Happy National S’mores Day!
I’m celebrating this holiest of holidays with a guest post on making homemade marshmallows over at Treatsie! They are really easy and about 100 times more delicious than that jet-puffed garbage you buy at grocery stores. Check out this post here.
If you’ve ever been to a Momofuku Milk Bar, then you know the sort of treasures to be had there. Birthday cake truffles (don’t), cereal milk ice cream (stop), compost cookies (I can’t). It is a heaven of delicious treats. And their top seller? The Crack Pie, named so because it is as addictive as a highly illegal drug. Turns out, Crack Pie ain’t hard to make. And should be a required skill considering that even those who live in NYC and have access to them can’t buy them for less than $44 a pop.
So head on over to Bourbon and Boots where my recipe is up and waiting for you.
PS. Don’t forget to enter our Stella & Dot giveaway! We’ll announce this winner tomorrow!
If you’re scrambling for a last minute, quick and easy dessert or snack for your 4th of July holiday this weekend, be sure and check out my guest post today over at Treatsie! I’m showing readers how to make red, white and blue, cream-cheese stuffed Star-Spangled Strawberries!
Just five quick ingredients using farm fresh fruit and you’ve got yourself a sweet, tart, cream cheesy treat! Get the recipe here.
Last week, I got the opportunity to revisit P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm to participate in Farm2Home 2014, a full day event sponsored by Arkansas Grown and Arkansas Made, programs created by the Arkansas Agriculture Department, in partnership with P. Allen Smith to promote eating and buying local. I’m a big fan of eating ingredients purchased from local farmers’ markets, as well as shopping at locally owned boutiques and eating at locally owned restaurants, so this event was right in my wheelhouse!
Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend a day at Moss Mountain Farm?
We arrived to a delicious breakfast spread and a quick introduction from Allen before touring his gorgeous home and gardens. For more photos of the home, check out this post from my visit a couple weeks ago when I was invited to attend an event for #AR549.
The gardens were in full, summery bloom and as Allen led us down the garden paths, he pointed out the different plants and was happy to answer any of our gardening queries! I’ve always been so impressed with these gardens and the way the home has a 6,000 gallon cistern under the yard that collects rainwater to water the plants with.
After the tour, Allen and Butch Calhoun, Secretary of Agriculture for the State of Arkansas, gave a brief talk about the importance of supporting local growers, and then we were given the opportunity to chat with a panel of farmers from around Arkansas including Beth Eggers from Wye Mountain Flowers and Berries, Mark Morgan of Peach Pickin’ Paradise, Chuck McCool of McCool Farms and Bob Barnhill of Barnhill Orchards. Hearing directly from these farmers was enlightening, and they really do rely so heavily on our support both at farmers markets and, as in Morgan’s case, visiting the orchards in person.
After a quick tour of the vegetable gardens (where we ate blackberries right off the branch), we were treated to lunch by Chef Jerrmy Gawthrop from Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville. Award-winning black bean burger with a Greek yogurt bun (yum)…triple berry baby kale salad (yummmm) and for dessert, Greek yogurt cheese cake with a raspberry peach sauce (YUMMMMMM). Before we could fall into a delicious food coma, it was time for the good stuff: a mini-farmers market, just for us!
Farmers and producers from all over the state (and participants in the Arkansas Grown and Arkansas Made programs) were set up under a huge tent, offering samples and telling us about their farms. Above, Bob Barnhill and Butch Calhoun talk seriously about heirloom tomatoes.
We sampled berries, cheese, muscadine wine (!), breads, cakes. And yes, I’m aware that we had just finished a huge meal. But we couldn’t….stop…sampling. There was plenty of time to talk to each farmer and learn about what they do and where and how.
And Loblolly’s ice cream truck was there, too. More sampling, duh.
My friend Hannah and I chatted for a long time with Ethan and Ellyse, the brother-sister team from Heirloom Kitchens and Ethan’s Heirloom Gardens who create baked goods from passed-down recipes and grow heirloom plants as well.
We also met Josh Hardin of Laughing Stock Farms, Joseph Post of Post Familie Winery, Joey of EG’s Funky Yard Bird BBQ sauce, the sassy gals from Wicked Mix, plus many more – all of which you can read about here on the Arkansas Grown website.
Our final tour of the day was to see Allen’s “Poultry Palace”, a large barn built to house the number of heritage chicken breeds raised at Moss Mountain Farm, including Silver Lace Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, White-Faced Black Spanish, and Silver Spangled Hamburgs.
And after all that, we were treated to one last party, with music by the always lovely Bonnie Montgomery, cocktails and treats before heading home. It was an awesome (albeit sweaty and a bit dusty) day and one that sent me home thinking about all that Arkansas has to offer. We’re lucky to have the type of weather and seasons that allow us to produce food most months of the year.
If you’re interested in learning more, be sure and check out the Arkansas Grown website, as well as P. Allen Smith’s website, for ways that you can support a local farmer. If you’re not sure where to start, I suggest checking out a farmers market and getting to know the farmers you’re buying from.
The Bernice Garden Farmers Market, Sundays from 10am-2pm, is my personal favorite and you’ll see me there almost every weekend. It’s also right down the street from some local favorites like Boulevard Bread, the Green Corner Store and Loblolly Creamery, The Root Cafe and Clement/Sweet Home.
Where do you shop for local goods?
This week, I revisited the farm of P. Allen Smith for Farm2Home 2014, an event that focused on eating and buying locally grown produce and Arkansas-made goods, something that I try to do as often as possible. So I thought it was sort of fitting that I’ve got a guest blog post up over at Treatsie today sharing the recipe for these fresh fruit tarts with coconut cream, made from whatever fruit is plentiful at your local farmer’s market right now! I used fresh berries and rhubarb for these but wouldn’t peach be amazing too?
