Arkansas Women Bloggers will set up as THE Social Media Spot for the 2014 Arkansas Flower & Garden Show. The show runs from Friday, February 21-23, 2014 at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
Last week, the Bloggers in Bloom event was held at the beautiful home of Clark Trim and Henrik Thostrup (see the cool things you get to be a part of when you are an active member in ARWB?). It was a beautiful evening of great wine, food, fellowship, and floral awesomeness.
Go read the recaps of the evening below from some of our incredible ARWB sistahs in attendance! They are all giving away tickets to the show and we would love to see you.
Stop by booth 17 at the show, say hi and we will catch up on life, laugh, Instagram, Tweet, Facebook and all that other fun social media savvy stuff we all do when we are hanging out with our friends, our community.
From our first Valentines together, my husband and I have always cooked at home, a matter of the heart rather than the menu.
Initially it was simple, luscious pasta dishes, both of us inhabiting the kitchen, easily and joyfully cooking together. Then, as we moved out of our cocoon for two, and included friends in our celebration, the dinners became more complicated, transforming into elaborate, four course meals but still maintaining the fun and intensity from those evenings early in our relationship.
This year, I wanted to move outside of my comfort zone, to surprise and delight my wonderful husband and our friends. In relationships, food, and in life, I believe it is important to try new things. These recipes are an interesting, unexpected, surprising, but delicious and delightful mix of sweet and savory.
Coffee Encrusted Pork Tenderloin with White Chocolate Sauce
1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns, lightly crushed
6 egg yolks
Instructions
Over high heat, bring milk, cream, half the sugar plus peppercorns to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan. Reduce heat to medium, cool, whisking constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, cover and let mixture steep until infused with nots of peppery spice, about 15 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, into a bowl, discard peppercorns. Wipe saucepan clean and return mixture to pan; bring to a gently simmer over medium heat.
Whisk remaining sugar with egg yolks in a bowl until thick and smooth. While whisking constantly, slowly pour half of the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture to temper the yolks and keep them from curdling. Stir tempered yolk mixture into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to a custard-like consistency and coats the back of a wooden spoon, about 20 minutes.
Transfer custard to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly against the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming.
Chill custard completely.
Pour chilled custard into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturers instructions until custard is churned and thick.
Transfer ice cream to an airtight storage container, freeze until completely set, at least 4 hours.
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
I am a wife, mother and recipe follower. For years I have tackled one new recipe a day – some are fabulous, some are not. In a past life I was an Occupational Therapist, rugby and netball player, belly dancer, lesson taker of golf, tennis and wine appreciation. My husband owns pizzerias, my father was a butcher, my mother a caterer, my older brother makes the absolute best birthday cakes and desserts you will ever taste, my younger brother owns restaurants in New Zealand and my kids love to eat. I am thrilled to share my cooking adventures and the recipes I have tried with you.
Everyone needs to be encouraged. It makes people feel special, loved and appreciated. I’m a positive person by nature and love to encourage others. I find myself looking for ways to be an encourager and it makes me happy to know that other people feel supported and loved by my actions.
I thought I’d share a few lists with you today of ways you can be an encourager.
Your Spouse:
1. Pack a special lunch for them with an encouraging note to let them know they are loved and appreciated.
2. Send an e-mail, text or make a quick phone call during the day to send some love their way. I send pictures of our daughter, encouraging texts and check in to see how his day is going.
3. Invite your spouse to go on a date with you so you’ll both have something to look forward to throughout the week.
4. Make time to slow down and debrief about your days – pick a time that works for both of you and look forward to it each day. You can do coffee in the afternoon, chats after dinner, after the kids go to bed or you can always make time for pillow talk to encourage each other.
Your Child(ren):
1. Smile at them
2. Tell them they are doing a good job and encourage them to try new things with your support
3. Plan a favorite activity to do with them. My baby is 8 months old and her favorite things right now are bath time, going for walks and having me sit and play with her on the floor. I make time to do those things with her because I want to encourage our relationship and for her to know that I pay attention to the things that she loves. I also want her to feel special and know how much I love her.
4. Turn off the TV and encourage their love for reading by reading with them. Find a comfy chair or reading nook in your house and enjoy books together.
