"...and they ate with gladness and simplicity of heart"
Are you looking for a happy-go-lucky read? A week ago I purchased a paperback at Borders in Rogers from the 50% off table. It had all the makings of what I like: non-fiction with a story, discussions about food, wine, Italy, and it was 50% off! Bingo. I have to tell you… this is such a delightful book! Immediately it held my attention because the author, Michael Tucker, is happily-in-love with his soul mate for the past 35+ years, Jill Eikenberry. Yes, these are the two actors from the ...
The first thing Dennis and I went out and purchased after returning from Italy was a wine carafe. You may prefer the term decanter. Either way, we decided that wine tastes so much better from one. The original use of decanters is interesting. You could use it to house not-so-great wine (still a relevant point these days) or use it as a tool to ensure that sediment from your wine bottle is filtered out. That is, to make sure that the glorious mouth-feel from your full-bodied glass of wine is ...
Fall is so much more than a season. It is the warm hug from the sun on your cheekbones as you walk outside on a blustery day. It is the ever-changing colors of leaves evolving on the tree until they can no longer hang on. And then.. almost in super-slow motion.. only then do they drop to the ground. Fellow foodies, you know what Fall means to us. It is the glorious baking and cooking season! At last we can turn our ovens back on from its summer sabbatical. Welcome back my dutch ovens, my ...
I must apologize. You know I talk about all things food-related in Northwest Arkansas… but today I MUST break free. Mi Scusi! My family and I have just returned from a two-week trip to Sabaudia Italy, just south of Rome…. and wow, how could I NOT share with you my food adventures from this glorious land? Besides, there will be something in it for you, too. This trip renewed my passion to search out and prepare simple, pure, clean, and tasty dishes. I cannot wait to share them all with ...
This quick and easy recipe is used with a rice cooker. I used a cheapo from Walmart for years and it worked fine. When it started burning the bottom layer of rice, I invested in one from Williams-Sonoma and it rocks! HOW TO MAKE PERFECT RICE: 1. First, rinse your rice. 2. Place rinsed rice in your rice cooker. Today I am using 2 cups of rinsed brown rice. 3. Chop up 1 medium sized onion and place in rice cooker. Lately I am really into Vidalia sweet onions. 4. Instead of filling the ...
Today marks my one-year anniversary of this blog! What a great year it is has been! Thank you for reading, sharing, participating, and overall making this a fun adventure. I have so much more to share with you all! In honor of this milestone, I am hosting a week of giveaways, starting yesterday with Celtic Grill and today with Glow gluten free cookies. Come back daily to see what’s new. Good luck! Curious to know what the top five blog posts are from Year1 in terms of traffic and ...
You know the scene I am talking about. The scene with the famous (and repulsive) quote about “fava beans and a nice chianti.” Chianti? Been there. Done that. Fava beans? Hmmmm. Let’s face it. Fava beans are difficult to locate. But then, it happened. I tasted them. And now I know why Hannibal Lecter craved fava beans. They are the filet mignon of beans. I rank them on my top 3 favorite purely delicious food tasting moments of all time. Last fall I had my first encounter with a fava ...
Here’s a quick and simple tip for next time you cook your basic white or brown rice: RINSE! Why? Rinsing allows the excess starch wash away so it won’t be sticky! Of course, if you are making sushi rice, risotto, or rice pudding you will want to keep the creamy starch, so don’t please refrain from rinsing those items! What’s the best way to rinse? Eventually I worked my way to this simple technique: I use a colander and keep the water running as I pick up handfuls of rice to “squeeze” out ...
You may remember me talking about the Gluten Freedom Day conference recently held in Rogers. It was a one-day conference sponsored by the Celiac Sprue Association and geared to those who live a gluten-free life. I was eager to see what an event like this would be like and wondering what I would learn, who would I see, and (no surprise here) what would I eat! Plus, I read the agenda and I saw there was going to be a cooking demonstration by Robert Landolphi, the Gluten-Free Chef. The thing ...
Ever read an airline magazine and come across those ads that list steakhouses in the U.S. that are highly rated? I always wonder how they are chosen. Were they rated nationally? Or, did they simply pay for the spot? Nevertheless, I get tickled anytime I see a restaurant where I have actually dined. Makes me feel so in-the-know. Or... in one case, I saw a restaurant listed that is within driving distance of Northwest Arkansas: Polo Grill in Tulsa which was located in my favorite Tulsa ...
I was in a hurry the other day and whirl-winded myself out the door. Argh! I had forgotten to prepare the chicken in the crock-pot. Bummer. Yet another night to come up with Plan B for dinner. But wait… Plan A was still an option. My husband did it. Not only did he “put the chicken in the crock-pot.” He took it to the next level. My guy prepared the chicken and placed it in the crock-pot AND THEN he prepared two Yukon gold potatoes and onions and placed them into greased ramekins… and ...
I constantly marvel at the wonderfulness of my friends and my family. Isn’t it completely touching when someone goes out of his or her way for you, especially if you have food allergies? Thank you… …Dennis for bypassing pizza joints on the nights you really want a pizza because “there is nothing you can eat there.” …Family for always setting aside corn tortillas for me on Family Taco Night. …Mrs. Lawson for baking beautiful and delicious pies for church and then going out of your way to ...
So I was out and about on Sunday, running around, and was famished. I wanted something more than my Larabar. Fast food was out of the question. Sitting down at a restaurant was out of the question. If I had packed a lunch, that would have rocked. Did I? Nope. So here was the challenge: what could I eat that was fast, not junk food, and still tasty? Oh, and didn’t cost an arm and a leg? Sushi! Well, almost sushi…. an avocado roll from Sho-Guns! For just $4.13 (+ tip) I had avocado ...
I was in Tulsa recently and visited Whole Foods off of Peoria. Man I wish we had one. My perfect food retailer world consists of Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Costco, and a farmer’s market. Make that two farmer’s markets. Back to Whole Foods: I grabbed a free recipe flyer while in Whole Foods that piqued my interest: Creamy Orange-Avocado Dressing. It is surprisingly delicious and a perfect blend of bite, sweetness, and creamy loveliness. This dressing chills well since the ...
Today we continue with final topic of our three-part interview with Carolyn Lynch McKinley. 1. Carolyn’s involvement in the local celiac support group 2. Walmart’s support of the celiac lifestyle by providing affordable gluten-free products. 3. Gluten-free restaurant dining in Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. nwafoodie: We’ve already talked about how the gluten-free section came to be at Walmart and how you were personally involved in making that happen. Before that we ...
Today we continue with topic #2 of our three-part interview with Carolyn Lynch-McKinley. 1. Carolyn’s involvement in the local celiac support group 2. Walmart’s support of the celiac lifestyle by providing affordable gluten-free products. 3. Gluten-free restaurant dining in Northwest Arkansas and Southwest Missouri. nwafoodie: Yesterday, we talked about your willingness to freely give of your time to help others by taking the time to show people how to shop gluten-free at their ...
I came across this recipe from a healthy-conscious food blogger named Julie during a recent girls night out (#gno) twitter party held by Bush’s Beans. Seriously, aren’t you just a tiny bit intrigued by a cookie that has the word “breakfast” (aka a hearty start to your day) and “beans” in the title? Me, too! They’re grrrreeat! Yes, they are hearty and chewy and just the right amount of sweet! I used Hersey’s Special Dark chocolate chips and I feel great about my decision. Plus, I ...
