Inspiring your Home and Lifestyle
‘Tis the season for apples, pears, pecans and—oh, yes—pie. In Northwest Arkansas, a Los Angeles-born baker shows us how she’s creating a sweet life with plenty of pastries to please
“Pie is my favorite thing to make,” Emily Petrick says. “I bring it to dinner parties instead of flowers, and it’s how I say thank you for everything.” With a passion like this, it’s no surprise the Bentonville baker and mom of twins admits to cooking a pie a week….
Stephanie Bryant of The Blonde Kitchen shows us how to get on board with the latest trend in hors d’oeuvres
Snack boards, picky platters, or the more traditional charcuterie board—whatever you call these boards loaded with bite-size edibles, they are popping up everywhere. As the owner of The Blonde Kitchen, Stephanie Bryant assembles about 20 boards per week for her clients in Northwest Arkansas. “I love the idea of small, handheld bites. The board becomes a centerpiece at a gathering—people can hang out around it, and they are really pretty, too,” she says….
Northwest Arkansas native and all-around taste aficionado Jonathan Stiers shares his recipe for a sweet-and-spicy concoction perfect for Cinco de Mayo
Q. What was your inspiration for this cocktail?
A. I’m a huge fan of pineapple, so any cocktail with it in the mix is a winner in my book. A vodka pineapple makes me think of summer—of being on the beach or by the pool. I love the addition of jalapeño here; it brings some nice heat to this fruity drink….
Anna Coon of The Culinary Coon shares her recipes for a day of healthy eating—breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Little Rock native Anna Coon has cooking in her blood. “My mom and her mother are amazing cooks,” she says. However, it wasn’t until she married her husband, Tim, three years ago and they began the journey to parenthood that Anna truly began to put her culinary talents into practice. She focused on being more mindful about nutrition, and in turn began to learn about food’s overall role in her health and wellbeing….
Little Rock wine lovers (and certified professionals) Maggie and Aaron Walters share a recipe for Christmas brunch, plus the pairings you should consider for any holiday meal
“Quiche is something we serve at the holidays because it feeds a lot of people. Plus, it’s really easy to make, and you can really put whatever you want in it,” Aaron says, noting that while this recipe has gouda and uncured bacon, you can also use it as a chance to use up leftovers from Christmas Eve dinner.…
Riceland’s Mobile Café brings Southern, locally grown fare—like this cheesy rice waffles and chili dish—to venues around central Arkansas
Arkansas has a storied history when it comes to rice. In fact, we lead the nation in rice production, with more than 1.1 million harvested acres in 2017, according to the USDA. While some of the rice grown accounts for one of the state’s most profitable exports, many Arkansans enjoy locally grown rice here in The Natural State….
A Northwest Arkansas creative shares his recipe for garlic and herb-roasted cherry tomato carbonara with crispy prosciutto and burrata
Fayetteville native Jonathan Stiers is one of those creatives who doesn’t stop. During his work day, he’s busy in his role as the creative director of Sam’s Club. When he comes home he’s on to the next thing—which includes trying his hand at new dishes and cocktail recipes, learning the ropes of food photography, and sharing design inspiration on his enviable Instagram feed (@jonathan.stiers), passions that all led him to eventually start blogging at jonathanstiers.com. For this issue, Jonathan shares a summery pasta dish that’s perfect for either a lakeside lunch or poolside soirée….
New to town and quickly becoming a crowd favorite, Little Rock’s Fassler Hall is a German pub featuring local and European brews and house-made sausages along with a weekend brunch. “Fassler Hall is all about bringing the community together. It’s why we have communal seating—so you can grab dinner with your all of your friends or sit down with someone from the community that you may not know and have a beer,” says general manager Ashley Price.
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One couple’s passion for locally sourced food continues to grow in downtown Little Rock.
Corri Bristow-Sundell’s interest in growing her own food was piqued at her grandparents’ homestead in east Texas. “They raised chickens, and they had a small kitchen garden where they grew food for themselves and enough to sell. It was a very Southern place,” she says. “I always remember sitting outside shellin’ peas and gabbin’,” she adds with an accent that alludes to her own native Little Rock roots. “I think visiting them really gave me a lifelong love for these experiences.”…
In an approach they describe as “bean-to-bar and beyond,” Bentonville’s Markham & Fitz Chocolate Makers uses fair-trade sourced cacao beans from their partner farmers in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, and Nicaragua to create their confections, which—as you can see—are not limited to chocolate bars. Their commitment to these relationships and the ones they create with customers in the shop are two of the ways they “celebrate people” every day.
Meet the chocolatiers | Lauren Blanco and Preston Stewart are the brains and brawn behind Markham & Fitz.They dream up the menu, prepare the treats (including pastries, sipping chocolate, and eight different types of chocolate bars), and serve the array of goodies in-store six days a week….
At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.