5. Fix food together and encourage them to try new things.
6. Introduce them to new things – hobbies, restaurants, sports, people, books – and encourage them to work hard and stick with something that might be hard at first.
Your Family:
1. Stay in contact with grandparents, aunts, cousins any way you can – emails, phone calls, texts, snail mail or face to face time are the perfect opportunities to encourage each other. I have found that blogging helps me to keep in touch with my family. They encourage me when I keep them up to date on what is going on in my life.
2. Plan gatherings and be intentional about spending time together. Let them know when you’ll be in town or when you are available and then set aside special time to spend with them
3. Call them on their birthdays and/or send them a birthday card. I know that so many people are on Facebook but there’s nothing like opening your mailbox and finding a stack of handwritten notes on your special day.
4. You can never go wrong with calling someone just for a quick chat to brighten their day.
Your Friends – real life, on-line, bloggers or lifelong friends:
1. Plan a friend date and share your current events with each other. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate event but I have found that even a quick date encourages me and helps our relationship grow.
2. Spend time together and update each other on your lives. It’s challenging to encourage people about specific things if they don’t let you in on their lives.
3. Ask for prayer and encouragement from them and offer it in return. It’s always nice to know that someone is thinking of you and praying for you.
4. Work on a fun project together and help motivate each other to complete it. You could plan time to do a DIY project, a renovation, craft, baking challenge or craft together.
5. Exercise together and help each other stay motivated to meet your goals.
6. For far away friends, make phone calls or Facetime dates to stay connected or exchange emails, texts or snail mail regularly – it’s amazing how a quick note can make someone feed loved and encouraged.
Strangers: This may seem a bit odd but you can definitely encourage complete strangers.
1. Hold the door for someone who has their hands full
2. Let someone go ahead of you in line
3. Talk to your cashiers when they are ringing you up – ask about their day and wish them a great day
4. Smile and make eye contact with the people you encounter
5. Share a coupon with someone waiting in line with you
6. Buy a coffee or a treat for the person in line behind you
Hello! My name is Whitney and I blog at Polka-Dotty Place. I am a new mom and my family recently moved to Arkansas. We are enjoying the state and like to spend our weekends exploring our new home. I love to take pictures, blog, organize, make lists, bake, accessorize, do DIY projects and watch football. I am always looking to make new bloggy friends so please stop by and say hi.
Friendship for Good
Written by Jody Dilday, Miss February 2014
Thinking about February’s Theme “Using our Voices to Change the World” immediately calls to mind my group of “do-gooder” friends. If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to tell you who we are and how we got started.
In April of 2008 I got a phone call from a lady in my neighborhood I knew but not well. I knew that she worked as the Community Giving manager for one of the most respected companies in Fayetteville, but she and I had spoken only once in a professional setting. Lisa said she had an idea that she wanted to share with me and a handful of other women, and would I come over one night next week for a glass of wine? Ummmmm….. Sure!
On the appointed evening six women gathered around Lisa’s kitchen table. Each of us, at Lisa’s direction, had brought an appetizer to share. As we introduced ourselves to one another (most of us were strangers, only connected somehow to Lisa) and shared a meal, Lisa began to share her vision with us.
She told us that several years earlier, she read an article in Real Simple magazine about a group of women in Washington, D.C. This group of friends gathered once a month for a “girl’s night out” at various restaurants around DC. One night, one member made an observation about how much money they were spending each month dining out, when what they really looked forward to was their time together. They decided then and there to continue their monthly gatherings, but to do them “potluck” style and contribute the money they WOULD HAVE SPENT on dinner into an account to help others in need. They called themselves “Womenade.”
Lisa was inspired by the idea. But as a busy working mom with 3 teenagers, she didn’t have the time to add one more thing to her life. So, she clipped that article and hung onto it . . .for FIVE years! Fast forward to April 2008. Lisa felt that now she had the time, and she still had the interest, so she picked up the phone and extended an invitation to women she thought were like-minded and whom she wanted to foster a friendship with. And here we all were.
Needless to say, we loved the idea. And because the founders of Washington Womenade wanted the concept to spread and did NOT want there to be any formality or red tape associated with their idea, Womenade of NWA was born that night.
