grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Ultimate Hot Chocolate

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Ultimate Hot Chocolate

I believe if you’re going to drink hot chocolate, drink hot chocolate. The real deal. Go big and luscious with toppings and add-ons, what I like to call the ultimate hot chocolate. ‘Tis the season to do things right, after all.

If you live in Northwest Arkansas, pick up a bag of Loblolly Creamery‘s Spicy Hot Chocolate at Ozark Natural Foods. If spicy isn’t your thing, Loblolly makes regular and peppermint as well. Or, use whatever hot chocolate mix or recipe you prefer. One thing I know—it will be creamier if you whip it up with hot milk rather than water.

Oh the toppings!

The hot chocolate is only the beginning. Next, the fun part.Continue Reading

Chicken Fagioli Soup

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Chicken Fagioli Soup

Chicken Fagioli Soup hits the spot on a chilly, drizzly fall day. And yesterday, that was our weather here in Northwest Arkansas. It was perfect for writing and reading, but a girl’s gotta eat, too. So I whipped up a batch of fagioli soup using ingredients on hand.

I think this would be amazing made with leftover grilled-on-the-Green-Egg Italian sausage, but it was mighty good (and a bit lighter) made with spinach and feta chicken sausage. I used Applegate Organic brand.

(By the way, fagioli means pasta and beans.)Continue Reading

Barnett’s Dairyette ~ a blast from the past!

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Barnett's Dairyette

One step inside Barnett’s Dairyette in Siloam Springs and your blood pressure will lower. One bite of a cheeseburger and you’ll be transported home to the diner that will forever occupy a space in your heart. For me, that would be the Yellow Jacket Cafe and the Shake Shack, both in Keiser, Arkansas.

Both long gone.Continue Reading

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