Inspiring your Home and Lifestyle
We shared dessert recipes by three Arkansas foodies with a passion for baking in our December issue. Now, we’re giving you a chance to get to know each a little better through a series of Q&As on our blog.
Home base: Cave Springs
Featured recipes: Walnut and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and Traditional South American Alfajores
In our December issue, we shared the casual, colorful Nutcracker-themed gathering put together by JoBeth McElhanon of Lilias & Olive. Here, she shares her Brown Sugar Cinnamon Buttercream Icing recipe, which is an easy way to spruce up store-bought sweets.
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1 cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon milk, added as needed
Prepare
In a mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add powdered sugar and mix, slowly at first, until powdered sugar is completely combined into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on medium until creamy. Add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Add to your favorite homemade or store-bought cakes, muffins, cupcakes, or cookies.
Want to try more recipes from our pages? Head to our Pinterest board for links to some of our favorites.
Chris Norwood of Tipton & Hurst prepares a casual and colorful tailgating tabletop
For this tailgating tablescape, Tipton & Hurst’s lead designer Chris Norwood played off the Razorbacks’ and Red Wolves’ signature red for a festive fall gathering, from plates and linens to the floral centerpiece….
Sponsored Post | Photography courtesy Big Box Karaoke
If you’ve ever wanted to try karaoke but just didn’t quite have the nerve to take the stage in front of total strangers, Big Box Karaoke in Fayetteville has just the solution: private suites. These “boxes” give you and your friends a space to belt your favorite songs to your heart’s content—plus, a full menu of Asian-fusion bar foods, beer, wine, and cocktails is available via a private waiter. Read on to learn more about Big Box Karaoke from Mailena Urso, who founded the restaurant and entertainment spot with her husband, Justin.
Q. What was your inspiration to open Big Box Karaoke?
A. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, my husband, Justin, and I lived in Japan for a year where we were introduced to private suite karaoke. We fell in love with the concept. When we moved to Chicago, we found a karaoke spot and took all of our friends and family there—even though it was on the outskirts of the city. It was in Chicago where we initially saw the opportunity to open our own box-style karaoke….
Photography by Molly Anne Sandefur
In our June issue, Kim Lane’s Danish-inspired backyard party takes the cake (strawberry cake, that is) for a summer solstice event. Since Danish food heavily relies on seasonal and local availability, Kim reached out to WunderHaus, a Conway restaurant that specializes in “farm-to-table European soul food,” the perfect pairing for the soiree. The restaurant originated as a food truck, The Wunderbus, serving German food in the Conway area starting in 2015. Just two years later, owners Jacqueline and Jason Smith and Auguste and Kacy Forrester turned the popular food truck into a brick-and-mortar. Jacqueline, who focuses on the sweet and savory menus, social media, and is the founder of WunderMarkets, a seasonal market under the WunderHaus brand, describes the restaurant’s cuisine as “food that takes a little more time to prepare” featuring “lots of braising, butter, and handmade noodles.” Kim’s backyard party menu included smørrebrød, an elderflower-soaked strawberry cake, and a variety of other seasonal fare.
…In our October issue, we shared the Cheesy Rice Waffle recipe from Riceland’s Mobile Cafe. Pair a stack of those waffles with this belly-warming chili for a perfect fall feast.
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We headed to the Spa City to talk with Diana Bratton, owner of Taco Mama, about her favorite dishes and what she loves about the Arkansas food scene.
At Home in Arkansas: Tell us about your earliest memory of cooking. Chef Diana Bratton: My earliest memory of cooking would be making salsas with my dad’s special mortar when I was about four. The mortar has a bull’s head and I still have it. I’ve never seen another one like it.
AHIA: Where did you receive your training? DB: I graduated culinary school from El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, but I really received my training at City Café where I worked with a wonderful chef & owners who were very talented.
AHIA: What is your favorite dish at your restaurant? DB: It’s a toss-up between the pork and veggie sopes and the shrimp diabla quesadilla. On the pork sopes, I love the texture of the sope itself. It has a crunchy outer crust with tenderness on the inside. I think in general our carnitas are some of the best I’ve ever had. For the diabla quesadilla, I love shellfish and our diabla sauce has a smoky heat, which pairs nicely with the shrimp….
In our May issue, we shared inspiration for a boho-inspired picnic. Here are even more local finds to help inspire your own laid-back al fresco experience this season—just add Prosecco
Table and pillows | HOWSE, Bentonville and Little Rock
Scarf | Jimmy Was tasseled scarf available at Haus Werk, Little Rock
Book | The New Bohemians by Justina Blakely available at Anthropologie, Little Rock
Bocce ball set | Ken Rash’s Arkansas, Little Rock
Designer Jill Lawrence, whose home is featured in our December issue, shares one of her family’s beloved holiday cookie recipes with us—along with a few fond memories of the treat’s namesake.
Like many Southern ladies, my grandmother was a HUGE influence on my life. I learned to read, bake, swim, over-dress for every occasion (she would often pick up my mother and, later on, me from school in her fur coat and heels), manners, the proper use of every kind of obscure silver flatware (grapefruit spoon, anyone?), and to live life to the absolute fullest. She was my everything, and catching the scent of these cookies around the holidays brings me right back to her. My entire family will tell you that there are two scents associated with our beloved Mimi: Chanel and Molasses Sugar Cookies. It describes her perfectly. Here’s the recipe for her famous sugar cookies.
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Thanksgiving is almost here, and it’s time to wrap up your holiday menu. We’ve gathered a few of our favorite dishes we think you and yours will enjoy!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grilled Berkshire Pork Chops
Lamb Marinade and Curried Carrots
Sweet & Savory Butternut Squash Soup
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.