Over the past 5 years we’ve met each month (sometimes taking a summer hiatus) at a different member’s home. We all try to bring a dish to share each month. Sometimes that’s a take out pizza and sometimes it’s a bag of chips, but mostly we bring something we prepared at home. Dues are $25 a month, and we have a Womenade NWA checking account. We are not a registered charity (no bylaws! Yippee!) so our gifts are not tax deductible. It’s philanthropy for philanthropy’s sake.
When one of our members hears of a need in the community, we bring it to the group. Collectively we decide whether we should give money or help them “connect the dots” to other resources in the community. Ideally, we want to help out in situations where individuals would otherwise “fall through the cracks.” Our little group of women and our collective $25 gifts have kept a young pregnant couple from being evicted from their home; we’ve helped a single mom and her daughter furnish an apartment when theirs was destroyed in an explosion, and we’ve contributed to a fund to help bury a boy killed in a fire.
We’ve also harnessed the power of our individual networks to raise awareness and support for causes we believe in. We hold two large gatherings each year where some needed item serves as admission. Great food, beverages, networking, and SILLINESS are signatures of Womenade parties. At each gathering, we share the concept of Womenade and encourage others to begin their own Womenade groups.
Some examples of our parties include:
Womenade Panty Raid – collected 360 pairs of new underwear for the Families in Transition Program at Fayetteville High School
Bring Bling – collected gently used prom dresses and accessories for the Glass Slipper Project at Fayetteville High School
Supporting the Girls – a crazy bra-decorating contest held each fall (now in its 4th year!) has collected hundreds of new bras for area women’s shelters
Womenade PJ Party – the biggest and best slumber party NWA has ever seen! Also in its 4th year, the PJ Party is held the Friday or Saturday night before Super Bowl Sunday. It’s an all night dance/food/gab fest at the Courtyard by Marriott in Fayetteveille. Admission is a NEW pair of pajamas for the area women’s shelters.
@JDilday with a group of friends affectionately known as the “Lutheran Chicks” at the #NWAPJParty14 on February 1, 2014.
As a social worker by training, a non-profit executive by profession, and a “do-gooder” at heart, I find that Womenade of NWA has been another outlet of service for me. And yet it is so much more. These Womenade ladies have become some of my closest friends. They are role models to me. They are my sounding board, encouragers, and confidants. We are Womenade.
If you’d like more information about starting Womenade with your friends, email me at @jodydilday@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to help you out!
When it came to the planning of our fall 2007 wedding, my husband, Josh, made only one request for our big day…he requested that we serve coffee punch at our reception. He had tasted it for the first time that summer when he came to the end of one of our wedding showers and loved it. Since serving this punch at our wedding was of such importance to my handsome guy, we made sure we fulfilled that request. We offered coffee punch to guests at the Groom’s table at our reception. It paired perfectly with the chocolate groom’s cake that was adorned with chocolate covered strawberries.
Six happy years later and this recipe is still one of our favorites, and it continues to make its way into each new season of our lives. First our wedding shower, then our wedding day, and now it is my signature drink for baby showers and play dates. It’s always a huge hit!
Sometimes, I make a batch to keep at the house for those weeks we could use a little extra boost of coffee. It’s a great treat on a summer morning, or perfect served with dessert in the evening. It’s also a great reward for mommas once the kids are down for naps. Sometimes we need an extra boost from coffee to get us through those long afternoons.
1 gallon of milk (I would suggest using only 2% or whole milk)
½ gallon of vanilla ice cream
½ gallon of chocolate ice cream
Instructions
Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and coffee granules. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring continually until sugar and coffee dissolve.
Remove from heat and cool.
Combine milk and coffee mixture in a punch bowl. Just before serving, gently stir ice cream into punch bowl.
Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe does well halved.
If I’m making this to drink on through the week, I will combine the water, sugar, coffee mixture with the milk and then put that into an airtight pitcher in our fridge. I just add a dollop of each ice cream flavor to a glass and pour the mixture over it prior to serving. This makes it easy for individual servings throughout the week.
By Jennifer Francis of The Francis Family
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Jennifer Francis is a wife, a momma of a 5-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, and the Director of Women’s Ministry at Cross Church, Fayetteville. She and her crew are the family behind TheFrancisFamily where Jennifer blogs about the crazy daily happenings of their life. Some of Jennifer’s favorite things (aside from her adorable family) include working out, Sonic Cokes, and cheering on the Hogs in their hometown of Fayetteville.
