A Course for Adventure

Leaving Town OR a Toast -- under barbecue ribs -- to KC

2011-06-19T17:50:00.000-05:00

Facing South and the Kansas City skyline.

PHOTO NOTE: My photos aren't too crisp because I've not had a chance to purchase a real camera. There's only so much my iPhone camera can capture. But on my last afternoon in KC, I called my friend Sue -- we'll been good friends since college -- and we met at Lattéland at Briarcliff Village for tea. It wasn't a good-bye tea, but a quick break and it soothed the soul. Atop this plateau, the shopping center has the best views of the city. There's a good Argentinian restaurant there but the two times we dined there they sat us in tall wooden booths in the center without any view of the great skyline. Anyway, I hadn't noticed this statue before and I thought it graced the view of my town.

The problem with slowly chronicling our family adventures is that my prolific and writing machine of a husband has already written posts on this topic for days, weeks, months. I am positive I could find Joe's blog posts from before 2009 foreshadowing this move.

So forgive me if this is old news.... but we've left our comfortable home and dear friends and family in Kansas City, Missouri, to venture out to Charlotte, N.C. Officially in the South where they say 'y'all' -- even though I'd been told that's just a Texas thing -- by a former Texas resident. May I just state that getting further away from all things Texas is not a bad thing. I still slip and call Penn State's home College Station instead of State College. I still automatically yell "You drive too fast" when I see any Texas license plate. I cringe when I hear talk of Texas barbecue. And I hear them Carolinas have that mustard-based stuff. Blasphemy.

We're finding Charlotte to be a place where people are most friendly and downright helpful, like the mother showing me her favorite -- and rarely stocked -- ice cream dessert for children in the freezer section of Trader Joe's -- Hold the Cone mini ice cream cones. But I'm getting ahead of myself, because this post is about the place we left behind. We've got to dig up the past before delving into the future or something like that, right?

I clipped coupons out of a new paper in a new city I feel I don't yet know. I found my old coupon organizer and realized all my coupons haphazardly clipped had expired in 2009. Under the RESTAURANTS headings, I became nostalgic for my old city and our old haunts. I found a pass for the Truman Library that I never got a chance to visit in Independence. Though we did finally take our favorite babysitters to Tropicana in Independence last week for frozen fruity pops. (If you go to their Southwest Boulevard location take your Spanish-speaking friends as the menu board isn't in English. If not, it makes ordering more adventurous. Some of their pops have chili as an ingredient.)

I long to know exotic popsicle and ice cream purveyors in our new town. Does Charlotte have a chocolateur like Christopher Elbow? (Whose ice cream is also svelte and creamy and divine.) Is there an Italian restaurant where movie stars get visits from the chef? I gawked at Paul Rudd at Jasper's one night. I wonder if Charlotte's own Brooklyn Decker eats pasta? Joe with his SI connections should be able to find out Brooklyn's fave spots. Not that I'm stalking. And I could just ask her myself on Twitter.

I miss the zoo (didn't get a chance to see the Polar Bear exhibit), and the Nelson-Atkins and their kids art classes and our fave lion statue so majestically greeting us on each and every visit, and Loose Park's duck pond, and just walking around the Country Club Plaza or English Landing Park in Parkville. I miss a zillion other things that made raising children in KC easier. It was comfortable. It was our home, until last week.

I'm missing my town where when I think of restaurants, I don't think of menu specialties as much as I think of people. Like Kevin Ryan who owns Governor Stumpy's in Brookside, who always made us feel as welcomed as if we were Norm from Cheers. Michael Garazzo who invented chicken spedini and remembers that his downtown spot is where Joe proposed to me 13 years and 7 months ago. Or the American, where Joe and the girls took me for Mother's Day brunch and we got to view the kitchen after the meal (I never thought I'd say I enjoyed a stinging nettle soup) and talk with chef Debbie Gold.

Then there's the barbecue. The "Hello, may I help you?" more of a command than an actual greeting at Gates. The cheesy corn, beef brisket and flattened chicken at Jack Stack. The burnt ends at Arthur Bryants, where the sides are sparse but the barbecue is for real with three types of sauces. I'd mix the original and rich & spicy sauces together for sheer dipping delight. I've learned that it's not real barbecue unless it's on a slice of Texas Toast. (See, Texas keeps butting into everything.)

I used to always admonish Joe for mentioning "too many" restaurants in his annual Thanksgiving column in the Kansas City Star. I've fallen for that same culinary blunder. I miss that local flair. I grew up in Kansas and I have memories of my father firing up the grill every Sunday for lunch (my parents called the noonday meal dinner.) It was always steak or maybe hamburgers. Red meat. Grrrrrr, meal of hearty Midwesterners. KC would put just about anything on the grill. The 'Arm of Zeus' (beef loin) we marinated in Allegro. We'd opt for chicken almost exclusively unless it was time for barbecue and we'd venture for brisket and ribs, with a few veggies jazzed up with cheese (cheesy corn) or mustard seed (cole slaw) and a dessert before the sun went down on the Heartland. That was our quintessential KC meal. The meal made perfect with friends, who we've asked to visit us on the East Coast. A chance for us to grill and reminisce.

I must find out quickly if they grill here in the South. .... to be continued

Start Your Engines, We're In Indiana!

2011-03-01T10:02:00.001-06:00

A small amount of snow still sits on the ground, but school is in session, and that's a very good thing on many levels. It allows me to get back to this journey. We last left off when we announced Indiana as our next itinerary.

Thanks to Jay Lemke at Red Gold, an Indiana cannery, who submitted recipes that feature the ever versatile tomato. Jay also sent me a press packet with some of their products, from canned tomatoes to ketchup. (Which I sneak into chili and homemade barbecue sauce when Liz isn't looking.) Which reminds me, if you have unique food products from your state, I'd love to know about them. You can e-mail me at: courseforadventure (at) gmail.com

I've been so underwhelmed with "fresh" grocery store tomatoes, that in winter I only purchase canned tomatoes. A friend who makes her own salsa says she'll only use Red Gold because it doesn't have a "tinny" taste.

Red Gold Tomatoes has a cookbook that features many uses for the red fruit called "Heartwarming Recipes for the Busy Cook." I've seen it recently at my local grocery store. Page 67 in the cookbook features founder Fran Reichart's Tomato Tart. I'm intrigued with the mayonnaise in the mix.

INDIANA:
Fran Reichart's Red Gold Tomato Tart
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell*
2 (14.5-ounce) cans Red Gold diced tomatoes roasted garlic & onion
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salf
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese (I use low-fat when possible)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese (low-fat)
1/2 cup mayonnaise

* Click HERE for my grandmother's super-easy pie crust recipe!

Prep time: 20 minutes / Bake time: 40 minutes
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Fit the pie shell into a 9-inch pie plate. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. (A great way to take out aggravation.) Bake for 12 minutes.
Combine undrained cans of tomatoes, basil and salt in a bowl and mix well. Spread the tomato mixture evenly in the prepared pie plate. Combine the two cheeses and mayonnaise in a bowl and mix well. Spread evenly over the tomato mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until light brown. Cut into bite-size pieces. Serve warm. Serves 12.
Serving suggestions: Works as appetizer or entree. Serve with soup, tossed green salad and raspberry ice.
Calories 230, Fat 18g, Chol 25mg, Sodium 250 mg, Carbs 12g, Fiber 1g, Protein 6g.

Mayonnaise seems to be the family's secret ingredient to pair with their tomatoes. Jay sent another Red Gold family recipe from their CEO Brian Reichart, who says: "This is the greatest pizza in the world."

INDIANA:
Brian Reichart's Fresh Tomato Basil Pizza
1 (10 ounce) package refrigerator pizza crust**
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (low-fat if possible)
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese (low-fat if possible)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold diced tomatoes, drained
or 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Red Gold petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Prep time: 10 minutes / Cook time: 15 minutes
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease 12” pizza pan or 13x9x2 inch pan. Unroll pizza crust and place in greased pan. Starting at center press out with hands. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, 1 cup Mozzarella cheese and garlic. Spread cheese mixture on crust. Arrange diced tomatoes in a single layer over cheese. Sprinkle bell pepper and remaining Mozzarella cheese over tomatoes. Bake 12-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Just before serving sprinkle with fresh basil. Serves: 12.
Calories 170, Fat 8g, Chol 15mg, Sodium 370mg, Carbs 16g, Fiber 1g, Protein 8g.

** Here's what I use for making fresh pizza dough or more technically, impasto per pizze. It's from Toscana restaurant in LA.
Makes 8 (10-inch) pizzas, but I always halve the recipe and still have enough for a large pizza and a small dough ball for the next day's after-school snack of savory or cinnamon-sugar-coated mini-pizza round.

CALIFORNIA:
Toscana's Impasto Per Pizze (Fresh Pizza Dough)
2 cups warm water
1 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cups Italian "OO" flour (a finely ground flour from Italy that makes a crispier crust. I just use my Hudson Cream flour.)

In a mixing bowl, add warm water, yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil. Whisk until yeast dissolves and activates, about 2 minutes. (The yeast should foam up a little bit before disappearing.) Pour the mixture into a mixer using the dough hook and set to slow speed. Add the flour. When all the flour is added, speed up the machine for 1 minute until a dough ball is formed. Remove the dough and place on a floured countertop and allow to rest about 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 8 "balls." (With half the recipe I take two-thirds for the larger pizza ball and make a smaller ball with what's left). Cover with a damp cloth, let rise for 15 minutes. The dough is now ready to use.

Who knew that a trip to Indiana would lead us to Italy? When the girls and I make pizza we crank up our iTunes Italian Night music folder that features:
"Off to Italy" on A Little Romance soundtrack by Georges Delerue
"Balcony e gondola" and "Tarantela rusticana" on World Music Italy, Vol. 4
"Con te partiro" on Romanza by Andrea Bocelli
"Rigoletto, Act III: La donna e mobile" on Pavarotti's Opera Made Easy: My Favorite Opera for Everyone
"Lolita" on Italy - Famous Italian Favorites by Graham BLVD
"Tarantella" and "Mambo Italiano" on Italian Dinner Party Music
and "La Giocanda" on Italian Favorites by Il Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano G

So as they say in Indiana "Enjoy!" or Italy "Buon Appetito!"

Happy New (Year of the Rabbit)

2011-02-03T13:28:00.001-06:00

That blizzard and a third snow day has kept us busy (and a bit stir crazy) at home and kept us from virtually heading to Indiana. But since today is the Chinese New Year, thought we'd toss out a recipe we're planning on having today or tomorrow in honor of the holiday. Happy New Year!

Though we just learned from our neighbors who celebrate the holiday that it's not considered good luck to shower (washes away good luck) or chop anything today. You can find other prohibitions HERE, including avoiding meats.

So technically, this dish makes more sense to fix tomorrow when chopping vegetables isn't considered bad luck. I've got enough problems with my knives that I don't need any more bad vibes. I'm not sure it sounds like good karma to fix rabbit today either. (Though Welsh Rabbit might be okay.)

Here's one of my favorite Chinese-inspired recipes from my friend, Shelly Trenholm in the Asbury United Methodist Church's "Treasured Recipes 2006" cookbook.

Chinese Chicken Bake
2 TABLESPOONS margarine or butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained well
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey — chopped, though might be better to get canned chicken today
1 (10 3/4 oz) can reduced fat condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 1/4 cup celery, — chopped, use food processor?
2 TABLESPOONS green onions — chopped, food processor?

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine butter and onion powder. Gradually add cereal, stirring until all pieces are evenly coated. Set aside. Place in an ungreased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cereal mixture. Bake 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Making a Food Statement: Arkansas' Finest

2011-01-28T13:21:00.002-06:00

Snow is melting, I'm starting a new diet today that's more exercise — NFL Training Camp for the Wii — and calorie awareness thanks to MyNetDiary for the iPad — and we're getting back on track with more great, and easy family meals.

As advertised we're headed for Indiana next week, but today's meal features favorites from Arkansas.

This menu is compliments of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion. Thanks to Tiffany Dabbs who consulted the three culinary chefs on staff at the Mansion, as well as First Lady Ginger Beebe to present A Course for Adventure with the ideal Arkansas meal. I don't think you can get more authentic Arkansas flair than that!

Without further ado, here is the quintessential Arkansas Menu:

Salad

Arkansas Governor’s Mansion grown figs with Goat Cheese over Arugula. Dressed with a Fig Vinaigrette.

Here's a link to Martha Stewart's fig vinaigrette made with dried figs, which are easier to find than fresh figs, which do not ship well.

Video is from University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The video notes figs are one of the easiest fruits to grow in Arkansas. Interesting to note, people with latex allergies shouldn't handle figs.

Tiffany says this is salad is one of Arkansas First Lady Ginger Beebe’s favorite. It's also featured on the Mansion catering menu.

Entree
Roasted Whole Chicken
See Ina Garten's perfect roast chicken recipe. This needs to be started 2 hours before dinner time but the rest of the dinner is easy.

Fresh Green Beans with Shallots
Food Network Kitchen's recipe HERE.

Arkansas Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries

Here is the link for Sandra Lee's very quick version. Arkansas is a big rice state as my friend Jennifer mentioned earlier. Riceland Foods started in Stuttgart, Arkansas, in 1921. They have some rice-inspired dishes here.

Check out this Tourism site for more products that are made in Arkansas.

Free Arkansas travel info HERE.

Dessert

Bourbon Pecan Pie

Store bought crust or
Homemade crust
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup Crisco
3 Tablespoons of water

Pie filling
1 cup Karo syrup
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar
2 TABLESPOONS of butter, melted
1½ cups pecan halves

For crust, sift flour with salt then mix with Crisco until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Add water to mixture and combine until dough ball forms. Do Not over mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.Roll out dough onto a 9” to 10” round, flat surface and then place dough in a sprayed pie dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together Karo syrup, eggs, sugar, melted butter, and pecan halves. Pour into pie shell and bake for 60-70 minutes.

Thank you Tiffany Dabbs, First Lady Ginger Beebe and Mansion chefs for your time and help with our states project.

Dinner for 200

2011-01-21T12:04:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday afternoon a semi-artic chill circled through downtown Kansas City and mounds of gray-swirled, week-old snow left the town feeling lonely and eerie. I circled around the desolate block of mainly industrial buildings again, trying to figure out where to park near the shelter.

Katie saw something else. When I opened the automatic side door to our minivan she said: "Mom, I think I saw a castle nearby. Is this a fairy tale place we're going to?"

I didn't want to dash my sweet child's romantic notions. But she also needed to know that we weren't headed into an opulent place. We were meeting three families and a kitchen crew to make dinner for a homeless shelter. We'd not seen any Disney movies about this adventure.

Coming into the shelter from the cold and quiet downtown street, we checked in at the front desk, took the elevator to the basement floor and walked into the kitchen. I'd been cautioned that it wasn't the cleanest of kitchens. Despite feeling a little dingy, it seemed to have the basics: plastic bins marked with the words "Utensils," a steel island with ingredients for a chicken gravy, stovetops where peas were thawing, a giant fryer/skillet where chicken breasts were sizzling, and two big sinks where the ingredients for a fresh lettuce salad and a side entree of oven-roasted potatoes could be washed.

It was 3:30 in the afternoon and we had until 5 to get a hot, balanced meal ready for 200 people. Perhaps doable. We got directions from Steve, the sweet, smiling volunteer from our group who coordinates lunch and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays during the month of January for the shelter. He's been doing this for years and seemed delighted to show us the ingredients we could put together for a chicken white sauce: two large packages of instant chicken gravy mix, large packages of grated cheese, a pound and a half of butter, a gallon and a half of milk and a bottle of tarragon. He couldn't find the garlic or other spices.

My friend, Debbie, and I didn't have the heart to tell Steve we weren't good at making gravy. We just never ever made the stuff. Steve suggested we could wait until all the chickens were done frying and then we could make our sauce right in that high-sided fryer/skillet. That did seem fun. When Steve said he didn't have an actual sauce recipe, I used my phone to find an easy white sauce and used the website's conversion tool to figure out 200 servings.

We went to a smaller sink to wash our hands and put on kitchen gloves. I cautioned my daughters about them needing to practice good health etiquette and not touch their faces. I guess I didn't specify touching things on the floor because Katie soon held up a penny she'd found. I told her to put the penny in the front of her apron, wash her hands again and put on new gloves. That was a five-minute process for a five-year-old.

We helped friends cut up lettuce and tomatoes for the salad. Steve had asked us to arrange the tomatoes around the lettuce to make it all look presentable. You could tell he took pride in his menus.

Katie asked to help cut up carrots but I instructed her that even though I brought a first-aid kit, she really just needed to be a less skilled helper. Her friends cut carrots and she placed them in the plastic bin, ready to be added to the peas for a side dish.

