Friday, January 31, 2014
Wherefore Art Thou, BobKorn?
Our favorite gourmet popcorn place has moved down the street to a bigger space in order to meet the growing demand of their boffo goods! They've been closed during the transition (which has just made this gray winter that much more of a downer), but sunnier days are ahead, because they are opening back up soon! Rob and family are looking for one more specialty flavor to feature in addition to longtime favorites Lemon Crunch (my personal fave), Mint, Butter Toffee and Chciago-style. Hit up their Facebook page here and tell them your pick! Jalapeno-Cheddar for me, guys!
Labels:
Excelsior Springs,
popcorn
Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Mind-Blowing Minecraft Cake
Pure awesomeness it may be, but there's another cake that blew me away this week. Keith's cousin Jill created a mind-blowing Minecraft cake for her daughter Caitlyn's 10th birthday. Minecraft, for those that don't know (and I'm one of them) is, according to their Wiki page, a game with "creative and building aspects of Minecraft allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world".
Jill tells me that Caitlyn picked out the cake below and had to study a YouTube instructional video to learn how to build it. In Jill's own words:


I watched the YouTube video and took notes to figure out the precise cuts that had to be done in order to accomplish the three tiers of dirt, sand and water blocks. Luckily, Anne and Rhonda (and 2 bottles of wine) helped me crank out this cake in 4 hours from start to finish. The trick was the double batches of cake and Rice Krispies and a quadruple batch of blueberry Jello to attain the perfect 2 X 2 blocks (including dental floss to cut the Jello perfectly). Caitlyn was so attached to the cake that we were not allowed to eat from it, instead we had to take pieces of the leftover remnants.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
The Edible Turning Point
Life and all of its turning points quite often involve food in some manner. In many ways, it is merely in celebration of a milestone and in others as a way to say what words cannot. We see food as a means to mark these mileposts, but more and more, I see the food itself representing the people themselves and helping to tell their story. Some recent examples I've experienced...
My coworker Bari and his longtime love Carlene recently tied the knot and oh, did their wedding cake speak to them: literally half of it featured a more traditional bridal theme, and the other.....well...Holy Hero Cake, Batman! As far as I'm concerned, this cake is just pure awesomeness.
Another coworker Ethan and his wife Megan recently sent out invites to us for a "gender reveal" party. I don't why, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around this. I had never heard of one, but it was at their church, so it obviously wasn't a Crying Game plot twist, right? Finally, my poor, addled, weary brain caught up with the fact that they were having a baby and a gender reveal party is the new way all the cool kids share the discovery of the sex of their child with their loved ones. Leave it to me to distort a beautiful thing because of my own twisted mindset. Ethan and Megan didn't go with the usual cake for this, and instead turned to their beloved Jones Sodas.
They had served Jones sodas at their wedding reception and thought this an apropo way to do the reveal. Their friend Carlene (she of the half-Batman cake) would have a bottle of pink soda (Fufu Berry Soda) and a bottle of blue soda (Berry Lemonade Soda) but the labels were covered. Carlene handed them one of the bottles and they lifted the label to discover...
It's a boy! Maximus is on his way...
Finally, food has become is a prominent part in the mourning process as well. I've written many times about funeral food; about the tradition of bringing food to the grieving person's home and how its often merely a means to offer comfort and condolence when words fail to do the job. Sometimes though, food helps tell the story of the one who passed. We attended a service for our friend Wendy's son Jerad recently. Jerad passed away from a remorseless disease at a far too young age and that fact alone made the experience gut-wrenchingly sad. But the way this grieving family structured that service told Jerad's story in a way I've never experienced. Jerad's artwork and self-designed T-shirts hung in the church. Videos of images of Jerad flickered in the background. Many of his favorite songs played throughout the service. A table featuring his favorite snack food was front and center. By the time many of Jerad's family had spoken about so many elements of his clearly multi-faceted life (including his passion for breakfast cereal), it truly felt as if Jerad's life had been beautifully captured. We were even encouraged to pick up a box of Jerad's beloved Rice Krispies on our way out. I had just met Jerad once before but thanks to that amazing service, we all felt like we knew him very well when we left.
Every day, I learn more and more about the power of food as a storyteller. In the next post, I will feature an edible milestone that blew me away...
My coworker Bari and his longtime love Carlene recently tied the knot and oh, did their wedding cake speak to them: literally half of it featured a more traditional bridal theme, and the other.....well...Holy Hero Cake, Batman! As far as I'm concerned, this cake is just pure awesomeness.
Another coworker Ethan and his wife Megan recently sent out invites to us for a "gender reveal" party. I don't why, but I just couldn't wrap my brain around this. I had never heard of one, but it was at their church, so it obviously wasn't a Crying Game plot twist, right? Finally, my poor, addled, weary brain caught up with the fact that they were having a baby and a gender reveal party is the new way all the cool kids share the discovery of the sex of their child with their loved ones. Leave it to me to distort a beautiful thing because of my own twisted mindset. Ethan and Megan didn't go with the usual cake for this, and instead turned to their beloved Jones Sodas.
