Category: Foodie Friday

Petit Jean Meats Bacon-Wrapped Dates & Giveaway

 

PJMlogo 300

One of our long-standing friends and supporters of #AWBU is Petit Jean Meats, an Arkansas-based company.  Today’s Foodie Friday post is a quick and tasty appetizer that will be served by K-Mac Catering of Rogers during our Friday evening event and features delicious hickory-smoked bacon from Petit Jean Meats. Feast your eyes on these delicious Petit Jean Meats Bacon-Wrapped Dates.

dates prep

 

Quick and easy @PetitJeanMeats Bacon-Wrapped Dates. #giveaway #baconbowl #ARWB #AWBU2014

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Petit Jean Meats Bacon Wrapped Dates
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Ingredients
  1. 12 dates, pitted
  2. 6 slices of Petit Jean Hickory Smoked Bacon
  3. 3 ounces cream cheese
  4. 1/8 cup crushed almonds
  5. 12 skewers or toothpicks
Instructions
  1. Set cream cheese aside to soften.
  2. Place almonds in a plastic bag; crush almonds with a rolling pin.
  3. Mix almonds and soften cream cheese.'
  4. Fill a pastry bag with the cream cheese mixture. Cut an opening in the tip of the bag. Squeeze mixture into each date with approximately ¼ ounce of cream cheese or whatever the date will accommodate.
  5. Cut each piece of bacon into 2 pieces.
  6. Wrap a ½ slice of bacon around the date and pierce with a skewer or toothpick. When piercing the bacon through the seam to ensure it stays wrapped during the cooking process.
  7. The dates can then be cooked on the grill until bacon is lightly charred and cream cheese is softened and warm.
  8. Or warm them in the oven at 400 degrees until bacon is crisp, approximately 10 minutes.
  9. Remove from grill or oven when ready; serve and enjoy!
Notes
  1. Bacon Wrapped Dates (or “Cheap Dates” as we call them) are a favorite of our clients. They can’t get enough of K-Mac Catering’s delectable dates, wrapped in smoked bacon, stuffed with almonds and cream cheese – perfection!
  2. K-Mac Catering shares the secret to getting this popular appetizer just right so you can be the hit of your own party. But, if you’d rather leave it to K-Mac Catering, our team is also available to come to you!
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

GIVEAWAY

Winner of 2 ticket from our Wordless Wednesday Giveaway that are provided by Petit Jean Meats to 2nd Annual Bacon Bowl:  Sarah S. You will be contacted by Petit Jean Meats.

Here’s another opportunity! Petit Jean Meats is giving away another  2 tickets to the 2nd Annual Bacon Bowl to one of our lucky readers.  To enter, in the comments tell us your favorite Petit Jean Meats product.  Each non-repeat entry earns you an additional opportunity.  Previous winner are not eligible.  The winner will be announced on August 29.

Win tickets to #BaconBowl. #giveaway #ARWB @PetitJeanMeats

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It’s a Great Day for Angel Food with Great Day Farms

By Great Day Farms Brand Ambassador Heather Disarro of Heather’s Dish 

Great-Day-Farms-Logo with frame

 Angel food cake is one of those things that’s rarely made but often enjoyed in our house. Fluffy and flavorful with basically zero calories (fine, the calorie part is false…) it’s a cake that is sure to please almost any palate. You can dress it up with whipped frosting and chocolate, dress it down with a scoop of ice cream, or meet it right in the middle, in my favorite way, with a simple creme anglaise and fresh berries. 

angelfoodcake2

This summer has been, from my experience and the stories from friends, a very mild one. Just the other day my husband mentioned that we’ve been lucky the past two summers in Arkansas to have relatively mild weather; I told him he better find some wood to knock on because summer isn’t over. Truly though, this summer has been filled with days outside in the warm sunshine, long walks at dusk and sweet baby tan lines. There isn’t a more summer dessert, with the exception of ice cream, than an angel food cake with fresh seasonal berries. Light and sweet and completely satisfying, this is one dessert y’all won’t want to miss! 

