What are your family traditions for Easter dinner celebrations? Today’s Tasty Tuesday offers a few suggestions from our ARWB family.
ANITA STAFFORD: DEVILED EGGS
My family loves deviled eggs, especially my grandson. He was eating them at my house yesterday and wanted to know all the ingredients that I put in them. He’s only six, but I think he’ll soon be helping to make these. Deviled eggs can be made ahead and are super easy. A tray of deviled eggs will make a great addition to most any menu. READ MORE
JENNIFER MAUNE: EASTER DINNER MENU IDEAS
We have curated the perfect Easter Dinner menu for you that includes everything you need. Meat, vegetables, fruit, bread, and an amazing dessert that is sure to impress, and hopefully make it easy to celebrate the season! READ MORE
This egg salad is light and fresh and tastes of spring. It goes great on a bed of baby kale or spring greens. It tastes delightful between slices of 12 grain bread or enveloped in a pillowy pita. READ MORE
TALYA BOERNER: FANCY RASPBERRY S’MORES
Did I mention these Fancy Raspberry S’mores were made with marshmallow Peeps? Oh, yes. Leftover Easter Peeps. And of course, there’s a story, a foodie challenge of sorts. What could I do with the Peeps my sister-in-law sent home with me after Easter lunch?
Before I get to the recipe I created, first the backstory. READ MORE
Tis the season of endless holiday parties, family get togethers and celebrations! I don’t know about you but it seems like every time I get invited to a party I get asked to bring a dish (snack food, finger food, drink, etc). Not a big deal. but when you don’t have a lot of spare time anything you can make beforehand that will still look and taste good is a win in my book! That’s where one of the most popular posts on my blog comes in handy…Fruit Dip, Party Punch and Pinwheels!
Have to confess that these aren’t original recipes, I got the fruit dip recipe from my stepmom, Charlotte, and the punch recipe from my Grandma. That is actually her Christmas Punch recipe but I think it’s good on any occasion. I have taken both to numerous baby showers, work potlucks and holiday parties and I kept getting asked for the recipes so I finally decided to bog about them and like I said, this is one of my most popular blog posts to date! They really are that good y’all!
I also have the recipe to my ham and ranch pinwheels on there. These are just super basic pinwheels made with cream cheese, ranch dressing powder and ham but they taste amazing and are always a HUGE hit at parties.
For the full recipes head over to my blog and check them out…HERE.
Ricci Ellis is an Arkansas native who has some serious love for the natural state. She loves big hair, monograms, blogging, caramel frappes from McDonalds and being the “cool” Aunt among other things. She has one spoiled rotten puppy girl, Sophie
During the month of April, ARWB is highlighting one of our long-term supporters, Petit Jean Meats. Thanks PJM for all you do for us. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
Growing up in Arkansas, we were always excited when we knew Petit Jean meats were being served. Petit Jean really is synonymous with Arkansas, my memories are almost as thick as shelling purple hull peas with my family on our front porch. Whenever my mom would bake a Petit Jean ham, we would be so excited to eat on it for days. Mother would serve some leftover for sandwiches, but most of the leftovers were used to serve up some of our favorite meals.
I have followed in her footsteps in as many ways as possible and today, make many of those same meals. One of my family’s favorites is when I use leftover ham slices to stuff chicken breasts, you can even add some cheese to make it is somewhat like a chicken cordon bleu. It is really simple and even more so as I have found my family prefers it without breading.
You really only need a few simple ingredients to make a delicious main course your family will be asking for again and again.
If you are using full chicken breasts, cut the thickest part of the chicken breast in half. If it is still over an inch thick, sandwich it between two pieces of parchment paper and use a meat tenderizer to help flatten it a bit.
Next layer a piece of ham followed by a slice of cheese.
Starting at one end, begin to tightly roll the chicken in. Once you have rolled it, you can secure it with baking twine or toothpicks.
Place into a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and then desired spices.
Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, bake 35-40 minutes or until 160 degrees internally. The cheese should be melted and dripping.
By Amanda Fiveash
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
It really is such a simple dish to prepare and yet the taste is amazing! My family loves it to be served with homemade macaroni and cheese, baked beans and vegetable sticks. The hardest part might indeed be deciding what to serve alongside these delicious stuffed chicken breasts!
You can also make more than what you need and freeze them for later. In this case I would suggest not using toothpicks or removing them once you flash freeze the chicken breasts. To freeze, after you have added your spices, place in a single layer on a flat sheet into the freezer. After 30-45 minutes, remove from the freezer and gently place in a freezer bag. This should allow you to remove just the amount you wish to prepare next time. If frozen, bake an additional 15-20 minutes.
