TALYA BOERNER: SPICY CREAMED CARROTS AND CAULIFLOWER
Hey everyone! If you’re looking for a healthy, flavorful substitute for mashed potatoes, my recipe for spicy creamed carrots and cauliflower is a winner. It has a back-end spicy kick and very few calories. Hello, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian.
Yes, I like mashed potatoes with cream gravy just like the next normal person. I’m a fan of mashed sweet potatoes, too. But my spicy creamed carrots and cauliflower makes a tasty side dish without all the calories. Try it with roast chicken or grilled pork chops. Yum. READ MORE
ANITA STAFFORD: POUND CAKE COOKIES
Spring has arrived, and these Pound Cake Cookies are perfect for the events that come with springtime. If you’re hostessing a tea or a shower this spring you may want to serve a tray of these buttery little morsels. READ MORE
AMANDA FARRIS: STRAWBERRY SALAD
Arkansas strawberries are ready so we have been eating all things strawberry at our house. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry salad, strawberry smoothies, strawberry muffins and anything else we can think of to put a strawberry in.
Strawberry stands are a huge part of my monthly budget this time of year. I just can’t stop myself from stopping at one to buy some local berries from local farmers. READ MORE
In Northeast Arkansas spring is a time for being outside, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the freshness in the air.
In Blytheville, spring means it is time for the Farmer’s Market.Several years ago Blytheville started looking for ways to draw people to Main Street.A once thriving place, where most of the city’s businesses were located, it was then sparsely lined with businesses among empty buildings and sidewalks.
Sitting on the west end of Main Street is a blue building prominently displaying a vertical sign with lighted letters, identifying the building as the Greyhound Bus Station.The city and Main Street Blytheville organization has diligently worked to restore the building to its original grandeur.The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it is believed to be only one of three of a kind still in existence. Built in 1939, the building houses the local tourist information center, Main Street Blytheville, and now the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market.
Not as large as some Farmers Markets, Main Street Farmers Market in Blytheville is a taste of small town Northeast Arkansas. You can buy fresh vegetables, locally baked goods and craft items.On almost any Saturday morning, there will be coffee and homemade tamales available.
Being a vegetarian in a family of carnivores, I often try to cook recipes that will bring my meat-eating family members over to the vegetarian side.One of my family’s favorite recipes is fried spinach artichoke balls.My boys never make fun of my vegetables served up southern fried.
Connie is a 50-something wife, mother, Nana, doggie mom, vegetarian, living in the small community of Blytheville, AR. located in the far Northeast corner of the State. She shares a home with her husband aka The Big Man, 14 rescue dogs and 10 chickens. Collectively they have five adult near-perfect children and five perfect grandboys and 5 awesome granddogs. Connie is a family nurse practitioner and manages a free health clinic (Great River Charitable Clinic). She and the Big Man also own and operate Bed and Biscuit Boarding. Connie is an active member of the Blytheville Humane Society. Her lbog Scrapbook Wife chronicles her journey to live a balance simple life making her little corner of the world a better place to live.
The hardest part of our house to keep in order – ourselves {Spring Cleaning} Written by ARWB April 2012 Blogger of the Month. Jeanette Larson of Spinning Dreams and Weaving Yarns
Why is it that we are so good at taking care of our families, our friends, our homes and our other obligations, but we have to really remind, push and force ourselves to take care “me”?
As I was mixing up the feed for our 30-year-old horse, I realized that I had forgotten to take my adrenal supplement, again. I had ended up in the hospital last month with adrenalin making my heart race, while the rest of my overworked nervous system tried to slow me down by lowering my blood pressure dramatically, “dropping you flat,” as the cardiologist said. He sent me home, telling me my heart was very healthy, but warning me that a heart attack isn’t the only thing that can kill you. Cardiologists are not known for sugar-coating their words.
This morning, I poured the special pellets into the can and mixed them up with the vitamins and minerals for our mare, as I do, every morning and every night. It’s automatic, I would never forget to feed Fria. As I was topping her breakfast off with a splash of corn oil, to keep her stomach moving, I reflected on how easy it was for me to take care of this horse. Every morning she gets her breakfast at 7 a.m. She gets fed in her special spot. She gets special food to keep her healthy and comfortable. She gets hay and grass throughout the day and then at 7 p.m. she gets her specially formulated dinner. It’ just a part of my routine. After all she is a special horse and she deserves the extra care.
Fria is a registered Arabian mare. She came into our lives when she was 13-years-old and my daughter was nine. Fria had been a broodmare in a herd that bred racing and endurance horses. At that time, one of her daughters was ranked fourth in the US at the track.
We bought Fria to use as a broodmare. They assured us that she was un-ride-able and that several people had tried to start her under saddle. The wild mare and my headstrong daughter clicked right away. It wasn’t long before Lena was riding Fria out on trails and on cattle drives. When Lena turned 10, they went with me on a competitive trail ride and placed first in the youth category. Whenever Lena needed to work something out, she’d go flying out onto the trail on Fria, and I always trusted Fria to bring her home safely.
Fria went on to have several more foals.Four of them have gone on to be champions in four different disciplines. In all, this wonderful mare has raised twelve horse babies and one of mine. She well deserves her comfortable retirement and all best care I can give her.
All of the animals on our farm have their stories and their place in our lives. The chores of caring for our critters weave naturally through my day and I can’t even imagine ever forgetting to feed, water and check on each one, each and every day. Yet, daily, I get so wrapped up in my job and the rest of my work that I forget to drink water, eat good food or just sit and catch my breath. Never mind trying to exercise on a regular basis, I keep busy enough that I can’t even think about that one.
The day I collapsed, I had skipped breakfast and then spent the morning in an intense meeting. While I know what happened was a cumulative effect, one of the steps I have taken to “take care of myself” is that I don’t allow myself out of the house in the morning without breakfast. That’s a hard discipline, because I am so busy in the mornings trying to get everything done in a short period of time. Several mornings, I’ve been in the car already, headed to work and I have to use my “mom-voice” to get myself back into the house to make breakfast. I hate having to nag myself like that.
Maybe I need some good Jen-stories to make me value me as much as I do our 30-year-old horse? After all, aren’t I a special person and don’t I deserve special care?
Jeanette Larson is the craft director at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. She writes about Spinning Dreams and Weaving Yarns on her blog www.jenonthefarm.com.