Tag: Megaphone Summit

Debbie Arnold: Thoughts on Megaphone Summit’s Foodie Friday and More

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.

 

liz bray and amy hannon megaphone summit 2017

 

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.

awbu mountain view boots

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. 

arwb hot springs friends gather

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.

kyran debbie sarabeth ferncliff red t-shirts

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?

arwb hot springs

 

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?

Foodie Friday at Megaphone Summit

Foodie Friday

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.”

Follow Jason on Instagram and Twitter.

 

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.”

Bring your cameras!

Follow Nancy on Instagram.

Foodie Friday Hostesses

Got a question? These ladies have all the answers!

 

Megaphone Summit full schedule: HERE

Thanks, y’all. See you there!

 

Debbie Arnold

Here are your hashtags:)

#FoodieFriday

#Megaphone17

Sister Schubert’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding {Foodie Friday}

Sister Schubert, aka Patricia Barnes,  made a whole bunch of new “sisters” at this year’s Megaphone Summit Foodie Friday when she shared this Cinnamon Bread Pudding! Plus, along the way, she shared some life lessons she has learned while becoming the “roll lady.”  Barnes travels the world promoting good food and good deeds—both ways to “share warmth” with friends just met and people loved most.

nwafoodie diningwithdebbie sister schubert prattplaceinn bread pudding foodie friday

Photo Courtesy of Lyndi Fultz

Foodie Friday was held at the gorgeous Pratt Place Inn and Barn, a true jewel of a place in Fayetteville. The day was beautiful, the weather a little breezy and the company and speakers were amazing. Sister paid us the highest compliment when she said, “These are my people.”

Pratt Place Inn Veranda

Don’t you just love that?

sister schubert and debbie arnold check out the recipe for rum glaze

When she arrived Thursday evening, she jumped right in the middle of our bread pudding preparations showing us some of her tricks with the dish. For example, Sister says to always put the raisins in the bottom of the baking dish. Otherwise, she says the raisins will get too brown if they are placed on top. She also suggested that you just might want to use a pan and a half of her frozen cinnamon bread rolls. Be sure to push the bread cubes (we cut cubes, she tore cubes) down into the custard so that they get thoroughly soaked.

Oh, and don’t skip soaking the raisins in the bourbon. Woops! 

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Sister Says” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”FFFCAB” cbgcolor=”FFFCAB” bgcolorto=”FFFCAB” cbgcolorto=”FFFCAB” image=”null”]…Soak raisins in a few tablespoons of bourbon until plump and rehydrated. The alcohol cooks out during baking, leaving the wonderful flavor behind. This bread pudding bakes up beautifully—golden brown on top, soft and rich inside and brimming with sweet cinnamon flavor.[/stextbox]

 

500-sisters-bread-pudding-foodie-friday-megaphone-summit

Photo Courtesy of Stacey Valley

Attendees received an autographed copy of her cookbook Celebrations From the Heart, co-authored with Betty Sims. Proceeds from the sale of Celebrations go to 3 foundations near to Sister’s heart:

500-sister-with-jodi-debbie-kellee-megaphone-summit-foodie-friday

Many thanks to the best kitchen crew EVER! Kellee Mayfield and Jodi Coffee, you are incredible.

jodi coffee and kellee mayfield sister schubert's bread pudding foodie friday 16

Thanks as well to Talya Boerner, Keisha McKinney and Lyndi Fultz for handling the registration and for pitching in whereever and whenever it was needed. You guys are pretty darn special yourselves.

foodie friday, megaphone summit, keisha, talya, penguin

Photo Courtesy of Talya Boerner

Print
Sister Schubert’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Mama's Rum Sauce

6 - 8 servings

Caloried: Don't ask.

Ingredients

    Bread Pudding
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins
  • 4-5 Tablespoons bourbon ( We substituted hot water.)
  • 1 pan Sister Schubert's Cinnamon Rolls
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2 teaspoons bourbon or 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
    Mama's Rum Sauce
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons rum extract or dark rum

Instructions

    Bread Pudding
  1. Soak raisins in a few tablespoons of bourbon or hot water until plump and rehydrated. Drain.
  2. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch casserole with nonstick spray or butter.
  3. Cut 1 pan Sister Schubert's Cinnamon Rolls into 1- inch cubes. (Sister sometimes uses an extra 1/2 pan.)
  4. Place raisins in the bottom of the casserole and top with bread cubes.
  5. Using a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with egg yolks until light and fluffy.
  6. Add cream, sugar, salt and bourbon or vanilla to eggs; whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in cream and vanilla.
  7. Pour custard over bread cubes and raisins pushing down with a spatula so that all of the bread is wet with custard.
  8. Dot casserole with butter and sprinkle with pecans.
  9. Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
  10. Preheat oven to 350*.
  11. Bake on center rack until pudding is golden and center is set, approximately 55 to 60 minutes.
  12. Allow pudding to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.
    Mama's Rum Sauce
  1. Using a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until mixture is slightly thickened, approximately 3 - 5 minutes; remove from heat.
  2. Stir in vanilla and rum extracts, stirring until well combined.
  3. Pour sauce over warm bread pudding in the casserole
  4. Serve bread pudding still warm from the oven.

Notes

Mama's Rum Sauce may be prepared ahead of time and left at room temperature for up to 24 hours. If desired, serve bread pudding with sauce on the side, allowing each guests to add sauce as desired. This recipe works equally as well with chopped, dried apples instead of the raisins. Walnuts may replace pecans. Toast nuts slightly, if desired.

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/sister-schuberts-cinnamon-bread-pudding-foodie-friday/

 [stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Sister Says” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”FFFCAB” cbgcolor=”FFFCAB” bgcolorto=”FFFCAB” cbgcolorto=”FFFCAB” image=”null”]Mama says not to worry about storing leftovers [of the sauce]; there won’t be any![/stextbox]