roasted garlic? You see it in their faces as your family bounds into the kitchen, joy and anticipation dancing in their eyes. Excitedly ...
In honor of National Soup Month (that would be now), I decided to browse the search bar on the ol’ blog and see how many soups we shared together over the years. We had ten. Ten! Ten steaming bowls lifted up to the virtual nostril with eyes closed and then we deeply inhaled their liquid lusciousness. Lusciousnesses? Mmmmm. Good times. Here they are, in no particular order. I figured you might want some soup inspiration this weekend. Please share your favorite ...
Can you hear me squealing with delight over the latest issue of edible Ozarkansas? The featured focus article is all about children in the kitchen and I wrote it!!! I actually wrote the article a year ago but they saved it for this issue so that families could utilize the tips and tricks over the winter break. I say “families” because I talked about how cooking with children is fun whether you are a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a grandparent, a foster parent, or a even a ...
In 1996 we moved to Northwest Arkansas from the Central Valley in California. If you think it was a culture shock, you’re wrong. California was the cultural shock to me, having grown up in a quaint small town in the North Carolina piedmont region. Before moving here, we got together as a family and talked about what we were each looking forward to with our move to Arkansas. My mother-in-law was looking forward to living where there were squirrels (yes), Dennis liked the idea of ...
Brrrrrrr. It sure is chilly out there, isn’t it? I have been off work all week and today seems like it is perpetually stuck in dusk-mode. Weather like this makes me think of thickly comforting soup. In fact, this week I have already made soup three times. Yes, three times! On Monday I tried out my friend Alison’s French Peasant Soup and man, was it delish! Tuesday I made a creamy butternut squash soup that was TO.DIE.FOR. Dennis wants me to make this every single day now. I can’t ...
The post contains sponsored content. #aethercone One of the biggest complaints I hear about cooking is the prep time it takes before and after the meal. Have you ever said, “I do all this hard work in the kitchen for a meal that takes minutes for everyone to finish. And then I have to clean it all up. It’s not worth it.” Hang in there. It IS worth it. Here are my top 7 tips for improving your meal prep time in the kitchen so it doesn’t have to be a burden for you. Because we all ...
Have you ever heard of a baker’s catalogue called King Arthur Flour? They aren’t the new kids on the block. Established back in 1790, King Arthur Flour is based in Vermont. Having just come back from a trip to Vermont, it only seemed right to highlight a Vermont gem. Today’s five foodie finds are baking related items that you just have to check out from the good folks at King Arthur Flour. 1. Pure Vermont maple syrup. Obviously, we cannot talk Vermont without ...
It’s Sunday and the long Thanksgiving weekend is winding down. Are you tired of over-the-top desserts yet? Are you declaring that you are going on a diet and never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever eating anything sweet or carb-y again? Maybe you are thinking about chucking the last bit of the Thanksgiving leftovers because you are so sick and tired of them… but your conscience won’t let you throw it away. Good thinking. You just need a new fresh perspective. First things first, since it ...
If you've wondered when to decorate your Thanksgiving table, the answer is... the night before. Setting your table early is one the easiest ways to instantly relieve some of those pre-Thanksgiving meal anxiety jitters. And, you and I both know there is always a pre-Thanksgiving meal anxiety jitter or two. If you want to know the #1 reason why everyone should set his or her Thanksgiving meal early, please check out my latest article on how to simplify Thanksgiving by setting your table two ...
Let’s get real. Sometimes the Thanksgiving leftovers just end up being, for lack of a better description, boring. As the turkey dries out it gets harder and harder to swallow. If you are like me, that is about the time to turn to Pinterest to type in “leftover turkey recipes” for inspiration. Recently KFSM Channel 5 Morning News reached out for a three-part series on Thanksgiving. Part 1 covered the pre-planning, Part 2 talked about spicing it up and adding charm, and Part 3 was all about ...
What a thrill it was to work with the KFSM Channel 5 Morning Crew on a three-part Thanksgiving preparation series. I was giddy with anticipation when Meteorologist Joe Pennington, and his two-morning counterparts, anchors Heather Lewis and Jay Plyburn, and cameraman Robbie showed up on my doorsteps three Fridays ago to film the three segments. Wait a minute did I just say a three-part series and three segments? Scratch that. The segment with Jay Plyburn ending up as a two-part segment, so ...
Pin this. Bookmark it. Post it to your wall. Cut it out and tape it in your diary. Your search for the ultimate crowd-pleasing appetizer is over. Veggies in a cup. Let me tell you why this appetizer is bonkers great. Veggie cups are incredibly easy to make. Veggie cups are visually stunning. Veggie cups provide a tremendous show of color on the appetizer table. Veggie cups are incredibly transportable for your guests when they mingle. Veggie cup ingredients can be prepared ahead of ...
Is anyone interested in a heaping helping of palm oil, dextrose, TBHQ, Citric Acid and Propylene Glycol with side of onions, salt, and wheat? Anyone? Anyone? Me neither. I know, I know, it is super easy to stock up your pantry with a tub or two of store-bought French fried onions, yet you really don’t need to. You see, it only takes a few minutes to make your own and then you can skip all the nasty stuff. Any onions will do but I am partial to shallots. Shallots are my go-to for ...
As you and I have gotten to know each other better, I have learned that you really want to stand out from the crowd when it comes to entertaining. And you know that I like to keep things simple. We’re a good team. Today we marry the two together. It involves a bit of simplicity and a little something for you to stand out from the crowd. Have you ever made your own flavored compound butter? Flavored compound butter just means that you added something to the butter, like herbs or a ...
sponsored review About seventeen friends and I were sitting around the patio at Theo’s a week or so ago and we started planning our next happy hour get-together. Suggestions rang out from right-to-left. “Let’s come back to Theo’s. We’ve got to go to James at the Mill. How about that new Mexican place by Zaxbys? I know, Bonefish, oh wait, nah, Bonefish is way too cramped and closed in…” Bonefish, cramped? Not any more. Bonefish in Rogers just completed a refresh to their ...
KFSM Channel 5 meteorologist Joe Pennington tweeted me recently and asked if I would be interested in filming a three-part morning news segment about Thanksgiving. Would I be interested? Um, yes, yes, yes. Thanksgiving is my favorite family meal and the one showstopping banquet that Dennis and I have worked the most kinks out of over the years. I may not have a doctorate of Thanksgiving but I am pretty sure I am an honorary master of Thanksgiving. Sign me up! Weather Joe and his ...