It's a boy! Maximus is on his way...
Finally, food has become is a prominent part in the mourning process as well. I've written many times about funeral food; about the tradition of bringing food to the grieving person's home and how its often merely a means to offer comfort and condolence when words fail to do the job. Sometimes though, food helps tell the story of the one who passed. We attended a service for our friend Wendy's son Jerad recently. Jerad passed away from a remorseless disease at a far too young age and that fact alone made the experience gut-wrenchingly sad. But the way this grieving family structured that service told Jerad's story in a way I've never experienced. Jerad's artwork and self-designed T-shirts hung in the church. Videos of images of Jerad flickered in the background. Many of his favorite songs played throughout the service. A table featuring his favorite snack food was front and center. By the time many of Jerad's family had spoken about so many elements of his clearly multi-faceted life (including his passion for breakfast cereal), it truly felt as if Jerad's life had been beautifully captured. We were even encouraged to pick up a box of Jerad's beloved Rice Krispies on our way out. I had just met Jerad once before but thanks to that amazing service, we all felt like we knew him very well when we left.
Every day, I learn more and more about the power of food as a storyteller. In the next post, I will feature an edible milestone that blew me away...
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Just Can't Find A Good Cheesesteak In A Convent
In that bio, you read that Stretch envisioned Grinders as a food-art-music fusion house in the vein of classic dive bars with great food like CBGB. Well that famous NYC punk club makes for quite the inspiration and thankfully Grinders doesn't also try to mimic CBGB's infamously wretched bathroom but the "fusion-house" goal has certainly been attained.
All of this would be great fun enough, but damn, it would suck if the food didn't jive with the rest of the great groove that Grinders provides. Happily, that is so not the case. Grinders has a well-deserved reputation for stellar pizza and shades of Sister Act, its most popular item is its cheesesteak. In today's musical, Dolores is craving cheesesteak when at the convent, all you can get is a boundless supply of mutton. Dolores would've killed for this version. Stretch apparently missed some of the food of his East Coast roots and imported brilliant versions of both cheesesteak and pizza on the menu. We got to sample the Fun Gi (Fun Guy) pie with white sauce and shittake and button mushrooms and some killer "molten"wings.
Sister Act was fun but the star of this experience for me was Grinders. That place could become a regular hang!
Labels:
hot sauce,
hot wings,
Kansas City,
music,
pizza,
Posse,
restaurants
Monday, January 27, 2014
Lucy and Ethel Go Cajun
This Crescent City-inspired repast could be intimidating to seasoned cooks: jambalaya, gumbo, spicy Cajun vegetables, red beans and rice and cornbread for starters. However, Tiff IS a New Orleans resident after all and she arrived with strict instructions from the man in her life. When we arrived, the jambalaya was ready, the gumbo was simmering, the crab boil was rolling and a spinach salad was being tossed.
I appreciate any chance at some Cajun grub, so how grateful was I to dig into that terrific meal? It didn't even come back to bite me and derail the 5k the next day. While I'm speaking of gratitude, I'm also thankful for the take-home package of NOLA love including Tony Chachere's creole seasoning, gumbo file, spices with real sassafras, and boudin and andouille sausage from Tiffany. Can't wait to use it all!
In the meantime, thank you Kiko and Tiff aka Lucy and Ethel. Your Cajun was killer!
Labels:
Cajun,
Excelsior Springs,
Posse,
salad,
sausage
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Run and Done
The Groundhog Run has come and gone and it felt good! As I've mentioned before, this was our first timed race and I was unsure of how an underground run would feel, but I have to say we really got into it. The run felt good start to finish, and that feeling doesn't always come easy. I don't know our time yet, but either way, a very fulfilling experience to be sure.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Warming Up
Should be an interesting experience..it will be our first timed race and I'm not sure if I will find the underground part more intriguing or claustrophobic. However, its for a great cause and it helps knowing the Taco Republic truck will be at the finish line. These guys are known for their awesome street tacos and let's face it, if anything's going to get me to a finish line, the promise of tacos might just do it...

Friday, January 24, 2014
Go Suck A Lemon
Among the moments that certain people remember vividly about my dewy-eyed youth is a moment in a Bonanza restaurant of all places. In between bites of their Texas toast and deep-fried fish, I chose to pop a lemon wedge in my mouth and have at it. Apparently, the resulting face I made is considered priceless. I'm certain an attempt to recreate it at my advancing age would only be seen as sad, so I came across this video that might better express it.
So check it out...and talk about priceless.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Throwback Thursday: Maw and the Kubota
The Greenhouse Gang always work extremely hard to pull these functions off, but the best part is that they never forget to put the "fun" in function. Laughter is always abundant and you can certainly count on that whenever Barbara Reckard is around....and she always is to help out at these soirees. It also added to the mirth having their Kubota tractor iced up and loaded with beverages for partygoers to use like they did at some of the reunions they've hosted. Having Maw Reckard standing ready to serve from the Kubota just sealed the deal for assured good times.
