Category: Foodie Friday

Alison Chino: German Apple Pancake {Foodie Friday}

Note: We love having our sweet friend Alison Chino write this week’s Foodie Friday post for us. We’ve missed her while she’s been exploring faraway places, but we’ve loved reading all about them on her blog and in her newsletters. XOXO

Our family has recently returned to Arkansas after living a year in Germany. One of the fun things we have done as we have lived in and traveled to different places is to try all the local foods. And it’s always interesting to me how what I think of as German food or French food or Chinese food has been influenced by how we prepare those different kinds of foods in America.

Eating German food over the last year, and not just any German food, but specifically Swabian food, has made me recognize the recipes we already make that came from Germany. Like this long time favorite at my house, the German Apple Pancake.

I actually got this recipe from the junior league cookbook in my hometown and have used it for over twenty years, baking it in cast iron skillets on cold mornings for my family. But it wasn’t until I lived in Germany that I noticed that in the cookbook, the author wrote: “My German grandmother used to make these for us!”

I met several German grandmothers during my time in Swabia this year and even was gifted a cookbook with recipes for some of the treasures we tasted this year. Most of these sweet ladies have apple trees growing in their front yards. Right now the grandmothers and grandfathers, mamas and papas will all be gathering apples in wooden crates to keep for the winter. This time, last year, the whole town smelled like apple cider.

It makes me smile to think we spent a season walking through German apple orchards and eating apples straight from the trees.

These are the sweet gifts I remember as we slice apples for our version of this German recipe. READ MORE

Alison Chino has spent the last four years living and traveling with her family in Europe, but she will always call North Little Rock, Arkansas home. She loves it when there are faces from all different cultures gathered around her table.

Keisha Pittman McKinney: Grandma Shirley’s Chocolate Pie

Keisha Pittman McKinney shares her chocolate pie and the sweet story behind how it came to be such a family favorite.

So, I figured out pretty quickly that pie was the quickest way to Mr. McKinney’s heart. And more specifically his mama/Grandma’s chocolate pie. Its makes an appearance at every holiday, birthday, or when he is home and just says, “mom, I think pie would be really good.” My grandmother made pies and frankly pies are my favorite dessert too, so I was so ok with that.

Heck, we love pies so much, we threw cake out the window in our wedding planning and had a pie bar instead! I found out who made the best homemade chocolate pies in the town where we got married and I hired a “grandma” to make about 30 chocolate pies that she delivered the morning of our wedding. It was perfection!

Year 2 of marriage found me brave enough to ask for Grandma’s recipe and try to attempt it on my own. I just opted for my grandmother’s or Ree’s recipe in year 1…or when my mother-in-law asked what she could bring to our house, I would keep it simple and ask for her to bring the chocolate pie and save me messing it up. READ MORE

Keisha (Pittman) McKinney is settling in to married life in South AR after she #becamemrsmckinney. A Digital Media Director by day for a church in Northwest Arkansas, Keisha is remembering what it’s like to plan ahead for shopping trips to “the city,” getting resourceful at her small town Walmart and creating online shopping personas everywhere. She blogs @bigpittstop about daily adventures, cooking escapades, #bigsisterchats, the social justice cases on her heart, and all the activities tied to becoming a new mama in Jan 2018!

Blog –bigpittstop: new journey, new normal, new you – http://www.bigpittstop.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/bigpittstop

Twitter – https://twitter.com/bigpittstop

Instagram – http://instagram.com/bigpittstop#

Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/bigpittstop/

Jamie Smith: Arkansas Granola

When I first decided to make granola to feature this month’s honey theme, I knew I wanted to do something unique but not so weird that no one would possibly want to make this recipe!

I realized that the perfect recipe would be something that honors my adopted home state, Arkansas. After all, this is being featured on Arkansas Women Bloggers! I started to research what flavors are known for being from Arkansas and had to discard quite a few ideas at first. After all, who wants queso granola? Not me!

I knew I wanted to celebrate the state’s history of being a major producer of various apples, especially the Arkansas Black. Those apples aren’t available right now, so I chose Red Delicious.

I also think of chocolate gravy when I think of Arkansas food so I initially tried to incorporate chocolate from Kyya, the state’s first bean-to-bar chocolate makers (full disclosure: friends of mine!). I decided that apple and chocolate would be delicious, but more of a dessert granola.

