grace grits and gardening - ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Stephen King should help pay for our move.

September 13, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

What’s everyone doing this weekend?

I’ll be packing. I’ve been packing for two days, and I’m still packing books. How ridiculous. And yes, I’ve already driven a trunk load to Half-Price Books. Stephen King or John Grisham or some author whose work is filling our shelves should pitch in for the cost of our extremely HEAVY moving truck. Yes, we are book hoarders. Always have been. Always will be.

I read that you should only move books that are a) rare, b) have sentimental value, or c) will be read again. With these rules in mind, we still have enough books to lay end to end from Dallas to Fayetteville. That sentimental value rule gets me every time.

The process is sloooowwww because I find books that necessitate stopping, reading, studying. The old book pictured below came from the Keiser High School Library. Obviously I didn’t steal it because according to the due date card, the return date was “Never Ever” (mysteriously in my handwriting).

Do you remember the post “Things I Don’t Need More of Even If I Live To Be 104”? Add to the list Christmas Cards! I have discovered sacks and sacks of brand new cards stuck away in closets or cabinets. I snagged them at after-Christmas sales. A word of advice…buying something on sale never to be used is not a deal.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Smashing Pumpkins, Drown

Rice Pineapple Tropical Pudding

September 11, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

Before I get to my Rice Pineapple Tropical Pudding recipe, I want to tell you I spent the past few days with a group of phenomenal Arkansas Women Bloggers (and a couple of dudes) at our annual blogger conference. The entire event was outstanding and inspiring, and I’ll no doubt be blabbing about it for a while. Riceland Foods, one of the primary sponsors for our weekend conference, deserves a huge shout-out.

Riceland was sooooo generous, providing gift bags of rice, rice bran oil, recipes and on and on and on. I’m not kidding, y’all. Once I got back home I dedicated an entire pantry shelf to my Riceland goodies. See?

The fabulous ladies who planned the blogger conference asked me to provide a dish to share with the group, a dish highlighting Riceland Foods. Let me say right off, this Rice Pineapple Tropical Pudding recipe is simple, but making anything in a new (to me), poorly stocked kitchen (we are in the process of moving) was a foodie challenge.

This was my first cooking attempt in the new kitchen.

I only had one pot. Here it is.

I discovered rather quickly, three of my four burners have one flame temperature. HIGH. Still, I managed to make the rice, and it turned out perfectly.

And when you only have one pot? You wash it out repeatedly because the same pot is used to make whipping cream.

Can I just tell you how much I love my new deep sink?

I love my new deep sink!

making homemade whipped cream

I only had one bowl too. A large wooden salad bowl.

Even though I wagged my dish from home and stored it in the Embassy Suites refrigerator to be eaten TWO DAYS LATER(!), lots of folks asked for the recipe. So here it is. Simple, tasty, not too sweet and a great way to support Arkansas farmers. And we do love our Arkansas farmers, right?

Spooned into little cups so everyone could have a taste.

Rice Pineapple Pudding

This recipe will serve a crowd depending upon serving size.

Print Recipe

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

6 cups cooked white rice
4 cups chopped pineapple or 32 oz.
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups toasted coconut
1 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans

Method

Drain pineapple. Chop into smaller pieces so it isn't too chunky.
Mix pineapple, rice and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat together cream, vanilla and cinnamon to stiff peak stage.
Fold whipped cream into rice mixture. Refrigerate overnight.
Serve very cold topped with toasted coconut and almonds.

Doesn’t it look yummy?

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

(Although Riceland Foods sponsored the blogger event, this recipe and opinions are all my own. I was not compensated for this post and made this recipe prior to receipt of all the rice goodies pictured above.)

Please watch this heart-warming Riceland Foods video. You will not be sorry (but have your tissues handy).

Martin Farm Story:

history of things left behind

September 9, 2014 By Talya Tate Boerner

We’ve quickly come to realize our new house is unique because of things left behind by those who came before. Three things in particular strike me as notable and interesting.

First of all, our front doorway includes a Mezuzah. The practice of hanging Mezuzot on doorways is a Jewish tradition that hearkens back to Moses. After receiving the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai, Moses told the Israelites, “…write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:9)

The Mezuzah consists of two chapters from the Torah written in Hebrew on parchment, rolled into a scroll, inserted into a case, and attached to the doorpost. There are specific requirements as to how and where to affix the Mezuzah. Here’s the one attached to our front door frame.

I am humbled by the history of Mezuzah and feel having God’s word on our threshold can only be a good thing. This is part of our home’s history so I prefer to leave it. (Since John and I are not Jewish, I hope by leaving it we are not being disrespectful of the Jewish religion. Do any of my Jewish friends have an opinion?)

Our home was built in 1876. Until recently (twentieth century), families put tangible objects inside walls to protect their homes from evil spirits, ward off disease, and encourage fertility. When the prior owners renovated our house, they found this child’s shoe (a common symbol of fertility) buried in the wall. I plan to place it inside a display box to preserve it and show it off.

During renovation of our home built in 1876, an old shoe was found in the wall.

Child’s shoe found in the stairwell wall (pictured in background).

See these old bottles?

These bottles were discovered buried on the property. Since this historic area of Fayetteville was a Civil War encampment, who knows! Maybe some of these glass bottles date to the Civil War? Regardless, I am in awe of the history and grateful the bottles were left for us. I’ll be displaying these in our home too.

Do you live in an old home? Have you found cool things buried on your property or inside the walls? I’d love to know.

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.