Pop on over to Treatsie for the full recipe, and be on the lookout for my blog post about Farm2Home 2014 next week!
For those of you waiting on a Met Gala fashion recap, cool your jets, babies. It’s a’coming. In the meantime, check out my guest post at Treatsie. I’m making my grandmother’s famous strawberry meringue pie from her very vintage recipe cards. It’s a can’t miss for Mother’s Day!
And while you’re over there, check out this recipe from National Pretzel Day. These bad boys lasted all of three hours in my house the day I made them! Blogging for a candy/dessert website may be dangerous!
Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles
Okay…back to work on that fashion recap!
I’m not a stuff person. I don’t like to have a lot of stuff around the house. I am constantly cleaning out closets and throwing things away. I’m the opposite of a hoarder, I frequently think, “Where’d I put that thing I need?” then remember that in a moment of cleaning euphoria, I threw it away that one time. So as you can imagine, this whole subscription box craze is not for me. I tried Birchbox and realized about two months into it that I hate having piles of small things around. WHAT AM I DOING?! Cancelled immediately.
But it seems I’ve found the one subscription box I can fully get behind.
Me and four of my college friends are spread out all over the country, so we usually go in together for a flower or cupcake delivery on each other’s birthdays. But this year, knowing how much Aaron and I love a good cocktail, the girls sent me a Julibox, a cocktail delivery service. On my birthday, I received an email from Julibox letting me know that my box would ship middle of March. And around the middle of March, I received a second email letting me know which mixers I would need for the cocktails that would be arriving in just a few days.
And when it came, I was absolutely thrilled. Everything about this company – from the box to the packaging to the TINY LIQUOR BOTTLES – is well-designed and fun. And I am a sucker for good packaging.
Each Julibox contains recipe cards and spirits for two glasses each of two different cocktails. So you and a date can enjoy two different drinks. The recipes are created by Julibox and tell you everything you’ll need, how to make it, a toast, and space for tasting notes.
Since I received the March Julibox, my two cocktails were St. Patrick’s Day-themed – the Basilica and the Old Dublin Mule. Did I mention: TINY LIQUOR BOTTLES?!
We made the Basilica first. And just as the email from Julibox told me, they were sending the spirits (gin and Angostura bitters) and I would need sugar, basil and a lime.
And the next night, the Old Dublin Mule, which was definitely my favorite with whiskey, cardamom syrup and dry ginger ale from Julibox. Mint and lime provided by me.
I don’t think I need to tell you that I absolutely love this idea. Of course, because they are a small, growing company, there’s a wait list to get a Julibox subscription right now, but add me to it! Prices start at $36/month and I think it’s totally worth it, considering you’d pay $10-12 per cocktail at a restaurant.
If you like cocktails, check out our Summer Cocktail Series here, or my Autumn Cocktail Series at Bourbon and Boots here.
Cheers!
WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?! Head on over to Bourbon and Boots to get the recipe for my strawberry pie with a layered heart crust. The perfect pie for Valentine’s Day. Or, you know, eating alone. Whatever floats your boat.
Those of you who were fans of the Summer Cocktail Series Aaron and I did last summer should check out my guest post on Bourbon and Boots today! I share recipes for three delish, seasonal cocktails that you can use to impress your Thanksgiving guests!
Aaron and I are in the middle of two big house projects, both of which require painting. Outside. Unfortunately, we’ve had a series of rainy weekends that have kept us way behind schedule. Fortunately, it’s October, and a cold, rainy weekend means two things: football and chili. So on Saturday, as Aaron was getting excited about the football game, I was whipping up a fall and winter staple at our house – vegetarian chili.
I started making this recipe in college, back when I was actually a vegetarian and very poor. After Aaron and I started dating, the first time I made it for him, I didn’t tell him it was vegetarian. And guess what? He didn’t notice. HIGH-FIVE! Not only is it meat-free, it also has about 1.5 grams of fat per serving (until you add cheese and avocado, of course). So, let’s see…delicious, filling, cheap and good for you? DON’T JUST STAND THERE, GO MAKE THIS CHILI.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups “Simply Organic” fat-free vegetable broth
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon each salt, pepper, smoked paprika, Cavender’s, dried oregano
1 bag Morningstar Farms Grillers Recipe Crumbles
1 15-ounce can “Simply Organic” pinto beans
1 15-ounce can “Simply Organic” dark red kidney beans
1 15-ounce can “Simply Organic” peeled crushed tomatoes
1 15-ounce can “Simply Organic” tomato sauce
OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon sauce from adobo peppers, toppings such as avocado, grated cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, jalapeños
In a large stock pot, combine broth, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Cook over medium high heat until vegetables are soft.
THIS PART IS KEY: When the vegetables are soft and transparent, add all your seasonings. Don’t wait till the end! If you try to add your seasonings once you’ve got all your thick, meaty chili ingredients, they won’t properly combine. So add them to your broth and vegetables and stir to combine.
Allow the mixture to cook a few minutes longer. The liquid will thicken slightly and smell amazing. IF you want to add a teaspoon of adobo pepper sauce, stir it in now. I say “if” because this will make your chili pretty spicy, but it will also give it a great chipotle flavor.
Next, add everything else – beans, tomatoes and sauce, and “meat” – just throw it in there frozen. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. When bubbles start to appear, cover and reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Let it cook for about half an hour. Carefully taste it and see if you want to add more of any of the spices. I never measure them and I always add more at this stage, so my spice amounts are purely estimates!
Serve immediately with toppings such as chopped avocado, grated cheese (I use Gruyere), sour cream or Greek yogurt, or pickled jalapenos.
rosemary on the tv 