Tag: Foodie Friday

Diane Roark: Tacos4Life {A review}

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions expressed are those of Diane Roark.

Celebrating Food Adventures

Tacos4Life - Every Meal You Buy A Meal Is Donated to Hungry Child — Every Meal You Buy Means A Meal Donated to a Hungry Child

How is Tacos 4 Life so different from every other restaurant?

When you eat at Tacos 4 Life, you have an opportunity to help end childhood hungry around the world.

By choosing to eat Taco 4 Life’s delicious tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more, Tacos 4 Life helps feed a child who needs a meal. Tacos 4 Life calls this “Eat Good Do Good”. You not only get amazing food, but you also get a good feeling when you eat a reasonably priced meal and know you are helping to feed hungry children. My son Casey had an opportunity to help pack the meals. His high school volunteered to help pack meals a couple of times. My other son Caleb and I joined them. I can tell you from experience that if you eat at Tacos 4 Life, they use a portion of the money to ship meals to hungry children with the help of the non-profit organization Feed My Children. Feed My Children sends meals to countries with high rates of poverty and hunger.

In my opinion, not only is Tacos 4 Life Mission the best, but their food is just as terrific.

I Love Taco 4 Life’s Tex-Mex Food. I could eat there several times a week and never get tired of it. Their food is that delicious. Everything we have ordered at Tacos 4 Life has been extremely tasty.

Here are some of my favorite things from their menu:

Beef Burito

Serious Steak Burrito: Marinated and grilled skirt steak, cilantro lime rice, refried beans, Pico de gallo, jack cheese, and chipotle aioli. The Chipotle Aioli is amazing! I would love to figure out how to make this amazing sauce.

Chipotle Chicken Burrito Tender marinated and grilled chicken, cilantro lime rice, refried black beans, chipotle aioli, jack cheese, and pico de gallo. This is one of the best burritos I have ever had. The Chipotle Aioli is extremely amazing!

Chipotle Chicken Burrito: Tender marinated and grilled chicken, cilantro lime rice, refried black beans, chipotle aioli, jack cheese, and pico de gallo. This is one of the best burritos I have ever had. The Chipotle Aioli is extremely amazing! I would love to have this recipe.
Ono Shrimp Tacos: An amazing shrimp taco with crispy shrimp tossed in pineapple cream ono sauce; served with pineapple, green onions, and toasted coconut in a grilled flour tortilla.

Where is Tacos 4 Life located? Tacos4Life’s newest location is in Fayetteville on College Avenue. Visit the original location in Conway the original location is on Dave Ward Drive or their second location on Oak Street. Their food is amazing and their mission is incredible. The owners are changing the world by feeding the hungry, and they are doing a wonderful job. Follow Tacos 4 Life on their Facebook page. You can volunteer to help pack meals to send to hungry kids all over the world.

If you are looking for a patio to have a picnic, Tacos 4 Life has extremely nice covered patios. The Conway location on Dave Ward even has a fireplace for colder days.

Celebrating Food Adventures: @Tacos4Life #review#ARWB #FoodieFriday @dianeroark

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Recipes For Our Daily Bread and Our American Travels are personal blogs written and edited by me, Diane Roark. I am passionate about family, food, travel, and my new love of photography. Recipes for our Daily Bread is where I blog about easy recipes to help you put dinner on the table quickly. I enjoy sharing Southern Recipes for special occasions too. Our American Travels is where I write about Family Fun Travels in America. You will find restaurant reviews plus information on Disney World, Branson, Alaska, Maine, and many Southern states. Be sure to join the other 20,000 Pinterest followers who follow Diane_Roark on Pinterest , FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter.

Lyndi Fultz: Family Taco Night Celebration

Celebrate Cooking Together

multi-family taco night nwafoodie

What’s holding you back from entertaining more? Opening up your home? Planning a brunch date? On your porch? In your living room? Or, in your backyard?

What’s holding you back from picking up the phone, sending out an invite, texting, or sending a message? Is it too much effort? Too much money? Too much pre-cleaning? Or, post-cleaning? Too much to even think about?

These are questions I often ask myself. I mentally kick myself when another week goes by and seven days skip along without breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner/coffee and dessert guests. Excuses? Oh, I’ve got them. Tons of them. Some of them are perfectly legit.

Yet.

Yet… I still hold back.

One way to ease back into entertaining mode with friends and family is to just pull that Band-Aid off. Pick up that phone, get your fingers typing, and just do it.

