More from Arkansas (After a Delay)

 

A note: I began a travelogue from Arkansas a month ago. And then, life happened and interrupted my posts. But, I'm continuing the story, mainly for Randy and me, even though it's been way too long between posts. 

Last time, I wrote about the more "faith-related" stops we made on our 1,160-mile trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and back home again. But there were other stops along the way. 

Sculpture in front of Crystal Bridges

 

CRYSTAL BRIDGES

Bentonville, Ark.

We drove from Eureka Springs to Bentonville one day to see Crystal Bridges. We'd watched either a CBS Sunday Morning segment or a 60 Minutes report about the museum built and financed by the Walton Family of WalMart fame. Even though there was construction underway at Crystal Bridges, it was well worth the drive, especially since we got to drive along the tree-lined roads filled with fall colors. (A couple of notes: It seemed to take twice as long to get from Point A to Point B on the winding, hilly roads of Arkansas. Of course, we are used to the flatlands of central Kansas and the orderly grid of roads that come together perpendicularly at the mile lines. The colors would have been more vibrant had the area not been experiencing the same drought that had plagued our area before some nice rains fell in November, but it was still pretty.)

 

 

Best of all, the Crystal Bridges museum was totally free, thanks to the generosity of the Waltons. There are very few attractions like that!

We had also hoped to see the original Walton 5-and-10, but it is being renovated as a museum and was temporarily closed.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened its doors on 11/11/11 and received more than 650,000 guests during its first year. By its seventh anniversary in 2018, more than four million people had come to view the art and walk the grounds.

The concept began as a sketch on a paper napkin. It has become a place to experience art, architecture and lifelong learning in a natural setting in Northwest Arkansas.

Crystal Bridges was the brainchild of Alice Walton, a daughter of WalMart founder Sam Walton. Alice's interest in art began in her childhood when she discovered watercolors. She and her mother often painted with watercolors on family camping trips or on hikes in the Ozarks.

To me, people everywhere need access to art. That's what we didn't have here and that's why it was so important that Crystal Bridges be located in this region. For years I'd been thinking about what we could do as a family that could really make a difference in this part of the world. I thought this is something we desperately need, and what a difference it would have made were it here when I was growing up.

Alice Walton

Besides the museum itself, there are a number of walking trails with sculptures and art along the way.

Narcissus Garden was an art installation on water by Yayoi Kusama, comprised of nearly 1,800 mirrored spheres:

 

 

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It re-imagines the story of Narcissus. In Greek mythology, the self-absorbed hunter Narcissus is lured to a pond where, upon gazing at his own reflection, falls in and drowns. The artist encourages us to look past our own unique reflection to see those of other people and the natural surroundings, becoming part of one greater sphere - that of an interconnected universe.

Taken from over a bridge on the walking trail. It was gorgeous!

"Maman" (below) was created by artist Louise Bourgeois as a tribute to her mother, who she described as her closest friend. Bourgeois thought of the spider as caring, helpful and hard-working - the way she remembered her mother. 

Randy found a seat in a couple of unusual settings:

One was in quartz quarried in Arkansas ...

... and the other with a couple of quiet friends. He lent one of them his hat. 

We also toured a Frank Lloyd Wright Bachman-Wilson home on the grounds. Randy and I decided it was not built for people our size. While the living room was large and open, you had to turn sideways to walk down the narrow hallways. No photos were allowed inside the house.

MAGIC SHOW

Local people know that Randy went through a "magic phase" after seeing Siegfried and Roy on stage during our first trip together to Las Vegas. He read a lot of books and joined an international brotherhood of magicians in Wichita, where he learned more. For years, he did magic shows and taught 4-Hers interested in magic for a self-determined project. He still does magic for children's sermons at church on occasion.

And while golf has taken over as his favorite hobby, he still enjoys seeing magic shows when we travel. The one in Eureka Springs was in a repurposed 120-year-old stone church and featured husband-and-wife duo Sean-Paul and Juliana Fay at the Intrigue Theater.

We saw their regular magic show - not their paranormal one. But that's the photo op they had during intermission.

