As soon as the last of the SWAG is passed out and #AWBU is in the history books, we begin planning for ARWB 2016. That planning, of course, also includes preparing for our weekly Foodie Friday web posts.
I am incredibly thankful to our ARWB Foodies who are willing to share their ideas and deliciousness with us each week. Even if you aren’t a “food” blogger, please know that you are welcome to participate. So get your food on and submit your proposals today.
Our Foodie Friday 2016 theme is CELEBRATE and we’ll be carrying that out in a variety of ways. One of those celebrations is sure to be of interest to you. I can’t wait to see what you offer.
It only takes a little time to complete the proposal document. Please submit at least two ideas and label those as to 1st and 2nd choice. You are welcome to submit more than two if you desire.
If you run into any problems or have any questions, email me or msg me on Facebook.
Most people burn their little black books when they become a couple. My fiancé and I combined ours. Of course, I’m talking about our little black recipe books.
Our love affair with cooking delicious meals together began in my tiny apartment kitchen. In the beginning, Thom would stand at the stove stirring and tasting and I would watch. Eventually, he would stand behind me with this arms wrapped around me to teach me how to hold the chef’s knife properly, how to julienne herbs, chop vegetables and mince garlic. If you’re thinking this scene was as romantic as that Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze pottery molding scene in the movie Ghost, you’re so, so off. Our scene involved bandages and antiseptic. I did learn and our dinner making process became uneventful over time.
We bought a tiny cottage with a kitchen slightly bigger than my single girl kitchen and our affair with cooking together blossomed. We continue to seek out recipes with interesting ingredients and we commit to cooking together at least one night a week, usually on weekend nights. We light candles, turn on some music, and consult our little black recipe book? it’s where we have hand written our most favorite tried and true recipes and where we keep printed copies of new to try recipes.
Cooking together can be relaxing, romantic, and a great escape. Here are our tips for enjoying couple time in the kitchen:
Be alone together? If you have children, hire a babysitter or send the kids to Grandma’s.
A meal doesn’t have to last hours. Set out your ingredients and tools the night before so gathering doesn’t cut into couple time.
Set the mood?. Lower the lights. Put on your favorite album. Light candles.
Have a tray of hor d’ oeuvres for snacking.
Try new recipes?. Spend a few minutes during the week researching new dishes the both of you would enjoy. Write or print out recipes.
Keep a little black recipe book of your own or set up a digital file on your computer. You can email your shopping list to yourself and make purchases during the week.
Divide Tasks.
Do what you’re most comfortable doing? if the prep work is your thing, be in charge of mise en place. If your significant makes a better sauce, let them.
Gina: Chocolate Fudge. My great-great grandmother’s recipe has been handed down for generations and it reminds me of the sweet moments spent with my grandma, cooking and enjoying learning from her.
Thom: The BEST homemade biscuits in the world. My mom and dad were from Arkansas and both really knew how to cook, but my mom’s biscuits were (and still) unmatched. I miss her and all her cooking very, very much.
What is your favorite international cuisine? Gina: Pad Thai. Thom (my fiancé) introduced me to this dish early in our relationship and we work together in the kitchen to find the perfect recipe. We’re close to getting it just right.
Thom: Thai food. I love the spicy, sweet, savory, fresh and also delicateness of the cuisine. We make it at home and encourage anyone to do it. Believe it or not, it really is simple food.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Gina: Jalapeños. Another introduction made by Thom. When we’re done with our own canned jars, there are always store-bought in the ‘fridge. I’m slowly turning into a chili-head.
Thom: A gallon jar of pickled Jalapeños. Always! Gina and I are true “Chiliheads”.
What is your most used cookbook? Gina: While I have cookbooks from my single days, we don’t really use them anymore. Thom has been teaching me his own recipes and since he does most of the cooking, mine are collecting dust.
Thom: Our “own”. Seriously, It’s a small black book of recipes that we have collected over the years.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Gina: Thom’s garlic press. He’s been using the same press for 25 years. It’s a workhorse. We use A LOT of garlic.
Thom: My 25 year old “Zyliss” garlic press. If you need one (and everyone should) buy a Zyliss.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Gina: Chocolate. No elaboration needed.
Thom: My 25 year old “Zyliss” garlic press. If you need one (and everyone should) buy a Zyliss.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Gina: When in doubt, add fresh garlic-pressed not sliced.
