Food & Recipes - grace grits and gardening

July Cobbler, an old Ozark recipe

July 8, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Have you heard of a July Cobbler? Until last weekend I hadn’t, but I found this recipe in an old Ozarks Collection Cookbook someone left in our Little Free Library. I LOVE old cookbooks, and I’ve been reading it cover to cover. The cookbook is filled not only with old regional recipes but also snippets about traditions of a “storied region”. And there are sketches throughout, small pencil drawings of barns and farmers and crops growing in fields. This treasure is a great example of one of the many benefits of having a Little Free Library. I never know what will show up next.Continue Reading

Simple Summer Salad

June 3, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Certain flavors are happy together. One enhances the other. This simple summer salad does just that. The combination of only a few ingredients sing. Try it, you’ll like it, even if you’re one of those people who doesn’t appreciate the under appreciated radish.

Trust me, use butter lettuce (also known as Boston and Bibb). Butter lettuce is usually found it in a plastic container with the roots knotted at the bottom. This variety is super duper fresh because it’s still alive. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of washing lettuce, and butter lettuce is easy to wash because the leaves are loose. Although this lettuce is a bit more expensive than some, there is no waste. You will eat the entire thing, other than the roots, which you will toss in your compost. The leaves are sweet. As you will taste with this simple recipe, you don’t have to dress up butter lettuce to make it flavorful. And, these leaves are especially perfect for wraps.

Now about radishes. The radish often gets a bad rap. People don’t like them for whatever reason(s). But you might want to learn because the health benefits are astounding. From liver detoxification (hello drinkers…) to respiratory cures (allergy sufferers!), radishes even help with insect stings. Plus, they are easy to grow, inexpensive to buy, and a bag will last months in your fridge.

Look how gorgeous they are!

Okay. I’ve stated my case, so now on to my simple summer salad. I know you will love it!!

Simple Summer Salad

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped dill
1/2 Tablespoon freshly chopped chives
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1 head of butter lettuce torn into pieces
5 radishes thinly sliced

Instructions

Toast pine nuts in a 375 degree oven until golden brown. This doesn't take long, about 5-7 minutes depending upon your oven.
In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mayo and herbs.
Arrange lettuce and radishes onto salad plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle with creamy dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

What’s your favorite summer salad?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]This will soon be your favorite summer salad! Promise. #simplerecipes #gardentotable #IHeartRadishes[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:

Happy Together, The Turtles

on this Memorial Day…

May 24, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

On this Memorial Day weekend while you enjoy time off work having fun with family and chowing on delicious barbecue, be sure to make time to remember those patriots who sacrificed all for our country, our freedom, our tomorrows.

Upper Cemetery, Brinkley, Arkansas

Unknown Soldier, Berryville, Arkansas

Fly your flag. Say a prayer. Meditate on how lucky we are to live in a democratic society. Do something patriotic today and everyday.

We don’t have a flag yet for our new (old) house, but after searching and searching, I finally found the bunting which we brought from our Dallas house. It was hiding in a drawer. I love the look of bunting, especially draped on old porch railings.

Our house is dressed up for Memorial Day

Our porch dressed for Memorial Day.

I decorated our Little Free Library for Memorial Day too! If you live in the neighborhood, be sure to check out our book selection for every age reader. Books change daily! And there are seeds in the bottom drawer. Zinnias were recently added (although I can’t promise they are still there).

Our Little Free Library is ready for Memorial Day!

Our Little Free Library decorated for Memorial Day! (Fayetteville, Ar)

Oh, and eat some barbecue! John will be grilling ribs—he’s a master at it. If it’s raining where you are, and it seems to be raining everywhere, try these oven roasted barbecued chicken thighs I made last week. Trust me, this is simple. I made this dish using only my right hand. Why? Because my left index finger was wrapped in a paper towel held above my heart/head to keep myself from bleeding out. #DullKnifeProblems #Distracted #NoTimeForStitches

Rinse and pat dry chicken. Place skin side down on an oiled cookie sheet. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes.
Coat with your favorite sauce (see mine below). Turn and coat the other side. Roast 10 minutes skin side up.
Slather on more sauce. Roast another 10 minutes. (Do not turn again.)
Repeat one more time turning the oven up to 475.
Let rest 10 minutes before eating.

I made the sauce using one cup of Bentley’s Batch 5 Reserve (my favorite!) mixed with two heaping tablespoons of apricot preserves and 3-4 chopped garlic cloves. (Recipe inspired by the one and only Pioneer Woman.) If you are a vegetarian, try this sauce with roasted veggies.

Happy Memorial Day folks!

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]Take time out of your #MemorialDayWeekend to remember. #America #Freedom @BentleysBatch5 [/tweetthis]

America, The Beautiful – Cedarmont Kids