Taco night is a family favorite of ours. Whether at our home, my in-laws, or my brother and sister in-laws house, tacos are a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Everyone knows what to expect and everyone can find a combination that fits his or her dietary needs.

Ready to jump in with me and get this party started?

Let’s talk through the logistics. Taco night is a great get-together where everyone can jump in at the level they feel most comfortable with.

Not sure where to start?

Here are my seven tips on hosting a multi-family taco night.

1. Identify your foodies. Do you have a family member or friend that likes food exploration? Great, they will be the one who will bring that extra-special touch. Assign them salsa. Yes, salsa is also great for the bachelor in the group, but trust me, a foodie is the one who will make their own salsa or shop to find just.the.right.one.with.the.great.story. Don’t have a foodie friend? Okay, give the task to your bachelor friend. He’ll know what to do.

2. Moms. Got a mom on the invitation list? She is going to be your shredded cheese hero. And sour cream. Check and mate. She’s going to bring the Sams Club size, guaranteed.

3. Veggie Prep. Ouch, this one is not everyone’s favorite. Save the messy tomato job for you, no one wants that job. Besides, tomatoes and avocados are the two things you want to save for last due to juiciness and spoilage. Ask for volunteers for lettuce shredders, onion mincers, jalapenos slicers, and cilantro choppers. If you have a mid-life no-children couple, they will take this challenge on with relish. Relax, they’ve got this covered.

4. Beef. This is where you come in. Make the event easy and pre-cook these an hour before guests arrive and keep it in the warmer or crock-pot. No one will complain and that’s more time for margaritas. Speaking of….

5. Margaritas. Seems about the right time to mention this. Set up a station and let it work for itself. Assign the first person that walks through the door to get their blender on. Just make sure they are twenty-one. And eager to help.

6. Chips and Dip. You’ll want some chips and dip with that margarita. Cue your bachelor friend. Generic salsa will work just fine for this. If your foodie person wants more on their to-do list, assign them this. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with sweet potato/chili/lime/vinegar/cilantro flavored tortilla chips.

7. The Tortilla Station. Last but not least… the most dreaded assignment of them all… the tortilla station. If you are a purist, plan for an hour at the stovetop cooking corn and flour tortillas over the stovetop with olive oil. Plan half that time grilling tortillas on the grill. Do these two hours before and wrap them in tin foil and place in the warmer. That way all you have to do is when guests arrive is to kick back, enjoy chips and salsa, and let that eager beaver first-arriving-guest make you a margarita. See how easy this is?

You see, the moral of this story is simple… humans need other humans. We want, no we need, each other. We need to connect, to laugh, to eat, to drink, and to just goof off a little bit. We don’t need to worry about complicating everything. We can do this.

You in?

Happy taco night.

Lyndi Fultz nwafoodie (c) Sweet Portrayal Lyndi Fultz, nwafoodie

Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.

Stacey Valley: Swedish Meatballs {Foodie Friday}

Celebrate Celebrations

swedishmeatballs My philosophy is that every meal should be a celebration. Food is life-giving. It is the fuel for our bodies. And it’s pretty awesome that our fuel can be beautiful and yummy too.

I recently made a traditional Nordic meal for my family including Swedish Meatballs and Potato Herb Gratin with Pepparkakor (Nordic Ginger Cookies) for dessert. These were all new recipes for me, so I was pleased when they turned out not just edible, but delicious. The entire meal was a hit with the Valley bunch.

I found the Swedish Meatball recipe on the food blog Damn Delicious. Meatballs look fancy, but are easy to make. You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the ground pork if you would like cut some calories from the recipe (but I wouldn’t suggest it). It’s perfect just as it is.

I served the meatballs over cooked egg noodles. My sauce wasn’t quite as thick as I hoped, but the leftovers the following day were perfect. Based on that new information, I will make these a day in advance next time.

Don’t be afraid to try new recipes for your next food celebration. Experimentation and discovery are part of the fun. And believe me: your family will love slurping up these creamy, meatbally, sauce-covered noodles.