Once the chicken breasts were done, Debbie and I slowly added the ingredients to the browned remnants and grease remaining in the vast skillet. Debbie's husband reminded us the grease would make it tasty — his mother made a mean gravy. After more than 10 minutes with four of us stirring in this vast pot, Steve came over to taste and announced it was awesome, just not nearly enough. The goal was to pour it over the four enormous pans of chicken, top with more cheese and then keep warm in the oven. We added the last of the chicken gravy powder mixed with more water, more cheese and tarragon and increased the heat to return the mixture to its earlier thicker texture, without lumps.

Nearing 5 o'clock, the white sauce was ladled over the chickens in the pans. The meal did look good.

Next we volunteered to help on the serving line.

About half-way through the dinner serving hours, two other grade-school friends took over for Elizabeth and her friend who had been dishing up the hot vegetables.

Katie and her friend had run out of cookies to hand out so she asked to help serve cornbread. Katie relished her job, scooping up the tall, airy Tippins-recipe cornbread asking everyone if they wanted some. Most of the folks in line commented on her Minnie Mouse hat and she seemed to make them smile. Nearing 6:30 the food was not quite all gone, but Katie was diving into the last of three large pans of cornbread. She asked one man if he wanted cornbread. "No, but I'll give you a kiss instead," as he lowered to plant a kiss on her right gloved hand.

Later that evening Katie told me in school they had talked about wants and needs. The needs she said were shelter, clothing, food and love. She said the man who kissed her hand was giving love. And to me it seemed all the more pronounced since he was able to give back when he was there for two basic needs of shelter and food for himself.

The meal ended soon after. It was just one warm meal for the diners who's stood in line waiting, not knowing what was on the menu.

It's one meal we'll long remember. We helped clean up and then walked up the stairs. Katie, never shy, asked to hold the hand of another friend who normally wouldn't be holding hands with a Kindergartener. Then my daughters and I and our friends walked out into the cold winter's night.

Hoops in the Heartland

2011-01-19T16:32:00.000-06:00

Too many snow days has caused a lull in our regional cooking but keep checking back. We've got Indiana coming up and with the cold weather here in Missouri, I'm thinking thoughts of Hawaii. I've forgotten what WARM breezes feel like.

We have more snowflakes falling at a nice clip today so I'm guessing tomorrow will be a snow day with my daughters looking to be entertained. (Read: watching more TV and making some microwave caramel popcorn.) In the meantime, here's an adventure from our weekend.

It sort of pained me to tell people my daughter was giving up dance to concentrate on basketball and spring soccer. Well sort of, and perhaps if I was being totally honest it wouldn't be discomforting to see my little girly girl change into an athlete seemingly overnight. And not that dancers aren't athletes. I think Paula Abdul would make an incredible bodyguard.

Liz is lithe and graceful, fit to be a dancer in my scout's eyes. I loved watching both daughters in their beautiful, classy dance outfits in last May's dance recital. I was gearing up for that again this year. I liked the other parents and it seemed a more civilized way to get exercise without the notion of competition and all that brings out in parents. If you've been to a youth league game recently you know what I mean.

But I think I'm more in love with the idea of having dancers, probably because I never got the chance to dance as a child. In my small Kansas town we lived too far away from a dance studio for it to be a viable option. Now rather than live vicariously through my daughters I am thinking of joining an adult class to get a start on becoming graceful. Though I suspect I might be too late in that regard. Though my balance and posture do need a lot of help.

A yoga instruction recently explained that she's always getting potential students who fear their balance isn't good enough to even try yoga. She says she reassures everyone that balance isn't something you're born with, it's always changing and needing work even for her entire yoga class. I like that idea that we must continually work on balance and balancing what live throws our way. That's why I'll try and support my daughters in whatever direction their hearts takes them.

It's just that Liz's new-found love of basketball is treading close to my most passionate sport. Basketball conjures up many moments of dread and pain and embarrassment -- puking during warm-up drills and going a full season in high school with barely a win. Oh, there were a moments of glory (winning a game!) as with all sports, but just hearing sneakers squeak on hardwood (even making that sound on my home's not-quite-as-buffed-floor) flips this little switch in my brain where I start thinking: "I don't want to watch, I want to play."

And Katie who's five wanted to play basketball too. She might have some power. And since she's so short and petite, she's going to have to be one tenacious point guard. But early indications show Katie's spunky enough to not let anybody get in her way. She's NOT the daughter who cowers from rebounds. She's in fact the one child clearly running down MOST rebounds and dribbling down the count in her "Fun Basketball" practice/games. She's gotten more ball time than her sister by far, but that's a stat we don't mention out loud.

There are so many things I want to point out to both girls. I want to teach them about playing all-out all the time, setting picks, boxing out and using their hips, and knowing that making a basket is 90 percent confidence. But I try to stay quiet, reminding myself that from the court it's hard to focus on what parents are yelling from the stands. (Her grandfather -- my father -- enjoyed yelling instructions in one game. I kept hushing him, even apologizing to the coach after the game. The coach was nice enough to say he'd not heard my father.)

I wish I could will my daughters my court sense. I always thought I had good court awareness, vital for full-court presses and fast breaks, few and far between in third-grade basketball. I still motion too much with my hands, as if I'm a puppeter moving Liz to where she needs to be on defense.

And Liz's defense is improving. My friend Christi who's a good player and still referees and coaches in her freetime, says that at this age defense is key because it's hard for most kids to basically heave the ball to make a basket.

Liz only really gets an hour once a week at practice to work on shooting because it's too darn cold to practice shooting on our outdoor goal. What Liz really needed was the knowledge that she COULD make a goal. Too often I hear her say she cannot do something around the house, and I have to turn to Dick Vitale speech to get her to do her job. I was concerned she's feel that offense and making baskets was "too hard."

But last Saturday's game proved to be the best challenge yet with just five players including Liz. With 10 players at the beginning of the year, the coach had the luxury of playing each girl for half of each 10-minute quarter. Liz was about to get more playing time and she and her teammates responded to the call. Liz, always a bit hesitant when lining up around the circle for the tip, got the ball and started to dribble it, her first time to actually dribble in four games.

Just having her near the group rebounding with her hands up was an improvement over her first two games where she'd duck with her hands over her head when the ball came anywhere near her. We've been working on playing catch in the basement to work through that fear.

This game, Liz got a few rebounds and on one, heaved it back up. That's when adrenaline came in and her toss was a perfect arc toward the basket. And the basket went in! I was overjoyed but tried to not act too excited. Her sportswriting father smiled and had a great deal to say on the subject later. I was proud beyond words, and I know that even if she doesn't make a basket or win another game for the rest of the season, this year has been worth it.

Liz seemed to keep it in perspective, acting like her first basket in a game EVER was no big deal. I'm trying to do the same and keep my emotions in check. But I cannot help to think about the bigger picture: She's learning so much more than she thinks. She's learning to be part of a team and all the intangibles that come with working with others. She's also learning more about herself -- self-esteem which can come even on a team that loses more than wins -- and find the ability to BELIEVE is can do anything she sets her mind to do. I think she's learning that practice can provide results that go beyond one game, one basket. And she seems to really like it, which makes me think she'll be sticking with it.

I'm getting too excited now and I really do need to check into that dance class for my own sense of movement and dance floor awareness. I really do need to find out if sneakers squeak on dance floors.

Potter's Place, Part One

2011-01-07T15:26:00.000-06:00

We've recently returned from out outing at Harry Potter's Wizarding World at Universal's Island of Adventure Theme Park at Orlando, Florida. We went over break, as well as several other gazillion theme park fans.

My husband wrote about the experience here. Really, after that post there's not much more I think I could even add. But I will try to share about my experience standing in line for Butterbeer later. I'm getting ready for a marathon scrapbooking weekend right now.

So in the meantime, I'll leave you with some butterbeer recipes. It's very good even though I'm the only one in the family who seemed to really like it. And I want to experiment and try to see if I can brew a "hot" version.

I'm including some links for recipes that come similar to making your own magical Butterbeer:

Sanda Lee's take

MuggleNet's recipe by Melissa

Huffington Post's version

We'll also be doing some kitchen alchemy soon, and I just ordered Elizabeth this book, which I think she'll really enjoy.

There's a New Chef in the Kitchen

2011-01-04T08:56:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year and thanks for checking in. We've gearing up for a great journey through some more great states. And really aren't they all great states? When we're seeking the best a state has to offer and finding quick family meal solutions, it's a great way to brush up on geography and dabble in the kitchen without feeling stressed.

So what's first on our itinerary in January? We're studying up for a trip to Indiana and a return trip to Arkansas where we call on the First Lady to provide her quintessential state meal.

We also plan to start a state-by-state page with food highlights, so if you've got a great find from your state, we'd love to hear about it!

So onward into 2011, exploring more great foods of all 50 states. And there's another new development in the kitchen. I thought you'd like to hear about it, too.

I grew up watching my mother and my grandmother cook, domestic goddesses in their warm kitchens. And lured by premium prize money at our summer county fair starting at the age of 8, I learned to bake. I still have my 4-H cookbooks with names like: Tricks for Treats and All American Foods. They're dated, sure, when a drop biscuit recipe calls for either shortening or lard. I kept them not so much for the recipes but for the chance to have my daughters look through them someday.

Someday is here. And how it came about after fixing a gazillion meals I'm not sure. We've been watching a bit more food shows over the holiday break and I've been baking more, though a "creamy caramel" flop made me question my time in the kitchen. My caramel didn't get firm enough and resembled a blob, though its taste was dulce.

But what was sweetest of all was when 9-year-old Liz confidently announced early Monday that she wasn't just helping cook. She WAS cooking. She got out her fairly recently acquired Cookbook for Girls and picked out her evening menu she would be preparing "on her own."

Liz's new fave cookbook

Her menu was: Spring rolls for appetizers, barbecued chicken kabobs for the main course with pink lemonade and white chocolate and raspberry brownies for dessert. She made her list and one modification. She agreed to use regular dark chocolate when her father announced he didn't like white chocolate.

Liz diligently wrote out her shopping list and we all went to the store. She was ready to start cooking right after we returned. I told her starting at 3:30 was a bit too early. But once she got started at quarter til 5 and for the ensuing hour and a half, she was a trooper, grating, stirring, reading and instructing me in which vegetables needing chopping and other ingredients she needed. I'd read over her shoulder occassionally to make sure she was reading the fractions right but I was more than happy to be the sous chef as she directed the action.

Liz was most concerned that her homemade barbecue sauce was made with ketchup, which to her is a most vile ingredient. But with a little coaxing she added the six tablespoons of the yucky red sauce with plenty of brown sugar and it turned out much better than she imagined. We'd also forgotten to soak our wooden skewers so we just placed the chicken chunks directly on the broiler pan and it still tasted fine.

Nearing 7 p.m. I told Liz that we'd have to make her lemonade recipe another night and so her father stepping in to help her with her fourth and final recipe. They used a salad spoon as their drink stirrer, but hey, we were ALL cookin'!

Katie, who helped too was most complimentary of her sister's abilities. Liz seemed pleased with her accomplishments and ready to make Monday night her cooking night. (Cue the Hank Williams Jr. lead-in music!) Leadership in action and oh, how I hope it continues, if only so I can have one less meal to plan. I've not been this excited for Monday nights in a long time.

Got an aspiring chef in your kitchen? Here are super easy biscuits I made my first year of cooking in 4-H when I was around Elizabeth's age.

Drop Biscuits
2 cups sifted enriched flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspon salt
1/3 cup shortening or lard (don't worry about seeking out lard, shortening will do)
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to very hot (450° F).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl. (I don't worry about sifting just weighing the flour. A kitchen scale is a great thing to have. One cup of flour is around 4 ounces/113 grams)
3. Cut in shortening until mixture looks like coarse meal.
4. Make a hole in the center of mixture and pour in all the milk.
5. Stir until dry ingredients are barely damp.
6. Drop dough by spoonsful onto the ungreased cookie sheet. Use one spoon to dip out the dough and the other spoon to push the dough onto the cookie sheet. Leave about 2-inch spaces between the biscuits.
7. Bake in preheated oven about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes about 14 biscuits.

Variation: Cinnamon Balls
1. Combine 3 Tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon on a piece of waxed paper.
2. Drop a teaspoon of biscuit dough at a time into the sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll dough around to coat the surface and gently shape into a ball.
3. Place coated balls of dough about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in a preheated hot oven (450° F).
Makes about 24.

from "Tricks for Treats, A Fun with Foods Project" member manual published by the National 4-H Council.

A Horse for the Ages

2010-12-20T23:24:00.000-06:00

Today finishes our stay in the Great State of Kentucky, but not before a great horse story as promised, and a link for a fun twist on the classic Mint Julep drink. Maker's Mark's Toll Gate Cafe serves Chocolate Mint Julep Cookies with Andres creme de menth candies and tops it with a Bourbon Fudge.

I made the cookies without the fudge for my cookie exchange recently and they still have a good kick, but I can imagine the topping is decadent. Depending on how the rest of the winter goes, I might need to be testing the fudge soon. You can find the recipe HERE.

Perfect Drift will turn 11 this spring. (Photos by Dianne Reed)

So with visions of Bourbon fudge on mint cookies it's time to meet the second richest racehorse in America. Perfect Drift, who is the horse in resident at the Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in the spring and summer and winters in Kansas City, Missouri. Perfect Drift won more than $4.7 million from 2002 until his retirement in 2008.

I recently talked with our friend Dianne Reed, a great cook, who with her husband, Bryan, a veterinarian, help Bryan's parents Dr. William and Mary Reed run Stonecrest Farm, a beautiful 110-acre horse farm in south Kansas City. Their farm gained attention when Perfect Drift placed third at the 2002 Kentucky Derby.

"It was fun at Millionaires Row, we saw so much of everything," Dianne said. But they had a hard time getting to and from the paddock before the race because of all the celebrities. "Kid Rock, one of the Jacksons, and Josh Groban were near there. It was so crowded and all these celebrities kept getting in my way. I just wanted to see my horse."

But the Derby was just the start of Perfect Drift's career, as he'd raced in five straight Breeders' Cup Classics.


Churchill paddock before Stephen Foster race.

In all, this mighty athlete started 50 races in a seven-year span. Dianne points out that the sire, Dynaformer, produces big horses who tend to mature later.

And the Reeds, who are very caring of all their animals, would give Perfect Drift and other racing horses time off, bringing them back each winter to Stonecrest Farms. "We gave him a break each winter and that was very unorthodox," Dianne said. "We let him be a snow horse, and get a hairy coat."

The winter break seemed to work well, but for Perfect Drift it was always about having the right racing attitude. "It's all about heart," Dianne said, who compares the horse to a great athlete. She recalls a race where in the paddock prior to the start time, Perfect Drift came into contact with another racer. "He snorted at the other horse and turned his head as if to dismiss that horse," Dianne said.

Plus she said he'd always pose for the cameras and seemed to like women better than men. It was always men who were wanting Perfect Drift to work hard. And even this fall when Dianne and Bryan went back to Churchill Downs to see him, he quickly remembered Dianne and tried to get to her purse, where she keeps a supply of mints. I wonder if Perfect Drift would like those mint cookies in the link above?


Perfect Drift's retirement in 2008 at Turfway Park with Pat Day up.

A Speedy Hot Brown Becomes Favored

2010-12-13T09:19:00.001-06:00

I'm accustomed to having my daughters get surprised by new food dishes, but most of the time I'm not wowed by new dishes. I like trying new things -- thus this blog -- but I usually have an idea how new recipes will turn out. When I talked with my friend Dianne Reed we realized that a feature of Kentucky's famous foods needed to include the Hot Brown recipe, though neither of us were fans. We discussed ways to make it easier and more kid-friendly. Who needs to spend time making the cheesy Mornay sauce when kids will just turn up their noses?

The tasty results surprised me, and this recipe moves up from a Thanksgiving leftovers recipe to my quick weeknight meal recipe file. Keep reading to see our quick makeover. Later this week we'll feature racehorse Perfect Drift, who spends racing season in Kentucky and winters in Kansas City, and a delicious dessert for Chocolate Mint Julep Cookies.

It's probably no surprise that the Hot Brown was first created at the landmark Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. You can read the history of the recipe HERE.

It makes a hearty breakfast but we've made it into a weeknight comfort food. We've switched out the cheese sauce that takes time and opted to use a brown gravy mix. You can add cheddar cheese if your family likes cheese and top with tomatoes and turkey bacon. I didn't have tomatoes nor bacon on hand so I left those off.

A Course for Adventure's
Kentucky Hot Brown
4 slices of Texas Toast
1/2 pound of sliced turkey (leftover turkey works), I used smoked turkey from the deli
1 packet of brown gravy mix
slices of Cheddar cheese (optional)
1 tomato (optional)
4 to 6 slices of turkey bacon

Direction: Mix gravy mix according to instructions. You can also find gravies in bottles that just needed to be heated. Or make your own recipe if you're so inclined.

Toast the bread. I've always wondered why they call the thick bread Texas Toast when it's not toasted yet?