Cakes

Very Vanilla Angel Food Cake
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Ingredients
  1. 12 egg whites at room temperature
  2. 1-1/2 cups superfine sugar
  3. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  4. 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  5. 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  6. pinch of salt
  7. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Very lightly grease ONLY the flat part of a 16-cup tube pan. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites until they start to become foamy.
  4. Add the salt and cream of tartar, then whip until the whites start to get very fluffy.
  5. Increase the speed and slowly stream in 1 cup of the sugar.
  6. Continue to beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.
  7. Add the vanilla and beat until just mixed.
  8. Working in batches, gently fold in the remaining sugar and the flour, alternating, until all of the ingredients have been used up.
  9. Gently work the batter evenly into the pan.
  10. Gently tap the pan on the counter several times to release air bubbles.
  11. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until the cake springs back from being touched.
  12. Allow to cool completely upside down; some cake pans have feet to rest on, but if your pan does not then be sure to prop it up slightly on a couple of plates to allow air to circulate.
  13. Gently work a sharp knife around the edge of the cake pan to release once completely cooled.
  14. Cut with a serrated knife.
  15. Serve with creme anglaise (recipe below) and fresh fruit.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

  

angelfoodcake-4

It’s always a Great day with @GreatDayFarms and @HeathersDish! #AWBU2014 #sponsor

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Basic Vanilla Creme Anglaise
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Ingredients
  1. 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
  2. 1-1/2 cups whole milk
  3. 3/4 cup sugar
  4. 4 egg yolks
  5. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  6. pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Combine the heavy cream, milk and sugar in a large stockpot.
  2. Heat very gently over medium-low heat until small bubbles start to form around the edge of the milk.
  3. Remove from the heat and scoop about 1 cup of the mixture out of the stock pot.
  4. While whisking the egg yolks, very slowly drizzle the hot milk mixture into the yolks to temper.
  5. Once all of the hot milk has been whisked into the yolks, whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining hot liquid.
  6. Cook slowly over medium low heat until the mixture has thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon.
  7. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
  8. Gently press plastic wrap onto the top of the creme to keep a skin from forming.
  9. Cool completely before serving with the cake.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
 Heather Disarro_1_Lowres2

 @heathersdish
Email
Facebook: Heather’s Dish
 Faces of Beauty
 Bespoke Vid

Heather Disarro is a food-centric lifestyle blogger who is passionate about embracing the beauty that surrounds us with in our everyday lives. She is a Texan living the expat life in central Arkansas with her husband, son and two massive dogs. Heather writes her blog, Heather’s Dish, from an office filled with dust, dog fur, toys and plenty of love, grace and music.  She specializes in creating delicious and creatively nourishing recipes.  Cooking seasonally and with as many local ingredients as possible is an important component to Heather’s style of food, and she revels in the opportunity to bring the love of cooking to the world as a way to love others well! 

Have You Met Herb? Basil-Infused Lemondade {Foodie Friday}

 By Sarah E. White

There’s really no excuse not to grow herbs. Even if you don’t have a back yard big enough for a garden (or any backyard at all), herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme and mint are easy to grow in pots in a sunny window or on a balcony ledge. The only problem – if you want to think of it like that – with growing herbs is that you tend to get a lot all at once, and it can sometimes be difficult to come up with something to do with them. Take basil, for instance. It’s actually better for the plant if you harvest regularly, and all those leaves can add up quickly. I happen to love pesto (here’s my recipe), but I’d rather do other things with some of the bounty as well. All credit for this idea goes to my husband, who is enamored of the basil gimlets served at Theo’s in Fayetteville. We learned that it’s really easy to make a basil infused simple syrup, and of course you could do this with any other herb you’ve got a lot of that would be tasty in drinks (mint, anyone?).

basil-sugar

 Basil Simple Syrup

Simple syrup is a basic recipe of equal parts sugar and water. Start with one cup of each, but if you have a lot of basil or another herb, or are making enough for a party, you can easily double or triple up. Add the water and sugar to a saucepan along with a handful (maybe half a cup if you were the measuring sort) of washed basil leaves. It’s fine if they’re not looking totally pretty. Bring to a slow simmer on medium heat, stirring to melt the sugar. Let it bubble gently for 5 or 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool with the basil inside. Strain and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.syrup-lemon

