Food - grace grits and gardening

Go Texan! Buy Local.

October 15, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

Soon I’ll be heading to Helena, Arkansas to spend time with a few of my fellow Arkansas Women Bloggers. If you know anything about me, you know I love going home to the Delta.

Since I’m the only Texas girl attending this event—(yes, I claim dual citizenship…)—I thought it would be fun to take a bit of Texas with me to share with my blogger friends. And, since I happened to be in the Food and Fiber Building at the State Fair of Texas when this genius of an idea struck me, what better gift for these ladies than locally made Texas goodies?

I began snapping pictures of various products in the Go Texan General Store, grabbing business cards and tasting samples when available. The Food and Fiber Building is known for bountiful samples…plus while grazing, there are educational exhibits to peruse about cotton farming. (Need I say more?)

Later that night I contacted four of the businesses represented at the State Fair. Would you like to donate something to a great group of Arkansas blogger gals?

Every Single Business enthusiastically agreed to provide something for my blogger friends. These small businesses blew me away with their generosity providing marvelous candies and soaps and lotions and lip balms.

I was reminded of how important it is to buy local. These are the local businesses that keep our country ticking, even when it isn’t…

Feast your eyes on these gorgeous offerings.

Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company
Cedar Creek, Texas

Seriously? Candy corn + Chocolate = Heaven.

Go Texan! Buy Local. Main Street Soap Company

Main Street Soap Company
Richland Hills, Texas

I wonder if I could trade rosemary for soap?

Goat Haus Dairy
Bryan, Texas

I slathered goat milk lotion all over my arms at the fair and considered drinking it…

Two Girls Toffery
Addison, Texas

I’ve had a thing for toffee since my first trick-or-treating Heath bar. THIS is slap yo momma greatness.

There’s still time to buy these goodies in person at the State Fair of Texas General Store in the Food and Fiber Building. (The fair runs through Sunday, October 20.)

Or, visit online by clicking on the company names below:

Berdoll Pecan Candy
Main Street Soap
Goat Haus Dairy
Two Girls Toffery

Are you making out your Christmas list yet?

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

P.S. There are many, many other Go Texan companies represented at the State Fair. For a complete listing, click HERE.

(The companies mentioned in this post provided gifts for a blogger tourism event at my request. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions and comments are my own.)

Dark Chocolate Edamame Apple Biscotti

October 5, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

I come from a long line of soybean farmers so I feel a certain kinship to edamame. Steamed in the pods, edamame is one of my favorite appetizers. Dry-roasted, it makes a quick snack. On this rainy, cool fall day, I decided to bake with edamame using ingredients in my pantry. I ended up with this Dark Chocolate Edamame Apple Biscotti. I know my Daddy would be proud…

grace grits and gardening the miracle bean

Ingredients

2 cups self-rising flour

scant cup of sugar (scant because I ran out…)

1/4 cup applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped dry-roasted edamame

1/2 cup chopped apple

Method

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Before mixing ingredients, remove hulls and chop edamame. (Rub a handful of beans in the palm of your hand, and the hulls will separate fairly easily…) Set aside.

the miracle bean

Mix applesauce and sugar together. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add flour slowly, mixing by hand. Dough will become thick and stiff. Fold in beans, chocolate chips and apple by hand. (This is the point when I thought cranberries or dried cherries would be a yummy addition, but I was too lazy to run to the grocery store, plus it was still raining. So I added diced apple instead. Worked great!)

the fun part!

Divide dough in half. Form two logs (about 10×2 inches) on a cookie sheet. The dough is very sticky. (Moistened fingertips helps.) Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove and let cool 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 275 degrees.

smells heavenly!

After the biscotti has cooled, slice diagonally and lay pieces on the parchment lined cookie sheet. (Eat the little end pieces—they’re too small to go back in the oven…)

Bake another 15 minutes.

Delicious with coffee or hot tea!

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening

Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Chopped Cobb Salad with Chick Peas

September 30, 2013 By Talya Tate Boerner

This version of a Cobb salad is perfect when you’re in the mood for a light dinner, yet you want something more substantial than a basic tossed salad. This is also a great way to use up all those veggies in your crisper that seemed like a great idea at time but somehow never made it into the week’s menu.

With traditional ingredients like bacon and boiled eggs plus a few updates such as goat cheese and chick peas, what’s not to love? Plus, arranging the ingredients in rows, makes dinner more festive. We southern girls know about food presentation…

Ingredients

(serves two main courses)

3 1/2 cups fresh greens – including spinach and kale
4 boiled eggs, chopped
5 slices of bacon, crumbled
1 cup chick peas
3/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
4-5 green onions, chopped
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh ground black pepper
sea salt

Crumble and/or chop ingredients so that pieces are relatively uniform.

Arrange on dinner plates in rows, alternating ingredients and food colors with greens in the center.

Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar (or other favorite dressing). Sprinkle with pepper and sea salt to taste.

If you have a house divided (like mine)—vegetarians and carnivores—set up a mini-salad bar and let each design his or her own plate. Substitute avocado for the bacon and veggie lovers will be happy.

For meat-lovers, add or substitute shredded turkey and/or chicken—whatever’s on hand.

Yummy!

talya

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

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