Junior League of NWA Cookbook

I have the pleasure of serving on the cookbook committee this year for the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas and I am committed to selling at least two cases (20 books!) so I will need your help in reaching my goal. I purchase books for hostess gifts, wedding/engagement presents, welcome someone to the community, holidays, birthdays, or to provide a friend with the next book in their Junior League Cookbook collection.

Here is a little taste of what is to offer in the cookbook:

Dickson Street Hummus

Ingredients
1 15 ounce can of garbanzo beans
3 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 tablespoons of olive oil (or to desired texture)
Salt to taste

Mix in a food processor or blender the garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, sesame seeds, cumin and salt. Add the olive oil in a fine stream, processing constantly until creamy. Serve with pita chips or veggies.

Makes 4 servings

Want to purchase a Junior League of NWA Cookbook?
Books are $26.95 plus tax

If you are local, I can deliver books or shipping is also available. If you are out of town, visit the JLNWA website to purchase books.

Another school year begins.....

As the first week of classes approach, universities across the country will welcome back returners and new students with non-stop fun and entertainment to foster community amongst the student body and engage students with ways that they can GET INVOLVED on campus. As a student affairs professional, your wardrobe consists only of tshirts, jeans, and a baseball cap for the next two weeks as you move from event to event, hosting your own or helping out your fellow staff members. While this is only 3 of the 10 shirts I have for the weeks ahead, I took a little snapshot to celebrate the occasion.

Scott/Bell Family Reunion

Last weekend I traveled to Rochester, NY to spend time with the Scott Family, Doug's mothers side of the family. We had a lovely day at Robert and Margaret's home filled with good conversation, laughs, and lots of delicious food. Uncle Charles and Aunt Helen have created such a lovely tradition of gathering their children and their families each year in August to have a space where everyone can reconnect with one another. I loved meeting all of these extended family members and catching up with ones that I had not seen in a while.

I also found Rochester to be charming and enjoyed walking the Erie Canal each day, noting the historical site and how it advanced the United States economy. It was a great chance to get away and rejuvenate, especially with the first day of school approaching fast!

Tourist In Your Own Town

My very dear friend Margaret (or as I call her, Mags) came to Fayetteville this weekend for a visit and we had a fun-filled weekend enjoying most of the things I love in my new town.

After catching up with a glass of wine it was off to dinner. Mags and I have a strong affinity for Mexican so Osegueras was pretty much the first stop. We enjoyed blanco queso dip (which she cannot get in Texas), quesdillas, steak fajitas, and of course, MARGARITAS!


To walk off dinner, we went for a stroll around downtown which was bustling with returning students and locals. Our journey for the evening ended at Orange Mango - a delicious frozen yogurt shop.

Saturday was busy and perfectly fun! Mags, Alexis and I started the day with a class at Arkansas Yoga Center taught by Kristin who is one of my favorite instructors at the studio. Then we enjoyed fruit Smoothies (which I somehow managed to get ALL over my white t-shirt) and shopping at Something Urban and Riffraff. We wrapped up the afternoon with brunch at Common Grounds and shopping at the Fayetteville Farmer's Market where we purchased these delicious veggies and stunning bouquets of flowers.

Being that Mags' 25th Birthday is today we celebrated with Mani's and Pedi's, supper at Hugos, and a showing of STEP UP 3D. (Special thank you to Justin & Alexis for joining us!)

The weekend was simply fantastic! It was great to spend the weekend celebrating friendship and taking a moment to enjoy the place I now call home. I encourage everyone to take a day or weekend to play tourist in your own town or simply head out to appreciate all the things you love about where you live.

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Firefly Festival

A few weekends ago I attended the Firefly Festival at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks with my friend Angela and her family. The evening was such a blast and it was so great to

be surrounded by so many families from the area. We kicked it off with a delicious picnic style dinner by Chef Scott, Angela's husband. Scott made this beautiful fruit and cheese platter, bruschetta, chicken salad sandwiches, and best of all, homemade raspberry sorbet.

The kids had a blast with the crafts as they made their very own fairy wands, necklaces, built fairy homes, and played in the sprinklers. The fire performers were AMAZING and the end of the evening was celebrated by releasing these paper parachute looking things that resembled the light we see from fireflies.


It was a great summer celebration in the gardens. For the local Faytowners - I suggest you attend this event next summer!

Me & Ella

Bananas & Chocolate... Oh My!

We all know that the calorie count on a smoothie can get pretty high but I LOVE Banana & Chocolate Smoothies, usually with Peanut Butter. This month Self featured a lighter version that I just loved!

Recipe:
One Medium Banana
Two Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (my new best friend)
One cup of plain Greek Yogurt (I prefer Oikos)
One and Half cups of fat free milk
Two Tablespoons of Honey
Two cups of ice
Dash of cinnamon

Blend and Enjoy!

While no peanut butter, this treat was still delicious and totally satisfied my craving.


Tip: I keep bananas cut up and frozen in the ice box so that I always have them on hand and they double as ice cubes.

Variation: For this recipe, I only used one tablespoon of honey because I prefer Vanilla Greek Yogurt. I also added a scoop of protein powder to offset the sugar from the bananas and yogurt.