StaceyValley

Stacey is a wife, mom of four girls, and public health professional. She adores her interracial, real-life modern family, and is thankful that her husband Anthony loves her kind of crazy. Cooking is her therapy. She dreams of moving to Italy one day, so you can often find her binging on House Hunters International. Stacey’s life motto is “Live big. Love deep.” You can find her online at…

Blog: http://www.staceyvalley.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/staceyvalley

Instagram: http://instagram.com/staceyvalley/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stacey.mcbryde

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

Keisha Pittman: Confetti Celebration Cookies {Foodie Friday}

Celebrate Celebrations

I don’t have much memorized about cooking, but if you were to ask me the 2 things I know off the top of my head, it’s that most cookies bake at 350 for 10 minutes and the ingredients for Cake Mix Cookies are 1/3 cup of oil and 2 eggs. Something else my mama always taught me was that everything was worth celebrating. The end of a big project, cleaning the whole house on a Saturday, making it to the end of a hard work week, getting straight A’s on your report card, anniversaries, promotions, and even half birthdays if you were my sister.

The big and the small, it’s all worth celebrating. My parents sometimes feel bad when they get ready to pull a party together and invite their friends because we realize we have had much in life to celebrate. Heck, one year, not that long ago, we had 5 years cancer-free, a teacher of the year, a graduation, a big move and a retirement all in the same year. Not all of them had a party, but each one called for its own special celebration!

keisha2

When I first lived on my own, I didn’t have much surplus in my budget, but I still loved to celebrate. I wanted to carry on this tradition I had learned from my parents to make every moment count and to celebrate all the small victories along the way. So, playing on my memory of baking growing up, and my often “famous” style of cooking, I decided to start experimenting with something I knew well.

Cake-Mix-Cookies. They were one of my favorite treats growing up. Always perfectly chewy, sometimes not too sweet and ever the easy go-to quick fix for just an afternoon toast with a cup of milk.

I’ll admit there are many varieties (and I’ll share them at the bottom), but the ones that always taste the best are the Confetti Celebration Cookies. Maybe it’s the sprinkles. Maybe it’s the fact that they taste like ice cream. Or, maybe nostalgia wins every time!

A homemade cookie with a cup of milk or a pot of coffee really is the best way to celebrate almost anything.

Keisha

Keisha Pittman can be found over at bigpittstop (bigpittstop.com), a blog started when she was brushing up on her superpowers kicking cancer’s butt. Eight years later, it’s a chapter book of a 30 something navigating life and learning lessons along the way. She is a self-proclaimed nerd and every once in a while lets us have a little glimpse into her recipes-for disaster, Saturday scenic drives, “big sister chats” and thoughts about living the good life in Northwest Arkansas. In the meantime, she is busy planning her wedding to her fun loving chicken man and planning her new life in South Arkansas.

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/

Periscope – @bigpittstop

Rhonda Bramell: Ding Dong Cake {Foodie Friday}

Celebrate Celebrations

The Foodie Friday 2016 theme is #Celebrate. Come join us as we focus on a different way to #Celebrate each month. In January we are all about “Celebrate Celebrations.” I can’t think of a better way to kick off a brand new year than with this Ding Dong Cake from Rhonda Bramell of Bramell: Party of Five.

Ding Dong Cake whole

Should you find yourself in need of an easy (yet impressive) dessert for a special occasion, check this one out. My friends, this is the dessert that will woo your enemies and win you admirers for life. This is my go-to recipe when I need a birthday cake, office potluck dessert or just for the “lots of people coming over” occasion.

ingredients 2
The beauty of the Ding Dong Cake is that it looks like it was completely labor intensive and difficult to make. Alas, it’s not! There are only a few ingredients and it doesn’t require a culinary degree to pull off. And, I might add, there’s nothing better than homemade whipped cream

The downside to making this cake is simply the temptation of having it in your house. As a result, I don’t make it as often as I’d like…because I would totally eat it myself. As my kindergartener demanded as I removed it from the fridge, “Give me the cake now!”

Ding Dong Cake from Rhonda Bramell
I definitely suggest making this your next celebration dessert, too. Or, at the very least, go grab a gallon of milk and a fork and celebrate your baking victory!

headshot new 1

Rhonda Bramell is a blogger in Northwest Arkansas. She is the ringleader of a circus that includes her husband, three kids and a rambunctious Boston Terrier. Rhonda has been blogging at Bramell, Party of Five for eight years; her blog is a collection of stories about the real life joys and challenges of parenting.

Facebook: Bramell, Party of Five

Instagram: mamabramell

Twitter: @rhondabramell

ARWB Virtual Cookie Swap 2015 Link-Up {Foodie Friday}

Here’s your chance to load up on cookies and treats for the holidays. Or at least load up on ideas for cookies which you just might get around to baking. Some day. Soon. It’s our ARWB Virtual Cookie Swap . Link up your favorite cookie, bar and brownie recipes. We’re gonna’ come around a collect a virtual dozen or so from you and leave you some holiday love while we’re there.