I cut the toast into triangles (tell your children you're trying to make the state's shape, sort of) and placed them into an 8" square pan. I then added the 1/2 pound of turkey on top of the toast ...

followed by the cheese, if using, and pour the hot gravy on top. Bake in 425° until bubbly, about 5 to 10 minutes. Top with turkey bacon and sliced tomatoes -- if your family will eat them. And then you have a quick meal on the table for a state that's known for fast horses, quick tracks and a now a speedy Hot Brown.

Thanks to Dianne Reed for her insight. I referenced the Kentucky Hot Brown recipe in "Derby Entertaining, Traditional Kentucky Recipes," Copyright 2000 by McClanahan Publishing House.

Updated version of the cookbook

Check HERE for a collection of Kentucky-made products, including sweets like Bourbon Balls.

Winter got you feeling blah? Here are some books to make you think of springtime in Kentucky and heart-pumping racing season at Churchill Downs:

Secretariat's owners have a new book that came out this year.

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William Nack's classic book was made into a movie:

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The exciting book about Seabiscuit:

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A trifecta of books from friend and New York Times racing writer Joe Drape, who grew up in Kansas City.

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Here's a link for a few picture books on horses for children.

A Winning 'n' Easy Kentucky Derby Pie

2010-12-07T11:19:00.002-06:00

You'll be in the winner's circle in no time with this quick recipe

Imagine a state's quintessential pie that's like eating cookie dough in a flaky pie crust. It's long on taste but short on time with my grandmother's no roll-out method pie crust. I'd say it's like cheating on making pie crust, but that doesn't quite keep with our winning theme here. And the inside filling is like a pecan pie meets a chocolate bar.

I'm incorporating my grandmother's pie crust with my mother's recipe for Kentucky Derby Pie. I'm not sure where we first found the recipe but my copy, as best I can tell, was printed on our late '80s dot matrix printer that would have been hooked up to our Steve Wozniak Apple IIGS computer. It was one of my younger sister Becky's favorite desserts. It's a recipe that goes together quickly. Kind of like how I always forget how fast the Derby Race begins and then ends. Check back for more on insight on the story of a Kentucky Derby racehorse, Perfect Drift.

I have to confess that while many blog sites were featuring pies leading up to Thanksgiving I was pretty much in pie denial. I'd convinced myself I didn't like to bake pies. Perhaps it was because when I'd made pies it was always apple pies that took longer to peel and slice the apples than bake them. And the traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin pie just wasn't anything my family was willing to try. Not that I can blame them, there's always been something about the texture of pumpkin pie that just isn't right despite the addition of exotic cooking spices and fresh whipped cream. To my family, pumpkin seems more akin to squash and therefore a yucky vegetable than a lovely aromatic fruit. I suppose my entire household is more Marie Antoinette than pilgrim. (I do realize that I'm perpetuating two myths here: Marie didn't say that cake line and pilgrims didn't eat pie at the first Thanksgiving.)

So pies haven't been on my mind until I started thinking about my Kentucky menu. I'd forgotten about this quicker pie crust recipe until I was taking to my aunt who baked three pies for our Thanksgiving meal. She'd tried a new crust recipe that she wasn't sure she liked. I remembered how her mother, my grandmother, was certain that with my skill, or rather lack of skill at using the rolling pin I was in dire need of her recipe that skips the rolling and resting and refrigerating dough. It's quick and quite flaky and would also make a smash-up crust for quiches on the quick. (Another item that only my eldest daughter and I will eat in our house.)

A Course for Adventure's
Kentucky Derby Pie

Margaret Lesovsky's
"Easy as Pie" Crust recipe (no-roll-out method)
2 cups flour (I use unbleached Hudson Cream)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup oil
3 Tablespoons milk

Blend together all the ingredients well with a fork.

Pat together to make a dough ball. Divide into half.

With your hands press across the bottom and up sides of a pie plate. I used a 10" inch pie plate and used a little more than half the dough. I refrigerated the other portion of the dough to use as a topping for a hearty ground beef and vegetable filled pie. If a recipe calls for a top crust, you can just use your fingers to sprinkle the other half of the dough on top of the pie filling.

You can bake this quick crust like any other pie crust.

Kentucky Derby Pie Filling
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten (try to get range free eggs if possible)
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted and cooled
1 cup of pecans OR English walnuts, in small pieces (or mixture of both)
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix sugar, flour, vanilla and eggs together. Add butter, nuts and chocolate chips. Mix all together thoroughly.

Pour into the unbaked pie shell ...

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool before serving.

Good-Bye to Massachusetts and On to Kentucky

2010-12-01T10:06:00.001-06:00

So as we leave Massachusetts (for now, returning later) I leave you with a link for a New England clam chowder recipe. I'd planned to make this for my family but my husband (and myself) find that rich, cream dishes are best to forgo. I still love the thought of a creamy and steamy, thick white clam chowder.

Dave Lieberman's New England Clam Chowder from Food Network web site.

I think soups are perfect for chilly winter evenings, but my family doesn't seem to think dinner surrounded by liquid is their idea of a good meal. I appreciate the ease of throwing a bunch of healthy ingredients in a pot of water and then just letting it simmer over the stove for an hour. So my mission is to find that ideal soup recipe that makes my family likes. It always makes me think of that story about Stone Soup.

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So as we cross a new state border, we wander over to Kentucky, a state with rolling green hills and stately white fences and a history of horses. Our friend Dianne Reed of Overland Park, Kansas, says it's a friendly state that despite status everyone talks horses. "The horses are such a great equalizer," Dianne says. "From barn workers to dealing with the richest people in the world, everyone talks about horses. Perfect Drift opened a lot of doors for us."

As a three-year-old gelding in 2002, Perfect Drift placed third at the Kentucky Derby and continued to have a successful racing career for many years after. Since 2009 Perfect Drift has spent the warmer months as the horse in residence at the Kentucky Derby Museum, right beside Churchill Downs. But this week, Perfect Drift will be returning to his annual winter home with his owners, Dr. William and Mary Reed of Stonecrest Farms, south of Kansas City.

We'll share more of Perfect Drift's great story later this week -- you've got to have a great horse story for Kentucky Week, and Perfect Drift's is a Cinderella story.

While we're on soups, here's a link from Simply Recipes for a typical soup/stew called Kentucky Burgoo.

The Pie that was really a Cake

2010-11-24T21:45:00.002-06:00

Here are the details for our Thanksgiving pie -- that's really a cake and a fabulously easy cake!

First, from our family to yours...

I've referred to my friend and her mother, also a dear friend, for recipes at other holidays. I've searched for an easy Boston Cream Pie and found I only had to search as far as Kansas City because Diane Balanoff has made an easy version for years. It's one of her son's favorite cakes. And she says she'll deny she used a yellow cake (as will I). But for a busy holiday, a cool cake is just a few simple steps away!

Diane Balanoff's
Boston Cream Pie
1 box of Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
vegetable oil, eggs and water as directed on back of cake box
(I just recycled the box and don't want to rummage for the exact ingredients, which may vary. Also don't get a mix that has pudding in the mix, since that's the filling you'll add:

Pudding:
1 package (or 2 small boxes) Jello Vanilla flavored pudding and pie filling, the Bake and Serve kind, NOT INSTANT!
Whole milk (amount depends on size of box)
A large 6 oz box required 2 cups of milk

Chocolate topping:
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/3 cup of butter or margarine
6 Tablespoons of boiling water

Mix and bake the cake as directed on the box. I used two 9-inch round cake pans, but it may work better for one tall cake which you can then cut in half after it cools.

The tricky part with the cake is keeping it stable since there's only pudding in the middle. Diane jokingly says it's best to make the dessert in the dining room or whatever room you'll be using for serving the ~~pie~~ cake.
To make the dessert set up and transport better, I used my springform pan:

I placed the first cake with the bottom up over a layer of parchment paper:

While the cake was cooling I made the pudding, which despite not being the instant kind of Jello pudding, still came together easy. The key is to get the pudding to come to a rolling boil (like a witch's potion!)

When the pudding cooled I spooned it mainly in the middle of the bottom layer, like this:

I then added the top layer and tried not to press down too hard to keep the pudding between the layers:

Then I started on the chocolate topping, which Diane has been making for years. It makes more than enough for the top of the cake (don't worry about the sides.) The key for the chocolate is to add enough water to make a pourable topping, it shouldn't be too thick. You may need to add more than six tablespoons of water. I halved the chocolate recipe, but still needed nearly six tablespoons of water.

I didn't worry if it dripped a little bit ...

And there is our answer to pie on Thanksgiving Day. (Plus my mother-in-law made another decadent sponge cake with a coffee and chocolate topping from an old Hungarian recipe.)

Park it Right Here for a Better Roll Recipe

2010-11-23T09:59:00.001-06:00

So it seems that the same restaurant that created Boston Cream Pie (not a pie but rather a cream-filled cake) also created the Parker House rolls that are creamy inside and toasty, crunchy on the outside -- and not that hard to make if you're BRAVE enough to spend a few hours babysitting some yeast. Need some delish homebaked bread for your Thanksgiving feast? Can't you smell that aroma now? Check out this recipe that started in the great state of Massachusetts, our featured state of the week.

First, you can find the original recipe for these rolls at the Omni's Parker House Hotel in Boston HERE. The recipe says you'll need 3 and a half hours before serving but I'm not about baking under pressure. I'm freezing some rolls now for later in the week. The recipe should make more than 3 dozen. You can make cut out smaller rolls to increase that number, too.

Here's why I like this recipe: You can take a round cookie cutter and cut out the dough rather than spend awhile trying to shape a gazillion round perfect balls for uniform rolls. These rolls don't need to look great because the butter factor will ensure they're incredibly good to eat. We're already tackling the monster that is yeast so no need to complicate things anymore. I used the top of a glass to make my circles, though I'd not recommend that if you're having children help cut out shapes!

The Original Parker House Rolls
from the Omni Hotels Parker House in Boston, Mass.

6 cups all-purpose flour*
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages of active dry yeast**
1 cup margarine or butter (2 sticks) softened
1 large egg (try to buy range-free, if possible)

*You may need more flour depending on humidity and other factors like number of helpers pouring in flour. Try to use good quality flour, I usually try to sneak in a bit of whole wheat flour but didn't for this recipe. This week isn't about healthy.

** This should equal 4 1/2 teaspoons of yeast if you buy it in the jar, but double-check the label.

Step 1: In a mixing bowl (with a dough attachment, that hook-looking thing) combine 2 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast; add 1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick). The other stick of butter/margarine will be for dipping and making the rolls crunchy on the outside!

With mixer at low speed, gradually pour 2 cups hot tap water (120 degrees to 130 degrees F) into dry ingredients. I get water that feels warm to my wrist. Too hot and the yeast won't like it. Add egg, increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 3/4 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 2 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough. I recall my grandmother's advice that relies on the mixer to do more of the kneading. So use that hook to mix in dough where it leaves the side of the mixer. The pic above needs more flour before going to the next step.

2. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in more flour (about 1/2 cups) while kneading. I put more flour in the mixer and let the dough hook do most of the magic, making my by hand kneading time roughly about 3 minutes. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased, just like this:

Cover with a towel; let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F) until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. I just placed the dough on top of a warm oven -- I'd just finished my self-cleaning option. (Dough is doubled when two fingers pressed into dough leaves dent.) It will look similar to this with working yeast:

3. Punch down dough by pushing down the center of dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly to make smooth ball; cover with bowl for 15 minutes and let dough rest. I think I know where the term "raising" children comes from. There are similarities with working with yeast dough and children. It's like you're putting dough into a time out. I love the recipe requires the bowl to be placed upside down over the dough -- like it's got it's own special hideout.

4. In 17 1/4 inch by 11 1/2 inch roasting or baking pan (this size pan is really optimal for this recipe), over low heat in oven, melt remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter or margarine; tilt pan to grease bottom.

5. On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. With floured 2 3/4 cutter, cut dough into circles. Holding dough circle by the edge, dip both sides into melted butter/margarine in pan; fold in half.

Knead trimmings together; re-roll and cut more rolls. Cover pan with towel; let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes.

6. Bake rolls in a 400-degree oven 15-18 minutes until browned.

They'll rise a bit more in the oven.

Golden tops means they're done.

Not perfect looking rolls, but a success (taste-wise) for my first time attempting this recipe, which means you can do it, too. The rolls are soft and flavorful inside and the tops and the bottoms are crunchy, making this a good contrast of taste and texture that would look right at home on a holiday buffet table. Let me know in comments what you think!

Next up: I attempt my friend's super-duper easy Boston Cream Pie recipe!

The Storm Before the Calm

2010-11-22T11:07:00.001-06:00

Hubby is out of the house today working partially because he has a lot of writing and maybe because he's afraid I'll put him to work helping me clean the house. I don't just make a nice "to-do" list like my mother did when I was growing up. I've pondered just e-mailing and texting little reminders or for the girls -- leaving notes in their rooms since they're not yet into texting. (Thank the Technology Gods -- for the moment -- that they're semi-reachable by voice and not hooked to a wired network.)

I yell out instructions, at least the fourth or fifth time I'm having to repeat myself. (Husband may disagree here.) And the girls are learning how to operate the sweeper though they're acting like it's a monster they cannot control. So while they're at school I'm cleaning the oven...

My oven that needs some self-cleaning time.

... so my baking project for the day is getting delayed. I've found Boston's Parker House hotel's recipe for Parker House rolls that I'll be attempting later today. And I'm calling a friend to get her easy Boston Cream Pie (really it's a cake!) recipe, so check back for more cooking excitement.

In the meantime, I'm hitting corners of the house that need my attention:


Just soap scum in the guest bathroom

and heaven knows what on my table! Ugh!

Plymouth Celebration means Massachusetts

2010-11-18T10:24:00.001-06:00

Since it's closing in on Thanksgiving, we've skipping a few states (since we're a virtual tour!) and focusing this week and next on Massachusetts.

For more info for that first Thanksgiving, check the Pilgrim Hall Museum site HERE. More info about the state can be found at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism site.

And even if you and your family aren't necessarily cranberry fans, here are some fun facts on the vivid berry.

I've made homemade cranberry sauce before but my husband prefers the canned version, likely because that's what he grew up eating every Thanksgiving. I could just let those fresh cranberries simmer (anything simmering on the stove top is always so comforting) for a sauce that just sits on the table and looks pretty. But with my mother-in-law's extensive menu (menu to be posted soon!) we'll likely just buy a can of Ocean Spray's finest and just call it good.

Though this Cranberry Festive Sparkler looks good and Grandpa Steven looks his seltzer.

Chicken and Rice Casserole, Arkansas Style

2010-11-12T15:41:00.001-06:00

If your town is anything like mine today, it's time for some good ol' comfort food. I asked my good friend Jennifer Ingraham for insight into her home state's culinary legacy.

Here is Jennifer's insight:

"Nationally, Arkansas ranks No. 1 in rice and poultry production. I know this because I learned the rice fact in fifth-grade Arkansas history and I’ve seen some of the rice farms along the Mississippi River. I know the chicken fact because I grew up in Northwest Arkansas and my high school was next to a Tyson chicken plant. So it seems only appropriate that I offer a simple, traditional chicken and rice casserole, loaded with fattening ingredients and topped with butter and Ritz crackers. Mmm, mmm, good!

"This recipe took 3rd-place honors at the 2006 Arkansas State Fair," Jennifer says.

Check out this link at Serious Eats to see the new food items that popped up at this year's Arkansas State Fair. If you like your entrees and desserts deep-fried, you'll be pleased with the deep-fried and battered hard boiled eggs and deep-fried bacon bombs followed by chocolate smooches and chocolate cream cheese bites!

Jennifer Ingraham's

State Fair Chicken & Rice Casserole

4 chicken breasts, boiled and boned

1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup

1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 cup sour cream

3 cups chicken broth

2 packages Ritz Crackers, crushed

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter

Chop chicken. Combine chicken, soups, rice, sour cream, and broth. Place in two 2-quart dishes. Crush crackers and add dollops of butter. Sprinkle over dishes. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Thank you, Jennifer. This seems a great dish for a good weekend meal and another dish to freeze for another quick meal for a busy weeknight. What's better than a meal in the freezer?

MORE FUN: Here's a fun kids site with more Arkansas info.

The Dessert Loving State of Arkansas

2010-11-08T11:00:00.003-06:00

You know a state takes its desserts seriously when the state's First Lady hosts a pie contest at the state fair. (Missouri's First Lady also hosts a pie contest, too.) Click HERE for a previous year's winning chocolate pie recipe from Arkansas.

First Lady of Arkansas Ginger Beebe points out on her website that 38 percent of Arkansas youth are obese compared to the national average of 29 percent. Click HERE for some of the fun and HEALTHY recipes she shares on her site.

So in search of a healthier dessert I found a carrot cake recipe from David and Ruth Glass.