Thom: Garlic
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
Gina: Honey Garlic Pizza. We have a Pizza & Movie night once a week. It’s also the only pizza we’ll both eat cold for lunch the next day.
Thom:Right now it’s cheese Quesadillas, homemade Guacamole, fresh homemade Pico de Gallo, homemade corn chips. Ice cream for dessert to cool things off.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Gina:Buy one good 8 to 10 inch chef’s knife. It can be costly but it’s a worthy investment. Thom’s favorite knife is 30 years old.
Thom: Buy one good 8 or 10 inch chefs knife and pay between $75 and $100 for it. Also, learn how to sharpen your own knives. This is VERY important. A dull knife is a dangerous knife!
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Gina:I enjoy crafting, reading, sitting outside listening to birds and enjoying our cove. Thom and I love to travel, shop (him more than me), and plan our next meal.
Thom: Audiophile audio equipment and speaker building.
What else would you like us to know about you? Gina: I love the Arkansas Women Bloggers community and am grateful for the friendships and connections I have made from the inspiring women who gather here. Thank you for that.
Thom: I really loves me some Gina 🙂
At the Hive, I often preach about celebrating the season. Here, we write ingredient-driven menus. This means that what is ripe and coming out of the ground is what we will be working with for tonight’s dinner. During the summer months, this philosophy is easy to manage with a great variety of produce coming in the door from our local farmers. The Arkansas climate gives us a long growing season and produces some of the most delicious fruits and vegetables I have ever tasted. Going to the farmer’s market and seeing these foods inspire me. It’s a great season, with lots of opportunity to play with new ingredients and create fun, new dishes. We are also busy preserving the season by making peach butter, ground cherry jam, blueberry jam, pickled cucumbers, green tomatoes and green beans. I refer to it as building our pantry. Having these house made items on hand to pull from later in the season keeps our menu fresh during the winter months when there is not much growing. This kind of cooking gives us the opportunity to offer our guests a unique Arkansas culinary experience.
I feel that the history of food and cooking in Arkansas is humble and honest. My grandmother had a garden, fruit trees and some livestock in her backyard. She would pick blackberries from wild bushes nearby. Eating local and preserving the harvest weren’t tag lines then. It was just life in rural Arkansas. That sense of time and place has motivated me to cook the way I cook.
In developing the recipe for this Watermelon Gazpacho, we wanted to utilize several ingredients that can be found at the market at the same time. This recipe is completely dependent on the quality and freshness of the produce used. It is fairly easy to prepare, but does require a little planning ahead. Watermelons have a unique flavor– they are sweet with a crunchy texture. We balance this sweetness with a little red wine vinegar. The vegetables are all rough cut in similar sizes and seasoned with a little salt and vinegar. This is allowed to steep overnight to develop all of the flavors and “cook” the vegetables. Gazpacho isn’t supposed to be fancy salsa. Once the vegetables have marinated overnight, the sachet of aromatics is removed and the vegetables are pureed. This is seasoned with salt, olive oil and red wine vinegar. This is a soup that is great for summer’s hot weather. It’s served chilled and is very refreshing.
8-10 tomatillos, paper removed, rinsed and quartered
3 Fresno chilies
3 pounds red bell peppers
1 red onion
¼ cup red wine vinegar (adjust to taste)
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil (adjust to taste)
Kosher salt to taste
Sachet
5 sprigs basil
2 cloves garlic
½ Jalapeno, split
Instructions
Cut and marinate all vegetables in salt and vinegar for at least 1 hour.
Puree vegetables with stick blender.
Add sachet and leave in soup for 8-12 hours while in refrigerator.
After 12 hours, remove sachet and run through a food mill to remove seeds and large chunks.
Blend in extra-virgin olive oil and adjust seasoning to taste.
By Chef Matthew McClure
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies
Matthew McClure The Hive
What food reminds you of childhood?
My grandmother’s scrambled eggs. They had so much flavor and were so creamy. Finally, I learned her secret, which was Philadelphia cream cheese. Delicious!
What is your favorite international cuisine? Mexican, Indian, Korean…I could never choose which one I like more. They all cook with inexpensive cuts of meat and spice them aggressively with their own cultural blends.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? I always have some sort of pickled vegetable.
