Making your own tea from dried herbs is so easy it is a wonder that we aren’t doing it more often. Not only is it simple to prepare, it is often quite cheaper than pre-made tea and there is the satisfaction of making up your own concoctions. Who knows? You might come upon a winning combination that you package and start selling on etsy. (I can always say I knew you before you were famous.)
There are really only three elements to making your own tea. You’ll need access to dried herbs, hot water, and a loose-leaf strainer. READ MORE
nwafoodie is a hub for food happiness. Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz focuses on the simplicity of fresh ideas when it comes to the exploration of food, eating, and enjoying life. nwafoodie conveys a sense of joy, curiosity and wonder of all the touch points of eating coupled with a fun and upbeat tone, pulling readers into a welcoming foodie fold that has none of the usual snobbery. She blogs from the perspective of a small town foodie exploring her backyard, spreading the message that eating well is truly one of the most joyful pleasures of living.
Dressing is something that defines a family. A simple comfort food made from leftover bread to stretch an expensive meal (typically using what type of bread you had available so in the south- cornbread, in the north- wheat bread.) You can almost guess where someone’s grandma hails from by what type they serve you (dressing, stuffing, cornbread, white bread, fruits, nuts, oysters, chicken, chestnuts…)
When we started hosting our family holidays we had an unexpected conflict on what we would serve- an all white bread dressing with nuts like my Canadian grandma made or a total traditional cornbread dressing like my husband’s grandmother made? Everyone wanted their personal favorite and so compromise was needed. Thus, I came up with a yin-yang combination dressing that seems to please everyone! READ MORE
¡Hola! I’m Michelle. I grew up mainly in the Republic of Panamá, and moved to Arkansas for love. I started blogging in 2007 and I’m still here blogging about trying to live the green life in the city with my four kids, a big dog, and some chickens and about our love of travel! Come visit me at Tales from a Panama-Mama, to see what craziness we’re up to! Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.
It’s got pumpkin. It’s got caramel—salted at that. And it’s got pecans. Y’all, there is one huge mouthful of fall in every bite of this Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel and Praline Pecan Glaze!
When I first began preparing desserts for the dessert auction at the CASA of Saline County Chili Beans and Blue Jeans fundraiser, I knew I wanted to create some that would be showstoppers. No doubt. This yummy mouthful of goodness wins the crown.
This is an easy dessert to make ahead and freeze if you so desire. Why not go ahead and get one made this weekend? You can put it in your freezer til Thanksgiving then whip it out, glaze it and have a stunning dessert on the table in no time. Find out HERE.
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!
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.
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
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.
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?
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.
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.
Some foods are meant to be together: peas and carrots, beets and goat cheese, peanut butter and jelly… What? Beets and goat cheese weren’t the first things to come to mind? Well, I’ll save that for another day. I wanted to share a simple recipe for a snack I like to make using a combo most of us know and love, peanut butter and jelly.
This was actually an accidental discovery due to lack of planning and foresight secondary to vacation induced crazy-brain. You know what I mean? Fortunately, this marriage of flavors is somewhat flexible and I did not go down as the mom who starved her kiddos in the sand. These little roll-up bites are handy for travel, pre-workout, post-workout, or basically anytime you need a little pick-me up. I recently made them for a quick trip we made to the beach. And like a hot dog is to the ballpark, everything tastes better on the beach!
Jodi Coffee, who blogs at The Coffee House Life, is the mom of three beautiful and energetic little girls that ALWAYS give her something to blog about. She loves to try new things — food, travel and adventure. In her spare time…wait a minute. What is that? She enjoys training for triathlons, and is currently chasing a lifetime dream of crossing the finish line of her first IRONMAN. She is a backyard farmer, a farmers’ market manager and enjoys helping bring healthy opportunities to her community.
I’m so excited to bring you an incredible line-up of presenters for Foodie Friday #Megaphone17. Each of our speakers brings a special talent and expertise to our program, and you won’t want to miss a single one of them. All sessions will be held at the Fayetteville Town Center Mockingbird Room.
The Brand Within You
Amy Nelson Hannon of Springdale, Ark., is the owner of Euna Mae’s, a one-of-a-kind kitchen boutique that has become not only a special place to locals but has quickly become a destination shop for many around the country. Her hospitality message of Love Welcome Serve™ combined with her refreshing enthusiasm and approachable recipes has ignited a passion for the kitchen in both new and seasoned cooks. In addition to her kitchen store, Amy has an expansive media platform that includes a cooking show on Northwest Arkansas’ NBC station, as well as several social media platforms and a food blog.
Her first cookbook Love Welcome Serve: Food that Gathers and Gives will be available nationwide in November 2017. It is available for preorder now at https://shopeunamaes.myshopify.com/collections/exclusive-products/products/love-welcome-serve-recipes-that-gather-and-give-signed-cookbook-with-optional-exclusive-gift-sets-free-shipping.
Follow Amy on Twitter @amynelsonhannon and Euna Maes on Instagram
Passion, Purpose…Destiny!