Uses for Infused Syrups

You can use yours like my husband does, in a basil gimlet (equal parts vodka and syrup, or cut back on the syrup a bit if you don’t like it too sweet, along with a generous application of lime juice), or like I do, in lemonade. You can just add a shot to storebought lemonade if you like, or make your own. Start by squeezing a lemon (or a lime, if you’d rather) into a pint glass, add a quarter cup of syrup and fill the rest of the glass with ice and water. This makes a concoction that’s not too sweet or too sour, so you can add more lemon if you like it tart or syrup if you like it sweet. 

lemonade

Lemonade for a Crowd

  • Two cups of basil infused syrup
  • One gallon water
  • Two cups of fresh lemon juice

Combine all and serve over ice. Garnish with lemon and basil if you’re feeling fancy

sarah

 

Sarah E. White is a knitter, crafter, mom and writer based in Fayetteville. She writes at Our Daily Craft about crafting with and for kids and creating the life you’ve always wanted, as well as writing the knitting websites for About.com and Craft Gossip. She’s just about finished writing her third book on knitting and getting ready to celebrate her daughter’s fifth birthday.

 

 

 

 

#AWBU 2014 Foodie Friday Presenters Announced

Debbie Arnold

The Abundant Bounty of Arkansas 

Sponsored by

TasteARLogo

 

Shewmaker Center for Global Business
Northwest Arkansas Community College

Registration and Gathering begin at 11:30 at NWACC.

For #AWBU 2014 Foodie Friday, we are channeling the inner farmer in most of us and celebrating the bounty available to all of us locally in Arkansas.  We are very fortunate to have presenters who are tremendous supporters of our Arkansas producers, farmers and crops.  They believe in utilizing the abundant bounty that can be found right here in our home state and demonstrate that belief by  highlighting the use of that abundance in their menus, photographs and work.

Taste Arkansas also believes in promoting our Arkansas farms, farmers and products.  We are grateful to them for supporting Arkansas Women Bloggers in our efforts to further tell the story of Arkansas and its bounty.

We also appreciate Great Day Farms and their sponsorship of one of our presenters, Heather Disarro. 

This year we are fortunate to be utilizing the wonderful facilities of the Culinary Classroom, the Peterson Auditorium and the Tyson Kitchen at Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville for our Foodie Friday event.  With the availability of these areas and the excellent technology resources, we just know this is going to be the best one yet.  

No, we are not including one of your favorite events from the past two years — the Iron Chef Competition, but I promise you won’t miss it.  These presenters will peak your interest and curiosity while preparing you for the kitchen, the camera and the community.

So grab your gingham and denim, leave the hoes and weeds at home and come celebrate the Abundant Bounty of Arkansas.  Ya’ll don’t want to miss this!

Did I mention that there will be food?  As in nibbles.

 2014 #AWBU Foodie Friday Presenters

matt mcclure

Matthew McClure

Executive Chef
The Hive 21C, Bentonville
Arkansas Bounty

Heather Disarro_1_Lowres2

Heather Disarro

 Owner
Heather’s Dish
 Creative Food Photography: Branding Yourself with Gorgeously Designed Food Photos (Interactive) 
Heather comes to us through the sponsorship of Great Day Farms

 Great-Day-Farms-Logo 2

and will be assisted by

lyndi amy Collage

Lyndi Fultz

NWAFoodie

Amy James

Our Everyday Dinners

jerrmy

Jerrmy Gawthrop

Executive Chef
 Greenhouse Grille and Wood Stone Craft Pizza, Fayetteville 
Utilizing Summer’s Bounty: Making the Most of Your Arkansas Garden 

 Jenn Head Shot2

Jennifer Crowson Watts

 Executive Director
The Cobblestone Project
Cultivating a Community Without Need 

 Hostesses and Social Media Facilitators 

talya kellee Collage

Talya Boerner
Grace Grits and Gardening

Kellee Mayfield
Delta Moxie

Just a reminder:  Lunch is not served at Foodie Friday.

Foodie Friday 2014 #AWBU Presenters announced! What a line up!!

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For details on the #AWBU Foodie Friday pre conference, head on over to our Foodie Friday page.

Paige Wolven: Chocolate Chip Cherry Blondies {Foodie Friday}

By Paige Wolven

This summer Brooke and I moved into a little house on the south end of the University of Arkansas campus.  I had been in the tiny apartment we moved from for three years, and it had just gotten smaller and smaller every year.  It’s such a relief to move into a house and have some room to breathe.