What is your most used cookbook? The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Our menu at The Hive is very ingredient driven. I go to the farmers market, find the foods that I feel look and taste best, and then we change the menu. This book gives great suggestions of different flavors that pair well with each other.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? My Pacojet. It makes the smoothest ice creams and sorbets.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Many…fried chicken, an Indian dish called Bhindi Masala, which is an amazing okra dish. Last meal material.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? I love to use a variety of dried chilis. Guajillo, marash and Calabrian my go-tos.
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
For comfort food, chicken and rice is a house speciality. I also love making fresh masa tortillas and homemade Mexican food.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Always taste your food throughout the cooking process. Also, make sure you have a sharp knife, brand doesn’t matter.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Fishing, canoeing, hiking and cycling. I really enjoy being outside.
What else would you like us to know about you? I’m on a mission to prove that Arkansas food has a place at the national leConnect with Matt and The Hive:
Matthew McClure, featured chef at #AWBU #Foodie Friday 14, was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where hunting, fishing and his grandmother’s cooking ignited his passion for food. After studying at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, he settled in Boston working at a number of restaurants including Troquet, Harvest and No.9 Park under the direction of Barbara Lynch.
After years in Boston, Matt was eager to get back to his home state to reconnect with the ingredients and foodways of his childhood. He returned to Little Rock where he worked under Lee Richardson at Ashley’s at the CapitalHotel, developing strong relationships with local farmers and producers and rediscovering the agricultural resources of his home state.
In 2012, he was selected to open The Hive located at 21c Museum Hotel. His cooking is reflective of both the history and geography of Arkansas as well as new immigrant communities and their influence on the culinary landscape. His longstanding and outspoken commitment to support local farmers and purveyors has cemented his position as a notable champion for Arkansas’s burgeoning culinary renaissance. Matt was a Semifinalist for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: South award and named FOOD & WINE The People’s Best New Chef in the Midwest region. He is also an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance.
About The Hive
The Hive featuresexecutive chef and Arkansasnative Matthew McClure’s take on refined country cooking, and seeks to articulate the unique culinary identity of Arkansas. McClure has developed a program that is true to the High South and showcases the region’s farmers and culinary landscape, highlighting local ingredients such as black walnuts, sweet onions, freshly milled corn meal, hickory smoked hams, peaches and melons. McClure’s menu is a contemporary take on the foods and ways of cooking that are familiar to the region such as pickling and preserving, making jam, and sourcing whole animals whenever possible.
The restaurant is located in the 21c Museum Hotel, at 200 NE A Street in Bentonville, Arkansas. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 479.286.6575.
3. Friday evening, August 28: IG 3 photos from the evening opening session:
#AWBU #IGChallenge
Keynote Speaker – @leladavidson
@theparkwife in her derby hat or a selfie in your derby hat
or your table, a new friend, your name tag
4. Saturday morning, August 29: IG 3 photos (1 each from any one category):
#AWBU #IGChallenge
Breakfast – you pick!
Keynote Speaker – Rhea Lana Riner @rhealana
Workshop Session 1 (something unique you will try)
Workshop Session 2 (a new skill you need/needed)
5. Saturday luncheon, August 29: 2 photos
Any photo promoting @RichlandFoods as our sponsor
Any photo of the “fun thing” that’s coming your way during lunch tag @ricelandfoods
6. Saturday afternoon, August 29: IG any 3 photos (1 each from any one category)
#AWBU #IGChallenge
Workshop Session 3 Tag the speaker
Workshop Session 4 Tag the speaker
Workshop Session 5 Tag the speaker
Repost an IG from another attendees IG account
A photo/selfie of you with another attendee in the Arlington @VisitHotSprings @ArlingtonResort
A photo of AWBU peeps from Feed the Funnel
7. Sunday morning, August 30:
#AWBU #IGChallenge
Any photo from the hospitality room Tag @petitjeanmeats
Any photo from the 8 a.m. session Tag @alliancerubber
Any funny photo from #AWBU
BONUS: (may replace any one challenge from the list above) For example, if you were not able to attend #FoodieFriday, this is your opportunity to be included in the #IGChallenge.
1 photo that best expresses why you come to #AWBU
***After meeting the requirements, add your Instagram account to the #Sunday #LinkUp on the #ARWB web site.*** The linky opens at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, August 30 and IG accounts must be linked by 11 a.m. when the Linky closes.