David Glass grew up in Missouri, but is the previous CEO of Wal-Mart based in Bentonville, Arkansas. David has been CEO of the Kansas City Royals since 1993, and I found their family recipe for this dessert in a charity cookbook "From Our Plate to Yours" with recipes from Royals players and management that was a benefit for The Children's Place. The note below the title reads — I'm thinking this if from Ruth — "This is a very old recipe that never fails. Good for new brides and dessert loving husbands."

Grating carrots might be more fun than eating them.

David and Ruth Glass' Carrot Cake
4 eggs
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, chopped (we left this out, but added ½ cup of raisins)
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
3 cups carrots, grated (about 1½ small packages of regular-sized carrots)

Icing:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
16 oz package powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat 4 eggs well then stir in oil and sugar. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, then combine with other mixture. Stir in carrots and pecans. Grease and four two 9" cake pans and pour ingredients into pans. (Inspired by Ina Garten's Parties! cookbook carrot cake cupcake recipe, we opted to make cupcakes instead of one big cake. There was enough batter for 24 cupcakes and a mini-bread loaf.)

It can be messy prep, but it's worth the extra work.

Bake at 350 degrees until cake is no longer doughy. (We baked our cupcakes about 35 minutes.) When finished baking, cool in pans for 10 minutes then invert onto wire racks. Cool completely (may refrigerate.)

Icing: Combine cream cheese and butter, beating until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Ice cakes after completely cooled.

In his fun and informative cookbook, United Cakes of America, Warren Brown states that this scrumptious version we know today that's paired with cream cheese was published in a women's club cookbook in Wichita, Kansas, in 1929. (Not sure I'd think of Kansas as being in the vanguard of carrot recipes.) But tossing carrots in cakes goes back even further. T.W. Barritt at his blog 'Culinary Types' shares more about the event where George Washington was served a carrot tea cake in New York City in 1783.

THEMED BOOKS:
"The Giant Carrot" by Jan Peck, illustrated by Barry Root
"The Carrot Seed" by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Crockett Johnson

OTHER MEDIA:
See the Warner Brothers' Bugs Bunny Hopping Carrot Hunt game HERE.
Check out this soundtrack "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony" for some entertaining music from the one and only famous rabbit while cookin' up this tasty carrot recipe.

A Polk Recipe from Flippin, Arkansas

2010-11-05T20:20:00.003-05:00

My friend Gwen VanAsselt is today's guest to discuss the culinary delights from Arkansas. Gwen's polk shoots recipe is from her grandmother who grew up eating this in Flippin, Arkansas, and brought the recipe with her to Missouri when she moved to Missouri's Lake Ozark in her 30's.

You, like me, may be wondering about polk shoots (also called poke or pokeweed). Here's a good link for more info.

Gwen says: "One of the wonderful things about my grandma is that she doesn't beat around the bush and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She came to stay with us for a week after the birth of our first child. After the first day of my recipes (lots of lentils and tofu) she told me I didn't have the right ingredients to make anything. She couldn't believe that I didn't have a can of bacon grease on my stove. She said, 'all good recipes start with a little bacon grease.'

"At some point during her trip she noticed that we had polk growing in our landscaping. (We are not the best at yard maintenance.) She picked a full pot of it out of our landscaped beds and served it to us that night for dinner.

"I called her to get the recipe.

"In Arkansas you know that poke is up when the Oak trees put out leaves. It is best in the spring when it is tender. It grew later in Michigan because the climate is cooler. It will grow into fall and make berries. Never eat the berries. They are almost poison.

Polk recipe:

1. Pick a full pot of polk because it will shrink.

2. Wash it three times to get the dirt and sand off.

3. Put it back in the large pot with some water and cook it until it is tender.

4. Lift the polk out of the water and put it in a frying pan with a few tablespoons of bacon grease. Add salt and pepper.

5. Go by taste and make sure it is tender.

She reminded me several times not to eat the berries in the fall and never to eat polk raw because it will cause diarrhea.
Enjoy the recipe!

Thanks for sharing, Gwen. I think I'll wait to try this until your grandmother can peruse our landscaping. (See below for a previous year's "garden" that kind of took over. I'm sure there was something edible here!)

Ode to Oklahoma and on to Arkansas — Land of Hope

2010-11-02T10:15:00.002-05:00

First, it's election day and I hope you've found time to vote. (Continue reading after you've finished voting, we'll still be here waiting for you.) Trying to teach the students about voting our Kindergarten teacher used the book "The Little Red Hen" to show the students to vote for the ~~animal~~ individual who is the hardest worker. On a recent stop on his road trip through the country Time's Joe Klein mentioned that politicians are some of the hardest working individuals in the country. It's easy to forget that with all the negative campaign material floating around. I wrote about ballot revisions - design revisions at least -- on my Mom2MomKC blog HERE.

So for just a few Presidential items (though it's not a presidential voting year) I thought it would be fun to include:

From the Diamond Bear Brewing Company in Arkansas.

BEVERAGES:
How about a Presidential Pale Ale Beer? (From Arkansas, our next state to explore!)

Click HERE to hear how former President Clinton ate when he was growing up in Hope, Arkansas. (From an interview on Rachel Ray's TV show.)

Try this Presidential food trivia test HERE.

And one of our favorite books with stories and great illustrations of the White House and its families is "Our White House, Looking In, Looking Out."
It has a great collection of short stories and information on all our past presidents and their families. It's a treasury of great authors and illustrators on a topic that should be of interest to all children (and parents) interested in the history of their country.


Presidential illustration by Bob Kolar in "Our White House"

So as we depart Oklahoma (with a pledge to return when we have more recipes and stories), we give you our new-found recipe for Oklahoma Caviar, that features blackeyed peas, of course! I've heard this zesty bean dip for chips referred to as poor man's cavair, too, but the Oklahoma title fits our needs just fine. (I'd happily call it Texan caviar, too.)

Oklahoma Caviar
1 (12 oz) can of black beans
1 (14 oz) can of shoepeg corn (I choose frozen)
1 (15 oz) can blackeyed peas
2 (15 oz) cans chopped tomatoes
2 bunches of green onions, chopped (I used 3 stalks only)
1 (16 oz) bottle of Italian dressing (I didn't use all of the bottle)

Drain and rinse beans and corn from the cans. Add the ingredients in a bowl with the canned tomatoes, green onions and dressing. Mix well. Refrigerate and marinate overnight. (But can be served right after mixing though the flavors are best after marinating.) Serve with corn chips.

My eldest really liked it, though the youngest thought it was a bit too spicy for her taste. I may try to find a less "zesty" Italian dressing, but I love finding new ways to serve up vegetables for the girls.

Tis the Season for Pumpkin Bread

2010-10-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

We couldn't let Halloween come and go without an easy and delish recipe that's quick to fix and perfect for ghouls and boys of all ages. I was rummaging through my mother's cookbooks and found a fun recipe for pumpkin bread. Although I didn't recognize the cookbook* the recipe was from my cousin Kay Reynolds. Kay is a former Home Economics teacher at Derby High School and known in our family as the accomplished entertainer.

I baked up some loaves and left one in Kay's kitchen in her weekend getaway I'm dubbing The Lodge. (See above.) There's also a chance that Kay baked up some bread this weekend, too.

The recipe is great because it calls for an entire can of pumpkin. I'm always frustrated with recipes that just call for a cup or a half can of pumpkin. I try to think of something to throw the leftover puree into (my friend Kate swears it makes chili great) but I always forget about that small amount in a plastic container hangin' out in the frig. Until three weeks later I open the container and discover I've got a great start for a science project.

It's a great recipe that calls for mixing with a spoon, so it's a great baking project for the kids to easily help in the kitchen. While rummaging in my mother's kitchen I spotted part of a Ghirardelli Chocolate baking bar. (How that thing didn't get eaten ages ago I do NOT know, but I broke up the bar and added it to the batter while I was pouring it into the pans. To finish off the tops of the loaves I added pecans and a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Kay Reynold's Pumpkin Bread
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg (or cloves or allspice or whatever sounds spicy in the back of the spice rack)
3 cups of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil (I like Canola or sunflower)
1- 15 oz. - can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling, just the pumpkin puree)
4 large eggs, beaten
2/3 cup water

In a large bowl mix together first six ingredients: flour through sugar. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add last four ingredients: oil, pumpkin, eggs and water. Mix until the dry ingredients are wet. Place in 2 greased loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Times will vary depending on size of pans. The recipe for me made one large loaf, two medium loaves, two baby loaves and a dozen muffins. The muffins took about 15 to 20 minutes but the large loaf baked for more than 50 minutes.

* Recipe published in a custom published cookbook in memory of a father and son and the Kenney and Kent Kraus Vocational Scholarship at Mulvane H.S. in Kansas

Oklahoma's State Menu

2010-10-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

Oklahoma has an official state meal and it's not for dieters. Click HERE to read more. It reflects a Southern slant and prairie diet with influences from Native Americans.

Barbecued pork
chicken-fried steak
and sausage with biscuits and gravy
fried okra and squash
grits
corn
black-eyed peas
cornbread
strawberries
pecan pie.

My friend Sue Wendelbo — who I commend for eating well despite multiple food allergies — writes: "I hate to disappoint you, but Oklahoma "was" known for FRYING EVERYTHING! Thank goodness the Raw Food Movement has made a great entrance into the Great, Great State of Oklahoma! 105 Degrees is a culinary academy that is shaping the way Southwest foodies are living life to the fullest. Chris and I regularly frequent 105 Degrees on our visits and when we leave the fine dining establishment our pallets are anxious to return. Oklahoma really has become the hot bed of culinary arts with several schools and chefs from as far away as London and New York City hired as instructors. Who would have ever guessed?"

Thanks, Sue, I'm now excited about checking out 105 Degrees though I've less chance to travel through Oklahoma since my sister moved from Austin, Texas. (Oklahoma City was always our stopping point for the night because 12 hours from our home to Austin was just too much for our family to handle in one day's drive.) It's good to know food is getting more sophisticated. When I was in college the only Oklahoma restaurant/establishment that I was familiar with that served food and refreshments was Eskimo Joe's. (I never road tripped there either!) Everyone had their T-shirt from the place, it was like the Midwest's version of the Hard Rock T-shirt.

And I'd be remiss in not linking to the beautiful web site that's the work of Ree Drummond the Pioneer Woman, who cooks, does photography and home schools in Oklahoma. How she does it all, I have NO idea!

Click HERE for more info on Oklahoma restaurants.

And my friend Holly Lawton who grew up in Oklahoma City, writes, "One thing I remember from Oklahoma that other states don't seem to do is to have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day. The quintessential OK food would have to be red meat!"

I'm experimenting with a black-eyed peas salad and if it works I'll share it. (Still not had a chance to make biscuits with vinegar gel yet, but it's on the agenda. Don't forget to vote!) Still seeking noodle recipes, too!

Bookin' it in Oklahoma

2010-10-27T09:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome back to more of Oklahoma Week

Book of Oklahoma!

The girls and I watched Oklahoma! this past weekend. Well the five-year-old was the most into it while her older sister complained that it was too long and I started dozing off and missed all the dream scenes. And I forgot how brooding Jed is, including his stalking tendencies and finally setting a haystack on fire that held the pair of newlyweds, Curly the cowboy and farm girl Shirley Jones. (Though for a farm girl Shirley wasn't as handy around the farm as you'd think she should have be in frontierland. And I'm not quite sure her new husband Curly knew quite enough about keeping her aunt's farm in tip-top working condition.)

Here is a list of famous Oklahomans that lends itself to checking out many famous authors.
I discovered a Native American poet, Joy Harjo, who's work includes this fun-looking children's book:

Children's book from Oklahoma author

While there have been many writers and actors, I found Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth's salad dressing recipe from her mother (from SELF magazine, April 2003.) (It's got vinegar and sugar in it!) The Chenoweths are from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, though Kristin now spends her time in NYC and LA.

Kristin Chenoweth's memoir

According to a review of Kristin's memoir, "A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages," Kristin enjoys food and she shares recipes for desserts like Butterfinger Pie and Chenolicious White Trash Cookies. I'm tracking down her book right now to try out these recipes.

Update

2010-10-26T00:30:00.000-05:00

So I just finished my Mom2Mom post for this week and I'm still researching Oklahoma recipes and attractions. Did you know that mistletoe is the state's floral emblem? And Black-eyed peas (the food not the group) seem to be a big New Year's tradition. There's more to come soon and also a post before Halloween on the making of a pop star. (The group kind not the beverage.) Until then, don't forget to vote on the vinegar syrup poll, and I'll keep you posted if I end up making and tasting it!

Oh, do I even have to hint at noodle recipe help?

Oklahoma Comfort Food - with Vinegar Gel

2010-10-22T12:03:00.002-05:00

Ready to check out a new state?

Welcome to Oklahoma Week where we highlight two er, one standard comfort food today. These classic made-from-scratch biscuits (as all biscuits should be!) include a rather unique topping. That topping is a family recipe born out of originality and necessity and now a recipe that those BORN in the family seen to have a predisposed craving to enjoy. It still causes much division at the family's gatherings to this day.

Ah, the wonders of food. I like to think there is something to genetics and eating. We're still grilling which likely started as some caveman's way to relieve stress on the five days after a big hunting project while the wife tossed together a lovely berry salad while carrying for the kids, repainting and sweeping the cave while entertaining the in-laws. And that last point made her remember that the clan's arrows needed sharpening, again.

Fast forward to the present, as we focus on the states surrounding Kansas for this project, I like to tap my friends who grew up on each state's food fare. For Oklahoma, I talked with a couple our family much admires, Bill and Nicki Hancock. Nicki is a former English teacher (and a Kansas Master Teacher of the Year) and Bill is the Executive Director of the Bowl Championship Series. Bill and Nicki live in KC but grew up and met in Oklahoma and have family there. Nicki shares the story of her mother's biscuit recipe and the vinegar gel topping! Enjoy -- with or withOUT the vinegar gel.

Nicki writes:

"Growing up in Oklahoma, sometimes for breakfast but often with dinner, we had my mother’s made-from-scratch buttermilk biscuits. Even though she worked as a teacher, writer, tax preparer and lawyer, she still made biscuits several times a month. We always had them for special occasions. Since my father’s hobby was raising bird dogs and taking them into the fields for hunting on crisp, fall Saturdays, for Christmas breakfast we always had fried quail with biscuits and gravy. Our 1907-vintage farmhouse teemed with activity as we all scurried to help prepare the feast. The aroma filled the steamy kitchen up to its high ceiling, and even the sweaty windows radiated warmth. It was a treat that we four children looked forward to all year.

"Very little changed after we added four spouses, 12 grandchildren and now three great-grandchildren. Mother has moved to an assisted-living center and someone else now lives in our old farmhouse, but we’re still there in our hearts at Christmas time.

"With our biscuits we always had (and still have) a Depression-era treat called vinegar gel. Probably created from a recipe for vinegar pie (a Southern dessert), it consists of flour, sugar, vinegar and water, cooked into a syrup-like topping for biscuits. We mix it with sugar and butter and pour it over the biscuits. My family says only descendents from our Watkins ancestors like it. I do know that at our family get-togethers none of the 'married-ins' will touch it, but the rest of us savor it — even the babies."

Nellie's Biscuits
Recipe from Nicki (Perry) Hancock
2 cups flour
1/3 cup shortening
½ teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¾ to 1 cup of buttermilk

Cut shortening into dry ingredients to consistency of corn meal. Add buttermilk to make a sticky dough. Roll out on a lightly floured sheet and cut into two-and-a-half-inch rounds. Bake at 400 degrees about 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

Watkins Family Vinegar Gel
Recipe from Nicki (Perry) Hancock
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup water

Bring vinegar and first cup of water to a boil. Put flour, sugar and remaining water into a jar with a tight lid and shake well to mix. Add to boiling mixture. Cook over low heat until thickened. To serve, mix individual portions with one pat of butter and sugar to taste. Serve over buttered biscuits or as a dip for pieces of biscuit.

Nicki says the mixture usually thickens in about 10 minutes. I feel I must in good conscience at least TRY all the recipes I post here. But Bill wants to make one thing clear, "A word of caution: Vinegar gel is awful!" Bill writes. "But then I’m one of those 'married-in' people. I’m told it was invented during the Depression when folks didn’t have enough money to buy jelly. I suppose most people canned their own, but others created vinegar jel. With that in their diet, I’m surprised that anyone survived."

And Nicki agrees: "I have to admit I don't expect non-family members to take to the vinegar gel, but Bill loves the biscuits with sorghum or jelly."

At least everyone can agree on the comforts of steaming-hot biscuits, no matter what topping pleases the taste buds.

Got a story and recipe for Oklahoma? Please leave us a note in comments. (We're also still looking for noodle recipes.)