Share your treat pics on Instagram with #ARWBCookieSwap15.

#ARWBCookieSwap15 – It’s not just for cookies, ya’ know.

Chef Kim Duhamel: Healthy Holidays – Cooking With Pumpkin {Foodie Friday}

If you’re anything like me, you relish the thought of cooler air, changing leaves…and all of the wonderful (albeit fattening) foods of the fall and winter months. A cook’s thoughts turn towards braises, roasted meat and poultry, and let’s face it – those yummy side dishes that we allow ourselves to savor only during the holidays.

pump squash wholeJPG

How can we still enjoy those fabulous comfort foods without throwing our healthy food routines down the drain? I am a firm believer in getting the most “bang from your calories”. Using a little bit of foods that a healthy eater may consider taboo can transport an okay dish to a fabulous one. Try to think of creative ways to get more flavor out of your traditional winter dishes – but not necessarily loads more calories.

kim mis ingredientsJPG

Here’s to the autumn and its bounty, to winter for its lush and festive foods. Here’s to eating well and to cooking well. Enjoy this stuffed winter squash with a roasted chicken for a weeknight meal, add it to your menu for your Thanksgiving feast or serve at lunch for a filling and healthy main course.

kim greens onion thyme knifeJPG

To ramp up the flavors I have used a small bit of pancetta, which is an Italian bacon that has a tremendous salty, smoky flavor. And to help the dish’s flavors meld together, I’ve added some heavy cream. Small amounts of high flavor items make an ordinary pumpkin taste out of this world!

kim pumpkin collage

Look for “pie pumpkins” at your grocery store. They are more flavorful and have a much nicer texture than a “jack-o-lantern” pumpkin. Acorn squash is an excellent substitute as well. Here I show you a large acorn squash that I cut in two and stuffed. You could make individual small acorn squashes cooked in crème brulee ramekins to make it an extra special holiday side dish. Adding a small amount of cooked turkey Italian sausage makes this a hearty one-dish (or one pumpkin) meal.

kim acorn squash finishedJPG

Enjoy this healthy stuffed pumpkin from @kduhamel for #ARWB #FoodieFriday

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Kim Duhamel

Kim Duhamel is a former cooking instructor who lives in Bentonville, Arkansas with her husband and pug. She has three married children and one granddaughter. She has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts and an Associate’s degree in the Culinary Arts from NWACC. After being sidelined for about a year with a neck injury, she hopes to get back to teaching in 2016.

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Lyndi Fultz: Healthy Green Bean Casserole {Foodie Friday}

Healthy green bean casserole - main

The leaves have almost pushed off all their leaves while a few tough ones are holding on tightly. These tough guys want to make sure that fall has its day in the * ahem * sun.

Thanksgiving is knocking on the door and I love to relish in it. This national day of giving thanks is my personal favorite holiday with its traditions, its lack of commercialism, and the massive focus on foods. Seriously, is it any wonder why Thanksgiving is so beloved?

If green bean casserole using canned soup, canned mushrooms, and canned French-fried onions are on your tradition list, may I invite you to making it a bit healthier?

This version of green bean casserole starts off with no-sodium canned green beans. If you saved fresh beans from the garden, fantastic! For the rest of us, go with one of the many options now available to us with no-sodium. Also, there is no need for a cream of mushroom soup, with all of its additional sodium levels and added ingredients that are hard to pronounce. This version uses good old-fashioned fresh mushrooms, broth, and a bit of whipping cream.

What more do you need?

You’ll need your appetite.

Enjoy and give thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving, ya’ll.

Make this holiday a little healthier w @nwafoodie ‘s Green Bean Casserole. #FoodieFriday

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Lyndi Fultz Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies

What food reminds you of childhood?

cheese omelets
When I was a kid, my mom made runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. I decided to take matters in my own hands and learned how to 1) make dry scrambled eggs and 2) kicked it up a notch and learned how to make cheese omelets. Never again did I have runny, undercooked, boring scrambled eggs. Thanks mom!

What is your favorite international cuisine?

slow food from France and Italy
I like the country rustic fare from just about anywhere: fresh fish plucked from the sea, lightly but perfectly seasoned, wine with brie and fruit and long conversations, and whole chicken simmered in broth with garlic. I can appreciate fancy food yet I fall in love with simplicity that is delicious.

