grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

The best Spicy Pulled Pork in all the land. And football.

September 19, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Yesterday I made a spicy pulled pork based on Ree Drummond’s (The Pioneer Woman’s) recipe. I give her all the credit. I haven’t changed any of her ingredients because there’s no reason to tamper with the best pulled pork recipe in all the land. The only thing I do differently is I don’t use a food processor. Instead, I dice the onion and hand mix all the ingredients. I like to have pieces of onion in the mix. Plus, I don’t own a food processor. Crazy, I know.

Here’s a LINK to The Pioneer Woman’s recipe. Go check it out. She has beautiful pictures and step-by-step instructions.

Now on to football. John and I will be at the Razorback game today. And wooo pig, the weather should be nice. (The first game was hot!) Will the Hogs remember to show up? Please, yes. They play Texas Tech—love those old Southwest Conference rivalries. I’ll be secretly scouting the Red Raiders for next week’s Baylor Bear game. (So Briles, call me.)Continue Reading

Genealogy. My new favorite thing!

September 18, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

A few days ago I decided to dig into our family genealogy. I knew a bit about the Johnson side thanks to Momma’s first cousin who did research before the days of the internet. I knew less about the Creecy side and very little about the Tate/McGougan side other than at some point someone was scalped by an Indian. I remember being told about the Indian story but apparently no one else does (although I haven’t quizzed my sister, so maybe she does, but since she has a faded memory, probably not).

Let me just say right off—what an easy way to lose track of time. As I began to find clue after clue and unravel generation after generation, the whole thing became addictive. Sort of like working a crossword puzzle. I fill in one name which makes another name easier to discover. But I have a difficult time focusing on one particular tree branch and seem to jump branches a lot. Like a squirrel.

But the sheer possibilities, the idea of what might be found, is so intriguing.Continue Reading

Save the Osceola Courthouse.

September 16, 2015 By Talya Tate Boerner

Hey y’all. I’m excited that my first article as a regular contributor for Delta Crossroads is included in the Fall 2015 issue. It’s an opinion piece on saving the Osceola Courthouse, a gorgeous Classic Revival masterpiece that deserves at a minimum a discussion about its value to the city beyond dollars.

A snippet from the article:

Antique bricks and mortar, a shimmering copper dome high above the oak trees—the Osceola Courthouse is so much more than the structure itself. The courthouse marks the centerpiece of the square, the town’s greatest landmark.

Osceola, named for Chief Osceola of the Seminole tribe, became the county seat of Mississippi County (located in Northeast Arkansas) near the end of the nineteenth century. In 1900, Osceola was a boomtown, a stop on the main line of the St. Louis-San Francisco “Frisco” Railway. The downtown area bustled with two ice plants, two bottling works, a wagon factory, and electric and water utilities. The town even boasted an opera house. Fancy.

To read the entire article online, click HERE. (Be sure to read all the articles—this month’s issue is dedicated to fall and harvest. The Save the Osceola Courthouse article can be found on pages 27-30.)

AND, for those of you interested in my soon-to-be published book, Accidental Salvation of Gracie Lee, there’s a surprise on page 32.