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Hometown Holiday

November 22, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Designers Mara Lamb Malcolm and Retha Lamb create a classic Christmas setting for beloved family friends in North Central Arkansas

For years, Mara Lamb Malcolm and her mother Retha Lamb decorated homes for the holidays. And, while the mother-daughter design duo continues to grow their interior design business, they have dramatically pared down their number of Christmas décor clients. In fact, there is just one client in Malcolm’s hometown of Melbourne that they continue to help decorate for the season. “We have done this family’s home for years and it’s so special to continue to help them and to do this in my hometown,” Malcolm says….

A Fresh Thanksgiving Fete

October 21, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Don’t fret over your holiday table décor. Acclaimed designer and owner of Bear Hill Interiors, Kevin Walsh, shows you how to add flavor to the look with a few simple ideas

Think of Thanksgiving and you’re likely to envision a cornucopia and a pumpkin or two. “Pumpkins are awesome, but I really wanted to do something that felt a little different and was more in line with the design of the room,” Kevin Walsh says of a “friends-giving” scene he set for a Little Rock homeowner. Read on to see how he created the look and find inspiration for your own Thanksgiving gathering….

Halloween Spooktacular

September 19, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Stephanie Reeves of Dapper Cookie prepares for Halloween with decadent gluten-free treats for her family, friends, and trick-or-treaters

A stay-at-home mom and the creative designer and owner of Dapper Cookie, Stephanie Reeves is passionate about her family, who are gluten-free, and providing the most adorable, decorated cookies for others who are also gluten-free. From birthday parties and baby showers to school spirit days and holiday soirees, there isn’t an occasion Reeves hasn’t decoratively adorned with her fanciful cookies, and Halloween is no exception….

Family Style Fiesta

August 18, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Casual entertaining comes easy for Little Rock chef and restaurateur Ben Brainard

For Ben Brainard and his wife, Jamie, nothing stands in the way of a good party. Not even a renovation. The couple embarked on a whole home renovation of their mid-century Heights bungalow last year, finishing just in time to move back in on December 21 and host 65 guests for Christmas Eve. “I love to make my life as difficult as possible,” Brainard laughs….

On the Map

July 19, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Shindig Paperie owner Trisha Logan throws a crafty back-to-school bash using simple techniques that require minimal clean-up

As the mother of two boys and two stationery stores, Trisha Logan certainly has her hands full. When she isn’t shuttling her sons Crane, 11, and Finn, 8, to and from school and sports practices, she’s curating paper goods and gifts for her shop, Shindig Paperie, with locations on the historic downtown squares in Fayetteville and Bentonville. But even as a busy mom and business owner, she loves to throw the occasional shindig of her own. “We like to do a small celebration the night before school starts, or after the first day of school,” Logan says. “The kids come home and I’ve set up a fun dinner for them.”…

All-American Retreat

June 21, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Designer Peri-Gay Walker uses a treasured Arkansas setting as the backdrop for a memorable yet low-key Independence Day celebration

Few Arkansas retreats—if any—are as steeped in tradition as Couchwood. Set on the scenic shores of Lake Catherine, the site, which actually consists of four cabins and a train car, was built by Harvey Couch, Sr. beginning in the late 1920s. Couch, who was the founder of Arkansas Power & Light and responsible for bringing hydroelectric power to the state, built the escape as a place to entertain friends and family as well as dignitaries, including President Herbert Hoover in 1927 and President and Mrs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936.

Today, it can be rented for weddings, family reunions, and company retreats from September through May. However, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, it is reserved for exclusive use by the Couch family.

Fittingly, at the peak of the season each year, the family hosts a star-studded Fourth of July gathering on the grounds. We asked Little Rock-based entertaining guru and designer Peri-Gay Walker to set the scene for this year’s annual get-together.

Peri-Gay’s Easy Ideas for a Festive & Flavorful 4th of July

Dine Al Fresco It’s summer; now is the time to get out and enjoy nature, especially if you have a view like the one from this cabin.

Work With What You Have No need to bring in dining tables or chairs, use your outdoor rocking chairs or pull a bench up to a fold-out table for a no-fuss set up.

Keep It Casual Use baskets, enamelware, and other down-to-earth serving pieces rather than your best china. It will match your setting and be easy to transport from the kitchen.

Feel the Hues Embrace red, white, and blue but still put your spin on this color combination and think creatively about how and where you’ll use the colors. For example, I limited the use of white on the table, but allowed a bit to enter the scheme in the decorations.

