grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Sunday Letter: 10.10.21

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Sunday Letter

Hey, Sunday Letter friends!

It’s been a minute or two.

I’ve been having a heck of a time balancing my writing lately. I’m approaching the editing deadline for my next book (yay!), and so I’ve been spending most of my time working on that. Also, a couple of other article deadlines have jumped up and tagged me on the shoulder. I say this to excuse the state of my recent blog posting. Or lack of blog posting, I should say.

And then there’s college football—I can’t get anything done on game day! Mercy, yesterday was filled with exciting games won and lost in the last seconds; I cheered through several of them. Two things are for sure in college football: 1) any team can win on any given day; and, 2) home team advantage is alive and real.Continue Reading

Pappardelle with Fresh Pesto and Chicken (oh my!)

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Pappardelle Pasta with Fresh Pesto and Chicken

Pasta + Pesto + Chicken

Last week I was in the mood for pasta. AND I was determined to make use of the bumper crop of fresh basil growing in my herb garden. It’s been a stellar summer for herb-growing, and I refuse to let a single leaf go to waste. So I whipped up a delicious platter of pappardelle with fresh pesto and chicken.

Pesto is easy to make. After tasting the homemade version, you’ll never buy pesto from a jar again. Continue Reading

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!