Liz Bray is a former kindergarten teacher, who left the classroom in 2002 to become a personal chef, fulfilling her deep passion of cooking for others. After many years, she renovated a charming old building in downtown Benton that featured a commercial kitchen offering space for catered events, cooking classes and cooking for clients. Before it even opened, people were excited about a place for lunch, which was not her plan, but because she loved to please people with food, she allowed it to turn into a restaurant for lunch, a catered event space on nights and weekends, and cooking classes as often as possible.
Realizing her vision and passion were being absorbed in running a restaurant, she chose to sell Leave It to Liz in 2013 and return to her original heart.
Liz is a wife, mother of two and grandmother of four. She shares her love of cooking with her grandchildren, especially Sophie who seems destined to become a baker.
Liz will be sharing her food journey, her learning experiences in writing her book, why she chose to self-publish, the pros and cons of that decision, and how she is marketing her book.
Her newly published cookbook, Leave It to Liz, will be available for purchase at Megaphone. It can be mail ordered by contacting Liz at 6479 Congo Road, Benton, AR 72019. For more details, feel free to message her on Facebook or Instagram.
Food As Art
Jason Paul Roth is a chef, educator, and artist currently living in Springdale. AR. He became interested in food at a very young age while watching PBS cooking shows on television. After tinkering around at home, he found his way into a fine dining restaurant kitchen at age 14. Soon Jason began a traditional apprenticeship at Mary Elaine’s, a restaurant in Phoenix, Ariz. That foundation taught him the technical skills to began his journey. Through the years, he has worked in many different parts of the culinary field. After stints in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Maine, Jason landed in NWA and is currently the chef and owner of Heirloom, a boutique fine dining restaurant. Jason is also a chef/instructor at Brightwater, a newly- opened culinary school in Bentonville, Ark.
“I have a passion for creativity, restaurants and hospitality. All standards for someone in my field. But is there more for a chef? Where is the line between a skilled craftsmen and an artist? I want to find out and maybe start to draw outside those lines. I’m very excited about exploring the use of food as art in our modern day society. Art effects change and with the power of social media to translate images to a wider audience there is an unpaved road ahead for chefs to use their talents for more than just a meal. I would like to travel all avenues and parts of this mostly unexplored road to see where it leads. You often hear people say, “you eat with your eyes first”, so food presentation has long been important to us as chefs, but I would like to take it further. This talk is my way of trying to bring that medium into a larger light, beyond the walls of a restaurant. With food as our palate, and a plate as our canvas, let’s have a conversation about FOOD AS ART.”
Say Cheese- Creating Food Photos That Create Smiles
Nancy Pruitt is a photographer based out of Little Rock, AR. About 10 years ago, she decided to take a hobby she was passionate about and turn it into a family-benefiting career. Photographing everything from families to food, it is her desire to tell a story through her photography and learn from each experience. Most recently she has helped stage and capture the images for Chef Liz Bray’s inaugural cookbook, Just Leave it to Liz. Nancy and her husband Doug have 3 grown children and are in the process of developing a small farm with the goal of creating an indoor and outdoor photography studio as well as a home for their family and wide variety of critters.
“In this session we will discuss the photography aspect of your food presentations on social media and in print . We will look at some ways to get your images looking their best with some basic and creative photography tools.”
When I heard this month’s song was Cheeseburger in Paradise I knew I had to do a good burger recipe. My dad is a Jimmy Buffett fan. All through my childhood on any road trip, including all the trips to Tulsa from Springdale and Florida, Jimmy Buffett CDs were what we would listen to. Cheeseburger in Paradise was always a favorite as a sing along. I’m sure I knew all the words by the time I was eight.The songs hold a special place in my heart and make me smile every time I hear them.
So today I am going to share with you a favorite charcoal grilled burger complete with bacon and cheddar cheese. Oh, and let’s not forget the homemade fries. Hubby and I couldn’t agree on which fries we wanted so I made both sweet potato fries and regular fries.Homemade fries seem daunting but they really are quite simple and healthier since they are baked. READ MORE
Renee, the voice behind If Spoons Could Talk, loves everything food related. You will often see her taking pictures of her food before eating, while her husband shakes his head, smiles and waits to eat, because of course she has to take a picture of his too. Her time is spent in the kitchen cooking, on the computer researching recipes, the rest of her time is spent with her husband and two fur babies watching TV. Now she is making time to get a masters and just got a full time teaching job.You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest as If Spoons Could Talk and on Twitter as Spoons Could Talk.
nwafoodie is a hub for food happiness. Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz focuses on the simplicity of fresh ideas when it comes to the exploration of food, eating, and enjoying life. nwafoodie conveys a sense of joy, curiosity and wonder of all the touch points of eating coupled with a fun and upbeat tone, pulling readers into a welcoming foodie fold that has none of the usual snobbery. She blogs from the perspective of a small town foodie exploring her backyard, spreading the message that eating well is truly one of the most joyful pleasures of living.
Year 2 of marriage found me brave enough to ask for Grandma’s recipe and try to attempt it on my own.
Keisha (Pittman) McKinney is settling in to married life in South AR after she #becamemrsmckinney.
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.
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. 
The Brand Within You