Spice It Up Add a little kick to your favorite dishes. Peri-Gay created a recipe for a spicy “Firecracker Corn on the Cob” to delight diners. Get the recipe on our blog (athomearkansas.com/blog).

Say “Yes” to Pie Whether homemade or from a favorite local pie shop, these all-American sweets are a nostalgic must-have for any Independence Day social. I like storing them in a screened pie-safe to keep them fresh before serving.

Hang a Banner Whether it’s star cutouts (like the ones shown here) or a traditional flag bunting, nothing says “Happy Birthday America” quite like a simple red, white, and blue banner.

Sweeten Your Sips Add some oomph to your lemonade with fresh fruit (I used strawberries, blueberries, and orange slices) or a simple syrup purée.

Fly Your Flags Don’t forget the most important decorative element of any Independence Day celebration—the flag. Use them to decorate your table scheme and be sure to hang one near your entrance as well.

Eat In-Season Make your menu based on what is growing in the garden. For this gathering, fresh corn on the cob and fruit were a perfect pairing for burgers and hot dogs from the grill.

Add Rustic Flair For a setting such as this cabin, burlap is a natural choice for table runners and ribbon.

Accent with Yellow Bringing in this color was a top priority for me. It feels fresh and I love that we were able to incorporate it through the wildflowers and sunflowers.

Bring in Lanterns Keep lanterns close at hand to fill with lit candles during dusk celebrations and fireworks shows.

Event design Peri-Gay Walker, VIPG Designs, LLC, Little Rock, (501) 247-4906, vipgdesigns.com

For more information about Couchwood, including rental inquiries, visit couchwood.org.

Cheers to Summer!

May 19, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Chef Jen Lewis of Jen’s Art of Cooking hosts a backyard soiree complete with cocktails and appetizers that complement the setting and the season

After a trip away last year, Jen Lewis returned to a surprise at her Fayetteville home: a backyard makeover courtesy of her handy husband, John. He transformed the space just off the home’s main living room into a relaxed and welcoming outdoor living room complete with a firepit, comfortable furniture, and a fountain. Now, with the couple’s home on the market, Jen wanted to host a garden party before bidding farewell to the property and this sweet spot in its backyard. Here’s an inside look at how she pulled together an evening to remember with a few of her closest friends.

Coordinated Colors

“I chose orange, purple, green, navy, and gray for the evening’s palette,” Jen says. “These colors are in the garden and in our furniture, and I wanted the food to be an extension of that.”

Board of Plenty

The menu consisted of light appetizers, including an artisan cheese plate, that allowed guests to snack throughout the evening. Comprised of crackers, Serrano ham, apricots, kiwi, honey-maple and red-pepper walnuts, and an assortment of cheeses, the colorful board offers something for every taste.

Vegan Delight

A crudité tray features the best of the garden, including blanched asparagus, cherry tomatoes, rainbow carrots, radishes, and zucchini along with Jen’s Avocado Greek Yogurt Green Goddess Dip.

Sweet Tarts

MIA Tarts created a tower of handmade tarts, including almond crème, hazelnut caramel, and vanilla with fresh fruit. Jen often works with this Northwest Arkansas-based vendor for events and gatherings, and she couldn’t resist the opportunity to share the treats with her guests.

Apricot & Lavender Vodka Martinis

Ingredients
Martini
2 ounces vodka
½ ounce St. Germain
½ ounce Lillet Blanc
1 ounce apricot nectar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ tablespoon of Lemon-Lavender Simple
Syrup (see instructions and
ingredients below)
lemon wheels and fresh lavender, for
garnish

Lemon-Lavender Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 lemon wheels
1 teaspoon culinary lavender buds

PREPARATION
Create the simple syrup by adding water and sugar to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the lemon wheels and lavender, and bring to a low boil until the sugar is melted. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid and allow it to cool completely.
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake. Pour into martini glasses and garnish with a lemon wheel and fresh lavender, if desired.
Note: The remaining simple syrup may be stored in the refrigerator for future use.

Zucchini Fritters with Smoked Salmon & Shrimp

Ingredients
Zucchini Fritters
1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
2 scallions, split lengthwise and sliced thin
1 large egg, lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Sriracha powder
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
olive or another oil of your choice, for frying

Topping
½ cup goat cheese
½ cup cream cheese
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh herbs
poached shrimp or smoked salmon (1 piece per fritter)

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 200°F. Have a baking sheet ready.
Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Wring out the zucchini in one of the following ways: pressing it against the holes of a colander with a wooden spoon to extract the water, squeezing out small handfuls at a time, or wrapping it in a clean dishtowel or piece of cheesecloth and wringing away the water. This will save the fritters from becoming soggy.