So, I called on my ARWB sisters for help. They gave lots of great ideas for incorporating Arkansas into my granola including one idea I took as a joke at first: bacon. Yes, bacon granola! I researched it out of curiosity and discovered that bacon granola is actually pretty popular, especially for the paleo crowd.

Another suggestion was pecans, which I would have incorporated anyways because I love pecans and I know it’s the state nut.

So, Arkansas Granola was born. It is quite simple and uses entirely natural ingredients with no added sugars or sodium. It uses fresh apples, Petit Jean Bacon, pecans, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. The binding agent is good old-fashioned honey, which gives just a hint of natural sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavors.

Get your recipe for Arkansas Granola right here! via @SunThruThorns for #ARWB #FoodieFriday

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Ready to try this recipe? You can check it out on my blog Sunflowers & Thorns. Let me know what you think!

Jamie Smith tells people she grew up in Kansas and became a grownup in Northwest Arkansas. A writer by profession, Jamie also loves to write as a hobby over at her personal blog, Sunflowers & Thorns. One of her most popular types of blogs are her recipes. Jamie and her husband, John, enjoy working on recipes together to make their own unique twist on familiar recipes.

Jamie and John live in Elkins with their two dogs and two cats.

Talya Boerner: Buttermilk Honey Chicken Tenders {Foodie Friday}

There are certain dishes every southerner should have in her cooking toolbox. Fried chicken is one of them. Right? A few days ago, I fried a batch of buttermilk honey chicken tenders, a slight twist on everyone’s favorite comfort food. I’ll confess I’m not the neatest cook, nor the most accomplished. Far from it! But I’ve learned a few tips over the years that I’m happy to share with you.

Growing up, I was surrounded by a host of fabulous family cooks—my Momma, both grandmothers, and too many aunts to mention here. Yes, the men in our family grilled a juicy steak and deep fried a mess of catfish pulled straight from the Mississippi River. But the women? They were the ones who masterfully wielded the cast iron skillet. At least once a week, our menu included buttermilk fried chicken.

Back then, I never paid much attention to the details of all that chicken being fried. It seemed to happen rather naturally while my sister and I played outside. When Momma stuck her head outside and called us in to eat, we raced to the back porch, breathing in warm, salty smells before we laid eyes on the platter of fried chicken. Momma untied her apron and casually draped it over her chair the same way she slipped her shoes off after church.

Later, when I tried to make my own fried chicken, I learned there are a few essential tricks of the trade. Today, I’m sharing my buttermilk honey chicken tenders recipe along with tips and common pitfalls of frying chicken. Read more HERE.

Check out this Buttermilk Honey Chicken Tenders recipe @gracegrits is sharing for #ARWB…

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Talya is a Delta girl who grew up making mudpies on her family’s cotton farm in Northeast Arkansas. She blogs at Grace, Grits and Gardening and has been published in Arkansas Review, Front Porch Magazine, and Delta Crossroads Magazine. Her debut novel, The Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, recently placed as a National Indie Book Award Finalist for regional southeast fiction. She loves to cook and believes most any dish can be improved with a side of collard greens.

Links:

Grace Grits and Gardening
Author: Talya Tate Boerner
Facebook Blog: Grace Grits and Gardening
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Instagram: gracegrits
Twitter: @gracegrits
Amazon: Talya Tate Boerner
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Shana Chaplin: Honey Glazed Hot Pepper Jelly Carrots {Foodie Friday}

l loved cooking with my grandmother. Being in the kitchen with her made me feel safe, loved, and valued. As she aged and had to be moved into subsidized housing for seniors, we began a new tradition. Each holiday she would come to my home 2-3 days in advance. We would plan out the menu, talking about each family member’s favorite dish, and in the midst she would share stories of days gone by. One of my favorite dishes each holiday was candied carrots.

honey glazed hot pepper jelly carrots via shana chaplin for arwb foodie friday

The aroma of melting butter and brown sugar is always quick to remind me of the holidays. Always one to want to experiment a little, add a new twist, which grandma welcomed and encouraged, I began adding a few new ingredients. I love a little salt with a little sweet. Add some “heat” and it is all the better! Thus was born the Honey Glazed Hot Pepper Jelly Carrot recipe.

