As the cooler temperatures seemed to have found its way to our state, it reminds me summer is still trying to fight to stay around just a little longer. It has a way of doing this every year. Even though summer has been a little quiet but it has reminded us these past couple of weeks with the heat it’s not fall yet.
Summer has always meant a little more sunlight to play in. Or a little more sunlight to spend in the garden weeding or picking some of the last fruits of all the labor during those hot months. Our summers were spent mostly in my Mamaw and Papaw’s garden or should I say gardens.
Beside their house was their main garden. Here was some of my greatest childhood memories (outside of my tree haven) were made. There is where I found my love of the feel of freshly tilled dirt between my toes as my sisters and I walked up and down the rows planting seeds. Here is where I found my love of gardening even though for years I denied it. Here is where I learned patience while waiting to see if the seeds would grow and for the vegetables to ripen.
In the back of their house down a dirt path surrounded by bushes you had to push past to get to the pea patch. It felt like my secret garden. (I might have always wanted one since I read the book.) There were actually three pea patches: two purple hull peas, and one black eye peas. These patches taught my sisters and me some life lessons, I will never forget. If you want something bad enough then you must be willing to do the manual labor to get it or earn it. The red ants are called fire ants. They earned that name because when they bite you it feels like fire has entered your body. Peas always taste better when you pick, shell and cook them yourself. And no matter what; you will always have a place at your grandmothers.
Everyone learns different things as they grow up but I like to think we all learn the same things in our way and time.
Category: Uncategorized
Sunday Link-Up {Sept. 28, 2014)
Sunday Link-Up {September 21, 1014}
Campfire Cooking with Pecan Praline French Toast {Foodie Friday}
When I think of campfire cooking, I automatically think of three things:
1.) Old Westerns
2.) Hot Dogs
3.) Marshmallows/S’mores
These things are all dandy. But the truth is, campfire cooking is just like regular cooking! There are no limits to what you can cook. And contrary to popular belief, Cowboys are not the only ones who do it.
All it takes is a little extra prep and you can cook anything outdoors that you would cook at home.
Here are some handy tips to keep in mind:
- Plan meals ahead of time. Any ingredients that you can peel, chop or marinate beforehand, should be done at home. Pack and store ingredients in ziplock bags and coolers.
- Bring the right equipment. There are tons of camping cookware options out there, such as stovetops, campfire grills and Dutch Ovens. However, you can also use an old set of regular pots and pans. You also need to think about utensils, mixing bowls, TONGS and items to use for clean up. Will you use firewood or charcoal? Bring the appropriate fire building materials.
- Figure out your fire. Depending on what you are cooking, you will need to adjust your firewood/coals accordingly. You don’t want to cook over an open flame so you will need to let your wood/coals burn down to embers or white hot coals. You also should be aware of the amount and how it is distributed to ensure heat consistency. Turning your food every 15 minutes will also help with heat distribution and help avoid hot spots.
Keeping these tips in mind, you should be well on your way to roughing it in the woods!
I enlisted the help of the River Valley Black Pot Cookers, who travel the nation participating in Dutch Oven Gatherings (also known as DOGS), to bring you this easy Dutch Oven recipe for Pecan Praline French Toast.
Pecan Praline French Toast -- Campfire Cooking
2014-09-11 16:03:20
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1-2 12 oz. loaf French or Italian bread
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Whisk eggs, half and half, brown sugar and vanilla in bowl until mix is smooth and sugar is dissolved. Pour 1 cup of egg mixture into a size 12 Dutch Oven (or 9x13 casserole if you want to replicate at home).
- Arrange slices of bread on top of the mixture and pour the rest of the egg mixture on top.
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Mix ¾ brown sugar and maple syrup into butter, stirring until smooth
- Bring syrup to a boil, and then bring to simmer for 1 minute. Stir pecans into syrup.
- Spoon syrup over bread mixture and cook at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
- To achieve this temperature in the Dutch Oven, you will need 9 coals on the bottom and 15 on the top
- Be sure to rotate the lid clockwise every 15 minutes, and the bottom counter-clockwise every 15 minutes.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
To learn more about the River Valley Black Pot Cookers, head to their facebook page for more recipes and information on their Cookin’ for Kids project, purchasing school supplies for kids in need.