The best parts though, are the spaces we have outside.  When we first moved in, in early June, the ginormous yellow rose bush on the side of our  house was in full bloom.  Any time I was outside, people walking by would compliment it, and it seems to fit well as it’s on the side of our corner house that runs parallel to Rose Avenue. Just as that was running it’s course, a squat knobby tree at the very back of our yard, started popping out bright red cherries!

 paige wolven cherries edit

We discovered that they were cherries when my mom was visiting one afternoon and bravely popped one in her mouth.  They are a sour variety, and have a pretty clingy pit.  The bounty has proven difficult to keep up with.  Every evening I need a bigger container to collect the ripening cherries. What ripens before I get to it falls on the ground below, which is completely covered with a perfect layer of cherries. These are for our birds, squirrels, and even a young buck to share.

With more cherries than I knew what to do with and more coming in every day, I began to scheme up some uses for them.  Our first cherry dessert had to be sweet enough to compensate for and compliment the sourness of the cherries.  And so, I landed on blondies. I usually find these sugary chocolate-less brownies overly sweet, so they are a perfect fit.  There was nothing I’d change after my first try at them, so I’ll share that recipe without further ado!

paige wolven cherries 2edit

Chocolate Chip Cherry Blondies
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Ingredients
  1. ¾ cups all-purpose flour (gluten free in my case)
  2. ½ teaspoon baking powder
  3. ¼ teaspoon salt
  4. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  5. ¾ cups packed brown sugar
  6. 1 egg
  7. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  8. ¼ cup chocolate chips
  9. 2 cups cherries, pitted
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a square 9 inch pan with foil.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until combined. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries.
  4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake the blondies until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
  5. Let the blondies cool completely in the pan for about 2 hours before removing with the foil and cutting into squares.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

 paige wolven

Paige, whose middle name is lorrabeth, lives to hear live music, experiment in the kitchen, and explore her neighborhood. She dreams of being the tambourine player in a band, has been baking gluten free for over a year, and can’t get enough of Fayetteville’s trail system.
 
Follow Paige on twitter at @lorrabethblog.

 

Kristie Jones: Arkansas Peach and Tomato Salsa via Bernice Garden

By Kristie Jones of Love On Main Street

bernice garden 2

Popping the most delicious grape tomatoes in my mouth made a warm, sunny Sunday in July even sunnier at The Bernice Garden Farmer’s Market.  Situated on the corner of 14th and Main streets in downtown Little Rock, it’s a welcomed oasis for those in search of locally produced fruits, vegetables, wildflowers, honey, coffee, and more.  My dear friend, Kelly Brant, accompanied me on a journey to discover the wonder of the market.  The vibrant colors, aromatic herbs and juicy flavors far surpass anything found in the produce section at your local commercial grocery.  Meeting the farmers would serve to add another dimension to an already personal experience of hand picking locally grown food.

Robert of Willow Springs Market Garden provided a sampling of peppers and humor in his handwritten signs describing defiant tomatoes and cosmetically challenged garlic.  He provided a lemon drop pepper for the recipe that began to unfold with a visit to each booth.  This little pepper is known for its citrus flavor and packs a bit of heat that ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Scale.

bernice garden 3

Kelly Carney of the certified organic North Pulaski Farms enticed us with heirloom grape tomatoes of a somewhat addictive quality and unmatched sweetness.  Carney has been a fixture at this market since the first Sunday it began back in 2012.  In addition to the tomatoes, there were overflowing pints of blackberries capable of inducing dreams of grandma’s homemade cobblers.  With charming humor, Carney described his exclusive use of organic tools as more expensive and less effective.

tomatoes from Bernice Garden

Flat leaf parsley was the gem found by meeting Kevin Haggerty and Lauren Tyner of the North Little Rock Community Farm.  All of their lovely vegetables and herbs were harvested from the student farm of Lakewood Middle School’s freshman campus.  From seed to market, I thought of the work and pride that they poured into their colorful array from the garden.  With corn on the cob from Barnhill Orchards and peaches from Val of the Russian Farmer, items from practically every vendor combined to make a sweet yet savory salsa idea.  Small purple onions from Sara Fulton-Koerbling and Ryan Boswell of The Victory Garden and a touch of Sun Harvest Honey from Pat Cullivan’s apiary in North Little Rock were the final ingredients needed.

