TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
“ I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ”
This has always been my favorite Maya Angelou quote, and it is the reason I create experiences for most meals I cook. You might be thinking, “I do not have the time to cook fabulous dishes with amazing experiences.” I would tell you that you do. As an entrepreneur, mom, and wife, I have learned to create delicious meals in no time. Texarkana has wonderful resources, so I created this simple but elegant picnic date for my husband after I visited the Texarkana Farmers Market one day prior. The Texarkana Farmers Market had fresh, unique items that allowed me to spoil the hubby with a farm to fork experience. SETTING THE SCENE A simple transformation of a backyard is easy to do. I laid out an old rug, but you could use a blanket. I started with a four- foot folding table but did not extend the legs. I covered the table with a simple tablecloth and runner that I purchased at Walmart. As my friend would say, “You must always stay ready,” so I used chargers, plates, and napkins I purchased from one of Hobby Lobby’s 80 percent off sales. I wanted to create a true picnic experience, so we sat on pillows that I borrowed from my guest bedroom. I purchased a beautiful bouquet of flowers from the market as my centerpiece, and I added candles and some greenery to create a beautiful, simple tablescape. THE MENU With summer weather upon us, I decided to break out the grill. While the grill heated up, I served blackberry lemon drop martinis, rosemary white cheddar popcorn, and stuffed strawberries as appetizers. You can find these recipes and how to purchase the popcorn at bougiegrubs.com . The appetizers gave me time to cook burgers and enjoy my husband’s company at the same time. An outdoor grilling picnic deserves juicy hamburgers and hot dogs. I purchased ground beef from my friends at Dutch Springs Farm. The meat was the perfect base for my garlic herb hamburger patties. I decided to try my hand at making refrigerated pickles with cucumbers from the farmers market; it was super easy, and it only took 15 minutes to prepare. I built the burger using garlic aioli, lettuce, goat cheese, fried egg, and homemade pickles—all things available at the farmers market.
Garlic Herb Hamburgers 2 pounds of hamburger meat ¼ cup of chopped fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, and basil) 2 tbsp of garlic powder Dash of black pepper and salt 1. Mix all ingredients together. 2. Divide the meat mixture into 6 equal patties. 3. Grill, pan fry, or air fry patties. 4. Toast your hamburger bun and spread it with garlic aioli. 5. Add lettuce, pickles, and goat cheese. 6. Enjoy! You can purchase Dutch Springs items by visiting their website dutchspringsfarm.com or going to the Texarkana Farmer’s Market. You can find my pickle recipe on the bougie grub website, as well.
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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