Misty is a full-time working wife and mom. She lives in Central Arkansas with her husband and three boys. Aside from her real-job pushing bacon, she struggles to keep up with her blog about the projects in her daily life. Follow her attempts at www.burlapandbeestings.com
Sunday Link-Up {September 14, 2014}
Tragedy, Beauty, Mystery {Back in My Day}
by Paige Ray of Approaching Joy
I’ve heard it said that September 11th is my generation’s “Where were you?” moment. Just like the generations of Americans before us who experienced horrific tragedy (the attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassinations of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, the Challenger explosion) this was our first time to see the world stop for a fraction of a second, and then, in a heartbeat, burst into a thousand little pieces that looked impossible to repair. In that second, it seems as if everyone of that generation momentarily stops, takes a mental snapshot, and then continues living their life at normal speed. It’s that snapshot that everyone is able to recount years later, when the question, “Where were you?” comes up.
Subsequently, that moment is also the moment that, as a group, a generation begins to realize that life does, somehow, manage to go on. Heroic measures are taken, rubble begins to get carted away, plans for a memorial are began and then… A moment later… Ten years have passed. Life has done the thing that is does so well: It shows itself to have been just beautiful enough to be considered desirable, just mysterious enough to be worth chasing.
And that’s the part of the story that I choose to bring into the future. While I will never be able to tell my children that I’ve flown without a fear of a terrorist attack, I will be able to tell them of the loving hearts and wonderful creations I discovered on the other side of those plane rides. While my children will never be able to take in the view from the original World Trade Towers, I do hope they that will eventually have the chance to come out of a dark subway tunnel in New York City and experience the exquisite beauty that is NYC on an early Autumn day.
The same is true with personal loss.
While my children may never meet my grandfather, they will eat East Texas sausage and gravy and hear funny stories of a man who would oink like a pig. While they will never hear my grandmother’s laugh, they will hear the joyous sound of an old timey saloon piano and wonder how two hands could ever make such magic.
While I can never promise a lack of heartbreak and loss, I do believe that there is an abundance of beauty and mystery out there to pull us through.
Paige is a friend, a champion of non-profits, and a highly inexperienced world traveler. She prefers reading and exploring over most other things. She blogs at ApproachingJoy.com and spends way too much time on Instagram.
Sunday Link Up {September 7, 2014}
Sunday Link Up {August 31, 2014}
Embracing the Unexpected {Local Flavor}
by Sarah Shotts of Sarah Shott’s Storytelling
This week I visited the Rogers Farmer’s Market with my heart set on finding fresh strawberries & rhubarb so I could share my Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble recipe here with you.
But you can’t shop with a grocery list at a Farmer’s Market. I knew better, but I couldn’t help myself.
My first pass through the stalls I did find some beautiful baskets of fresh strawberries, but alas no rhubarb. {Is rhubarb even in season anymore?}
Walking through the market looking for two specific ingredients made me blind to the other treasures. After I realized Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble was off the table I decided to wander and see what caught my eye. When shopping at a Farmer’s Market you need to embrace the unexpected.
Then I saw these beauties.
They immediately reminded me of fellow ARWB Heather Disarro’s Oven-Roasted Paprika Okra. Bingo!
And I am so glad I picked them up. Her recipe is like magic. All the taste and flavor of fried okra without the fried breading. We had these early this week and my husband & I were hooked!
On wandering through the market a second time I even allowed myself to peruse Barb N Stu De Baker’s freshly baked bread. A booth I’d scurried past originally… afraid that I might buy up everything on sight! A low and behold there was fresh challah! I fell in love with tradition Jewish challah bread when I interned in Washington D.C. after college, but have had the hardest time finding it after moving back south. I was sold!
I went home with two loaves… One a sweet cinnamon and one a savory garlic & cheese. Both were heavenly!
So the moral of the story is… sometimes you go looking for strawberries & rhubarb and come away with okra & challah. And that’s okay.
That’s the magic of the farmer’s market.
Cheers,
Sarah Shotts is a wedding photographer & filmmaker at Sarah Shott’s Storytelling. She moved to Arkansas last summer after marrying her own true love and is quickly falling in love with the area. When she’s not telling wedding stories she enjoys documenting slices of her own life over on her blog. After studying abroad in Mexico and London she acquired a taste for adventure and is excited to explore her new home state. You can keep in touch via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.
Sunday Link Up {August 24, 2014}
Attending #AWBU2014? Leave a comment telling us what you are expecting.