It was a small, intimate setting, and Randy thought the act was better than what we'd seen the year before in Branson. They've been featured on America's Got Talent, Penn and Teller's Fool Us and the Magic Castle.

GOLFING

And speaking of his newest hobby: Randy golfed the Holiday Island Golf Course.

For a vacation area, there aren't a lot of golf courses from which to choose. It definitely didn't compare to the course at Couer d'Alene from earlier in the the year, but we found one.

 It was a nice day for golfing ... or in my case, for reading and taking photos.

EATING AND SHOPPING

Of course, eating and shopping were on the agenda. We did more browsing than actual shopping. But we did plenty of eating. I will say that the hills and the uneven sidewalks made walking around a little precarious, especially in the dark. But it's a fun tourist destination.

Once a week, Randy meets some buddies for breakfast at Stafford. One of the restaurants reminded him a little of Joan's Cafe, where he and his friends meet in Stafford. There was definitely a table of the "old guy regulars" at the Eureka Springs establishment - just like home!

MAIN STREET CAFE

He says he doesn't order as much in Stafford. I have not verified this assertion with his friends.

THE FILLING STATION

My favorite breakfast place was The Filling Station. The decor fit the old filling station setting and the food was delicious.

We went there the final day we were in Eureka Springs. A lot of restaurants are not open every day of the week, and this was one of them. However, we weren't in peak tourist time so I'm sure days and serving times vary.

BAVARIAN INN

Randy's German blood must have been singing because he really wanted to eat at the Bavarian Inn, which had authentic German and Czech food. I was less enthusiastic, but I had a horrible cold the entire time we were there, so I wasn't that hungry anyway. So I relented. Pictured above is their specialty, sauerkraut soup, which they serve as an appetizer. As I said, I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered the sauerkraut soup and a dinner salad. Randy liked it much more than I did. (I don't have a drop of German blood.)

What he really wanted was a wiener schnitzel and fixings. He thought it was tasty. 

FAVORITE MEAL (and most expensive)

Grotto Wood Fire Grill and Wine Cave was recommended by Brent and Susan, who'd visited Eureka Springs a couple of years before. I realized after we got home that I hadn't taken any photos there. Trust me: It was delicious. Randy's only complaint was that he didn't get enough to eat. That is not unusual at higher-end establishments. He had the smoked duck and I had cedar-plank salmon.

Photo from a Facebook post - not my photo

WORKING BUNNIES

Susan and Brent had also told us about Eureka Springs' working bunnies. Of course, we had to find them. They do their "work" in two retail stores, East By West and Caroline's Collectables and have since 2000.  

We bought a couple of stocking stuffers so that we could watch the bunnies work.

I'll have a final wrap-up of our trip to Arkansas next time - finally.

We Interrupt Our Regular Programming: Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna

 "We now interrupt our regular programming for a Christmas special." If it's good enough for NBC and CBS, I guess it will work for a lowly blog, too.

Actually, my blog "programming" has been interrupted all on its own for the past month. Other obligations have left little time to write, so it's been awhile since my last blog post - probably the longest I've gone between posts in my nearly 15 years of Kim's County Line. 

But, instead of returning to regular "programming," I'm going to substitute some Christmas flavor. If I don't, it will be past Christmas. And there's no way I will remember in a year. (Case in point, I knew I'd saved the recipe for a snack mix I'd tried last Christmas. However, it took me awhile to figure out where I'd safely stashed it.)

This recipe for Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna would be good at any time of year, but it seems particularly appropriate for Christmas with the chocolate and hint of peppermint.

I was one of two hostesses for a PEO guest day December 3, along with my friend, Betty. We were responsible for coming up with and preparing the dessert for 41 members and guests, along with doing gingerbread cookie favors for them to take home. 