Winner will be chosen at random and prize awarded after #IGChallenge requirements are confirmed.
Salads are so much fun to eat! Options are endless and combinations open to your imagination. Living in Arkansas, we have such a hearty variety of healthy choices that can be grown right in our own backyard, literally. As the days of summer start to become a little shorter, I have to admit I am ready for the slightly cooler weather, but in total denial that the goodness of <strong>LOCAL</strong> fresh summer produce will be disappearing soon.
That just means we need to be gettin’ while the gettin’ is good!
With back-to-school starting this last week, I look for make ahead options we can break away from school quickly and all enjoy. Layered salads are perfect for grab and go lunches because you can make multiple days worth at a time, even varying what each contains. If you are eating them with a wrap or sandwich, consider making them in jelly jars, otherwise I use a pint jar for my salads.
The cool thing is that you really can customize to your taste buds and what you have on hand. The more colorful the better, because you are packing in a variety of nutrients, but they can also be very simple, such as a caesar salad with added protein (chicken, shrimp or bacon).
The key to a great layered mason jar salad is how you pack it all in! If you layer your ingredients properly, they will store in the refrigerator for about 5 days without becoming a soggy mess. Since I really like crispy lettuce, this is important.
Layers of a Mason Jar SaladStarting with the bottom first…
When you are ready to eat, simply turn the jar upside down, give it a few shakes to mix all the yummy ingredients and dressing together and dive in. Although you may be tempted to pack that mason jar to the brim, I suggest leaving about 1/2″ – 1″ at the top to have room to mix the salad.
What ingredients would you use to customize your Mason Jar Layered Salad?
Amanda was born in Arkansas and although she lived in several other states, returned home to put down roots before starting her own family in northern Arkansas. Her blog, Our Homemade Life is a creative outlet to share her adventures in motherhood from making messes with crafts and in the kitchen to homeschooling and their love of family travel. You can connect with Amanda on Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest & Facebook.
August in Arkansas and it’s hotter than hot. The past two summers spoiled us with the frequent rains and cooler temperatures. The lack of water and brutal sunshine can take its toll on farmer’s crops as well as a home garden. But you can always count on okra to shine in the face of hot dry weather.
Unless you have spent much time down South, you may not be familiar with this green slender pod-like vegetable. I am an okra lover. Give it to me anyway I can get it. Fry it. Pickle it. Slice it up and add it to curry, gumbo or stew. Roast it on the grill. My son and I recently took a bite of it raw just to see what it was like. And it wasn’t bad at all!
At the moment, I have bags of okra falling out of my refrigerator every time the door is opened. I’d like to be pickling it but I haven’t found the time. Right now I am simply washing and freezing the okra. Because this okra will likely be coated and fried or added to another dish, I slice the pods into 1-2 inch lengths and freeze them in large gallon bags.
So when you come across a great deal on okra at the farmers market or your own garden is producing a bumper crop remember these easy storage tips. You can also try this great recipe that highlights some other great farmers market or from the garden finds.
In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.
Sauté onion and garlic in bacon drippings until soft.
Add okra and peppers and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Add purple hull peas and tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and toss in reserved bacon.
Black-Eye Peas
Add peas to a large sauce pan and cover with water.
Add the onion, bacon, bay leaves, and black pepper. Over high heat, allow to come to boil then reduce to simmer and cook for about 45 minutes or until beans are firm but cooked.
Season with salt.
Let the peas stand in liquid for 15 minutes before draining.
By Jeanetta Darley
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
What food reminds you of childhood?
Rice crispie treats
What is your favorite international cuisine? I love it all; why pick?
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Beer
What is your most used cookbook? Better Homes & Gardens red checkered cookbook
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? My canner.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Not really because I don’t deny myself much. Everything in moderation.
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? .Onions
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? Fried egg sandwich
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Just try it. If it flops throw it out or feed it the chickens and try again.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Art
What else would you like us to know about you? I’m honest. I usually only bite my food. I love Jesus but I drink a little.
Jeanetta is a crocheter & coffee addict, chicken keeper & goat wrangler, a farmer girl & maker of drunk jellies. You can find her online at So I Was Sayin’ or on twitter, pinterest & instagram . You can also follow her on Periscope (Jeanetta) and join with her for #Arkanscopes. Catch her session with Kellee Mayfield (@DeltaMoxie) on Periscope at #AWBU.