blackberries bernice garden

The Bee in my Bonnet booth was by far the most charmed as it was adorned with hand-tied bouquets of wildflowers.  Katie, the farmer, allowed me to take her photo holding a bouquet and although we chose the lemon drop pepper over a jalapeño, her peppers were the prettiest.  One of the fresh bunches of flowers had to come along for the journey and made a lovely display on Kelly’s dining room table.

bernice garden 4

From seed to plant, harvest to  table, this adventure to create a recipe from The Bernice Garden Farmer’s Market was a rewarding experience with a great payoff.  Here’s the recipe for a perfect summer salsa to keep you cool and refreshed.

 

bernice garden arkansas

Arkansas Peach and Tomato Salsa {Bernice Garden}
Yields 3
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Ingredients
  1. 1 ear of fresh corn, in husk
  2. 2 small ripe peaches
  3. ½ pint grape tomatoes
  4. 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons minced purple onion (see tip)
  5. ½ to 1 small lemon drop pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced
  6. 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, minced PLUS 1 sprig for garnish
  7. ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar or to taste
  8. 1 light pinch coarse salt or to taste
  9. 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast corn for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, dice the peaches and quarter the tomatoes.
  3. Shuck corn and using a sharp knife, carefully cut kernels from cob. Discard cob (or freeze for another use such as making corn chowder).
  4. In a mixing bowl, combine the diced peaches, tomatoes, corn, onion, lemon drop pepper and parsley and mix well.
  5. Add the vinegar, salt and honey and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar and honey, if needed.
  6. Garnish with a sprig of the flat leaf parsley. Serve with tortilla chips or atop chicken breast or fish. Makes about 3 cups
Notes
  1. Tip: To tame the bite of raw onion, soak it in cold water for 5 minutes; drain well and proceed with recipe.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

arkansas peach and tomato salsa

headshot kristie love on main street

I love carbs and men who lie.
I’m nostalgic at heart and a lover of all things vintage.
Writing and photography have been passions since childhood, and I’m constantly amazed at the beauty found in what others may see as ordinary.
I think there’s a bit of love in everything if you’re willing to see and feel it. My journey is to find love in the places, people, food, communities and stuff of life.
Adventure awaits!

 

 Blog:  loveonmainstreet.wordpress.com

Instagram: loveonmainst

Debbie Arnold: Feta with Peppered Honey and Toasted Almonds {Foodie Friday}

By Debbie Arnold of Dining With Debbie
 
One of my favorites for summer dining is a simple cheese and fruit plate, such as this Feta with Peppered Honey and Toasted Almonds served along with locally grown Arkansas peaches.  This plus a fresh-from-the-garden salad (or local farmers’ market) and probably some crunchy bread might easily be a meal at our house.  If needed, a simple protein, perhaps a chicken breast, thrown on the grill could round it out.
 
The fruit and cheese plate serves two roles: as an appetizer or as a dessert. It’s summer in the south, ya’ll and that means it’s hot!  While most Southern belles “glisten,” I sweat, especially when the oven comes on.  Fortunately, Hubby’s great with the grill and the smoker, and he really doesn’t mind a light meal at all. 

The man has will power.  He does so well with his weight.  I wish that trait passed on to me by osmosis.  Or something that doesn’t involve dieting and exercise (aka work). But he does have a weakness for desserts, nuts and cheeses.

feta with honey 2 Foodie Friday

Ta – dah!  This Feta With Peppered Honey and Toasted Almonds works perfectly to satisfy his cravings (and mine), and it borders on healthy when served alongside fresh, locally grown summer fruits.  I think peaches , such as those we get from our Arkansas Grown friends at Peach Pickin’ Paradise  (Twitter) in Clarksville or Barnhill Orchards in Lonoke, are perfect but you can use whatever fruit you like.  I usually use slivered almonds, but here again,  you can use toasted walnuts or pecans if that’s what you have and what you prefer. I prefer the honey I get from  P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm hives.  If you’re lucky enough to have your own hives, or have a neighbor who does, then definitely use that. 

