Oscar de la Renta at the Presidential Library

On Saturday, my friend Jessica drove down to visit with me!  I was really excited because we planned to head over to see the Oscar de la Renta exhibit at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.  Before speeding over there we stopped for a bite at The Root.  It was my first time at The Root, so I was taking it all in.

It's this hip little cafe that uses only locally grown or produced foods.  Everything comes from right here in Arkansas.  I think that's pretty nifty.  Follow this link to their website for more information about the work they are doing: The Root Cafe.

For lunch I ordered a cup of the corn chowder soup and the chicken salad salad.  The salad was huge and was made with locally grown and organic mixed greens.  Needless to say I felt wonderful about the meal.

After lunch we headed over the the library.  After walking through security and paying the $7 admission fee we were directed to the pink doors on the third floor.

Once inside, we couldn't stop oohing and ahhing.  The featured designs are more than impressive.

The photography on the walls had us standing so close the exhibit attendant was keeping a close eye.

Is that Carrie Bradshaw's Russian?  =))

There are dresses worn by first ladies of the United States and dresses worn by some of the most popular celebrities.

I promise I didn't show you all of the dresses featured in the temporary exhibit.  Please make it over there and see it for yourself.  The exhibit runs until December 1, 2013.  After what I saw, I have no doubt that Oscar de la Renta deserves every bit of praise he has ever received for his iconic work.

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Arkansas Burger Company

So my boyfriend loves cheeseburgers and fries.  Its like, his favorite meal of all time.  I can't blame him, it's classic American grub. What I will blame him for are the extra pounds I will be picking up here soon if I continue with him on this venture to find the best burger in central Arkansas.  Our relationship doesn't need that strain; so needless to say, I will not be posting about the best burger in town ever again.  Or so I tell myself...

Friday we stopped in at Arkansas Burger Company.  Not much to look at on the outside, and a small parking lot to be sure.

**I'm a dummy and didn't take a photo of the outside of the building so I borrowed this one linked to their myspace.com homepage.

Visually speaking, things did not improve upon entering the joint.

I get it.  It's a mom and pop type of place.  That's really cool.  And the fact that probably every single thing hanging on the wall promoted our beautiful state makes it hard for me to say this, but the decor, the vibe, is hokey.  This place needs a face lift.  =(

Anyway, back to the burger.  I ordered the basic cheeseburger with hot cheese and everything on it.

Sadly, the burger was nothing to look at either, but, boy, was it good.  I can't say whether it's the best burger in town (I try not to eat too many), but I bet its on everyone's top ten list.  Maybe even top five.  The point is, don't take your lady to Arkansas Burger Company on a date.  You will impress no one.  But for a quick, clean, and yummy lunch, its your spot!  Give it a go.  I betcha you walk out satisfied.

On a lighter note, to take the edge off my burger guilt, I cooked up some homemade garden spaghetti sauce with ground turkey meat and whole wheat spaghetti noodles for dinner.

And a little something sweet for dessert - mixed berry and greek yogurt parfaits.  To be honest, my parfaits need some tweaking, so when I get it all figured out I'll give you a good recipe.

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In the Pickles

Yesterday I crossed something off my to-do list that had been lingering there at the bottom, repeatedly getting put off and ignored.  I tried my hand at making refrigerator pickles.  Now I'm anxiously waiting to test my dill-icious creation.  If you want to try making your own pickles, too, here's how:

Gather six clean pint sized canning jars with lids.  In the bottom of each jar put a few sprigs of fresh dill (you'll probably need about one package for the recipe), a clove of minced garlic, as much roughly chopped white onion as you'd like (I used two small Arkansas garden grown onions), and a dash a of black pepper.  Don't worry too much about measuring, just go with what looks right to you.

Next, rinse and cut up about eight cucumbers.  I used all different sizes of garden cucumbers grown here in Arkansas.  You can cut them into whatever shape you like best.  I chose to cut some in to chips and the others in to spears.  Now arrange the cucumbers in the jars, making sure not to pack them in too tightly.

Last, mix the brine and pour it over the cucumbers, but be sure you leave them a little breathing room.  

To make the brine, combine four cups of water, 10 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar, and about four and a half tablespoons of kosher salt.  Stir the liquid mixture until the salt is dissolved, and viola!, you just made your pickling solution!

As a finishing touch, I placed one last spring of fresh dill to each jar.

That's it!  Can you believe it?  Screw on the tops real tight and refrigerate for AT LEAST two days.  I'm going to let mine stew as long as I can stand it.

Is it weird that I think they're pretty?  I'm pleased as punch with myself for creating something so cute and edible.  Give it a go and let me know how it all panned out.

**This recipe is adapted from one of Annie's at Annie's Eats.

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A Southern Lifestyle Blog

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For months I've considered creating a blog; a pretty little something I could use to stay in touch with friends and family.  Of course, I do hope that others will want to read and enjoy.  I know that by blogging I'm sharing a small part of myself with people who may be strangers to me.  That excites me, but it also has me a little nervous.  Blogging is totally outside of my comfort zone.  I guess that's the real reason I decided to join the blogger community: to grow.

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