Scratch-Made Sandwiches, Pies and Sides at Kopper Kettle Smokehouse in Alma.

Often overlooked by its more popular partner business, Kopper Kettle Candies, this little gray restaurant alongside US Highway 64 deserves to be noticed.

Restaurants That Make Holiday Dinners For You in Arkansas.

Here's a growing list of places around the state of Arkansas where you can pick up your Thanksgiving, Christmas or any other holiday dinner with all the fixings - so you don't have to cook.

The Arkansas State Fair's Strangest Fair Fare.

While this year's Arkansas State Fair has some unusual and outright freakish items on its menu (scorpion pizza, anyone?), the annual October event has been the place to find even odder selections in its past.

The 2015 Arkansas State Fair Food Guide.

The Arkansas State Fair continues through October 18th in Little Rock. Here's your guide to all the food at the Arkansas State Fair - what's new, what's back and what's available all over the fairgrounds. Everything's in alphabetical order, so you can figure out if your choice is out there this year.

The 2015 Arkansas State Fair Food Preview.

Here it is, better than your Moment of Zen: it's your Afternoon of Wow in the form of this year's new foods at the Arkansas State Fair.  The 10 day event starts Friday off Roosevelt Road at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds in Little Rock.

Petit Jean Meats Brings a Big Dog to the Midway.

Here's a sneak peak at a new item that's locally made and available at the end of the midway.

This is the Big Dog.  It's a two foot long hot dog.  It's made by Petit Jean Meats, which means it's quality.

11 Things To Pick Up For An Epic Arkansas Holiday.

Panicking over putting together the perfect holiday dinner here in Arkansas?  Here's some advice on the 11 things you should consider for your family dining traditions.  Click the links provided for ordering information. Be sure to order early -- and if you can't be early, call ahead and make sure what you need and want is still in stock.

1.  Ham.  Each year around the holidays, Petit Jean Meats produces, mails and provides in-store 100,000 bone-in hams and 80,000 boneless hams for the dinner table. Grocery stores throughout Arkansas carry those hams, but if you’d prefer the convenience of having

your holiday meat delivered straight to the house, place your order this morning it’ll arrive in time — as long as you live in the state of Arkansas. Additional shipping charges may apply.

2.  Turkey.  Burge's Smoked Turkeys are very popular for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it's not too late to get yours. Jeff Voyles, the owner, says they'll have plenty, but suggests coming in a few days in advance of the holiday, since there's always a day-before rush. The store on R Street in the Heights will be busy, but you'll be able to get your whole turkey, smoked turkey breast and more -- even some side dishes -- there. Burge's sells around 12,000 whole smoked turkeys a year, but the spiral sliced half-ham is the company’s biggest seller.

Hillcrest Artisan Meats carries Freckle Face Farm turkeys as well as locally raised chickens and ducks available.

If you're wanting to get your own turkey, Sim's Barbecue will smoke it for you, but you need to call first and make sure they have room. You drop off your bird in the morning and go fetch it in the afternoon.

Also, check with Cross Eyed Pig BBQ Company -- which does excellent smoked turkeys and hams.

Consider a whole turducken (a hen stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey) from Floyd's Meat And Seafood (this is also where you get oysters if you want to make oyster stuffing).

Butcher and Public offers a variety of holiday meats -- from turkeys to hams to lamb and even more.  Check with Travis for your meat needs -- and while you're at it, pick up some sorghum breakfast sausage.

3.  Dressing. You cannot beat the chicken dressing from Dan's I-30 Diner in Benton. It's absolutely marvelous and moist, and even if you're having turkey, the chicken in the dressing will be quite excellent.

4.  Eggplant Casserole. Franke's Cafeteria offers many of its popular menu items in family portions for the holidays, including its famed eggplant casserole and whole pies, such as egg custard, pumpkin and cinnamon.

5.  Potatoes au Gratin.  Diane's Gourmet in Little Rock offers a variety of amazing side dishes and desserts, including one of the best renditions of potatoes au gratin around.  You'll also find broccoli cheese casserole, mac and cheese, cheese crackers and baked pies available there.

6.  Cranberries.  Honestly, I can't stand most cranberries (too many slurping solid chunks from cans as a kid, I suppose) but I can eat the tar out of the cranberry orange relish at E's Bistro in North Little Rock.  Elizabeth's also carrying green bean bundles, dressing and pies.