Might Mo & Soda Pop Cake Back in Missouri

2010-10-21T22:12:00.001-05:00

Country star Sara Evans might enjoy Tennessee, but she sings about missing her mother in Missouri. In her song "Missing Missouri" off her Real Fine Place 2005 album she recalls summers of her youth, driving down backroads with her friends, through tobacco fields and bumblebees. Question of the day: Are bees addicted to tobacco, too?

I don't know Sara, otherwise I'd ask her for a favorite recipe her mom made when she was growing up. Missouri has a distinct flavor in the East with St. Louis style ribs; thin, square-cut pizza; breaded, beef-filled ravioli (not cheese) and gooey butter cake. On the Western side of the state, it's KC Strip Steaks (McConigle's ships), barbecue and povitica bread to name a few. But it's good to remember that Missouri is basically a southern state, and that's reflected in the cooks and their versatility.

Here's what my friend Vana Sweetland recalls about growing up in the middle of Missouri:

"I certainly have some fond memories of my Mother and both my Grandmother’s cooking but frankly, none of them use recipes," Vana says. "I think as 'country girls' it’s just something they grew up with and learned how to do.

"Basically, I was raised on soul food. My Mother could probably be a chef at 'Papa Lou’s.' Mom and both my Grannies canned, know how to cook wild game and every vegetable imaginable, and they all share Emeril’s love of using lard. My Mother has lard at home in her refrigerator right now. My Granny Meador even made her own butter, butter milk, cottage cheese and milked the cow to get the milk to do it with."

Ah, mentioning Emeril brings back memories. Vana and I stood in line for an hour waiting to have Emeril sign his "Every Day's a Party" cookbook more than a decade ago. Vana stood longer in line and was nice enough to save me a space in line because I got lost driving around trying to find the mall. The cookbook's inscription has "Bam" and Emeril's script in it and that brings up a quick story before I get back to the state at hand -- Missouri!

Joe and I were dining at Emeril's restaurant near Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and it was at the end of a very delicious and promptly served meal. The waiter is bringing out dessert and I ask him about Emeril in the kitchen when he's there at the restaurant.

"Does he say 'Bam' when he's kicking it up a notch?" I ask. The waiter arches his eyebrows every so slightly (as if I've just asked for store-bought ice cream) and says: "That's just TV shtick." So there, now I know better than to ask about famous chefs in the kitchen.

View of the Mighty Mississippi, from the Arch

Close family friend Mechelle Voepel is a big Cards fan and one of the preeminent women's sportswriters in the country. Mechelle shares her recipe for a fun dessert made with soda/pop/cola. (Did you know that 7-up was created in Missouri?) This cake reminds me of a multi-colored birthday cake a friend's mother once served when I was in grade school.

A Western view from the Arch. Can you spot Cardinals Stadium?

Mechelle says: "When I was growing up just north of St. Louis, this is a dessert that my mom made during the summer. (If you're interested, I also have a recipe for something else my parents made ... lye soap! Not to eat, of course.)

We used Fitz's Strawberry Pop, bottled in St. Louis

Mechelle Voepel's Soda Pop Cake
One yellow cake mix
2 small boxes of strawberry Jello
1 bottle of strawberry soda
(You can vary flavors of Jello/soda. We used one strawberry and one mixed berry)

Mix cake according to box and bake in a 9" x 13" pan. While it's cooking, mix Jello, making it with the strawberry soda, not water.

The mixed berry Jello hits the strawberry Jello and soda in a cool fizzy effect

Put in refrigerator until partially set. Let cake cool for 15 minutes ...

... then put holes in cake with a fork and pour Jello mix on cake

Put in refrigerator until Jello sets, about three hours. (It kind of looks like the Missouri Delta — or the Gulf of Mexico — right now, but trust us, it tastes better than it looks!)

Topping:
One small package of Instant Jello Vanilla pudding mix
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 small tub of Cool Whip

Mix pudding with milk, then add in Cool Whip. Put topping on cake and refrigerate.

It is indeed a great ~~summer~~ treat, no matter which side of the Mississippi you reside.

Remember, we're still searching for NOODLE recipes! Got one to put in comments for a chance to win the enjoyable "Swimming in Noodles" CD?

Hop Along for a Western Tall Tale that Starts in Missouri

2010-10-20T11:03:00.004-05:00

Shootin' fire! We've got a pure-D, right fine day back in Missouri today and tomorrow that's perfect to engage the children in some history, we hope. We return to Missouri naturally 'cause it's the gateway to the West. Wahoo, as I'm sure they still don't say somewhere in America.


Here's a view from right under the arch taken this spring	.

We just previewed a new children's picture book from one of our favorite illustrators, who just happens to live in town. Laura Huliska-Beith (who grew up in Nebraska and now lives in Missouri) illustrated a beautiful and fun TALL tale adventure of family travel back when stagecoaches, gold and the Pony Express were the rage.

A small pouch on the right included peanut brittle with the book.

"The Adventures of Granny Clearwater and Little Critter" is written by Kimberly Willis Holt, who won a National Book Award for "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town."

The book charmed my 9 and 5 year old. It's a great playful tale with even better characters and captivating illustrations. It's a tale of a happy-go-maybe-not-so-lucky family traveling out West. A hole on the trail sends Granny and the littlest family member shooting out of the wagon and roughing it on a memorable journey into the great unknown where they meet a stagecoach robber and ride on the Pony Express and pan for Gold. And you thought you had a rough time on your last family road trip?

Granny is as eager — but much more pleasant than the Clampetts Granny — who relies on her family's ingenuity. Speaking of gold, you must munch peanut brittle while reading the book.

Here's a Peanut Brittle recipe from one of my favorite Kansas City cookbooks.* I like the directions with the lump of butter, rounded teaspoon of baking soda (that secret and magical ingredient) and a fun way to test it in water to see if it's ready. Why it's purdy near like Granny pans for gold! If this sounds like a test of wits you'll need to holler for Granny Clearwater or your own Granny! (Laura says she burned several batches of peanut brittle before she got a batch worthy of making it's way into the picture book.)

Peanut Brittle
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white Karo syrup
1/2 cup water
2 cups raw peanuts (or other nuts)
1 'lump' of butter (the size of an egg)
1 teaspoon of baking soda, rounded
1 Tablespoon of vanilla

Boil sugar, water and syrup for 7 minutes or until it spins a long thread. Add peanuts, stirring constantly until amber colored and it makes a cracking noise when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat. Quickly add butter and soda. Stir quickly until foam goes down. Add vanilla. Stir. Spread quickly on 2 heavily buttered cookie sheets. Spread out with spatulas and fingers, pulling batter thin. When completely cooled, break into pieces and store in a covered ~~wagon~~ container.

* from Dining In In Kansas City, A Collection of recipes from the Greater Kansas City Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, recipe credited from the Cookbook Committee

"The Adventures of Granny Clearwater and Little Critter" is a great book to introduce children to other classic American tales like Paul Bunyan.
Did you know 20 states have Bunyan statues? I just learned that from the link above.

Or Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Chapman, the real man, was born in Massachusetts but moved out West, planting trees in Indiana. So it's now Fort Wayne, Indiana, who puts on the Johnny Appleseed Festival every September.

Don't forget to leave your comments and give us a NOODLE RECIPE for a chance to get that new "Swimming in Noodles" CD from Jim Cosgrove!

A Quick Stopover in Kansas

2010-10-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

We're heading back south for a day in Kansas and then tomorrow's itinerary is Missouri and then a week devoted to the Great State of Oklahoma. SO, you know what that means, if you're in Oklahoma and you're reading this or you have family in Oklahoma, leave a comment. I hope you're finding recipes of particular states and their accompanying stories to be of value or at least a bit interesting. Again, thanks for stopping by. In a fast paced world where EVERYONE wants our attention, I appreciate your time!

And again, see yesterday's post for more details, but leaving a NOODLE recipe in comments will get you ever closer for a chance to WIN a BRAND-NEW FREE CD from award-winning kid rocker Jim Cosgrove!

A sunflower (Kansas state flower) from my Missouri garden.

So here are two recipes for sides courtesy of Bill James and Susan McCarthy. Bill does amazing stuff with baseball statistics and consults the Red Sox. I quoted him about his love of cinnamon rolls that many fellow Midwesterners share. But Bill detests chicken fried steak. Bill says: "I loathe chicken fried steak, which I regard as an effort to disguise the cheapest cuts of meat with lard and flour."

The first side is a potato recipe Susan has made for Bill for 30 years. In addition to the potatoes, it has both green beans and carrots. I'll post a picture after I have a chance to make it. My newly organized pantry wasn't smelling too good this morning. My youngest with the sensitive nose nearly gagged and I realized a fairly new bag of red potatoes was spoiling and emitting a putrid odor. I've been lighting quite a few candles today. So once I get new FRESH Idaho potatoes I'm making ....

Susan McCarthy's and Bill James'
Herbed Garden Vegetable Salad
(recipe from Susan's mother)
½ cup salad oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1½ teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon black pepper
In a small covered jar, combine oil, vinegar, parsley flakes, salt, basil, onion and garlic
powders and ground black pepper; shake well.

In a large bowl combine the following:
6 cups warm, peeled and sliced, cooked potatoes
3 cups warm, cut green beans
2 cups warm, sliced cooked carrots
Freeze-dried chives
Toss the vegetables gently and pour in enough dressing to coat vegetables thoroughly.
Cover; chill several hours tossing occasionally.

Reunion Scalloped Potatoes
(Susan got this recipe from “ The Free Spirit,” July 20, 1989, published in Oskaloosa, Kan. Thelma Farris is credited with this recipe.)
5 lbs potatoes, boiled in jackets, peeled and sliced
1 small can pimentoes, finely cut
¼ pound butter
1 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 ½ oz size)
1 cup milk
1 lb. cheese, shredded
Arrange potatoes in buttered baking pan. Combine ingredients in small pan. Stir over low heat
until blended and cheese is melted. Pour over potatoes. Bake in 300 degree oven for 1 and a half hours.

Nebraska Runza and Win a Great CD with YOUR Noodle Recipe!

2010-10-17T23:43:00.003-05:00

We're finishing up our Nebraska meals today and after a quick retreat back to Missouri (we've got a great new picture book to preview and a dessert) and then Kansas to pick up some more sides, we'll zero in on Oklahoma. Friends have lined up some, shall we say, rather unique recipes for southern-stylin' Oklahoma and it's neighboring Arkansas. I'm excited to get your input on these recipes.

It's never too late to share your recipes from your favorite state(s). In fact, I'm requesting you quickly leave in comments your BEST noodle dish. Why, noodles, you ask? Come on, what kid (and adult) doesn't eat noodles? So what does the chef of the best recipe receive? Well, ~~Bob~~ Drew, in honor of our friend, singer/songwriter, kid rocker and all-around-good-guy Jim Cosgrove (a.k.a. Mr. Stinky Feet) and his new CD titled "Swimming in Noodles" the best noodle recipe of the week gets a FREE "Swimming in Noodles" CD!

We hope to get oodles of noodle recipes. We'll award points for creativity, ease in making and representation of your state. Wisconsin Mac & Cheese? New York Penicillin? American Macaroni Salad? Bring forth those noodle recipes! (Also, I'm curious to know why Yankee Doodle Dandy called his feather in his hat 'macaroni.' Had he just spent too much time hanging out with Samuel Adams? Anyone know?)

NEBRASKA'S SANDWICH, the Runza

My Nebraska consultant, friend and fellow mom, Nicci Ericksen, convinced me that the essence of the Runza was the filling and that to make this fit a family friendly meal I shouldn't have to spend all day baking bread. (I do plan to double my grandmother's sweet dough recipe and use a quarter of the dough for Runzas the next time I want to spend all day babysitting dough.)

For simplicity sake, I relied on the ever-versatile crescent roll dough to work as the covering for a fairly easy filling of ground beef, onion and cabbage all tossed in a skillet and seasoned with salt and pepper.

I may experiment with seasonings next time because it seemed a bit bland to my tastebuds. I cooked the onions first, added the hamburger until it was cooked through and then added the cabbage, making the meal prep a bit longer, but not as long bread dough from scratch. We added poppy seeds to the top of the crescent packages for a little texture -- in honor of the Czech rolichs which always had poppy seeds on top, but I don't think this is an official approved topping!

If you have the time and want to be authentic check this homemade Nebraska Runza recipe here. Also, fellow Kansans can refer to bierock recipes, which are basically the same sandwich.

And if you need a side, perhaps your table guests aren't into that cabbage in the filling, here's a corn casserole from our friend, Mick Ratzlaff, who grew up in Nebraska. Mick likes to cook for his family and has a collection of his grandmothers' recipes.

MICK'S NEBRASKA CORN CASSEROLE
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups frozen or canned corn
2 cups long grain wild rice, cooked
1 can diced tomatoes
4 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Saute onions and peppers in large skillet with butter until tender. Mix with flour and remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup cheese. Pour into a well-greased 2-1/2 quart baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and let stand 6 to 8 minutes.

I'm intrigued with the wild rice and Worcestershire sauce in this version, but I think I'll opt to leave out the eggs. My youngest shies away from food that contains identifiable eggs. (NOTE: She will not approve of noodle recipes that LOOK like they have egg in them.)

The Road to Kolache Heaven

2010-10-14T00:31:00.001-05:00

POLKA DAY IN NEBRASKA

I didn't really think about featuring the Kolache as Nebraska's dessert until I was browsing my newest cookbook: "United Cakes of America" by Warren Brown. This wonderful cookbook is mandatory reading for our journey. Warren, who has bake shops on the East Coast, has put together a national treasury of desserts that's also an entertaining history of baking in America. Plus, it's one of the very few cookbooks that organizes recipes by state. (So if any publishing houses want to explore this idea of more regional/state cooking themes, feel free to contact me.)

Cherry Kolaches I made on the first try after years of not making them.

For Nebraska, Warren presented a kolache recipe, but I thought it would be a crime not to feature MY OWN GRANDMOTHER'S RECIPE. She lived and baked 13 miles from the southern border of Nebraska, in the small town of Cuba, Kansas.

Cuba's got a strong Czech heritage and I remember once singing a happy Czech song in a skit with two other little preschool friends in front of lots of people laughing. I cannot remember WHAT we were singing, but it was probably about food. I think the older lady on stage with us had a bucket of lard. But maybe I'm getting mixed up. It was a long, long time ago. But the Senior Citizen's Community Center had a stage backdrop that was a painting of a Czech street scene. I'm not sure what condition it's in now all these years later, but there's a great photo of that backdrop if you go to Jim Richardson's Web site, click "Documentary: Our Heartland" and then click on "Cuba, Kansas."

Did you know my hometown was exotic enough to be featured in the May 2004 National Geographic? A subsequent issue printed my letter to the editor thanking photographer Jim Richardson. I'm wondering if I can technically count "National Geographic" as one of the places my work has appeared?

So to all my Cuba homies who have the "Blue" 1978 Cuba Presbyterian Guild Cook Book with my grandmother Margaret Lesovsky's recipe on page 118, it's been updated -- by my grandmother, who was always noting the total amount of flour and other alchemy while baking. Here's the latest version of her "basic" dough that she called her "smaller amount" that also included less kneading. My grandmother didn't think I was the world's best at kneading, but I'd not had her decades of experience either.


The inscription in my cookbook from my grandmother.

GRANDMA MARGARET'S
BASIC 'SWEET' DOUGH - SMALLER AMOUNT

2 packages of yeast (3 teaspoons equal a package) = 6 teaspoons of yeast
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (water that is warm and comfortable on the wrist)
1/3 cup of powdered milk (Can you tell my Grandmother grew up in the Depression?)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of oil (1/2 cup of oil if making kolaches)

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/4 cup of instant potatoes (Depression inspired? Saves time from boiling real potatoes)
2 eggs
5 cups of flour (approximately)

Put first 5 ingredients (through oil) into mixer. Let yeast work about 10 minutes.

Then start with other ingredients, making sure you have enough flour. I of course ran out of flour and had to run to the store, hoping the yeast wouldn't expand too much. I noticed later my grandmother's wheat roll recipe calls for this "sponge" action of adding two cups of flour and waiting before adding more flour, so 20 minutes between the cups of flour didn't seem to effect the outcome. Whew!

So once you have nearly five cups of flour (preferably Hudson Cream) use the mixer's dough hook to knead. I love this part of the recipe, though I still made a mess.

Here's where I zoned off (all those years ago) when I was writing down Grandma's recipe, perhaps because it was ALWAYS pretty warm in her kitchen. My next step says "Bake at 400 degrees" so I know I skipped a few vital instructions. Yes, I can see my grandmother shaking her head now.
According to her published recipe in the "blue" cookbook here are the rest of the dough directions:

Continue beating in flour until dough is smooth and can be lifted in a mass on the spoon, leaving the bowl clean. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny. (I did this for three minutes and called it good.) Keep as soft as can be handled. (I think that means not to add too much more flour.) Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Set in a warm place until doubled* then punch down. Let rest for 10 minutes and shape as desired. (For plain rolls, rohliks with poppy seeds, bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.)

