This is my last post as Arkansas Women Bloggers’ Miss October. Thank you for the esteemed Blogger of the Month title. My family, friends, fellow bloggers and colleagues are so proud of me.
It is quite possible that indeed we have sometime over twitter, facebook, meet-ups, tweet-ups, or the Arkansas Women Bloggers (ARWB) Unplugged conference last summer.
I fondly remember my first meet-up with Beth Stephens and together fervently declaring: “the ARWB website is a goldmine! It could be so much more!”
And more, it is. The goldmine of ARWB is the discovery journey. Simply because of the ARWB resource, I am enjoying getting to know… you.
When the ladies of ARWB approached me about writing a bio for the “Miss January” slot, I thought okay, no problem, I can do that. Then I thought about my ‘about’ page on my blog, nwafoodie, and pondered, well, what else is there to say that I haven’t already said?
Silly me.
We’re bloggers and we love to over-share.
For those of us who haven’t met yet, let me introduce myself…from my refrigerator’s perspective.
15 things my refrigerator reveals about me
1.I am an organizer and a planner. It is a powerful feeling to be one step ahead. Why not have a lemon sliced up and ready-to-go? Or, why not buy Parmesan cheese or nuts in bulk and store the excess?
2.I like adding that extra touch. Why store your cherries in a pre-packaged container? Why not wash them for easy snacking and store them in a beautiful colander?
3.I never stray far from the egg. Quite possibly the most perfect ingredient in the world (we can debate that later). Besides the practicality of the multitude of uses that an egg presents, eggs were the first cooking experiment I conquered as a wee child. Sick of waking up early in the morning to runny scrambled eggs, I quickly learned that if I took over the skillet, I could prepare it any way I would like. I introduce to you master omelet maker, circa age 5.
4.I like being prepared. It doesn’t cost anything to have (reusable) bottled waters waiting for when you need it. It makes me feel, well, pulled-together.
5.I love thinking of others. Me? Red wine drinker, all the way. However, I will always have a bottle of white wine chilled and waiting for my family and friends who don’t see red.
6.I believe that quality counts (sometimes quantity, too)! My husband and I love chicken tortilla soup. This time of the year it is a repeat visitor several times a week. There is nothing easier than SmartChicken™ chicken pieces slow-cooked during the day and then stripped and ready for several meals. It’s inexpensive and the flavor will blow you away. How easy is that?
7.I wasn’t born a chef. Eating out is one of the extreme joys of life. I relish in what a chef can do. If there are leftovers, score!
8.I like to splurge. Ingredients like horseradish and olives are everyday. But what about oil-brined olives from France? Or, plum sauce from the Asian supermarket, or Indian green-curry sauce? You may not use these everyday, but they are there, waiting. I know that I am just fingertips away from an amazing food event.
9.I am impressed when an ingredient serves double-duty. Remember that slow-cooker chicken? Guess what happens when you strip the meat off the bones? Put the bones back in the cooker and add water and make broth. Viola! Store them in reusable spaghetti sauce jars.
10.I know how to seduce with food. Our house is currently for sale. When a potential buyer is scheduled for a showing, I heat up apple cider vinegar to scent the air. As we head out the door, we have a tasty treat.
11.I am always on the lookout for the unexpected. See that Gerbers™ pear juice? It is not for a baby, it is for me. Besides its tastiness, it has health benefits (new-year/new-you tip, you’re welcome).
12. I love to make the ordinary less ordinary. Glass containers rock. You can take something ordinary that comes in a plastic shrink-wrap package and transform it. Each time I open my crisper, it is extra special to pull out a block of parmesan cheese or gruyere that is in a pretty container. It makes me feel like I’m on a Food Network television set. Like Giadia.
13.I am constantly on the search for long-term healthy improvements. Several months ago my doctor informed me that I had high levels of styrene (aka plastic) in my body. One of the first improvements was to replace the plastic produce bags with breathable and reusable vegetable bags for storage. Just like glass containers, each time I open my vegetable crisper, it is an extra special (and healthier) event.
14.There are essentials, as a foodie that I will always have on hand. Buttermilk? Check. Olive tapenade? Check. Capers? Check. Heavy cream? Check. Balsamic glaze? Check.
15.There are essentials, like everyone else that I will always have on hand. Mustard? Check. Mayo? Check. Lemon juice? Check. Simple syrup? Check. The moral of this point? Being a foodie does not mean snobby gourmand. It just means you have a love of all things food related: ingredients, gadgets, dinnerware, spices, restaurants, and an overwhelming urge to talk about it.
So there you have it.
I’m a foodie who just happens to live in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. It’s a gem of a place, overflowing with the proverbial milk-and-honey abundance that is begging me to share what I have learned. Pop on over and check out my blog, nwafoodie, and drop by.
My name is Stephanie Hamling. Originally from Wonderview, Arkansas, I now live in our state’s capitol, Little Rock. A freelance graphic artist, I also work as a social media liaison and webmaster for a local grocery market. My joys include gardening, cooking, photography, spending time with family, and blogging. Proactive Bridesmaid, my blog, started in 2005 as a way to keep my friends entertained and updated on my life. Like many bloggers, I had no thought that it would reach a wider audience. If I had, I might have chosen a more easily explained title.
Why Proactive Bridesmaid? When you come from a big Catholic family, two things that are a given — you are going to be attending a lot of weddings and a lot of funerals. When I started blogging, I was between my sixth and seventh times being a bridesmaid. I topped out at eight. Acting as a bridesmaid can be a good metaphor for life. Sometimes you do things you wouldn’t normally do for people you love, but sometime you have to speak up and let people know if you think they are making a bad decision. (Wood-grained satin and silver pantyhose, I’m looking at you.) And then you keep loving them and stand beside them, no matter what. So, that’s the why of Proactive Bridesmaid; stand up and speak up. Where better than a blog to do that?
On Proactive Bridesmaid’s Facebook page, I describe myself as “blogging about grace, grits, and everything in between.” I like to write about topics, usually everyday things, that inspire awe. I also like to write about cooking. The two collide more than you might imagine. I still feel a sense of wonder at kitchen alchemy and was blessed that many of my cooking skills and implements came steeped in family tradition. Dough that raises and egg whites that whip into snowy peaks still amaze me. Don’t even get me started on my Grandma Gangluff’s iron skillet. I’m a Southern girl through and though. When I was about thirteen, my daddy opened the car door for me and said, “I want you to know what it’s like to be treated like a lady, and, the first guy who doesn’t, I’ll kick his butt.” Moments like that shaped the way I ask to be treated in relationships. My parents also shaped the way I treat others. They expected more from me than they knew the rest of the world would, and I do my best to live up to that.
My blog has become my family anthology, photo journal, and go-to cookbook — a modern Book of Days. It’s a welcome mat to my life. Sometimes, it’s my therapy. My style has changed radically since that first post. That’s appropriate, because so have I. When I was in the midst of my honors college entrance interview at eighteen, the interviewer said, “You can write.” It took close to a decade for me to believe him. I finally realized that I didn’t have to write to change the world, I had to write to change me.
Are you interested in nominating a fellow blogger for Blogger of the Month? Contact julie@arkansaswomenbloggers.com with your nomination. Click here to read about past recipients of the Blogger of the Month honor.