7.  Green Beans.  I cannot stand green bean casserole.  Fortunately, my brother usually eats ALL of it over the course of the afternoon, so no worries there.  Plain green beans are all right, but if you're looking for something to pick up that will be light, delicious and particularly wonderful, check with the folks at Catering To You for some of their marvelous Green Bean Almondine.

8.  Sweet Potato Casserole.  Okay, most everyone should know how to make sweet potatoes by now, but if you're really in a pinch, go get a pan.  Terry's Finer Foods does an excellent rendition.

9.  Bread.  My mom makes crockpot cornbread stuffing for the holidays from her own fresh-baked cornbread, usually from War Eagle Mill Cornmeal Mix.  But butterflake rolls from Ed's Custom Bakery are also usually on the table.  Other choices that would achieve the epic rating for your dinner table:  Boulevard Bread Company's Pagnotta (GREAT for sopping up a little giblet gravy), Community Bakery's Pocketbook Rolls, Silvek's European Bakery's Hallah Bread.

10.  Pepper Jelly. Wait, what?  Okay, you can have your cranberries... I like pepper jelly as a condiment with my turkey.  I'm a big fan of Liz and Linda's Pepper Jelly, but anyone who makes a good one is AOK in my book.

11.  Pies.  This year, a lot of fantastic pies have come onto the scene.  Order yours in advance from your favorite pie shop -- or consider some of the new offerings for the crop -- such as  Bourbon Pecan Pie at Local Lime and Big Orange; French Apple Pie from Terry's Finer Foods; and all sorts of pies at Sweet Love.

There are of course many chain operations offering made-and-done turkeys and Thanksgiving dinners at places such as Cracker Barrel and Copeland's -- and of course you can still pick up a Thanksgiving dinner from Kroger or Edward's Food Giant. These will run you anywhere from fifty to eighty dollars.

Blue Over That Blue Label Ham.

Do you have a forbidden food? You know, something you really really like but can’t have? I have a whole class of foods just like that, which just utterly breaks my heart.

I’m allergic to pork.

It’s not a lifelong allergy. I didn’t start developing it until I got to be an adult. It’s progressed over the years to the point where I can’t eat any pork at all any more without serious consequences. Seem odd for a food writer? You betcha.

Thing is, I remember what it was like… all those things I’m missing. First thing that comes to mind is fried bologna. I always thought it was a south Arkansas thing, getting the guy at the deli to cut you inch thick slices off the Petit Jean bologna loaf in the case, taking them home wrapped up in white butcher paper. The smell of fried bologna in the morning just takes me right back to childhood.

There’s the bacon. Gosh, I loved peppered bacon. I loved it on a big thick piece of homemade bread with a slice of a fresh tomato and a dollop of Miracle Whip. Forget the lettuce. Crispy peppered bacon was the bomb.

And then there was ham during the holidays. Mom would cook the ham up in any number of ways -- with Jack Daniels at Christmas, with brown sugar at Easter, however it came. Leftovers would sit in a large Tupperware container in the fridge sliced up and ready to go into ham salad or a fist of a sandwich tucked into a plastic sandwich bag with the thinnest white bread. They never sat there long.

I’ve missed my Petit Jean hams over the years. I go places and smell the salty, sugary cure and try to get that flavor back in my mouth. I’ve written about Petit Jean’s operation up in Morrilton, how it’s been around since 1926 and how the Ruff brothers distributed it around the state. I cried one year back in the 90s when my boss gifted me with a Petit Jean ham for Christmas.

Thing is, you don’t have to be blue about Petit Jean’s blue label. You can be proud to enjoy a great Arkansas product that’s supreme quality. And if you’re lucky, you can win one. Drop me a comment below for a chance to win a Petit Jean ham for Easter. For a second chance, sign up to be a Facebook fan here. You have until midnight on Sunday, April 17th to make your entry. Winner will be notified and asked for an address on the 18th. Good luck!

Me?  I think I'll console myself with some of that fabulous Petit Jean peppered beef.  Man, that's good stuff!

*** UPDATE ***
The contest is now closed.  Stand by for the announcement of the winner.

*** UPDATE ***
The winner of the ham is Ruth Thomas. Thank you all for participating and stay tuned for other unique giveaways.

Petit Jean Meats are an Arkansas Tradition.

The holidays are a big time for Arkansas’ largest ham operation.  Based in Morrilton, Petit Jean Meats provides ham, bacon, bologna and sausages from a recipe that really hasn’t changed that much in the past 40 years.