For the actual kolaches recipe, I've referred to the blue cookbook's Czech kolache notes from Mrs Ed Fisher, and used raising times from Warren Brown's kolache recipe. *Brown lets dough in bowl initially rise for 90 minutes.)

I divided the dough and started forming small rolls about the size of a small egg (thinking small because they'll continue raising with that massive amount of yeast!), placing them two inches apart.

I flattened them slightly and let them rise when they're doubled in size. (Brown specifies 30 minutes, Fisher says Kolaches can be tested by pressing in the center. If an indention remains they're ready to spread out, leaving a 1/2 inch edge. Sort of like this, I am by no means a Kolache Queen:

Fill with filling of choice — I used canned ready cherry and apricot pie fillings - puree apricot filling before using - or I make my own plum or what we used to call prune filling. I added canned pineapple to the apricot because my Grandmother always liked to make pineapple kolaches because that was her favorite fruit. There's also a poppy seed and cottage cheese option, but, yuck! I don't even attempt to make that disgusting kind.

START THIS THE NIGHT BEFORE:
Debbie's Plum Filling
1 orange (you'll need the zest)
1 package pitted plums (12 oz.)
1 1/2 cups raisins
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Soak prunes and raisins overnight in water. Cook until soft with the zest of the orange and the sugar. Drain. Add lemon juice. Puree and ready to go.

After carefully filling the centers, an egg wash is optional. They'll need to raise one last time for about 5 to 10 minutes and then can bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Mine took about 15 minutes. Don't forget to go light on the filling:

But my first batch turned out well enough I think my Grandmother would have been proud. The total recipe made four dozen. And if you're within driving distance of my house, I've still got some to share.

Husker Burger, Part II and Cinnamon Rolls

2010-10-11T23:01:00.002-05:00

Welcome back to Nebraska Week. We've got two more recipes for another day in Nebraska and I've also received some more enticing recipes from Kansas and Nebraska. So by Thursday or so, we'll head south to start virtually sightseeing in Oklahoma! (Hmmm, wonder if I need to rent that movie, again.)

The Nebraska Department of Economic Development spent some money on encouraging family travel, at least it seems that way based on their web site. They've got some fun films for kids, but I'm not sure kids are dictating where families are driving to on their free weekends. The site has this orange-haired animated kid trying to stow away in this Nebraska family's minivan.

Tyler from the Nebraska Dept. of Economic Development's Web site.

The nice family has room, but let's face it, this cartoon kid named Tyler shows no athletic prowess and will never be a lineman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. So you know this isn't a "Blind Side" fairy tale here, the cartoon kid always gets discovered before the family sets out onto one of the many trips to various parts of the state for picnics, I think.

The kids' area on this site has a bunch of printable car activities including a game of counting the cows you see on either side of the road. (I think this would also be part of the Kansas landscape as well and I remember getting excited about seeing a cow figure carved out of real butter at the Kansas State Fair. Welcome to the Midwest folks!) But Nebraska's Economic Development site does have a great online game for children called Geography Jam, where you try to locate different towns throughout the state. I give it a big thumbs up, even if it featured that cartoonish Tyler with snarky bubble comments.

Speaking of towns, Omaha's Jen Shatel was able to clarify the proper way to dress a Husker Burger (available across from Memorial Stadium on football game days in Lincoln.) The Husker Burger is shaped like the state of Nebraska and depending on which you like best you run that condiment along the line where the Platte River runs. Start with ketchup (or mustard) and stream it from the lower corner on bottom of the panhandle to the middle of the "wavy" East side of the state, just south of where Omaha is. You can just guess where Omaha is or play the Geography Jam game above. Then Jen's says you can "dot" certain favorite cities with the opposite condiment. She usually adds Alliance, in the panhandle; Broken Bow, in the middle of the state; and Auburn, in the lower right corner; because she has family living in those locations. (I'm gonna fire up my Photoshop and illustrate this soon, so check back!)

I also asked John Mabry, who I worked with eons ago at The Kansas City Star Sports department, for his insight on Nebraska foods. John is the editor of L Magazine, Lincoln's Premiere Lifestyle Magazine that's part of the Lincoln Star-Journal newspaper.

"Runza sandwiches are big here (beef and cabbage stuffed in a roll)," John says. "Of course, steak and potatoes. People love their chili and cinnamon rolls here (together). I don't know if that is unique to Nebraska, but it is a pretty good combo."

I'm experimenting with a Runza recipe that I want to share this week. I've got both cabbage and sauerkraut (may opt for the later since it will be quicker) and still trying to decide on the best bread/roll recipe to use. I was going to just purchase a frozen quick bread, but I didn't see anything at the grocery store that looked like it would taste right. So my long-time friend Mary (reconnected on Facebook) directed me to our hometown's church cookbook for the roll recipe she uses frequently. I'll keep you posted on how this bread baking turns out.

John mentioned cinnamon rolls and it seems that in states with smaller towns much of the center of the community is centered around the local restaurant serving homemade cinnamon rolls and cheap coffee (read, no cream and 'don't need no Starbucks' -- that's for my daughters who are Justin Beiber and Ludacris fans; well Justin fans and they know who Ludacris is.) But Bill James, of Lawrence, Kansas, and recent special guest on the Simpsons, says not all cinnamon rolls are created equal.

Bill's wife, Susan McCarthy, gave me her cinnamon roll recipe. I've compared it to several other regional recipes and her recipe seems easier than most. So pics of this soon!

Susan McCarthy's and Bill James'
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
3 cups warm water
2 teaspoons of yeast ( 3/4 package)
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
7 to 8 cups flour

About 4 or 5 in the afternoon mix the ingredients together, adding enough flour to form a sticky dough. Let rise 4 to 5 hours. Punch down the dough, divide into quarters. Roll out each quarter flat, spread with butter and a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Roll the section up and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place rolls in greased baking pan. Continue in same way with the other dough quarters. Cover baking pans and let rolls rise overnight. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Frost while warm and serve.

I appreciate recipes that specify the time of day to start, though it also means I'll be working with sugars near bedtime, and that's dangerous for me.

Bill writes: "A good cinnamon roll is a joy forever, or for the 20 minutes it takes you to eat it, whichever comes first. An interesting thing about cinnamon rolls is the immense variety of them. I think there is more variety in cinnamon rolls than in chile, and there are very good cinnamon rolls of all different sizes, shapes, and taste. And also terrible ones. . ."

I couldn't agree more and my extended family of Czech bakers believe frozen bread dough is a blasphemy. The roll dough has to be sweet. (I took Texas-based Kolache Factory kolaches to my hometown, a Czech base with the slogan of "Czech Us Out." The verdict: Kolache Factory's rolls weren't sweet enough. So sugar has to be a MAIN ingredient in Czech and also Midwest baking, never mind how those Texans bake!)

Coming up is my grandmother's kolache recipe, too, since this fruit-filled SWEET roll is a Czech specialty, and there's a big Czech population in Nebraska. My hometown of Cuba, where my grandmother lived two doors down, is 13 miles from the Kansas-Nebraska border.

Thirsty? It's Kool-Aid Time

2010-10-07T21:38:00.000-05:00

Why is it I cannot say Kool-Aid without yelling, "Hey Kids, I've got Kool-Aid?" Maybe it has to do with growing up in the '70s and '80s and all those Kool-Aid commercials where thirsty has only be defeated by Kool-Aid Man who's really a large glass pitcher. I've got to somewhat agree with Dane Cook's Kool-Aid remarks. (I had to go over to my friends' houses to get Kool-Aid. My mom didn't buy us Kool-Aid very often, but she did think Tang was fine, maybe because it was endorsed by astronauts, but I think they both had a lot of S U G A R.

Do they even advertise Kool-Aid anymore? With my limited TV watching I'm not too familiar with recent commercials, unless they're on during a sporting event. I'm so not Nielsen material and I cannot talk TV at all with my in-laws who know most of the season's lineups on most channels.

So our friend and neighbor, Mick Ratzlaff (who has a corn recipe for our project) reminds me that Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Neb. It's now owned by Kraft, but there's still a Kool-Aid exhibit at the Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History.

Here's a link for Playdough made with unsweetened Kool-Aid. It makes for great colors and a really nice scent.

And check this link for Midwest Living's recipe for Kool-Aid Angel Food Cake. I got concerned when I saw the four cups of powdered sugar, but that's mixed with either grenadine, maraschino cherry liquid or Kool-Aid for the frosting. Probably best NOT served with Kool-Aid to drink.

Tomorrow: Details on the proper way to top a Husker Burger and some stuff about trails.

New Pantry, Corn Pudding and Husker Burgers

2010-10-06T22:52:00.001-05:00

My friend Jen Shatel is a native Nebraskan and a mom of three darling girls. Today Jen shares two great Crock Pot ideas. With the onset of Autumn is seems natural to bring out the Crock Pot to provide the heavy-duty work in the kitchen. And now, thanks to two new marvelous black chrome five-tier stands in my reorganized pantry, I can actually find my Crock Pot. See!

I'm feeling oh-so like Martha Stewart right now. (And just wait til I tell you about my grand schemes for sewing homemade Halloween costumes, and we also have to make about 30 homemade Halloween cards too. Now, I'm feeling tired again.)

Back to food. Jen writes: "My easiest and yummiest recipe involves corn — appropriate for the Cornhusker state. It's a simple crock pot recipe."

Jen Shatel's Corn Pudding
2 cans cream corn
2 cans whole kernel corn (with the water/juice)
2 boxes of corn muffin mix
1 stick of margarine
8 oz sour cream (optional)

Mix all ingredients in crock pot.
Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours until the mixture thicken and "sets" and looks like this:

And it tastes amazing. In fact, I think I'll have some for breakfast. (And it makes a large batch, too.)

Simplest Crock Pot Chicken
Jen also uses her Crock Pot to cook frozen chicken breasts. "I put them in by themselves and turn it on low," Jen says. "Once they cook, I shred the chicken breasts in their own juices and we put the shredded chicken in tacos, on buns with BBQ sauce, or in quesadillas. Very simple and very good flavor, too."

It was Jen and her husband, Tom, who first introduced me and my husband, Joe, to the Husker Burger. This was after 2005 because I remember standing in line behind then-alumnus -- still all-time great Husker QB -- Tommy Frazier to get into a downtown Lincoln bar. I don't think any of us waited long to get into the bar. Can you ever imagine Frazier getting overlooked in Lincoln?

So the Husker Burger is shaped like the state of Nebraska, but the real fun is garnishing it with ketchup and mustard. The mustard snakes across the burger like one of the state's rivers and then the ketchup .... okay, let me check with Jen on the CORRECT way to dress a Husker Burger. (Thursday's NU football game is against my Wildcats in Manhattan, Kan., and I can assure you there are no traditions in that college town that deal with condiments -- or at least that I can recall as I'm writing this at 10:42 p.m. on a week night.)

Check out Corn Nation's blog where they nominated their favorite stadium foods in the off-season. It makes for an interesting read. And lookie, I found a site that's part of Yahoo that's finding the best food in each state. They picked the baked bread stuffed with meat sandwiches called Runzas for Nebraska. (They also picked Chicken Fried Steak for Kansas. Even though their report came out in June of this year I can assure you I didn't see this list until today. But I'm happy to agree with these Yahoo/Shine people on my birth state of Kansas. Runzas are tasty, but I'm still partial to the Husker Burger. Besides Husker Burger just so much more catchier to say. It's way more fun than saying "Runza, Runza, Runza.")

I'm also noticing this pride in all things corn (though the state is the third-leading producer of corn behind Iowa and Illinois). But those states also don't have a team that proudly (and I mean PROUDLY call themselves the CORNHUSKERS. Sitting in a sea of red on a football game day is a site to behold. Their stadium hot dogs are OF COURSE dyed a bright RED, too. And the automatic hot dog thrower at games is called Der Viener Schlinger. I'm telling you, life is better than fiction; you couldn't make up a name like that. (Technically, SOMEONE did come up with that name and got it approved or offered enough $$$ to get it approved.) Why doesn't some action movie film a scene where the hero in white has to run through Memorial Stadium's packed game-day crowd, grabbing Der Viener Schlinger to fell the bad guys chasing him (or her — I'm all for female heroines.*)

* Our fam's favorite new heroine is Eva Nine from Tony DiTerlizzi's "The Search for Wondla."

A Trip North to Husker Nation

2010-10-05T10:25:00.001-05:00

ONWARD TO NEBRASKA AND PANTRY REMODEL

So while we travel to a new state, I'm reorganizing my pantry after I heard a clatter two nights ago.

Three shelves were starting to fall and I knew I was in need of new support for my dishes and plastics and kitchen appliances. For six years this built-in shelving system helped me stay fairly organized. But for some time, one of the long boards would start to slip and I'd have to heave it back up on it's wall and two bar supports. With three shelves slanting precariously, I knew it was time to change up the pantry before all four shelves ended up on the ground. So my kitchen is quite the mess (I mean WORSE than it normally is.) More updates on the pantry later this week.

Let's check out Nebraska, shall we? If you're seeking recipes from the Great State of Nebraska, you can purchase a copy of "Inspired Recipes from Nebraska" that states on their web site:

Proceeds from sales will provide funds for educational materials about the history of the Governor’s residence given to grade schools and for updates to the residence.

And at $36.05 a copy, I hope that the Governor's Residence (placed on the National Registry this year) is getting some really great window treatments. The First Lady of Nebraska Sally Ganem mentions in her letter on the site that the cookbook proves that "politicians eat more than rubber chicken."

I won't be asking for any rubber chicken recipes for this project. But we will explore the proper way to make a Husker Burger before heading to a NU football game, bring to light a few Kool-Aid recipes since it was invented in Hastings, Neb., and explore some bierocks (Runza was started in Nebraska) and kolache recipes from a state food culture influenced by German and Eastern European cultures, says Dr. Georgia Jones, of the Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

But today my friend Alyson Burnett Rawitch shares two of her favorites recipes from her family cookbook titled "Mostly on Your Mother's Side." I love that title!

Alyson writes: "My mom and dad grew up in Omaha and Lincoln respectively. Below is one of my mom's recipes. I prefer it with frozen corn and Ritz Crackers."

Sally Burnett's Baked Corn
From Alyson's family cookbook: "Mostly on Your Mother's Side"
A prairie recipe from the 1967 Nebraska Centennial Cookbook

Mix with an egg beater:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup half and half and
1 egg
Add 2 cans kernel corn (drained) and
1 can creamed corn
Add 2 tablespoons butter cut into pieces
Add salt & pepper to taste
Mix in 24 to 36 crushed crackers
Top with more cracker crumbs and dot with butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour.

And for dessert, a simple but delightful dessert. You can tell we're moving up the ~~longitude~~ latitude (I always confuse those terms) and the cooks can make meringue desserts without worrying about the humidity of the south. Here's Alyson's grandmother's recipe.

Alyson says, "My aunt, Katie Dailey Hopper wrote: "I can remember these piled on a
round silver tray and served at piano recitals at our house." My kids LOVE them."

Mildred Jane Dailey's Meringue Kisses

Beat until stiff:
3 egg whites
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
pinch of salt
Add slowly:
1 cup sugar
Stir in:
Chocolate chips (12 oz package) (I use mini's)
Drop by spoonfuls on a (sprayed with Pam) cookie sheet. Lift to a peak
with back of spoon. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes.

Check back later this week for more Nebraska recipes. Feel free to submit your favorites in comments.

Nuts in All their Glory

2010-10-01T14:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to Missouri Week, and after a good ol' barbecue/BBQ it's good to focus on some snack foods. Corey Dillon who eloquently told of her family gatherings on Wednesday, mentions that of Misouri's top produce - apples, black walnuts and pecans -- two of them are nuts. I don't know what that really says for a state, but I still remember all the peanut jokes when Georgia's Jimmy Carter was in office. (I don't think President Truman had to encounter pecan or walnut jokes. Check this fun link for recipes associated with former presidents. Seems President Truman liked lemon and key lime pies and Bess made an Ozark pudding that mentions nuts as an ingredient, but doesn't specify which kind!)

But I can tell you I'm convinced that Missouri pecans are the best in the country. They're sweeter and farmers -- and even right on their packaging -- claim it's because the growing season is shorter. And Corey, a fellow foodie, recommends this Spiced Pecan recipe from Edna Scott's "The Gift of Southern Cooking."

Brunswick, boasts the World's largest Pecan (see link and pic here!), and celebrates the joy all of things pecans at their festival starting today. (We couldn't have timed that better.)

There are also two apple festivals in the state this weekend. Check out Lexington and Versailles. And Stockton has a Black Walnut Festival in September.