Amanda Fiveash Our Homemade Life
What food reminds you of childhood?
There are oh, so many!
Cheese dip-my Mother’s favorite!
Strawberries-we use to pick them and eat more than made it into our baskets.
Purple hull peas-takes me back to sitting on the front porch and shelling them until my fingers were purple. Good times, great food and cherished memories are brought back when I smell them cooking.
What is your favorite international cuisine? Mexican food has always been one of my favorite types of cuisine. It is amazing to me that they can use such simple ingredients (beans and rice) in so many dishes to make them delicious and flavorful.
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Almond milk, goat cheese, carrots and celery
What is your most used cookbook? It is one my mother gave me when I got married; it has a few of her notes added in the pages.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Hard one…there are so many but I have to say I have a deep love for my slow cooker. It saves me on so many days!
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Chocolate! Anything with chocolate in it 🙂
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Coconut oil, it is amazing!
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home? Pasta. My kids are always asking for spaghetti and meatballs.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? .Don’t be afraid to try. You will never know if it will be something amazing if you don’t attempt it. And it doesn’t always look pretty, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t absolutely delicious!
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes?
I love to craft. My children and I are excellent creative mess makers.
What else would you like us to know about you?
While I am not a chef by any means, I love to take simple natural ingredients to feed my family wholesome meals. As a homeschooling family, we spend a lot of time in the kitchen and love to bake even more than we love to cook. My door is always open, but you are likely to find a pile of dishes in the sink. I firmly live by, “Please excuse my messes, we are busy making memories.”
Amanda was born in Arkansas and although lived in several other states, returned home to put down roots before starting her own family in Northern Arkansas. Her blog, Our Homemade Life is a creative outlet to share her adventures in motherhood from making messes with crafts and in the kitchen to homeschooling and their love of family travel
During the month of April, ARWB is highlighting one of our long-term supporters, Petit Jean Meats. Thanks PJM for all you do for us. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.
This weekend, many of us will gather with family and friends. There will be new Sunday dresses, Easter egg hunts and HAM!
If your family is like mine, there will be a big buffet with lots of white things, a few green things and a gigantic HAM that you haven’t seen the likes of, well since Christmas.
My mom makes sure we don’t waste anything after a big family day and that means interesting combinations of mac ‘n cheese, green beans and HAM. Seriously, she loves leftover night. Sometimes everything went on the kitchen counter with a pile of 4 plates and you just went through and picked out what you want (can you tell it was not my favorite dinner night….)
But, not this year…Glorified HAM Ssandwiches to the rescue. I had this recipe the first time when I lived in Arkadelphia. It was the best thing to feed hungry collegekids. It’s always good, always a luxurious flavor and never (ever) disappoints. I mean; how can you go wrong with Hawaiian Sweet rolls covered with butter and brown sugar!
This weekend it’s the perfect way to take care of that leftover Ham. Or, the perfect way to use Petit Jean Ham (in any form)…any day of the week. What I love most about this recipe are all the variations. I mean; it’s almost a competition with Sonic for the number of combinations!
Insights on variations:
Bread – can be leftover dinner rolls, hot dog buns, Hawaiian Sweet rolls or bread from a local bakery
Ham – sliced, thinly sliced lunch meat, chunky random pieces left off the bone
Cheese – Swiss is the original, provolone works as well and Pepper Jack kicks things up
Mustard – the original recipe calls for Dijon mustard; I prefer yellow. I’ve had a dark brown variation, but that cranberry mustard after Thanksgiving could be delightful
Whatever you do…make 2 pans…you are going to want to eat for 2 on this one!
Cut rolls in half. (If they are connected, slice through the middle with one cut simultaneously to have one bottom and one top. You will cut them apart individually later)
Place 6 slices of cheese on top of bottom of rolls.
Cover with HAM, layering evenly.
Place 6 more slices of cheese on top if ham. Cover with tops of rolls.
In a medium sauce pan, combine butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.
Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat.
Add poppy seeds and pour over rolls making sure to cover tops of rolls as it spreads to bottom of pan.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
If you are cooking multiple pans, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 more minutes.
Cut rolls apart and serve hot. Enjoy the ooey, gooey yumminess.
By Keisha Pittman of BigPittStop
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
What food reminds you of childhood? Anything baked. My mom is a baker and she learned it all from her mom. The way they both expressed love was with yummy baked goodies. cookies, pies, cakes. It didn’t matter.