I find that people are very concerned about change. I don’t necessarily mean concerned in a negative context. I just feel that people fixate on the idea of change and what that will look like, how it will affect them. When we’re children, our teachers and our parents usher us through the myriad physical, emotional, and social changes that we will experience on our path to adulthood. I get to experience the other side of that coin as I witness the changes of my seventh grade students while they battle through the throes of adolescence. But these changes are ever so slight and daily changes. They may change our own personal worlds, but they don’t change the whole world.
As we come into the phases of adulthood, we tend to focus less on these everyday changes and more on the way our world is changing, and boy, does it seem to be changing! Sometimes, it can feel like we can have little impact on such a great big world. Sometimes, it can feel like just keeping up with all those changes is good enough. But then I stop to think, is keeping up really enough?
As a middle school teacher, I spend my days with students who are in a very egocentric phase of life. Whether you remember it or not, you and I were both equally selfish when we were twelve and thirteen. It’s just a time in life when your own personal drama is far more important than whatever else is going on around you. I try to make it my personal mission to pull my students out of themselves and into the rest of the world. We spend a lot of time on social justice issues, both in a historical context and in the world around us. I want them to understand issues that are pertinent to their lives, and I want them to realize that their voices can make an impact. They can use their voices, and their writing, to change their world.
Right now, my students are writing anti-bullying speeches in the style of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King was one person who realized he could use his voice to change his world. Several of the students at our middle school have come to this realization as well, and they’ve formed a leadership team to plan a Bullying Awareness Week. Watching them “be the change they wish to see in the world” gives me great hope for our future. If they can be social activists in middle school, a time when the weight of what the world thinks is exceptionally heavy, I can only hope they will grow into adults who understand the power of one voice of positive change.
I can’t just encourage my students to use their voices to change the world without modeling that same behavior. I have to walk the walk, too. As a writer and an educator, I want to change the landscape of my profession. Every day on Twitter and on the news, there seems to be a negative story about education. Whether it’s a discussion about Common Core or a news story about an educator who made bad decisions, the general word on the street is that things in education aren’t going well.
The problem with this media slant, is that it simply isn’t true. There’s a lot of good going on in classrooms all over our state and our country. There are educators connecting through social media for professional development who are using their voices for change, impacting classrooms outside their schoolhouses and across state lines. I want to be a part of that change. I want to continue to use my voice to emphasize the positive things I see happening every, single day. Making the choice to be unflinchingly positive may seem like a small step toward changing my world, but I don’t think it is. I think it’s the first step toward a major shift in thinking in the schoolhouse.
Jessica teaches middle school in Central Arkansas where she encourages her students to change their world for the better. She lives in Little Rock. Read about the work her students are doing and the lessons they are learning on her personal blog, Wisdom From the Middle.
Hey there! I’m Jody and I’m thrilled to be the Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Blogger of the Month for February. Here’s a word of (unsolicited) advice to you for when you are selected to be the Arkansas Women Bloggers Blogger of the Month: Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT read all the introductory posts from previous BOMs for “inspiration.” Trust me. There’s nothing like comparing yourself to some of the most darling, creative, hilarious, Jesus-loving ladies in the entire state to make you feel inept. But then again, that’s probably just me.
I always feel a little bit like an outsider, and here’s why:
I moved to Arkansas from South Dakota in the middle of my senior year of high school (talk about culture shock!) and attended the U of A during the bow-head era, sporting my as-always super-short hair. I did not pledge a sorority (go figure!). I drank “pop” and wore sweatshirts and jeans to Razorback games while the other girls wore dresses and heels and drank bourbon from flasks their frat boy boyfriends had smuggled into the stadium. And to top it all off, I was baptized as an infant and attended the only ELCA Lutheran church in town. This was where I felt at home: among a church family of mostly 40-something, ex-pat Midwesterners of Scandinavian descent.
I’m a social worker by nature, and I have the degree to back it up. I work full time as the Executive Director of the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas (more on that in a subsequent post).
