Traditions To Begin the New Year

While everyone is starting the new year with resolutions and fresh ideas, I'm reflecting on traditions. Finishing up a peaceful long holiday break, I'm thankful for the traditions my family passed on to me and now I'm passing down through my family.

Whether it's making a special cookie recipe, an honored holiday toast or a special prayer, more traditions probably happen over the holidays than any other time of the year. For my family, that tradition is the annual Christmas fondue.

The Fondue Table

It's not to say it can't be improved and still remain a tradition. As a child, we fondue'd steak in peanut oil (even after the "Mom tripped over the cord" incident that burned her and the carpet). After visits to a German restaurant and the Melting Pot several years ago, I decided to move to a broth-based fondue and add a cheese fondue. When the girls were smaller, we also broke out the chocolate fountain, but I have to be severely buttered up to pull that contraption out (not for the cooking, but for the cleaning!)

I've tried a lot of recipes, but have landed on something that is really pretty simple and doesn't take a lot of time. I've also acquired multiple fondue pots over the years, and while the traditional Sterno pots are more traditional, I'll take temperature-control any day.

Swiss Cheese Fondue
2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese
2 cups shredded Emmenthaler cheese
Mix with 1/4 cup flour in a bag after shredding to keep it separated
Heat one cup of dry white wine in fondue pot until steaming
Add in juice of one half lemon and one teaspoon of minced garlic
Turn temperature down and slowly add cheese until melted (consistency of warm honey)
Add ground pepper and nutmeg to taste and finish off with an ounce of cherry brandy

Swiss Cheese Fondue

Steak Fondue
Rib Eye or KC Strip cut in cubes and seasoned with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and Seasoned Pepper
One large carton of beef broth
One cup of red wine (save the good stuff to drink)

Steak Fondue Broth is Ready

Two fondue forks later (one for cheese and one for steak) and you're ready to roll.

Over the years, we've lost the people we've shared traditions with, so in our family we put out something special to remind us of those we loved and who would enjoy our family tradition. For me, a candle for my Dad, and for Derek, a baseball given to his father from the last family outing before he died.

Dad Memories

And More Dad Memories

Lucky for me, I over-bought on cheese and steak, so we enjoyed a meal with the family on Christmas Eve, and Derek and I were able to break out the leftovers for a meal for two on New Years Eve. We included a special wine from the last trip my Dad and I took.

Lancaster Cabernet Sauvignon

The Nose Alone is Heaven

So, here is to traditions, and making new ones in 2017!

Here's to Starting New Traditions in 2017!

Tom's Town is In

No excuses. I made that decision last night. My passion for this blog never waned, but having two girls in high school ate up my free time. Six years later (really?) and two girls in college, it's time to have some fun again.

Today, I smiled to see Kansas City make the Washington Post's In & Out List as "In for 2017." So many things have contributed to that including our sports teams, the new streetcar, "Silicon Prairie," a thriving downtown, our cost of living, but probably none so much as the burgeoning art and food scene that continues to grow in The Crossroads area.

Steve Revare was kind enough a year ago to invite us to the New Year's Eve Grand Opening of Kansas City's first downtown legal distillery since Prohibition. Tom's Town name was inspired by one of Kansas City's most polarizing figures, Tom Pendergast, and when you enter the front doors you are transformed into the sights and sounds of the Gatsby era. According to Tom's Town website, legend has it that when a newspaperman asked Pendergast how he justified ignoring the federal statues behind Prohibition, he shrugged and said "The people are thirsty" (hmm, might make a great tagline).

Last night, the crowds quickly trickled in after 5:00 and the noise, laughter, leather decor and craft cocktail scene started hopping.

Tom's Town Main Bar Area

It was date night and a Christmas gift to my husband who is mesmerized by the time period and the distillery. I'm sure he was one of their first followers on social media and the trip was a gift to go with his whiskey glassware and Tom's Town apparel.

Tom's Town's Biggest Fan

Little did I know that what was really going to wow me was the updated food menu.

At the risk of making you hungry, let's start with the cocktails. Tom's Town offers three craft spirits. I'm a white fan and Derek likes the dark.

As A Marketing Gal, Love the Spirit Artwork

Derek started with a flight of all three to get a clean taste. Shout out to Olivia who helped me choose my first and favorite craft cocktail of the evening - Ransom Note.

Olivia

The lime was very refreshing and allowed me to still savor the flavors of the unique gin.

Ransom Note

Dante's Inferno was Derek's top choice, enjoying the balance of the bourbon, vermouth, mezcal, fresh orange juice and port wine syrup.