And I am proud to say, it was grandma approved. Not only approved, but she agreed it was our new go to recipe. I still think of her each holiday as I begin to prepare for my family. And not a holiday goes by without a batch of these carrots. Love is shared around the family table. Memories come alive with the scents and tastes of family recipes. I hope you enjoy this recipe and consider adding it to your family favorites this next holiday season. READ MORE

Shana Chaplin

https://simplifiedorganizedstyled.com/

I am a wife, mother to twin daughters, sister, daughter and aunt to nine. I love faith, home and family. I grew up missionary kid living in Japan and Morocco. I now live in the South. My home is my haven and I seek for it to be the same for all who enter. I have returned to full time work after 17 years as a stay at home mom. I now serve as the Deputy Chief of Community Engagement & Faith-based Partnerships. As I wait for God to unfold His plans in His time I seek to be faithful and to live life fully, keeping home my priority and sharing it with those I hold near and dear.

KD Reep: Honeyscotch Cake with Sweet Whiskey Glaze

Are you as thrilled fall is in the air as much as K.D. Reep is? See how she was inspired to create this amazing autumnal deliciousness. Debbie

Ok, maybe not quite fall yet, but September is close enough for me, and this cake makes me think of all the good things i look forward to in Autumn.

I ran across the inspiration for this cake at the ultimate fall celebration: the Arkansas State Fair. Last year, one of the entrants made this piece of art that was a three-layer white cake with a cream cheese icing that was mixed with Arkansas-raised honey and smokey scotch whisky. On the top of this sculpture was a hunk of beeswax, and oozing from it was that golden, gorgeous honey spilling down the sides.

There is no way I could make that cake. If it’s not a sheet or bundt cake, I can’t ice it, and nothing about that cake said “easy”.

So I took it upon myself to GTS (google that stuff) and I found this, which is as good, WAY easier and will remind you of fall as well. The recipe I used is adapted from Life’s a Feast, and the only thing I amended is I dusted the bundt pan with sugar instead of flour. I like to do this to bundt cakes because it gives them a crunch, and for this cake, it adds a hint of caramel to the compliment the honey. Oh, and I used honey whiskey instead of scotch because, well, honey.

KD Reep is a writer, public relations practitioner and aspiring author in Little Rock. She owns Flywrite Communications Inc., a marketing communications agency in Mabelvale. She is a six-time recipient of the Public Relations Society of America’s Prism award and has been published statewide as well as in the Arkansas Times, Inviting Arkansas, Savvy Magazine, Bourbon & Boots, Arkansas Money & Politics, Delta Farm Press and Rice Farmer magazine, among others.

Debbie Arnold: Thoughts on Megaphone Summit’s Foodie Friday and More

Welcome to Foodie Friday at ARWB. You came expecting food, right? Well have a little patience because I will be sharing some deliciousness with you; it just might not be what you expected. I want to share a few thoughts on @MegaphoneSummit held in Fayetteville in early August.

First, all of TWB community owes a HUGE thanks to Stephanie Buckley and Allyson Twiggs-Dyer for the hours they put into the planning, preparation and implementation of this two-day event. Compared to all they have to produce, my planning for the Foodie Friday portion is minimal. And before this year’s summit was even over, the thinking had started for 2018.

Second, thanks to all of you who attended and supported the presenters, both national and regional. I’m sure there were things we took away from each one who shared. Having Rebekah Radice and Peg Fitzpatrick in the same room is a feat, much less having them share their incredible wealth of knowledge.

In looking back over the past several years of programming, how many times has our friend P.Allen Smith joined us to share his expertise? Aren’t we lucky in Arkansas to have such a phenomenally talented expert at our fingertips?

Weren’t we fortunate as well to learn from our local foodie celebrities turned cookbook authors, Liz Bray and Amy Hannon? We learned that it’s not so much about the food but about the community we create around our tables that really matters.

Also, look at how we’ve grown. My first AWB (Arkansas Women Bloggers) meeting was in Mountain View at the Ozark Folk Center which was actually the 2nd meeting. Oh my! We easily fit into one relatively small auditorium. But even then, you were willing to share your talents with everyone.

There were cowboy boots and proposals. Just ask Gina K.

Remember the Iron Chef competition? You guys rocked it. I’m sorry we can’t do that any more.

That’s called community. And that sense of community still exists today even though we’ve grown from one state to many and from just women to our dudes as well. From “mommy bloggers” to “social media influencers. From amateurs to professionals.