Betty and I experimented with several different recipes - both for dessert and for the cookies - before choosing our favorites. Betty made all the gingerbread people using a Taste of Home recipe she modified, and I decorated them all: Divide and conquer! **See Betty's changes in a note below.**

After binging on Food Network's Christmas Cookie Challenge, I had planned to make my debut decorating with royal icing. But after an emergency phone call to Jill and a kitchen covered in sticky royal icing, I gave up and went back to my old faithful decorator's tube and buttercream. (It tastes better anyway). Since my kitchen was a disaster, my dining room table became the gingerbread assembly line. I used sprinkles I'd gotten at Glenn's Bulk Foods to add some flair. Since the guest day group was all women, I decorated the gingerbread to imply dresses, with jaunty snowflake bows in their hair.

It may not have looked like the Christmas Cookie Challenge caliber, but they ended up pretty cute. I found the history of Gingerbread Men and attached them to each individual cookie package, ready for our guests to take home.

I also had a few ask for the Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna recipe. It was originally from OMG Chocolate Desserts blog, but I made a few changes. I prefer using soft peppermint candies, rather than hard candy canes for a less jolting texture and subtle peppermint flavor.

Chocolate Peppermint Lasagna

Recipe from www.omgchocolatedesserts.com

I made modifications from the original recipe. Those are reflected below.

Oreo Crust:

36 Oreo cookies

1/2 cup butter, melted

Peppermint Cheesecake Layer:

1/2 cup butter-softened

8 oz. brick-style cream cheese (room temperature)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

1 1/2 cups stabilized whipped topping (like Cool Whip)

1/2 cup crushed soft peppermint candies (original recipe called for candy canes - I prefer the softer peppermints)

Chocolate Pudding Layer:

2 x 3.9 oz. packages instant chocolate pudding

2 3/4 cups whole milk

Topping:

8-ounce tub Cool Whip

1/4 cup crushed candy canes (to be added at serving time)

Seasonal sprinkles, opt. (added right at serving time)

In a food processor, grind whole Oreo cookies with the filling. Add melted butter, and whisk with the fork until evenly moistened. Press firmly into the bottom of 9 x 13 inches dish. Place in the fridge or freezer. (That makes spreading the next layer much easier; don't skip this step!)

Unwrap candy; place in a zip-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin onto coarse pieces. (A hammer on a sturdy cutting board worked better for me – double your plastic bag. After I got them into coarser pieces with the hammer, I used my rolling pin.)

Beat softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla and peppermint extract until smooth. Mix in 1 ½ cups whipped topping. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure everything is mixed well and smooth. Finally mix in 1/2 cup candy cane pieces. The mixture will get light pink from candy canes. If you want more intense color, add a few drops of red or pink food coloring (I didn’t). Spread the mixture over chilled crust and place back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Whisk two packages of instant chocolate pudding with 2 ¾ cups milk until it starts to thicken, then spread over the peppermint cheesecake layer. (I used the whip attachment on my mixer.) Place in the fridge until the pudding has set, then spread an 8-ounce tub of whipped topping over the pudding layer. (I waited several hours before topping.) Chill at least 5 hours before serving, or preferably overnight. Sprinkle additional crushed candy canes on top just before serving, because they might melt if stays too long onto whipped cream. We also used seasonal sprinkles (holly and gingerbread men – those were two separate sprinkles I got at Glenn’s Bulk Foods) for the PEO event.

Store in the fridge. For the PEO event, we cut it into 12 generous pieces. However, I think the pieces could be smaller if you were serving it at home, etc.

Gingerbread Men Cookies

The original recipe is found at Taste of Home (click on the link.)

**Betty made the following changes**

• She substituted 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves INSTEAD of the nutmeg. 
• She refrigerated the dough for 3-4 hours before working with it, rather than just 30 minutes. 
• She lined her cookie sheets with parchment paper for easy removal and baked for 9 minutes in her oven. The recipe yielded 2 1/2 dozen cookies with the cutter she used; but, of course, it depends on the size of your cutter, the thickness of your cookies and your oven.
  
• She also recommended just cutting the cookies from 1 disk, leaving the other in the fridge while you work. She cut out the first cookies and then reformed the "scraps" into a small disc before returning it to the fridge to chill while cutting the cookies from the second disc ... and so on.)