Dante's Inferno

With dinner we also enjoyed the Fallen Angel and an Old Fashioned. However, our first round were our evening winners.

And now, back to the food. Don't be fooled by the limited small plate and entree menu. If our four selections were any indication, each one is artfully and carefully prepared, and a generous size. I can happily say I enjoyed mine again today for lunch. The crab dip easily ranks as one of the top 10 food items I've ordered.

Front to Back: French Onion Grilled Cheese, Crab Dip, Dilly Deviled Eggs, Shrimp & Grits

Maybe we were lucky since the regulars next to us ordered almost the identical foods, but I think it's worth another trip to continue sampling. After all, the people are thirsty. And, I have volunteers to join me.

Harvest in the Vineyard

Harvest in the Vineyard, KC Style

Those who know me, know I have a passion for locally grown artisan food and products. So, for me, it was a dream to attend an event with Slow Food KC, with my favorite Italian chef and at a winery I had been wanting to visit for over a year. This event was to showcase the local artisan producers in and around Kansas City and was held at Somerset Ridge Winery. For more information, check out the Slow Food Kansas City Convivium at www.slowfoodkc.org and the winery at www.somersetridge.com.

Who can resist a potluck?

Not only did we have slow roasted pork -- by the master himself, Jasper Mirabile, Jr., but we were able to sample potluck dishes from people passionate about food and local produce. My personal contribution was my baked pita chips with mascarpone cheese dip with chives and bacon (a never fail favorite....thank you Giada).

Dining al fresco

A perfect fall evening meant a perfect evening for sampling new foods with unique flavors and great wines. I have to admit, I've never been a huge fan of Midwest wines, but I think Somerset Ridge has changed me. I first tried their Chardonnel at Bonefish Grill and we were able to sample that and several others, including their reserves. I am a changed woman!

Slow roasted pork, Italian style!

Thank you J for the photo opp that I'm sure compromised the slow roasting heat process but still resulted in an amazing product!

The finished product

If you're a fan of meat that is tender, flavorful and falls off the bone, then don't bother attending this event, because you get them all. A special treat!

The local producers sampling their fabulous fare

I can't remember all of things I sampled and purchased, but was a huge fan of the flat bread from Meadowlark Acres -- www.meadowlark-acres.com, as well as the infused olive oils from The Tasteful Olive -- www.thetastefulolive.com. I also tried and purchased soaps, spices, salsas, herbs -- you name it -- and had a wonderful time on my shopping spree. For a full list of local artisan producers, check out www.KCFoodArtisans.com.

The Tasteful Olive in old downtown Overland Park






Basil grown way better than my clay pots could manage!

Sunset in the vineyard

The Indian summer weather definitely contributed to a fabulous evening -- warm weather, low winds and a fabulous sunset. I told Jasper that my ideal wedding reception would be right at the next Harvest in the Vineyard next fall! I am a fan and now an official member!

Views, Victorians and Vibes!

The view from the cabin deck on Beaver Lake

Derek and I recently had the chance to take a long weekend trip I have titled views, Victorians and vibes. It was a combination of a great evening overlooking Beaver Lake, followed by a trip to Eureka Springs and then two nights in the haunted Crescent Hotel. It's hard to pick my favorite part of the trip, but the view from the cabin deck was pretty unbeatable.

Inside our Lakeshore Cabin

While the cabin was immaculately decorated, we pretty much didn't leave the deck. The weather was perfect (mid 70's) and the leaves were just starting their display of color.

The deck

And this would be the famous deck. Two large rocking benches with a private view of the lake.

Sunset from the side of the cabin

I'm pretty sure this photo could be in Lakeshore's next brochure!

Dining al fresco

Before we left KC, we packed a "picnic" of steaks already marinating, salad with crumbled feta and dressing, a fresh loaf of Tuscan herb bread, our favorite olive oil and wine. We dragged the coffee table out so we didn't have to leave the perfect view and weather.

Thorncrown Chapel

Just outside of Eureka Springs is the popular Thorncrown Chapel. It is nestled in a heavily wooded area with amazing glass panels that open the chapel to nature. Derek's sister Donna was actually married here many moons ago.

The Grotto

Heading to our hotel, we passed a couple of grotto locations. This one was a beautiful spot to stop and relax. The grotto itself was dark and wet - definitely not as good a photo opp!

