Appetizers

Cooking Without Photos- Karen’s Pecan Crunch

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Booneville!! Home of the Classic Cruise In, celebrated each month on the 3rd Saturday from March – November. Downtown Booneville is the place to be for classic car buffs.

I digress. Booneville, Arkansas has two stories of how they got their name. One story is that it was named by founder Walter Cauthron after his friend Captain Benjamin Bonneville. Captain Bonneville was an Army officer in Fort Smith. Over the years, the spelling was changed and it became Booneville.

Another story is that it was named after the folk hero, Daniel Boone. Boone was supposed to have been kinned to early residents of Logan County. At any rate, the town was founded around 1830.

After the Civil war reeked havoc on the area and divided households, reconstruction began and a new county was formed. Sarber County was formed in 1871 from parts of Franklin, Johnson, Scott and Yell counties. Then, Sarber County was renamed Logan county in 1875. In 1878, Booneville had a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, drug store and general stores and became an incorporated town.

In 1901, the county was divided into northern and southern judicial districts. To this day, Logan County has two county seats, being Booneville and Paris. The county is also half wet and half dry for alcohol sales.

In 1909 the Arkansas State Tuberculosis Sanitarium opened. The hospital was vital for two reasons. Firstly, it helped treat the tuberculosis outbreak and secondly, it created much needed revenue for Logan County. The hospital closed in the 1970s and is now a popular place for ghost hunters.

Booneville also has had their fair share of businesses in the area. The Ace Comb Company, Wolverine Toy Company and Del Pero Monden (meat company) have all called Booneville home over the years.

We recently made a trip to Fort Smith to visit the newly opened US Marshals Museum. It’s fabulous, by the way. We decided to do some thrifting afterwards and that’s where I found the book, “Recipes And Remembrances: First Baptist Church Booneville, Arkansas”. You know I had to get it.

I opened up the cover and someone had taken page 159 and moved into a place of honor at the beginning of the three ring binder collection of recipes. Obviously, this was the one I needed to try.

Y’all, Karen’s Pecan Crunch is fabulous!! Let’s get into it!

Not pictured: Vanilla…oops

Couple of things:

  1. If you buy a family size box of Oatmeal Squares ( 21 oz.), you’ll end up with exactly the 8 cups you’ll need.
  2. I used butter. You do you.

That’s it! It’s so easy and you’ll eat it like popcorn Thank you, Judy Moore! You’ve just added a sweet treat to my holiday cooking list❤️

Enjoy!!

Cooking Without Photos – Baked Artichoke Dip

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This week we travel to Lenexa, Kansas. I’ve never actually heard of Lenexa, KS before. Apparently, it’s a fairly large city. Back in the day though, Lenexa was part of the frontier.

One of the very first settlers of Lenexa was James Butler Hickok. Mr. Hickok staked claim to 160 acres of what is now 83rd and Clare Road in Lenexa.

Not long after his arrival, Hickok was elected one of the first four constables of neighboring Monticello Township. He later became a scout for the Free State Army, a sharpshooter and later one of the most famous folk heroes of the American West, Wild Bill Hickok.

Wild Bill was a known lawman, gunslinger and gambler. Storyteller was also one of his many talents and his favorite subject was himself. Wild Bill loved to tell hugely fabricated stories about himself and this is one reason he will go down in history as a folk legend.

While flipping thru, “Masterpieces From Our Kitchen” I stopped at Baked Artichoke Appetizer. Y’all, this is so stinkin’ easy. If you need a quick dish to take somewhere or company is on the way, this is it. It’s fast and tasty. Let’s get into it.

Couple things:

  1. That cayenne pepper, it makes me cough. The recipe said “dash”. I put a dash. That’s. It. I tried it and my lips started to tingle. I took it to a family function and no one could tell there was even any cayenne in it.😆. You do you. You want more, go for it!
  2. I paired this with some assorted crackers. I think it would be great with some triscuits or pita crackers as well.
  3. I put about a 1/2 cup more Parmesan than it called for. Sue me🤷🏻‍♀️

Enjoy!!! It’s fab!

Cooking Without Photos – Pineapple Dip

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This week we take a short drive to Jacksonville, AR. Before Jacksonville became the community it is today, it was first settled by two brothers from Tennessee. Once Jacob and Shared Gray arrived, their families followed shortly after. Around 1820 the town expanded and they began growing cotton to make their living.

Once the Cairo and Fulton railroad arrived in 1870 and Jacksonville really bloomed. With the railroad came saloons and new businesses. Soon they had a brand new school, grocery store, flour mill and various other ventures.

Fast forward to 1955 and the opening of Little Rock Air Force Base, which is located right in the city limits of Jacksonville. They opened their doors in October 1955 and held an open house with 85,000 people attending. Whoa! They also have the largest C-130 base in the world!

For more information, you could always visit the Jacksonville Museum Of Military History.

On with the recipe!

This week I decided to try something I’ve seen several times. When I first saw a recipe for Pineapple Cheeseball/Dip, I thought…NEXT! Then it just kept showing it’s ugly face in book after book. Gah! Okay, I’ll try it.

I popped open, “First Church Of The Nazarene: Jacksonville, Arkansas Ladies Circle” and there it was on the first page.

Couple Things:

  1. The ones I had read before were labeled “cheeseball”. My brain registered “cheeseball” and not dip. This recipe will never be a “cheeseball” since it calls for undrained pineapple. It’s for sure a dip.
  2. We liked the flavor so much that I tried it with drained pineapple. Cheeseball!
  3. I couldn’t find a small can of pineapple (8 Oz). I doubled the recipe and rolled with it.
  4. I didn’t know what “red seasoned salt” was. I decided it was Lawrey’s. I wasn’t wrong😎

Y’all this a perfect summer dip/cheeseball. Sweet. Tangy. With a little bit of heat. Yesssssss! You’re gonna love it!