grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Summer Reads in our Little Free Library!

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Little Free Library Summer Reads

Hey Northwest Arkansas! Our Little Free Library is stocked with great summer reads. Yesterday, John and I spent some time browsing (and buying) at Trolley Line Bookshop in Rogers, Arkansas. Trolley Line is a great little bookstore filled with so many treasures. And, since we were on a roll, we hit Dickson Street Books in Fayetteville on the way home.

So what makes a great summer read?

Brevity bordering on frivolity? Or something you can sink your heels into while you soak up the sun at the beach?Continue Reading

Happy Independence Day to you!

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O beautiful, for spacious skies

Happy Independence Day, America!

Did you know…?

Thirty-three-year-old Katherine Bates wrote America the Beautiful after hiking to Pike’s Peak. “It was then and there, as I was looking out over the sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under those ample skies, that the opening lines of the hymn floated into my mind.” (biography.com via Library of Congress)

Bates received $5 for the initial publication of her poem and released all future royalties.

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Grilled Poundcake with Fresh Strawberries and Basil

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Grilled poundcake with strawberries and basil is that special sweet something you need for your 4th of July celebration. This dessert is super simple to make, especially since you’re already planning to fire up your grill for the holiday. Right?

Grilled Poundcake with Fresh Strawberries and Basil

Here’s the simple part—I used a bakery poundcake and Reddi-wip® in a canister.

Okay, keeping it real here—sometimes I make homemade whipped cream, and sometimes I don’t. Usually I make homemade poundcake. This time, I didn’t. If you prefer to make your own poundcake, I highly recommend Elvis’s Poundcake. It’s the best I’ve ever had. But, for this dessert, I don’t think it makes a hill of beans difference whether you bake a cake and whip up cream or run down to the local IGA. There’s magic in the combination of smoky flavor + sweetness + twist of basil.

A fanciful flavorful fabulous strawberry shortcake.

Trust me.Continue Reading

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!