Dinner at DeVito's in Downtown Eureka Springs

We stopped on Saturday afternoon after walking the hills of the beautiful Victorian downtown to wet our whistle with a glass of wine at DeVito's Italian restaurant. We enjoyed it so much we went back for dinner that night. I enjoyed a pesto shrimp pasta and Derek has his good old standby....lasagna! It was delicious and we had a great Arkansas Tempranillo, but they cheated a bit by buying their grapes from California. We did go to a tasting at an Arkansas wine tasting room, but neither of us were big fans of the wines. I still think if you're going to have wine in the midwest, Somerset Ridge Winery outside of Louisburg is one of the best local wineries.

Downtown Eureka Springs

The architecture, hills and winding roads will keep your head spinning in all kinds of directions. This photo was taken from the balcony of the Basin Hotel (where we had a lovely massage on Sunday).

The Crescent Hotel

Thanks to a recommendation from our friend Susie, we spent our two Eureka Springs evenings at the historic and haunted Crescent Hotel. It was beautiful, but because of the date (10/10/10) it was extremely crowded with weddings and wedding parties. We were lucky to have a room at the end of the hall, but I'm guessing many guests didn't sleep much between the ghosts and loud parties!

The Crescent Hotel at night

The Crescent Hotel begins it's ghostly tours shortly after dark when the look and feel becomes much more ominous!

Rocking the afternoon away

The back of the hotel has a couple of balconies with lots of rocking chairs where you can overlook the entire city and just relax with a glass of wine, a book or just your thoughts.

Derek trying to "catch" his first ghost

So, one of the ways you can see the spirits that inhabit the hotel is through flash photography. The "orbs" you see in this photo are thought to be energy fields captured only through photography and not seen with the naked eye. We have many photos that show bright and numerous orbs, but had to include this one since Derek was intent on catching one.

Green blobs

Another way to capture these energy spirits is through blue and green "blobs". In this picture, you'll see them along the floor of the hallway.

Dr. Baker's St. Bernard

If you are one of those people that are good at spotting reversed out images, this is a photo taken into a mirror at a 45 degree angle where you can see the face of Dr. Baker's St. Bernard. Dr. Baker owned the hotel as a "cancer cure" hospital, and most of the ghostly spirits are thought to be patients and workers that died there.

Dr. Baker's loft

On our last night at the hotel, we met a couple that were staying in one of the haunted rooms and the staff of the hotel showed us a private suite you can rent where Dr. Baker worked. I frankly am not sure I really believe in ghosts and all of the paranormal activities some people are so passionate about, but it was hard to ignore some of the things we saw at the hotel. For more information about the ghosts thought to haunt the hotel, check out the hotel website. There are people who travel long distances to go on one of the ghost tours, and the hotel has been featured on the cable ghost hunting shows. For me, it was a much needed long weekend of amazing views, relaxation and a little fun ghost hunting!

Love In Larryville

Sweet Summer Rain

The name of this drink at Pachamamas in Lawrence is a great way to start this blog posting. Derek and I attended a great friend's daughter's wedding in Lawrence and drove to Lawrence in a late summer/early fall rainstorm. We wanted to try a new restaurant before the evening wedding, and opted for recommendations from friends. I had heard a lot about this place and because we were early diners, we opted for the "Star Bar" portion of the restaurant. Ken Baker is the chef and owner and the focus is on seasonal, local and organic ingredients when possible, and very unique flavor combinations. I chose the Shire Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Egg (thanks to a recommendation from Lacy, our bartender). Derek had the Wood Fired Provolone Flatbread. I definitely won on the food choice, although I'm sure those calories are still hiding somewhere I wish they weren't. The drink pictured above was also Lacy's recommendation to Derek and came with a "high five" when it was served. It combined whiskey, ginger beer and a splash of something for color that escapes me.

Danforth Chapel

Danforth Chapel is a staple on the KU campus and I hadn't actual been there since the fire that destroyed it and it was then rebuilt to mirror the original structure. As you can see, it's in a picturesque setting and the rain had stopped, leaving everything green and rain-kissed.

Caitlin and Brett

The bride and groom had a simple, but beautiful ceremony. The family are big KU fans, so for some, there is nothing better than the combination of a wedding and Danforth Chapel. And they started the day with pictures at Allen Fieldhouse. My favorites were the ones on the Jayhawk on the basketball floor. I would include a copy, but then the photographer would have to kill me.

Sweet ride to the reception

Thanks to family members that have a love for vintage, the couple rode to the reception at Alvamar in style. Derek and I sat at a table of young couples, and I was reminded of the hope, anticipation and dreams of those years right out of school. Ah, love in Larryville.