Personally I like English walnuts better than Black Walnuts, but my father is crazy about Black Walnuts. As a kid we've pick up the green hulled nuts from below the two trees that were near the stream bed at my parents' farm. They'd always be an old plastic bucket with nuts that my dad would crack open eventually with his hammer and anvil. To this day, I can still imagine that potent, earthy yet not quite pleasing smell that permeated from the fresh Black Walnuts. Its sad to think, but I don't know if my daughters know that fresh nuts even had a particular smell, they just associated nuts with the manufactured "fresh roasted" smell. Check out this site for more info on purchasing Black Walnuts. There's a recipe directory here.

The BBQ Queens' Menu Hints at Border War Strife

2010-09-30T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today's Missouri Menu comes from the superhero chefs/grillers/cookbook authors nationally known as the BBQ Queens -- Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.

I knew I'd be missing out on a big part of Missouri if I didn't get a Kansas City barbecue meal in this week. And I'm keeping their e-mails handy for when I need to call on them again for the rub or sauce to save the day -- the day I finally commandeer my husband's grill and go to town grilling only to burn some expensive cut of meat. (I'm the indoor grillmeister and chef, but outside on the patio it's my husband's domain, much in the same way his basement is his man "batcave." I know better than to disturb this last sense of male dominated space in the house.)

The BBQ Queen's menu calls for weekend cooking -- it's super easy, but just takes a while to slow cook. And it's got the added bonus of making the next week's meal planning a breeze. Gotta love that!

Beyond recipes for a great family meal, there's history in these here parts for the entrees hint at the time when this western part of Missouri was anything but comfortable. There was a lot of smoke but it was NOT leading up to a barbecue bash.

Judith writes: "I'm a Kansas girl myself, but Missouri roots go back to a hog and hominy diet. I got this from a Come Into My Kitchen interview with Katie Armitage, a food historian in Lawrence, who advised the "Ride with the Devil" film crew replicating Civil War Missouri."

Judith's writing has appeared in many publications over the years, including the Kansas City Star's weekly food column titled Come Into My Kitchen that spotlights local cooks and their family recipe.

MISSOURI BBQ MENU:

Smoked Pork Butt for Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwiches...

Slow smoke the pork butt on the grill (indirect) or smoker for 3 hours, then bung it in a pan and let it finish cooking overnight in a low 250 degree oven. It's a weekend project but it results in lots of delicious leftovers for lunches and dinners.

... slathered with Missouri BBQ sauce

Thin down -- or doctored up -- a quintessential bottled Missouri BBQ sauce (KC Masterpiece) with a little apple juice or Missouri cider, to taste, to drizzle over it.

SIDES

Smoked Corn, Ham and Hominy Casserole:
Use either white or yellow hominy for this unique casserole, which can be made with or without the ham. By all means, use leftover ham if you have it, page 411 of "Big Book of Barbecue" has a Double-Smoked Ham recipe. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine:
2 cups smoked corn kernels, about 4 ears
2 cups canned hominy, drained well on paper towels
1 cup cubed or shredded smoked ham (see notes above)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a small bowl, beat:
2 cups whole milk (this will make it taste good, check out Shatto Milk, a local dairy north of KC)
4 large eggs (check out Campo Lindo farm fresh eggs if you're near KC)

Whisk in:
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pour seasoned milk and eggs over the corn mixture. Bake until set and the top is bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 to 8.
Recipe courtesy of The BBQ Queens, from "Big Book of Barbecue" published by The Harvard Common Press.
(My notes in parentheses above.)

Cole Slaw of your choice
Here are some links for "Missouri" slaw, but any kind (even from a carton) make this meal quicker on the draw for busy families.
"Missouri Cole Slaw"

"Better than KFC Cole Slaw"

DESSERT:

Easy Missouri Jam Cake -- as featured at the wedding in "Ride with the Devil"

Make a two-layer spice cake (from a good mix) and use seedless blackberry jam as the filling. Top with powdered sugar or frost with cream-cheese frosting.

Jam Cake seems to be a good Southern dessert. Both Paula Deen's and a Kentucky version use caramel icing. I love this idea of having a quick and tasty cake with a real sense of its place in history. If your kids are up for a discussion on the Civil War, this is a good way to start an after-dinner conversation about the time our country was at odds, and the conflict that developed right between the Jayhawkers in Kansas and Quantrill's Southern-sympathizing men/guerrilla fighters in Missouri in the Border War prior to the start of the war. Here's a link to a book about Order No. 11 written by my friend, Tom Rafiner, that better explains the tensions of the times.

RESOURCES FOR KIDS ON THE CIVIL WAR (given that watching "Ride with the Devil" isn't suitable for children with all it's depictions of shootings and other crimes in battles.)
One book with activities is "The Civil War for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series)" by Janis Herbert.

I really like the educational videos offered at BrainPop. Here's one on the Civil War.

Potato and Peach Bliss

2010-09-29T14:11:00.001-05:00

ONE POTATO:

I'm learning the best way to find about a state's resources is to contact elected officials. It's more fun and easier than staying up late reading books like "Weird Missouri." The book BTW offers up a variety of rather strange items. I'm not about to dwell on the silly notion that the world's deepest mineral mine -- Pea Ridge Mine -- at Sullivan, Mo. -- could in some "Twilight Zone" World be a gate to hell. My daughters are scared of thunderstorms. Nor would I bother tracking down an antiquated menu item like the Guber Burger. Peanut Butter smeared on ground beef I think is a few steps above purgatory, and no longer available in Sedalia .

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill and her staff gauge the pulse of the state with "Kitchen Table Talks." And I knew from an earlier Q&A with the Senator that she enjoys cooking with her family when she's away from Capitol Hill. I was thrilled when Corey Dillon in the KC office said they could help with the project. Keep reading to find out about Corey's fond family memories of Missouri meals.

Senator McCaskill offers her family's favorite potato dish, which I think will go well with tomorrow's entry. (Required viewing before tomorrow's meal: Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil." And no, we're not fixin' Deviled Eggs.)

When presenting a true heartland dish, you cannot go wrong with potatoes. Searching for the Julia Child's quote to back this up. Baseball statistician and author Bill James, a native Kansan, says that two-thirds of his favorite foods are some form of potatoes, from steaming hot scalloped to summer's cool Mayonnaise potato salad dishes. Here's what I'm making tonight:

Senator Claire McCaskill's
Bacon New Potato Salad

Ingredients
Small red new potatos – 5 lbs.
Scallions – 1 bunch chopped

Fresh green beans – 2 lbs.

Bacon – 1 lb.
Black olives – 1 can sliced (optional)
Celery – 2 stalks chopped
Beef bouillon – 1 can
Tarragon – 1 tsp.
White wine vinegar – 1/3 cup
Mayo – ½ to 1 cup

Directions
Steam or boil new potatoes. Drain and cool, slice into quarters. Steam green beans. Cook bacon, and then crumble it into small pieces. Chop scallions and celery.

Mix potatoes, green beans, scallions, olives, celery, bouillon, tarragon, and white wine vinegar (all ingredients except mayo and bacon). Salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for at least an hour (better overnight). When ready to serve, add mayo and bacon.

***

Need more Spud-rific books for keeping with today's theme? For kids: "Potato Joe" by Keith Baker or "The Enormous Potato" by Aubrey Davis and Duan Petricic.

For adults: "Potato: A History of the Propitious Esculent" by John Reader or "The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World" by Larry Zuckerman. Who knew there were two books just on the HISTORY of potatoes?

PLETHORA OF PEACHES:

I'm familiar with CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture farms where buyers invest in a share of the farms produce), but I'd not heard of produce auctions. There is one in Jamesport and another in Fortuna. Corey Dillon, who went to an auction last month and came back with tomatoes and peaches, notes that they are open to anyone and the beautiful and reasonably-priced produce is from farms within 100-miles. With a plethora of peaches, Corey used her great-grandmother's recipe, which she shares with us:

Corey Dillon's
Peach Butter

Ingredients

6 cups sliced peaches
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Boil gently, stir frequently until mixture thickens. Pour into sterile glass jars and when cool seal with paraffin. (I didn't seal with paraffin. It will keep for up to a year, refrigerate after opening jar.)

***

So what was it like growing up with Missouri's bounty? Corey Dillon explains:

For me, cooking with family and family meals are some of my best memories. My quintessential Missouri meal – that always makes me think of home, near Lake of the Ozarks — is fried fish (crappie), spinach and fried potatoes! When I was little my dad was a real fisherman and would go fishing any time he could. He would catch crappie in the Lake and he would freeze them in milk jugs that had the top cut off. Then, when he had enough saved back we would have a fish fry. My mom would bread the crappie in a cornmeal mixture and fry it. She would also peel and slice the potatoes and fry them in a skillet until they were dark and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Finally, she made spinach that was served with vinegar on the side. My great-grandmother used to come visit for two weeks every summer and we always had to have a fish fry when she visited. I remember my mom frying the fish and my grandma sneaking into the kitchen to get a sample. She sampled so much that we were worried that there wouldn’t be enough left for dinner! There was always more than enough, but I’m certain we never had many leftovers!

Oh, and pies! My mom makes the best pies! She learned how to make pies from her grandmother who lived in Smithton, Mo., just east of Sedalia. My mom taught me -- and now my daughter -- that the key is to roll the pie crust so thin you can read a newspaper through it! Every season has its own special pie affiliated with it. In the springtime we always have cherry pies from the tart cherry trees outside the kitchen window. Then, in summertime we have golden peach pies. In the fall, my mom makes the best apple pie around. In fact, my nephew says that Grandmama’s apple pie is the very best! And, in the wintertime – for Thanksgiving – my mom makes a delicious pecan pie! Over the years I have learned how to make them too, but there is something that is oh so special about my mom’s pies.

Around Christmas time our favorite family cooking has always centered around cookies and candies to have on hand during the holiday season and to give away as gifts. Black walnuts are a common ingredient in two of my favorite holiday treats. In the fall my mom, my aunt and my grandmother used to pick up gunny sacks full of walnuts from under the black walnut trees at my aunt’s house. After they were hulled, I remember getting to crack them with a hammer. We would put all of the cracked walnuts in a bowl and sit for hours picking out the delicious meat! We use the black walnuts in Lep cookies which are a traditional German cookie that my great grandmother made year round, and my mom and I make only at Christmas. They are a spice cookie that is full of molasses, raisins and black walnuts. My favorite part of my great grandmother’s recipe is that it doesn’t specify exactly how much flour to add. It says, “add flour until the spoon stands up!” And, of course, fudge. My mom’s Christmas chocolate fudge always turns out perfectly and she always adds black walnuts! It is the taste of Christmas!

— Corey

Corey Dillon's
Lepkuchen
(Traditional German Holiday Spice Cookies)

Mix together:
2 c brown sugar
1 c shortening
2 c molasses
1 1/2 c sour milk or buttermilk
2 T baking soda

Then add:
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp each of ginger, cloves, nutmeg and allspice
1 tsp salt
1 c dates
2 c nuts
2 c raisins
1 c preserves (any kind)
1 tsp lemon extract
Orange peel

Directions
Add spices to flour and add to wet mixture stirring after each addition. Continue adding flour until dough is stiff.

Cover and refrigerate overnight. These can be dropped by spoonful and stamped with a glass dipped in sugar or add flour and powdered sugar to your board and make a log, then slice to bake.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

***

You cannot go wrong with German foods for a Missouri meal -- potato dishes and the intoxicating smell of Lepkuchen baking on a cool winter's day. According to "Welcome to the U.S.A. Missouri" book for children by Ann Heinrichs ad Matt Kania, many Missouri towns have a strong German heritage including Hermann, Altenburg, Westphalia, Augusta, Dutzow and Berger.

Thank you, Corey and Senator McCaskill!

Meet Me in MissourAH!

2010-09-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Missouri Week, our second state on our virtual road trip. We've got various avenues of exploration for this state such as Tom Sawyer and the Arch in Saint Louis and Kansas City barbecue (the best in the nation, by the way). But let's start our family exploration a bit further back... Back to 1904 when Saint Louis hosted the World's Fair and the Summer Olympic Games at the same time.

Check out the 1904 World's Fair Society's site that gives lots of great info, including the origins of the saying "Coming down the Pike" -- referring to the entertainment avenue at the fair. See HERE FOR PIKE INFO. But for our family menu planning and learning about the state, we need not look further than the foods that -- if not created at the fair -- were touted and introduced to a wider audience at the world's fair.

Seems the ice cream cone was invented at the fair, according to this web site. (There's part of dessert for our Missouri meal!)

Popular drinks at the fair were iced tea and a newer soda called Dr. Pepper. Waco, Texas, is the actual birthplace of the carbonated drink.

So if you were one of the 20 million at the fair, you could get a quick meal like a"dachshund sausage" on a bun that somewhere along the way turned into the "hot dog." The fair seems to be the first time these links were served with French's Cream Salad Mustard. The 1904 World's Fair Society web site also debunks the hamburger discovery at their fair, tracing that food creation to 1885 in Hamburg, New York. Though the society's research shows a Texan by the name of Fletch Davis set up a concession stand at the Pike selling a ground beef patty between two slices of homemade toast and stuffed with a raw onion slice. And the Tyrolean Alps Restaurant there also offered a Hamburger Steak, Plain or a Hamburger Steak, with Onions, according to the Fair Society.

And for a sweet treat, the fairly new glossy and sugary spun sugar treat called Fairy Floss (what we now called cotton candy) was sold for a quarter a box.

And check this link for adult and children's books based at St. Louis' Louisiana Purchase International Exposition and other World's Fairs at librarybooklists.org including an American Girl historical mystery called "The Minstrel's Melody" and the classic film "Meet Me in St. Louis."

I see a Judy Garland theme emerging in the heartland. What I really want to do is stroll down a midway with a hot dog and an ice cream cone... Okay, Missourians, what recipes and stories can you share?

Purple Ribbon Recipe and Linger Longer in Kansas

2010-09-27T10:41:00.001-05:00

LAST FREE EXIT IN KANSAS today then EAST toward the M - I - Crooked Letter - Crooked Letter - I - Crooked Letter - Crooked Letter - I - Humpback - Humpback - I. (I just want to drive to the other side of the Missouri just so I can shout that while going over Mark Twain's river.)

Speaking of spelling and letters of the day, here is -- direct from the Huffington Post -- Katy Perry singing with Elmo on Sesame Street. Katy was playing dress up and tag with Elmo, and she looks like a Tinker Belle princess. No more, no less. Katy's outfit did NOT bother me. With all the talk, I was expecting an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow-polka-dotted bikini on top. The skit was fun, it was catchy and it was educational. All I have to do is step into my ELEMENTARY school or a Justice store or any other place where kids hang out and see far skimpier clothes. I bet the same fresh and fierce parents complaining today in the next decade will think THEIR kids look just "fine" wearing clothes way too grown up for them. Perhaps adults of today need to check, check themselves (and their kids' wardrobes) before complaining about a Sesame Street wardrobe choice. It's a clothing choice not a wardrobe malfunction.

As promised, my purple ribbon Kansas State Fair Recipe for Raisin Spice Bars. Thanks to my former 4-H cooking leader Grace Ann Fiala for this recipe.

RAISIN SPICE BARS
1 stick oleo (Called butter these days. This recipe has been around for awhile.)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon each of baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten

Take 1/2 cup of water and simmer with raisins. Save 2 Tablespoons of extra water. Melt butter in microwave (modified from heating in pan.) Add sugar, raisin liquid and spices. Add beaten egg and raisins. Bake in 9" pan at 350º for 30 minutes.

******
(We might revisit raisins for California Week, though I think of California produce as being fine, fresh, and fierce.) Here's from the first California Raisins coloring book.

Before we leave Kansas, here are a few more links to check:
The Kansas Wheat site has recipes for more than breads. But as a Kansas State alumnae, my favorite recipe is their Kansas State Crown Bread. It brings back many memories of group banquets in the K-State Union.

My favorite cookbook with Kansas ties is the Centennial 4-H Cookbook called "Essence of Kansas Taste Three." You can view it HERE.

And if you're so inclined, check out the link HERE for "Cooking in Oz: Kitchen Wizardry and a Century of Marvels from America's Favorite Tale." It's one of three titles on Oz cooking.
Here's how a West Virginia Symphony group planned an Oz meal.
If you need any more Oz info links, check this site HERE. Check out the radio ad where the state's old travel slogan was "Linger Longer in Kansas." I think perhaps that's because folks were lost that they were "lingering longer" in the state. (Though I have relatives and friends who work for Kansas Department of Transportation and Kansas roads are much better than many states. And not that they don't need more funding, but they're way better than Missouri maintenance.)

And I should mention that there is an Oz Museum in Wamego, Kansas, (about an hour and 40 minutes from Kansas City on a toll road that's not paved in yellow bricks.) Time for some more Katy tunes.

Tom Sawyer, Sunflower Power and Flying Monkeys

2010-09-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

Coming soon, more recipes from Kansas natives, including my Kansas State Fair Purple Ribbon 4-H bar cookie recipe. And next week's focus is on Missouri recipes, authors and attractions. I'm perusing Tom Sawyer again (I've not read it since I was a kid and I've always heard it's good to reread as an adult. I can only imagine the themes I didn't pick up on as a child.)