Labels:
Greenhouse,
St. Marys,
Throwback Thursday,
West Virginia
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The Locally-Produced Oasis On My Desk
There are days I look at my desk and my brain just aches from the intimidating stacks of I-need-it-yesterday stuff on my desk. In the middle of all of the chaos, like a serene oasis, is a bag of my new go-to snack; dark chocolate almonds, and a small (or sometimes large) cup with a locally familiar logo....
...yes, a cup of Roasterie coffee. It may be a skim latte with Roasterie espresso and possibly a hit of hazelnut or mint. Or it could be a straight up cup o' joe from the special blend of beans they made specifically for the Elms Hotel and Spa aka my workplace. Either way, I've grown way accustomed to the Roasterie and am highly addicted. Not to mention, the coffee is that much more extraordinary combined with those almonds.
Roasterie Founder Denny O'Neill started this amazing company in his Brookside basement fifteen years after he picked his first beans in Costa Rica. The good folks at the Roasterie travel the ends of the earth to find those beans to bring them back and air-roast them to perfection. The Roasterie is committed to direct trade and also sports one of the coolest event spaces around called the Bean Hangar. Mr. O'Neill, also known as the Bean Baron, has been out to the hotel for a few events and I personally, am a big fan of his and his company.
Thank goodness for the Roasterie for providing my daily work and brain fuel.
...yes, a cup of Roasterie coffee. It may be a skim latte with Roasterie espresso and possibly a hit of hazelnut or mint. Or it could be a straight up cup o' joe from the special blend of beans they made specifically for the Elms Hotel and Spa aka my workplace. Either way, I've grown way accustomed to the Roasterie and am highly addicted. Not to mention, the coffee is that much more extraordinary combined with those almonds.
Roasterie Founder Denny O'Neill started this amazing company in his Brookside basement fifteen years after he picked his first beans in Costa Rica. The good folks at the Roasterie travel the ends of the earth to find those beans to bring them back and air-roast them to perfection. The Roasterie is committed to direct trade and also sports one of the coolest event spaces around called the Bean Hangar. Mr. O'Neill, also known as the Bean Baron, has been out to the hotel for a few events and I personally, am a big fan of his and his company.
Thank goodness for the Roasterie for providing my daily work and brain fuel.
Labels:
coffee,
Kansas City,
The Elms
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Perk/Curse of the Job
Food nerd that I am, it is an admitted kick to be around the culinary talent I am and be able to sample all of the mouth-watering wares. The truffles pictured at left were two of the latest lovelies I was fortunate to sample. Of late, I've gotten to sample incredible vegan dishes with grilled sweet potatoes, pan-fried chicken and creamy risotto and a light and tasty tortellini salad. The culinary talent isn't all just in the hotel kitchen either. I've gotten to try a wonderful curried goat stew my Spa Director made and join my coworkers in a mini-chili tasting to help prep said Spa Director for an upcoming chili cook-off. I've also gotten a peek at some upcoming new menu items and am even more excited.
Fun and fortunate it may all be, but all of this can be a curse to the waistline if not careful. But at the same time discoveries like that vegan dish help open up the possibilities for healthy food as well. It's not all food to sample either; a couple of weeks ago we were asked to test out some lotions for a possible line the Spa might carry. Of course, its far more fun to simply be a guinea pig for new spa treatments. Got offered a facial this week but couldn't commit, alas.
Looking forward to all of the culinary and other possibilities on the job ahead...
Fun and fortunate it may all be, but all of this can be a curse to the waistline if not careful. But at the same time discoveries like that vegan dish help open up the possibilities for healthy food as well. It's not all food to sample either; a couple of weeks ago we were asked to test out some lotions for a possible line the Spa might carry. Of course, its far more fun to simply be a guinea pig for new spa treatments. Got offered a facial this week but couldn't commit, alas.
Looking forward to all of the culinary and other possibilities on the job ahead...
Monday, January 20, 2014
First Flatbread
We were using the recipe for Scandinavian Salmon Flatbread as a guideline, but still worked with what we had instead of buying all new ingredients. Also, our pizza stone recently broke, so we had to ride the Plan B and go with olive oil and a sheet pan as opposed to cornmeal and the stone. The dough makes a lot, so we rolled out two and put the rest in the freezer. The olive oil accidentally dripped over and the result was cacophonous reassurance that the smoke alarm still works. Aside from that, the aromas wafting from the kitchen were enticing and the flatbread came out looking beautiful.
We got the flatbread fever now.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Melancholy Morning
I'll begin this post with a gratitude: I am blessed and forever grateful for my life with Keith here in Kansas City. It is a life filled with laughter and friendship and learning and promise. That said, the greatest challenge for me of this life is the distance away from my family. Every time I go to my West Virginia hometown, I leave with a heart so heavy; my hand is literally on my chest as the eyes well up. When I visit Mom in her nursing home, I photograph my Mom fully, when she's in good spirits and laughing. In moments when she's weak, I will just photograph her hand in mine.
I love you, Mom.