Pasta Making for Beginners and Food Lovers

Trying out the new pasta machine

I was lucky enough this past Christmas to get so many new cooking gifts that there was one I hadn't tried yet. While I've made a lot of fresh pasta (mostly ravioli) and pizzas, breads, etc., I had not tried spaghetti or fettucine from scratch. The surprising part of the experience was how much the kids enjoyed it - it entertained them all afternoon and well into the evening.

The history of pasta

As part of my exploration into this new toy, I learned a few things about pasta I found fascinating. The first documented recipe for pasta comes from a cook book written around the year 1000 in Sicily. Before pasta machines came along in the 17th century, pasta dough was kneaded by foot! In 1740 Paolo Adami was issued a license by Venice to open the first pasta factory and by the mid 1800s one pasta factory actually offered 200 different shaped pastas....making pasta much more affordable. Not until the 1800s was tomato sauce used to flavor pasta - before that it was either flavored with cheese or eaten plain. For many years, tomatoes were used strictly as a decorative plant and were actually believed to be poisonous by some people.

The pasta drying on the counter

I guess my next gift request needs to be the wooden drying rods - it takes much longer for the pasta to dry on the counter. We actually only let it dry about an hour before making our dinner (and fresh pasta cooks much more quickly that dried or packaged pasta). However, we did make the mistake of storing the extra pasta in zip closure bags before they were dry which resulted in clumping the next time we cooked it (you always have to learn at least one lesson when making something new).

The master chefs

Leah and Madison were so excited about our venture into homemade pasta making that we took it to the next level, setting up the dining room with beautiful table settings, donning their aprons and "server towels" and putting out beautiful glassware - even for their orange Pellegrinos!

This is how you get the family to eat together!

We ended up making two versions of pasta (and we also flavored all of the pasta dough with fresh garlic). For the girls, we used the fettucine noodles, and made a sage and butter sauce, with plenty of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese. Derek and I had a basil and mint pesto sauce and added grilled shrimp to our spaghetti noodles. Now that the pasta machine is "primed" and ready, I'm sure we'll be experimenting with new recipes, especially as the cooler weather moves in. Definitely a major "yum!"

Neighborhood of the Traveling Dinner

The neighborhood "small" travelers

I have always wanted to try a progressive dinner, and one day at the pool talked the adjacent cul-de-sac neighbors into giving it a try. Our theme - Back to School. This doubled the challenge as we needed to please the kids AND the adults. We ended up with five families participating - 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes and 1 dessert. We also decided to go BYOB (it was a Sunday after all and with this crew, multiple different adult beverages might not be the BEST idea). We spent 45 minutes at each house, which was just about the right amount of time.

Tomato caprese salad

You can't have a summer appetizer without tomatoes (although they have not enjoyed our midwest summer). Along with this dish was a mascarpone cheese, sour cream, bacon and chive dip served with toasted pita chips seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano. One lesson learned here - give the kids their own serving - they ate most of that dish before the adults could even get to it. We also had fresh limeade with cherries for the kids.

Mingling is what it's all about

We started in the KU pub theme basement and quickly determined that giving the kids their own space is the best way for everyone to enjoy the evening (they were upstairs or outside). The same was true for all of our host homes.

Derek Wiles and Lori Joseph - Hosts #1

Spicing things up a bit

On to the next appetizer location where we were served bacon wrapped jalepenos, stuffed with cream cheese and pulled pork, along with a bread bowl of spinach dip. The kids also had cheese and crackers to munch on.

New family member

The Atkins were extra brave as they had just gotten a new family member the day of the dinner.

Pat and Tiffany Atkins - Hosts #2

The neighborhood "grown up" travelers


Johnny's Ribs

You know the ribs are good when they fall off the bones before you even get them to your plate. This delicious main dish came with a side of baked beans and macaroni. Definitely the diet stop (not).

Johnny and Ginna Festa - Hosts #3

Gumbo - 'nawlins style

By this time, I think we'd pretty much lost the kids (they were stuffed from the first three stops), so the grown ups got to taste some yummy chicken and andouille sausage gumbo - made by the king of gumbo himself.

Rene and Mike DeVincent - Hosts #4

OK, the kids are back

The best way to re-engage the kids is to finish with cookie ice cream sandwiches in a variety of flavors - blueberry granola, snickerdoodle (my personal favorite) and chocolate chip almond (pictured).

Wally and Courtney Bratkiv - Hosts #5

In the spirit of saving the best for last, the Bratkiv's also treated us to key lime martinis - we would expect nothing less of the Bratkiv's than a killer foo-foo drink.

The consensus is we'll definitely do it again and try not to wait until next year's back to school timing. We could always put on snowshoes and equip our coolers with ski's and try one in February!