Don’t limit yourself to feta for this dish either.  Goat cheese or homemade ricotta (check that out next week on Dining With Debbie) work very well.  I like feta because of its sharpness which contrasts nicely with the sweetness of the honey.  And you just won’t believe what the cracked pepper does until you give it a try!  Not a pepper fan?  Leave it off.  There’s nothing hard and fast about the cheese plate — always suit the tastes of yourself and your family.  Be brave.  Experiment.  Some of my best dishes, okay and some of my worst, have been through experimentation.  

feta with honey Foodie Friday

If you have edible flowers available, such as nasturtiums, use those as garnish.  The peppery flavor of the nasturtiums goes quite nicely with this dish.  Or, garnish with basil or mint for a different palate pleaser.

Summer is all about relaxing, and this dish definitely fits that bill.  Take it easy, ya’ll.

What are some of your go-to summer dishes?  I hope you’ll share.

 

Feta with Peppered Honey and Toasted Almonds
Serves 4
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Ingredients
  1. 8 ounces chunk feta
  2. 1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
  3. 1/4+ cup honey
  4. 1/4 + cup toasted slivered almonds
  5. Fruit or crackers
  6. Mint or edible flowers for garnish, optional
Instructions
  1. Dry feta and place on a serving platter. Chill.
  2. Prepare fruit (slice peaches, etc.)
  3. Stir together cracked pepper and honey.
  4. When ready to serve, pour honey mixture over feta and arrange fruit around the cheese.
  5. Garnish
  6. Serve with crackers, if desired.
Adapted from Gourmet's Casual Entertaining
Adapted from Gourmet's Casual Entertaining
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Debbie-Arnold-1 Dining With Debbie

 Debbie Arnold serves as a co-administrator for Arkansas Women Bloggers and pontificates and eats at Dining With Debbie.  She and her Hubby split their time between Central and Northwest Arkansas.  She loves to cook, develop recipes and have play dates with her two perfect grands.  Mostly, she has play dates with the Perfect Ones.  If you’re interested in writing for Foodie Friday, she’s the one to contact.

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Busvlogger:S’mores on a Stick {Foodie Friday Guest Post by Busvlogger)

By James Moore AKA Busvlogger

When I was asked to do a post for the July fourth Foodie Friday, my brain started thinking in red, white and blue. There were plump blueberries, juicy strawberries, food colorings of crimson and cobalt and a lot of creamy dairy products swirling around in my head-blender. Then it dawned on me, it’s summer, we’ll be outside… S’MORES! That’s all the excuse I needed. My tri-colored ambitions were out the window.

At our Independence Day gatherings, people usually sit with their families. Our guests aren’t inclined to circle around a fire; they want to be facing the blazing, popping, whistling and flickering. Not conducive to s’moresy goodness, unless IT’S ON A STICK!

James smores stick

I’ve seen people dip a skewered marshmallow into melted chocolate and then roll the sad thing in graham cracker crumbs. I, on the other hand, have very strong convictions about marshmallows being thoroughly melted down to their core! I am one of those people who meticulously turns my marshmallow over the perfect embers for, what looks to people of lesser moral fiber, like days. When it has attained a crackly golden skin and turns independently of the roasting stick, it’s ready. (My chocolate and cracker halves will have been waiting for it on a warm flat rock, because I will judge you for reconciling yourself to cold chocolate too.)

In place of graham crackers, I almost took a rolling pin to some sugar cookie dough, but pie crust is so good with everything; heck, it‘s good by itself.

So here’s what you‘ll need:

James smores things

Prepared pie crust, (though you could certainly make your own)

Milk chocolate

Mini marshmallows

Small popsicle sticks

1. Cut room temperature crust into equal pieces (an even number) with a large cookie cutter or cut into squares about 50% larger than a gram cracker half.

2. Sandwich the stick, broken pieces of chocolate, and two mini marshmallows between two pieces of pie crust. Be sure the stick is placed against the bottom crust and pressed in slightly, so that the s’more will hold on and behave like a lollypop after baking.

3. Press the edges of the crusts together to seal in the new inhabitants. Bake per the instructions for cooking a baked shell, on a cookie sheet.

4. Let cool, but not too much, and serve.

This is a quick and easy idea for any potluck or picnic, but for the Fourth of July? Imagine a sparkler in one hand and one of these treats in the other! It’s what our forefathers would have wanted!

James smores done

Make sure to check out my video, where I show you how I made s’mores on a stick. Our four year old twins even got in on the action.