So a family-friendly Tom Sawyer meal may be in the works. Some early recipe titles that may or may not make the cut: White iced refrigerator cookies? River Trail Mix? Paddle Boat Soup and crackers?

What I'm Googling today:

It was just announced last week that Trader Joe's is coming to KC. I'm over the moon, even though both locations are not close to my home kitchen. I shall turn into the greatest of chefs, soon, maybe, perhaps, perhaps not. Sorry, lost my focus.

Sunflowers are the state flower for Kansas, so chocolate-coated Sunflower Seeds are a nice snack. (They might appear in next week's trail mix.)

Here's a link to more Sunflower souvenirs. Why you'd really need this link, I'm not sure. If you really want to do a family friendly meal about Kansas, the movie to find is (ugh, am I really saying this after ALL MY YEARS of denying the connection to our state and Hollywood's creation: "The Wizard of Oz."
CAN I do a Wizard of Oz meal? Yes. DO I want to do a Wizard of Oz meal? No.

So I'm leaving it to you. Leave me a comment if you think you'd like to see a Wizard of Oz meal. Provide menu names (other than Flying Monkeys because we dislike them. Though Britney Spears's red and black fluffed "ringleader" jacket for her Circus tour made me think of those ick creatures.) But a Wicked green punch is now sounding like it could be fun... Wicked on Broadway was great, BTW, and at least kept Kansas out the scenery. Darn, now I've got Wizard of Oz on the brain...

Meat Lockers, Pizza Hut & Rocky Mountain Oysters

2010-09-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I've highlighted my youth, prairie sunsets and fried foods, but I think it's good to get other perspectives. This blog will only be as good as the collective foodies and readers who support it. I want YOU to share your story about the foods and books that best depict YOUR STATE. Next week we're on to Missouri, so let me know in comments if you'd like to help. (No pressure, but this is our chance to truly educate our youth on this place we call home.)

This could also become the place for some good ol' food showdowns. Best barbecue? Best burgers? Bring it on! In fact today, my guest writer begins the case for "Best Burger." (I'm still agreeing with Calvin Trillin that Winstead's is the best.)

I asked my friend Joe Drape to write about his time in Smith Center, Kansas, in 2008. Joe is a New York Times sports writer who grew up in Kansas City and lives in New York City. Joe moved his family from the city to small-town America to discover from Smith Center High School football coach Roger Barta what teaching football had to do with teaching life.

"Our Boys, A Perfect Season on the Plains with the Smith Center Redmen" highlights Coach Barta, his team and the loyal town followers. "Our Boys" was named one of the 2010 Kansas Notable Books, but I loved it because it made me recollect my youth in a small Kansas town. (I didn't play football, but was a ~~cheerleader~~ for our eight-man football team. Wait, did I just admit I was a ~~cheerleader? Strike the record on my past high school activities.~~) Click HERE to see the list of the other 2010 Kansas Notable Books.

Hello Margo,

I’m glad you asked me about my culinary adventures in Smith Center, Kansas, because it was a tasty and full one. The Drapes are solid Midwesterners – I’m from just off State Line Road on the Missouri side of Kansas City. My wife, Mary, is from Chicago. Even here in New York our dinner table reflects our roots – steaks, pork chops, chicken, all sorts of potatoes and a green vegetable. My fun food specialty is Sloppy Joes. My son, Jack, all of 5, is far more adventurous than me. He eats crabs, squash, artichokes and pretty much anything you put in front of him. But he does love Sloppy Daddies.

We ate extremely well in Smith Center. The first thing I did was go to The Dollar Store and bought an old fashion charcoal grill for $25 – rain, snow and shine I was in our backyard each night grilling away. You can’t do that here in the Big Apple, and it is a ritual I miss deeply. Even better was the fact that I could go eight miles west to Lebanon to Ladow’s and get the best meat for a tenth of what I pay here.

John McDowell and his son-in-law carved up flat iron steak for $2.99 a pound and rib eyes for $4.99. They’d tease me about being a New Yorker as they did so. If I go to Gracie Market here to buy steaks, the flatiron would be $17.99 and the rib eye’s $22.99 and there was no one there to tease my. I also patronized the Kensington Meat Locker, which was across from Jack’s preschool in Kensington about 15 miles west of Smith Center. The slogan alone told you everything you needed to know: “From the Pen to the Pan.”

Now, for a town with 12 churches, one bar, and five dine-in establishments, the range of food was remarkable. Let’s start with The Pizza Hut, and I mean this in all seriousness – not only did I rediscover the joy of a thin-crust Pizza Hut pizza and the all-you-can-eat buffet, but I experienced it as one of the hubs of the community. Pizza Hut was started in Kansas and to this day is often one of the handful of restaurants in small towns. On Sundays after church, it would fill up and the joke was because the Catholics had shorter masses they got all the best tables.

The Jiffy Burger was the other fast-food joint, and this is blasphemy to say for a Kansas Citian, but their burger is better than Winstead’s and a whole lot cheaper – double cheese with everything, fries and a coke was about $4 bucks. And finally, there was The Second Cup Café, which was mainly a breakfast and lunch place, and is the single best diner I’ve ever eaten at. Lynn Pickel owned and operated it with an all-women staff and there was nothing they could not make. Chicken Fried Steak? Absolutely. The barbecue special? Brisket, chicken and pork with macaroni salad and desert for $6:50. Taco Night? You’d swear you were eating in San Antonio.

Finally, our friends, Jack & Arlene Benn, were the most gracious hosts and innovative chefs. They wintered in South Texas, and Jack was a helluva of fisherman so they’d have rollicking fish fries with hush puppies and Rocky Mountain Oysters. We ate steak soup at their home, which was perhaps my Mom’s best dish, and one I try at least three times each winter and continually screw up. Biscuits and gravy for a Sunday dinner after we drove the back roads looking for deer was memorable.

And Arlene was without peer as a pie maker. Her cherry pie topped the best Thanksgiving Dinner we ever had. My family came up from Kansas City to join us the Benns and Coach Barta. In all, we had 20 people rammed into our little rental house across from the grain elevator.

It was great. You’re making me hungry and nostalgic. But don’t worry I’ll be back there the first week in October.

Joe

Chicken Dinners, Kansas Hunting Scenes and Murals

2010-09-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

THE COLORS OF KANSAS

TASTES: When mentioning Kansas food, you cannot leave out one of the state's best known dining establishments, the Brookville Hotel (now in Abilene, boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower and where his presidential museum and library is located). Brookville is famous for their family-style chicken dinners. In fact I don't think they have anything else on their menu besides their fried chicken and sides. It's a great place to take out-of-state visitors, and you'll get a bountiful meal served on their Blue Willow china. Check this link for their Sweet-Sour Cole-Slaw recipe.


Liz dining at the Brookville Hotel restaurant in Abilene, Kansas.

Dining in the Spirit of Kansas room, one of six rooms in the Brookville Hotel restaurant.

In the Spirit of Kansas room there are historical murals painted on the walls. I don't know what it is about murals in Kansas. As a child I was a bit scared of the mural of John Brown in the Kansas capitol in Topeka. The first mural features a fierce John Brown, not that he probably wasn't fiery in real life, but there was a whole bunch of controversy on the murals artist John Steuart Curry refused to finish. (Guess his depiction of a Hereford bull wasn't up to snuff.) Kansas is a state that takes its bulls seriously.

I remember when I was little and told to sit like a lady in a cafe with my grandparents in Leavenworth. It was hard to still still when my grandparents slowly sipped their refilled mugs of coffee and I had to stare at a mural of a buffalo hunt. I'd hoped for McDonald's but my grandparents thought that only sit-down establishments with real coffee and friendly waitresses were worth supporting. At my tender age I didn't know what was worse, drinking coffee or hunting buffaloes.

Kansas is a state where being in a room with depictions of animal hunts and eating food is not a big deal. (My dad's elk head is in my parent's dining room. I try to always sit on the side of the table facing AWAY from the mounted head. My mom usually decorates the elk for the various holidays, like a Green hat in March and tinsel in December. She's not totally enamored with the behemoth to begin with but trying to make the best of it.)

CHILDREN'S BOOK: Check out "One Kansas Farmer" by Devin and Corey Scillian and illustraed by Doug Bowles for more on facts about the state of Kansas.

SIGHTS: What I most like about my home state are the natural murals, the painted skies at sunset. Even on a partly cloudy afternoon the clouds look like something out of a painting -- I call those prairie clouds and imagine they've not changed since the day buffalo and Native Americans were the main caretakers of the Plains. But it's the awe-inspiring sunsets that make the state seem ever relaxed and comforting.

Check out more sights from Kansas here at Kansas Sampler that lists many categories of "Eight Wonders of Kansas." Not sure why eight is the magic number.

Steaks the Mighty Chicken Fried Way

2010-09-21T11:50:00.001-05:00

WELCOME TO KANSAS WEEK

I was born in the Sunflower State as well as both my daughters.* Let's chat about Chicken Fried Steaks, which if you think about it, is kind of weird to be frying steaks in the first place. But I grew up with a mother who would grab her meat mallet and pound down a steak to then dredge in seasoned flour and place it with a drizzle of oil in a skillet for it to develop a nice brown crust. Then she'd add her own gravy and cook the meat on low heat for another hour or two. I didn't need to worry about my mother undercooking anything. (The crockpot was another appliance of choice in her galley kitchen with limegreen walls.)

It's really one of those dishes I make without a recipe and then just forgo the gravy when I'm making at home. I know that sounds like no fun. I've not had breakfast yet so mashed potatoes with gravy is sounding sooooooo good right now. And yes, there's a reason I look like I do.

So even though the dish is attributed to origins in Texas, I still think it's a big Kansas thing. Some restaurants just list it as "Chicken Fried" and I guess just assume you know they mean steak. I mean, Kansas is a cattle state. It's gets hot and humid here so folks can stand their dinners served up with some crispy coating and a peppery gravy, usually with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side.

AFTER-DINNER FAMILY BOOK: Well, it's really a tale from Texas, as it states right in the subtitle, but shoot 'em if it's not perfect for this meal. Check out "Bubba the Cowboy Prince, A Fractured Texas Tale" by Helen Ketteman and illustrated by James Warhola. It's a Western version of the Cinderella tale my daughters love.

TUNES FOR COOKING: If you need some music to get the little cowhands into the kitchen, I'd load up: "Hoe-Down" from the Rodeo suite by Aaron Copland or "Theme from The Magnificent Seven" by Elmer Bernstein. Click Symphony in the Flint Hills program for more information on musical selections. (The Kansas City Symphony holds a wildly successful concert one night every summer in the glorious, rambling pastures of the beautiful Flint Hills in Central Kansas. Note: if you're going with kids, you may want to roam toward the back. We got shushed by music lovers sitting in front of us one year.)

My version of Chicken Fried Steak is easy
(even though at first glance it doesn't look that way):

2 pounds of rump, top round, or beef round
the "round" descriptions are probably what you want but I like to ask the butcher for suggestions on cuts of meat. Makes me feel like a good consumer telling the folks behind the meat counter what I'm creating for that night's meal. It makes me feel like I have some sort of PLAN.
If it's not tenderized, it's easy to do and a good stress reliever. If you don't have a meat mallet, placing the meat in a Ziplock bag and whacking it with a cast-iron skillet or other heavy item SHOULD work but I don't want to be held responsible if your skillet flies out of your hand and falls on your toe or breaks some glasses. I suggest just picking up a meat mallet/meat tenderizer at the store. (Mine is pictured below.)

Tenderize the meat by hitting it with the meat mallet on your cutting board, if you're unlike me and know where you last put your cutting board.

Then I get a wide bowl and add flour**, seasoned salt, Kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper and whatever seasoning sounds good at the moment. (Barbecue rub always works or maybe Greek Seasoning sounds good or you can use Maryland's Old Bay Seasonings. In other words, just use what you have in your spice drawer.)

Another bowl is for the eggs (fresh, range-free if you can get them.) I bring in the kids to do the meat from flour to egg back to flour coating assembly line and then I put the caked meat into the preheated skillet with some olive oil (okay, go ahead and use that corn or sunflower oil -- Sunflower's the state flower) into a heavy skillet and watch those little doggies sizzle and heat up to a lovely brown color on both sides. (I don't need to tell you to brown both sides, do I?)

When they look tasty, I throw them into a 9x13 pan and bake them for about half an hour or more at 300 degrees. (Time depends on your steaks thickness -- how well you pounded those steaks into submission.) You can make a gravy to put on top like my mother does, but I'm adding some links for PAID chefs to give you gravy recipes. If there is one thing I cannot cook, it's gravy. So if anyone has any gravy tips, please send them my way.

VARIATIONS ON THE THEME: Jamie Oliver's (I ADORE Jamie Oliver even though a friend who's a nutritionist says that kids drinking chocolate and strawberry milk is not the end of the world as Jamie touted on his FoodNation TV show.)
Alton Brown's recipe (Alton's show reminds me of the times I had to do food demonstrations in 4-H.)

* You can send birth announcements to the White House and other dignitaries and they may send notes back. Though I couldn't tell from the White House site if this is still an ongoing PR service of the White House staff currently or not. Both girls have "form" congratulation cards from President Bush. (President George W. Bush even wrote a very nice personal note to Joe after getting a copy of "The Soul of Baseball" book. I'm not sure if sports fan President Barack Obama has read any of Joe's books yet or not.) Five years ago, we got a great handwritten note from then Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius writing about how great it is to grow up in Kansas "where the skies are not cloudy all day." That note (and the former President's) is in Katie's baby book.

** So if you want to make this as true to Kansas as possible, I recommend Hudson Cream Flour, milled in Kansas. It's also the only flour I try to use for baked goods.

New Home, New Energized Goals

2010-09-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

Welcome! I'm glad to see you here. If you've been following my occasional -- Stress needed on that word occasional, <em> or <bold> or <strong> in coding -- posts at my old site www.joeposnanski.com/MargoBlog thanks for following me here. Even if you just stumbled here or accidentally found me based on some "searchable" word or string of words, welcome! Whatever made this page magically appear for you, I <em> or <bold> or <strong> encourage you to follow me.

An ugly, nasty and just MEAN virus struck our old site and Joe and I spent too much time this weekend trying to recoup. I've just finished a basic CSS and XHTML class and NOW know just enough about coding to realize there was a problem I had no clue HOW to fix. It was best to part ways with our WordPress world and settle for something a bit easier. At least we think this might be easier. I'm also hiring Jason Bourne to track down the nefarious organization that struck our Web site and may write letters to Congress to see if they can do something about this evil web virus stuff.

So I'm taking an online class in Intermediate CSS and XHTML so I can only imagine I can ward off evil for next time. I'm also taking an intro class into Flash, though that technology might be more dinosaur than iNextBigThing.

Speaking of old technology, I'm such a packrat that I found an old reporter's notebook from the days of sending newspaper stories on the old RadioShack computers. Here was the code to get my college stringer story from my computer to my paper's main computer, via a phone cord from the back of the computer to the phone line. (Circa early '90s.)

CONTROL A
CONTROL, SHIFT, P, A, send, SPACE BAR, spt to have the screen read:

^A,send spt:sports:mk0001.spt,
[*go]sports (type of story)@ <
[*tx][*ksuby]MARGO KELLER@<
/MANHATTAN, KAN (space)—(space)
text/p
text/p
text/p
text/p
text/p

end of text
[*30]
F8

So we've come a long way from Radio Shack becoming more Shack than Radio, fewer phone cord issues or home phones for that matter and personal wars against the machines. I helped my husband blog from the first week of the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, when government computers were suspected of very carefully monitoring access to Web sites. Joe would e-mail me his blog posts and I'd post them stateside until his computer in Chinese Cyber World gained more access to worldwide web sites. I felt like quite the rebel.

But this entire world at our fingertips leads me to my mission statement here. I love mission statements, though I rarely get to create them. With A COURSE FOR ADVENTURE I'm setting out with my children to look for interesting and fun resources about the world around them.

Originally I planned to pick a new country every one or two weeks and share books and recipes and other Web resources that highlight each country. Then I started thinking about Chicken-Fried Steaks. If you grew up in Kansas you can already picture this dish with a thick and peppery gravy. It seems to be the quin-essential Kansas dinner. So before venturing to all parts yet unseen by my family (like Turkey, I really want to travel to Turkey) I want to focus on food stuff and stories of all 50 states. That's where you can help! Leave me comments on recipes and stories that highlight your state!

The goal is for my daughters to learn more about America while encouraging reading with books featuring unique American places and also jazzing up family meal time with fast, family-friendly recipes from all parts of our United States. Think of this site as your passport to inspired family meals and learning resources.

Thanks for your time and know you're always welcome here. We hope to see you on our next adventure soon! FIRST STOP: My home state of Kansas.