What is always in your refrigerator at home?

good, grass-fed butter
whole whipping cream
parmesan cheese
farm eggs
large curd cottage cheese
whole milk plain yogurt
brussel sprouts
thyme
minced garlic in a jar (what, you didn’t think I always mince my own garlic, did you?)

What is your go-to ingredients that you use time and time again?

fresh thyme

Do you have a favorite food indulgence?

fried chicken, yes please

What is your most used cookbook?

Cook’s Illustrated

What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

santoku knife

What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?

pan slow-cooked paillard chicken in broth with balsamic and dijon

What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?

When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?

kayaking, fishing or just hanging out in the lake, remodeling, landscaping, going for drives with my husband and hanging out with family.

What else would you like us to know about you?
I need a clutter-free zone to function properly.

Arkansas Women Blogger member Lyndi Fultz writes about living and eating well from her life in beautiful Northwest Arkansas at nwafoodie. Much of her blogging inspiration comes from this gem of a place, which she refers to as the proverbial land of milk-and-honey. Read more related to cooking, entertaining, gadget suggestions, ingredient explorations, local finds, local restaurant treasures, kitchen tour spotlights, and always with a healthy and simplistic approach.

Connect with Lyndi:
twitter – @nwafoodie
fb – /nwafoodie
pinterest – nwafoodie

Chris Olsen: Haunting Halloween Batwings {Foodie Friday}

chris olsen fall collage

Photos courtesy of ChrisHOlsen.com

For those of you that know me…know I LOVE Halloween! It’s actually my FAVORITE holiday! So of course, I ALWAYS have a party to celebrate! I invite all of my friends and it’s just a great time with LOTS of surprises…and it wouldn’t be a Chris H. Olsen party if it didn’t have a few twists and turns here and there! These Haunting Halloween Batwings — black of course–are definitely a twist.

When I came across this recipe (no, it’s not my own invention…but it’s AWESOME) I just had to use it and share with all of you.

So, dive in and enjoy!

Happy-Halloween-Clip-Art

Chris appears weekly on THV11 This Morning.

chris h olsen batwings for foodie friday

Chris H. Olsen
Living the Good Life with Chris H. Olsen

Check out these upcoming holiday events with Chris.

What food reminds you of childhood?
Cake! My grandma would make a wonderful strawberry cake for me for my birthday!! It’s still my favorite!

What is your favorite international cuisine?
. I LOVE Mexican food!!! I spent a LOT of time in Southern California and that just became my favorite food when I would eat out! I love to experiment with lots of different recipes!

What is always in your refrigerator at home?
I ALWAYS have cheese, raisins and milk!

What is your most used cookbook?
I don’t use a cookbook! I cook from my heart!

What is your favorite kitchen gadget?
. My wine bottle opener…lol! No..I really don’t use “gadgets”. I’m kind of an “old fashioned” cook, so I do my own chopping, cutting. I don’t really get all fancy! I like to keep it simple and easy!

Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
CHOCOLATE!

What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again?
Peppers! Peppers and onions! Oh…and fresh rosemary from my yard!

What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?
I love to make homemade chili!

What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?
Don’t be afraid to just get in there and try it! No one succeeds the first time, so keep at it!

When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
Gardening, working in my two nurseries, Botanica Gardens and Plantopia and speaking to groups around the country!

What else would you like us to know about you?
I love to try new things and I don’t think that anything is ever a failure! Being positive is the key to success in life and in business!

Connect with Chris:
@ChrisHOlsen
Facebook

Chris H. Olsen
Botanica Gardens
Plantopia

Amy Bradley-Hole: Sensation Salad {Foodie Friday}

I love recipes with a history. One of my favorite salads, sensation salad, is just such a dish.

I first became addicted to sensation salads as a young girl in Louisiana. They were commonly found on the menus at most seafood restaurants and steakhouses. When I grew up and moved out-of-state, I was saddened to find that this tangy, garlicky salad was not served in any restaurants! I had to have the recipe, so I started doing a little research on the sensation salad’s origin.

sensation3

It turns out this famous starter salad was first created at a restaurant called Bob & Jake’s in Baton Rouge. For a long time, it was only available there, and at a few other restaurants in Baton Rouge, but as with all great dishes, it slowly migrated across the state.