Also, Salisbury steak has to sneak in there. It was my favorite meal at daycare. Anytime my mom, sister and I are together this conversation comes up. And, yes we are talking about the “soy” patties covered with cafeteria brown gravy.
What is your favorite international cuisine? Mexican is my first response, but since I’m really thinking Tex Mex I’m not sure it fits! I’m learning to love Thai food, something I didn’t even know existed until I moved to Northwest Arkansas. And, a new friend has introduced me to Bul-gogi, a Korean BBQ dish.
But, when I think about “International” food experiences, I’m taken back to my trip to Italy with my sister. We were determined to find the best Carbonara in the country, or a tleast that Venice, Florence and Rome had to offer. One of us ordered the dish at every sit down restaurant we attend (mostly because we knew what I was). I still dream about the meal at the blue awning restaurant next to St. Mark’s Cathedral. It was muy delicioso!
What is always in your refrigerator at home? salsa, flavored creamer, balsamic vinaigrette and a block of cream cheese.
What is your most used cookbook? “Mama Made it and So Do I” – a collection of my mother’s recipes! When I was first out of college, I was broke but thoughtful. It took me a couple years, but I typed up all my mother’s recipes and put them in a bound book. I was smart enough to make us all a copy and a few extras that we have to access now that we have dripped brownie batter and spaghetti sauce on the pages of the original copy!
And, I’d be remise not to include allrecipes.com – my digital cookbook when I get to the store and realize I have forgotten to add the ingredients of what I’m cooking to my shopping list!
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? Kitchen Aid Mixer – most used
Garlic Press – most fascinating
Do you have a favorite food indulgence?
Brownies, chips and salsa, homemade frittatas and caprese salad, anything buffalo chicken, or covered with butter! So, maybe….
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Cream cheese, Tony Chachere’s and those herb pastes in a tube (Cilantro and Basil)
What is your favorite food meal to cook at home Spaghetti with mini penne – must be homemade meat sauce and wheat pasta. Served with mixed power greens, balsamic dressing and garlic toast – the cheap kind covered with cheese!
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Read a recipe – taste it – make it your own
Your grandmother’s recipes are the best ones you will ever have
Make a mess – the food will taste better
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Writing, offering my opinion, mentoring, sewing, drinking too much coffee and taking pictures of “things”
What else would you like us to know about you?
I’m an open book. I can talk to a brick wall. I’m a 7-year cancer survivor. I don’t like snow days. I know that life is not about me; it’s about the journey God has me on for His glory. I’m most grateful for community and the gift of friendship. I like to sprinkle sunshine dust!
Mornings typically fly by in a blur in the Kohl house. Breakfast is often grabbed on the run and may include a piece of fruit and a cup of yogurt or cottage cheese. When we finally get the chance to slow down on the weekends, we love to sit down and enjoy a nice breakfast like this Western Omelette Casserole.
Breakfast doesn’t have to be complicated and that is one of the things I love about baked breakfast dishes. This casserole is quick and easy to prep and the ingredients are easily interchangeable to fit your family’s tastes.
The other thing I love about this casserole is that it uses eggs from Great Day Farms and ham from Petit Jean Meats. Both of these companies are big supporters of Arkansas Women Bloggers.
I do raise my own chickens but they typically take a break from laying eggs during the shorter daylight of winter. When I don’t have my own fresh eggs, I always buy the Great Day Farms Cage Free eggs.
2 green onions, sliced (including the white parts)
1/4 cup bell peppers, diced
1 Tablespoon. butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup half & half
2 Tbsp. sour cream
Seasoning Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Nutmeg, 2 grates of fresh, whole
4 ounces cooked ham, diced
1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in a small saute pan and saute the onions and peppers until just tender. About 5 minutes.
In a bowl,whip the eggs, half & half, sour cream, and seasonigs.
Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with the onions and peppers, the ham and a 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
Pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the egg is almost completely set. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 5 more minutes.
Notes
This recipe can easily be doubled to feed a larger family.
By Julie Kohl
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Arkansas Women Blogger’s Calendar Cultivator and member Julie D. Kohl writes about her adventures with food, recipes, crafts and creativity on her blog JulieDKohl. As former Yankee who was “converted” to the south by her husband, Julie has grasped on to rural life in a sleepy, blink-your-eyes-and-you’ll-miss-it town in east central Arkansas. She raises chickens, horses, and English mastiffs and loves spending her summers off from teaching paddle boarding the beautiful lakes of Arkansas. Come navigate the waters of life with Julie on her blog JulieDKohl.com, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Getting to Know Your ARWB Foodies
Keisha Pittman 
Arkansas Women Blogger’s Calendar Cultivator and member