  Or, how about a S’mores Cake?

  

 james

I’m a stay-at-home dad of 4 kids & a VW Bus. ‘Busvlogger‘ is my family and lifestyle brand, dedicated to living intentionally!

Life is what you make it, let’s get our hands dirty!

Proud partner at Deca TV
NWArkansas
 Busvlogger on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesBusvlogger
Busvlogger on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/busvlogger
 Twitter: @busvlogge
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Georgiaberry Mobley: Easiest Ever Berry Cobbler

 By Georgiaberry Mobley of Sunshine for Dinner

 
GBerry 1
 
You know, this time of year, when it is so hot you don’t go out to pick berries till 7:00 pm so you don’t fall down from heat exhaustion, and come dragging in with your berries at dark, then crave a cobbler but wild horses couldn’t drag you toward turning on the oven and releasing one more Btu of heat into the house? And so you make the easiest cobbler ever – so easy you can prepare and cook it outside in an old toaster oven you use for summer baking so you don’t heat up the house? No? Just me?
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Well, even if you don’t resort to setting up outlandish outdoor cooking areas to keep the house cool, this super quick cobbler will still simplify your summer. It has only four ingredients – flour, sugar, butter, and berries – and is yummy enough to satisfy this berry-snob family.
 
My sister and I grew up working at my grandparents’ pick-your-own strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry farm in Fouke, Arkansas. My grandmother had a variety of cobbler making techniques, and my grandfather’s favorite was a very complicated “berry roll.” Make a pie crust and roll it out, not too thin, into a long rectangle on a clean dishtowel. Then sprinkle with sugar and dot with butter, and top with a layer of fresh blackberries. Then, oh so carefully, use the towel to help you roll it up – wincing when the lumpy blackberries poked through the crust. Gingerly roll the whole thing off into a pan. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden and bubbly. He loved this cobbler because it had lots of crust. The crust was his favorite part. Can you tell I miss my grandparents? I start to cry just thinking about the lunches we used to have…
 
Anyway – although I do love that blackberry roll and have made it from time to time, I don’t have the mile long sparkling white tile countertop for rolling out pie crust, nor the talent for putting out a hot cooked lunch with dessert every single day at noon sharp, like my grandmother had. I have a hot and very busy day to come, followed by about 150 more in succession, and if I wait till a cool day to bake a cobbler, then I will be waiting till the berries are long gone. So I will take my four ingredients and my toaster oven and run with it. Truth is, I made this cobbler many times for my grandparents and they thought it was fantastic.
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Easiest Ever Berry Cobbler
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Topping
  1. 1 cup flour of your choice
  2. ½ cup sugar
  3. 1 stick salted butter, softened
Filling
  1. 4 cups berries, fresh or frozen
  2. ½ cup sugar
Instructions
  1. This is a good proportion for a square baking pan. Butter the pan and pour in the berries.
  2. Sprinkle ½ cup sugar over the berries - feel free to use more or less sugar according to your preference and the ripeness of the fruit.
  3. In a bowl, mix flour, ½ c sugar, and one stick of softened salted butter with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
  4. Sprinkle this topping evenly over the fruit in the pan. Shake the pan a bit to encourage the topping to settle amongst the fruit.
  5. Pop it in the oven at 375F and bake 30-40 minutes until browned and bubbly. I
Notes
  1. If you start with frozen fruit, it might take a bit longer.
  2. This topping works with all kinds of fruit - with peaches it is wonderful! Youcan use any kind of flour - I used whole wheat pastry flour with these cobblers and it is delicious. Gluten-free, whole grain, nut flours, plain old white flour - any of it should work.
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Enjoy!  

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Georgiaberry Mobley grows veggies in her hometown, Fouke, Arkansas. Since 2007, she and her husband, Kandan, have been selling their locally grown food in the Texarkana area through their Sunshine for Dinner subscription veggie delivery service. It’s the farmer’s market that comes to you! In her spare time, she teaches their two kids at home, is an active La Leche League leader, and helps out with their landscape design/maintenance firm. Find out more about her market garden and farm life, and how to sign up for Sunshine for Dinner at http://www.SunshineForDinner.com. Join the conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SunshineforDinner. You can also find Georgiaberry on pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/georgiaberry/ and Instagram at http://instagram.com/georgiaberrym.