Return the zucchini shreds to the large bowl. Taste and if you think it could benefit from more salt, add a little bit more (we found 1/4 teaspoon more just right). Stir in scallions, egg, freshly ground black pepper, and Sriracha powder. In a tiny dish, stir together flour and baking powder, then stir this mixture into the zucchini batter.

In a large heavy skillet—cast iron is Jen’s preference—heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and lightly tap them with the back of your spatula to flatten. Cook the fritters over moderately high heat until the edges underneath are golden, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. If you find this happening too quickly, reduce the heat to medium. Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath, approximately 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain briefly on paper towels and then transfer to baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the warm oven until needed. Keeping the pan well oiled, repeat the process with the remaining batter. Make sure the fritters have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting to allow them to get extra crisp.

For the topping, stir together the goat cheese, cream cheese, lemon zest, and any fresh herbs you want to include. Spread the mixture on the fritter and top with a poached shrimp or piece of smoked salmon.

Socialize with Jen!

Follow Jen on Instagram (@cookingfresh) for her latest recipes, musings, and adventures.

Set for Summer

April 26, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Southern creative JoBeth McElhanon gathers a close group of friends for a treat-filled brunch to celebrate the approach of warmer days and seasonal vacations

JoBeth McElhanon is a woman of many talents. With a background as a registered dietitian, her role as a former Junior League of Little Rock president, and her current career as the Director of Prevention Services, Marketing, and Communications at The Centers for Youth & Families, she is no stranger to having a full—albeit—balanced plate. However, it is perhaps her hospitality and graciousness that shine through most brilliantly in all her endeavors—particularly when it come to entertaining friends.

We sat in on a pre-summer brunch she hosted for a few of her closet friends. “We all met and became friends through the Junior League of Little Rock. While we are now sustainers, we continue to use the skills the league taught us to serve other non-profit organizations as volunteers,” McElhanon says of the group of women she invited to her home.

For the gathering, she consulted Sherwood’s recently opened The Humble Crumb Bakery. They created a menu of delicious pastries and breads, which McElhanon complemented with mimosas and a Honey Lavender Fruit Salad.

When it came to the decor, McElhanon used her favorite color, green—which is abundant in her West Little Rock residence—as a starting point for the table setting. “The palette I chose for our house includes various shades of green, ivory, khaki, and gray—colors that reflect growth and rejuvenation in nature. There are so many green hues throughout the house, but I think they work. When you look at nature there isn’t just one shade of green. Why shouldn’t that be true for indoors?” she says. McElhanon is also an avid collector of vintage plates and serving pieces, which she used in the setting.

However, even with all of the fun she has in setting a table and preparing food for others to enjoy, McElhanon is grounded in the real meaning of community and friendship. “All of us want to have a Pinterest- or Instagram-worthy event, but none of us really have the time to agonize over every detail. One of the things that I carry with me from my Junior League days is from a national training I attended years ago when we were on the cusp of social media. The speaker said, ‘If we are going to live in a high-tech world, we must remember to be high-touch people.’ I think that’s where finding that pocket of time to connect with good friends is imperative—it restores the soul,” she says.

At each place, McElhanon layered three plates for a collected look. The top plates, which she found at Fabulous Finds Antique Mall in Little Rock, are a recent addition to her collection. Simple bamboo-handled flatware and natural woven placemats lend a more casual feel and echo the undertones of nature that run throughout the home. McElhanon and her husband found an abundance of clear quartz crystals in their backyard upon moving into the home. She used several of these as stands for the table’s place cards. Gingham napkins accented with the McElhanons’ monogram complete the setting. Lemon blueberry muffins (seen at left) made by The Humble Crumb Bakery, were just one of the tasty baked goods created for the brunch.

Tori Halvorson (left) and Betsy Peters opened Sherwood’s The Humble Crumb Bakery along with Ruth Peters, Betsy’s mother-in-law, in December 2015. While they got their start in 2011 by selling Ruth’s famous cinnamon rolls at the Sherwood Farmer’s Market, the boutique bakery now offers a huge variety of pastries and baked goods as well as smoothies and parfaits on Friday and Saturday mornings and dinner entrees on Monday nights. In addition, they also take private orders. They are open Monday, 4 – 6 p.m., Friday, 6 – 10 a.m., and Saturday, 7 – 11 a.m.

LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD WITH ORANGE GLAZE

Ingredients

Bread:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Orange Glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted butter

PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine all bread ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix until well blended. Grease the bread pans thoroughly. Pour the mixture evenly into the two prepared pans. Place them in the oven and bake for approximately 1 hour or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. After removing bread from oven, place on a cooling rack. Remove from the pan once bread has cooled a bit. Combine all glaze ingredients in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Place a sheet of wax paper or foil underneath the bread’s cooling racks. Pour the glaze over the top of the bread, and allow it to set. Enjoy!

The Humble Crumb Bakery, Sherwood, (443) 995-6038, humblecrumbbakery.com

The Simple Pleasures

February 17, 2016 by Norma Edwards

Blogger, online shop owner, and homestead maven Natalie Freeman invites us into her home for a seasonally inspired gathering with friends

(Chalkboard art by Arkansas-based graphic designer, Janna Wilson.)

“It was not in our blood to do this,” laughs Natalie Freeman when asked about her life on a small hobby farm in fayetteville. Neither she nor her husband Luke planned to be raising organic fruits and vegetables and tending to a flock of egg-laying hens. Rather, the life seemed to pick them. After falling hard for gardening and a more simplistic lifestyle in college, the couple eventually purchased a farm, which they now lovingly refer to as Freckled Hen Farm. Here, with approximately 1,000 square feet of garden space and a flock of 60 hens, they run a subscription-based produce and egg business—the goings-on of which Natalie shares on her widely read blog, Natalie Creates.

The charming scenes of serene farm life, salvaged or reinvented home décor, and the passion the two share for this way of life have all culminated in a following, which led Natalie to open an Etsy store where she sells planting calendars, reversible headbands (which she says are perfect for those times when you are working in the garden and need to pull your hair back), and miniature flags, known as Happy Flags, for bouquets or party décor. The business has been such a success that she left a full-time position in mid 2014 to tend her blog, shop, and—of course—the farm. “I think a lot of people aspire to live this cute farmhouse dream, but they think they have to have a million dollars to do it, and we are a testament that you don’t,” she says of their endeavors. “We live a simple life, but we’re having a rich experience.”

As the young couple continues to follow their passion, they have plans for expansion in the works. Beginning in March, Natalie’s current Etsy store will close and the products will fold into a new online marketplace, Freckled Hen Farmhouse (read more about this on page 32). They have also rented a studio space in downtown Fayetteville where they will fill orders and hold monthly pop-up shop events that will be open to the public. Natalie says the new shop will be “reminiscent of the past and the way our grandparents did things.” Much like the rest of their lives, it will revolve around the simple pleasures of the farm, gardening, and gathering with loved ones.

She gave us a glimpse inside one such gathering that included a small group of close friends who were coming together to celebrate the start of planting season. On this day, Natalie served a fresh salad of mixed greens with strawberries, red onion, and honey-roasted sunflower seeds on blue-and-white plates from local retailer Euna Mae’s. The salad was topped with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette (see recipe at right). After lunch, she shared an assortment of seeds, which were then put together in a seed starter kit as a party favor for her guests. Her hope is that the kit will allow them to enjoy a similar salad harvested from their own gardens.

Follow Natalie and Luke’s farm adventures and learn more about their new online home provision and farm supply store, Freckled Hen Farmhouse—which launches this March. Be sure to stay tuned for monthly pop-up events at their Fayetteville studio, as well. (Blog: nataliecreates.com | Instagram: @nataliecreates | Online Shop: freckledhenfarmhouse.com)

A Homemade Holiday

November 20, 2015 by agill@athomearkansas.com

A love for animals, an undeniable talent in the kitchen, and the joy of the holiday season are the perfect recipe for happiness at Susan Harper’s El Dorado home

Draped in fresh magnolia garlands and accented with vivid red berry wreaths, Susan Hurley Harper’s El Dorado home—which sits squarely in the center of town—isn’t exactly where you would expect to find the two goats behind the town’s most renowned and delicious cheese. The four-legged friends—aptly named Julia Child and Alice Waters—provide milk each day, which Harper then turns into fresh chèvre and feta for use in her kitchen and to share with fortunate friends. “I love it, and I love my goats; it’s like my therapy,” she exclaims….

Hometown Holiday

A Fresh Thanksgiving Fete

Family Style Fiesta

On the Map

All-American Retreat

Cheers to Summer!

Set for Summer

The Simple Pleasures

A Homemade Holiday

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