We mostly think of salads as being a summertime food, but sensation salad is really a perfect accompaniment for fall’s heartier dishes. Its cool crispness pairs well with soups, chilis, and of course spicier fare like etouffees.

sensation2

The crisp and cold quality is the secret to a great sensation salad. For that reason, the recipe only calls for iceberg lettuce. No, this is not about healthy greens and vegetables — leave those salads for the summer, when fresh produce is more abundant. For this salad, you want a nice head of iceberg that has been in the fridge for a while.

Want to know the secret to a sensational Sensation Salad? Check out @freakyperfect on #ARWB…

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sensation1

Salad

2015-10-08 06:36:23

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Ingredients

4 cups chopped cold iceberg lettuce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup grated Romano cheese

Instructions

Combine the oils, lemon juice, mashed garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic in a jar or cruet with a lid. Shake VERY well to combine all the ingredients.
It's best to place this in the refrigerator to let the flavors incorporate for about 24 hours, but you can use immediately if necessary. Just before serving, shake the dressing again.
Mix the chopped lettuce and parsley. Top with the dressing, and toss to coat.
This is a type of "soaked" salad, so don't be afraid to use plenty of dressing. Once you've done this, add the Romano cheese, and toss again.

By Amy Bradley-Hole

Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

As you can see, this is a very quick and easy recipe. Feel free to adapt it to your tastes. You may want to add black olives, croutons, or maybe even anchovies.

As mentioned, this salad goes well with spicy, warm dishes. Duck season is coming up here in Arkansas, so consider trying it with a hearty duck gumbo. If you’re like me, though, you’ll find yourself craving sensation salad all year long, with all kinds of meals!

Getting to Know amy bradley-hole

Your ARWB Foodies

What food reminds you of childhood?

Marinated crab claws, trout almondine, and escargot. These were dishes we ate for “special occasions.” They were served at my favorite restaurants growing up, so they remind me of special family dinners.

What is your favorite international cuisine?

British food is the most comforting to me. It’s easy-to-make comfort food that has a lot of appeal for everyone in the family.Asian food has the flavors I most enjoy. Lemongrass, cilantro, chili, soy — these are the ingredients I crave on a regular basis, and Asian dishes are the only ones to satisfy my cravings.I owe a debt to Italian food, though, as it has helped me create a business. I have spent much time in Italian kitchens, and I’ve learned from some wonderful Italian home cooks and chefs. Italian food is simple but perfect.

What is always in your refrigerator at home?
Milk. Sauvignon blanc. Bacon. String cheese. Ketchup.

What is your go-to ingredient hat you use time and time again?

Garlic. I use it in almost everything. And I typically use twice what the recipe calls for.

Do you have a favorite food indulgence?

I love gas station food.

What is your most used cookbook?
The Illustrated Kitchen Bible by Victoria Blashford-Snell.

What is your favorite kitchen gadget?

A mezzaluna. I cook a lot with herbs, and it’s such a quick and easy way to mince them. If appliances count as gadgets, though, I love my Ninja. There’s no way I’m going to chop, stir, or blend by hand, when that amazing machine will do it for me.

What is your favorite food meal to cook at home?

Either boeuf bourguignon or pasta all’Amatriciana.

What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks?

Practice practice practice. Cooking is not an easy skill, and it takes lots of time and practice to master. Don’t be afraid to mess up. Resign yourself to wasting money on recipes and eating some gross meals. And don’t beat yourself up when you do screw up. Just throw it in the trash or feed it to your dog, then order a pizza, and try again the next day. It gets easier the more you do it.

When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?

Reading, hiking, and shopping.

What else would you like us to know about you?

I grew up in Louisiana, which means my palate demands strong flavors. I absolutely loathe bland food. I think it’s a crime against humanity.I have two kids who pretty much can’t stand anything I cook for them.My mother-in-law is the best cook I know. When she comes to visit us, I want to chain her in the kitchen and make her cook for me. Thankfully, she doesn’t mind obliging. She worships at the shrine of Delia Smith. I think everyone should own a Delia cookbook.

Amy Bradley-Hole is a freelance writer and speaker who covers tech, travel, business and parenting. She’s a true Southern girl, but she’s lived and traveled all over the world. She blogs at Freaky Perfect about the freakiness of her not-so-perfect life. When she’s not goofing around on the internet, she dreams up new ways to drive her husband and two young boys crazy. Follow her on Twitter at @amybhole.