I met and married Mark while still in college and we made Fayetteville our home. We are raising 3 great kids who are growing up entirely too fast! Gracie is 17, a senior, smart, confident and independent. (We are currently fighting about where she’ll go to college.) Ethan is 15. He recently returned from a 2 year trip to the “dark-side” (I hated his hair and he hated pretty much everything else) and is, once again my hilarious, witty, sweet and loving boy (we are still working on the whole “applying ourselves in school” thing). Genna is 12 and in the midst of the dreaded middle school “longing-to-fit-in” stage. She has a zillion friends that I can’t keep track of, yet views herself as “not popular.” Ah, the joys of parenting teens!
I started blogging following a somewhat traumatic yet also hilarious escapade while working for the American Red Cross. Over the past 8 years my blog has evolved to become a mash-up of a:
I’ve attended the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged Conference each year, where I am reminded NOT to compare myself to my fellow bloggers, but to realize that I am part of a very special community of darling, creative, and hilarious Arkansas Women Bloggers. Hmmm…. Maybe I am not an outsider after all.
Some gather for the football, some for the fellowship, but most come together for the food! And I love the idea of a feast!
I’m sure you’ve seen the acronym F.E.A.S.T. (Friends Enjoying A Spectacular Time) or Webster’s definition: a celebratory abundant meal with ceremony or entertainment. Foods for the big game (and I think we all know what “big game” I’m talking about!) definitely fall into the category of feasting.
And, don’t we all like the thought of having a spectacular time with our friends and family with some delicious food!
But, putting on a “FEAST” need not be daunting. Choosing simple yet satisfying recipes will help you make it happen. Here are a couple of my favorites to get you started on your feast preparations: Country Ham Sliders (the ultimate comfort food sandwich) and Sweet Corn Chicken & Green Chile Tamale Dip(every football feast needs a memorable dip). Have fun!
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, Havarti, or fontina thinly sliced
4 ounces green chiles, diced (if using fresh roast, peel, seed & chop 2-3 Anaheim Chiles)
4 ounces butter
½ cup of My Brother’s Salsa (Original, House, or Hatch Green Chile)
flaky sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Instructions
Split dinner rolls. On each roll place ham, cheese and green chiles. Place sliders in baking dish side by side. In small saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in My Brother’s Salsa until well blended. Pour this mixture over the sliders. Place in 325* oven for about 20 minutes - until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and season with salt & pepper.
Notes
I ramp up the flavor of these ham and cheese bites by creating a melted compound butter with My Brother’s Salsa to drizzle over the sliders
By Helen Lampkin of Helen's Table and My Brothers Salsa
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Sweet Corn Chicken & Green Chile Tamale Dip
2014-01-26 19:31:18
Yields 4
A delicious creamy dip with the essence of a chicken and green chile tamale -addictive!
1/2 cup My Brother’s House Salsa or My Brother’s Hatch Green Chile Salsa
2-3 green chiles* (Hatch or Anaheim) roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped
Instructions
Combine chicken, cream corn, shredded cheese, My Brother’s House Salsa/or Hatch Green Chile and the roasted green chile. Pour into a baking dish. Bake at 400* 20 min. until cheese is bubbly. Serve with My Brother’s Corn Tortilla Chips. *You can substitute a 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
By Helen Lampkin of Helen's Table and My Brothers Salsa
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Helen Lampkin is Founder & Chairman of My Brother’s Salsa, a family owned and operated specialty foods business based in Northwest Arkansas. Originally from Oklahoma, she has lived in Arkansas for more than 35 years. Married to Steve Lampkin for 39 years, they have two grown children and two grandchildren in NWA.
Before becoming an entrepreneur and specialty foods owner, her vocation was in the home, with her family being at the core of everything she did. With her many years experience as wife, mother and community advocate, along with a passion for cooking and sharing foods, it became the perfect platform to launch a business. In 2003, Helen established Vineyard Art, Inc. dba My Brother’s Salsa based on a family salsa recipe. In 2011, her immediate family came on board and together they are making great strides in the marketplace. Today, My Brother’s Salsa is well on its way to attaining regional and national distribution with retailers including The Fresh Market, Walmart, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, along with a host of independent grocers and markets.
In 2014, she launched a blog, Helen’s Table, where she invites you to join her in learning creative ways to bring family and friends around the table. Also an artist, when Helen is not in the kitchen developing recipes, she can be found in the studio working on No Ordinary Brooms, which is functional art for the home.
Helen Lampkin is Founder & Chairman of