We choose the path we walk. We learn along the way. From one another…from those with more knowledge and experience. But we choose to also realize that we are unique. We don’t compare because we know it steals us of our uniqueness and the beauty of being just who we are.

We camped out together at Ferncliff and the spiders and who knows what else. It was lovely. And we grew into a body cohesive. And we changed our name. Again. AWBU. Arkansas Women Bloggers University was born.

Plus, we ate hot dogs and had a picnic feast. We shared stories and more stories and realized we were blossoming into something new. And scary…and exciting.

The caterpillar was emerging and the butterfly was born.

Somewhere along the way we were “discovered.” ARWB became more than just Arkansas Women Bloggers. Suddenly, there was Texas. And Kansas and Alabama. And Georgia. And Missouri. and OMG Mississippi, And, of course, Oklahoma. We can’t forget Oklahoma, y’all. We just have to work on their southern accent.

Rogers. Hot Springs, Fayetteville. They’ve all been home to our coming togethers. Few of us realize what that entails. They are all lovely locations, but not all can support what we now know our members desire.

And we became Megaphone Summit ’cause we had lots to say and share. Don’t we always?

Y’all are the best and you deserve the best.

That’s why in 2018 we are returning to Fayetteville and @ExpFayetteville on August 3-4 for Megaphone Summit 2018. You’ll be there, won’t you?

Plan now to attend. Here’s how (Thanks @TaylorBradford for the infographic.)

And you just know there’ll be jam, right? Like my favorite Peach Habanero with Ginger. Or, maybe your favorite. Which one would you choose?

Suzy Oakley: Not your father’s PB&J – 3 healthy riffs on ‘Peanut Butter and Jelly

Suzy Oakley has had a long love affair with peanut butter and jelly, but sometimes adults have to act like … well, adults. Because of an aversion to her family’s legacy of diabetes and heart disease, she’s always trying to think outside the breadbox and modify simple, time-tested treats to be just a little healthier, yet still delish.

See how she takes the idea of a traditional PB&J sandwich and dishes up a few modern twists. Keep your minds (and your tastebuds) open – it’s a new day in the world of PB&J. (P.S. It’s OK to lick your fingers.) Continue reading.

Not your father’s PB&J: 3 healthy riffs on the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich….

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With certifications in wellness and running (plus budget coaching, but we won’t go into that here), Suzy is nonetheless a work in progress. She considers life an extended form of school, where every student has the opportunity to learn something every day if they keep their minds and hearts open. She considers herself “your travel companion on the journey to well-being.”

Instagram, Twitter, Periscope: @oakleysuzyt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToWellWithYou

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/suzyoakley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SuzyTaylorOakley_suzyandspice

Google+ (I haven’t posted there much lately): https://google.com/+SuzyTaylorOakley_suzyandspice

Keri Bucci: Lunch Box PB & J Pies {Foodie Friday}

In the South, our food is a love language. Someone is always offering delicious treats as a way to love on their family and friends. When I go home to visit my mom she always goes out of her way to have some of my favorites from my childhood ready for me. That is just her way showing that she loves me and wants to make me a happy girl.

In keeping with my southern roots, I do the same for my little guy. I love baking special treats that not only make his tummy happy but are also healthier options for him. What better way to put a smile on his face than with little pies?

These small PB & J pies will make a great portable treat for those little ones heading back to school. With a little time and a lot of love, you can make a sugar-free dessert for those new lunch boxes this year. I can see the smiles now when they bite into these sweet treats! Read more

Keri is a sassy southern girl who loves cooking, reading and spending time with her family. She is a former corporate minded gal turned homeschooling mom and baker. When she’s not teaching lessons or helping her husband with the family business you can find her blogging about recipes and getting healthy over at My Table for Three.

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KD Reep: Peanut Butter Freakies {Foodie Friday}

Kelli Reep has never been accused of possessing grace or dignity so this recipe is perfectly suited for her. Peanut Butter Freakies are a super mash-up of all things junk food – corn chips, peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup – even chocolate chips. Serve it at a party to ensure everyone has something to talk about.

Find out what Kelli has to say about these Peanut Butter Freakies HERE.

Follow KD:

https://www.facebook.com/kd.reep/

Twitter: @kdreep

Instagram: @kdreep