Sunday Adventure (and so long Sweet Heartland)

Last Saturday night while watching The Grisly Hand at Knuckleheads (on the menu: Rolling Rock and jalapeno poppers) my friend Angie suggested an adventure the following day. What better plan for a hot, lazy Sunday than an equally lazy adventure?

We started with brunch at Westport Cafe with Sabine and her family. Then it was out to the country! We drove under heartbreakingly blue skies to the little town of Weston, MO. There, we visited some shops and had a blissfully cool bottle of white wine under the arbor at Pirtle Winery.

A really wonderful pottery shop in Weston

On day when it's 106 degrees, an icy bottle of wine is just the thing

The courtyard at Pirtle Winery

On our way to Weston, we noticed signs pointing to Smithville, MO, a tiny town that has a secret: it's home to Justus Drugstore, a deservedly well-known farm-to-table restaurant. We decided to stop in at the bar for drinks and snacks.

A gin fizz and a herbed lemonade cocktail (and a taste of the housemade vermouth)

The bar at Justus Drugstore

It was really a perfect day. And a perfect end to my time in the Midwest. Matt is on his was home from Afghanistan as I write this and we are moving (hopefully for the last time in the foreseeable future) to....Washington DC! I've been lucky enough to have spent this weekend here, seeing friends and finding a place to live and I'm in love. I couldn't be more excited to return to the east coast and live in this gorgeous city. 

So  (after 5 years here!) this is goodbye to the Midwest and so long to Sweet Heartland. 

It's been lovely- thank you for following me on my adventures in the heartland. 

love, 

e

Local Pig

Our car has been with Matt in Louisiana for the past couple of months, which has meant the bus or foot power for me. I've been so eager to visit Local Pig since it opened- for non Kansas Citeans, Local Pig is a small butcher shop located in the back of beyond (the East Bottoms) that sells only happy, local, and antibiotic and steroid free meats.  Matt is only back for a week before he leaves for Afghanistan- I'm looking forward to feeding him well before he leaves. 

I wanted to buy everything in the shop- sausages, Campo Lindo chicken, duck breast. They are also one of the only butchers I've seen outside of New York that sells schmaltz, an essential ingredient in matzoh balls and other Jewish recipes.

In the end I held back and purchased a selection of sausages and some lovely skirt steak. I'll grill the sausages and make an Austrian potato salad on the side. Matt will grill the steak as well, and I'll make some chimichurri sauce and a lovely green salad.

Sabine and I are on the waiting list for a Local Pig Butcher Box. I can't wait until it's our turn to buy one!

Hello, again

I lasted posted on February 18th. On February 20th we moved into our new apartment and it was smooth and easy- the weather was great, Matt got all the furniture moved by noon, and by 8 pm that night we were exhaustedly eating Middle Eastern food and watching Friends With Benefits (it was really funny! A great movie for when you don't want to think very much). 

The next day, however, I woke up with a Terrible Awful Cold. I don't think I've been so sick since I was very little. I was sick for ten days and then Matt got it. Awful. We both recovered just in time for Matt to leave to begin training for his deployment. He'll be gone for two months but at least he'll still be in America...

In the brief couple of days that we both were better, we did manage to have some fun. Notably, dinner at Sabines house and and very strange, but funny and oddly romantic dinner at the Kansas City landmark Savoy Grill (Savoy, I love you for cocktails but your dining room and service need a spiffing up!). We said goodbye (for now) over brunch at Westport Cafe and now I'm on my own for the next bit. 

I miss Matt already but I'm trying to stay on the bright side of being on my own- doing whatever I want to. Yesterday this meant mooning over one of my favorite 80's movies and this morning it meant community yoga class at Maya Yoga. 

Our Kansas City museum

In the afternoon I walked over to the Nelson-Atkins Museum for a concert by the chamber music group eighth blackbird. It was wonderful- and free! One thing I thought of on my way in- so often we enter concert halls and museums from the bottom or the side because of where the parking lot is located. The experience is so much more impressive when you enter where the designers intended. 

Some other small weekend things:

My boss gave me some delicious soup in this mason jar- I'm returning it with a batch of savory cookies. Some past gifts from my boss- homemade pate and various mustards and pickles. He's the best. 

I brought some more cookies to a gathering at a friends house- her grandmother recently gave her a haul of vintage jewelry, so she invited some of us over to share the bounty. I scored an amazing cuff and an Indian-inspired necklace. 

Gimbel Chili

My dad has been making the same chili since I can remember, and when I first moved out of my parents house my mom made me a cookbook with all my favorite recipes in it, including the chili recipe:

As you can see, the recipe comes from a cookbook called "The Consumer's Guide Food Processor Cookbook" published in 1976. Since I like my food much more spicy than my parents do, I use this recipe as a jumping-off point for the chili I make. 

Since Matt has a class on Sundays, I usually listen to music LOUDLY like a teenager while I cook. This Sunday the soundtrack was this.

Gimbel Chili

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 lbs. fresh pork sausage (my dad uses Jimmy Dean's frozen mild. I used fresh spicy andouille and spicy Italian sausages. This means you'll have to remove the sausage from it's casing, which is actually kind of satisfying. 

2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup water

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

*I also added some smoked peppers I found at the Bad Seed Market. They smell so good!

1. Brown the sausage in large skillet or Dutch oven, breaking the sausage into small pieces with the back of a spoon as it browns. 

2. Lift the sausage from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

3. Pour off drippings, reserving 3 tsp in the skillet

4. Add the chopped vegetables to the skillet and saute 10 minutes over medium heat. 

5. Add the sausage and remaining ingredients. 

6. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. 

Feel free to add Fritos and cheddar cheese to make Frito Pie. Also goes very well with an IPA.

Happy Sunday!

Homage to Nigella Lawson

Sometimes, you just feel like you want to make something, however simple. Last year when I came home from a frenetic work trip to Las Vegas this itch led to me making pesto when I came home at 11 pm on a Thursday. I was ravenous, and had been eating overblown Las Vegas food for 3 days. I wanted to make something. By 11:30 that night I was eating pasta and pesto while watching tv on the couch- perfect. 

I'm feeling the same way today, only since tonight is the night Matt and I begin our "Godfather" film festival (we watch the trilogy, eat Italian take-out) dinner isn't an option.

I decided to make Nigella Lawson's Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts- they are simple and I'd like a snack anyway. The internet is wonderful for recipes, but I enjoy cooking out of books too- this recipe is from my well-loved copy of "Nigella Bites". You can find the recipe here as well. 

The Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out a baking sheet. Toast in the oven till they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 

 I had some leftover rosemary, which I threw on top of the nuts as they baked. I'm not sure if they contributed anything to the taste, but they do make your house smell delicious. 

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter. Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm. 

Snack time! I doubled the recipe, so now I have a little treat to share with  my neighbors too. 

Minimal effort, maximum reward- I now have a snack, a treat for my friends, and my house smells great. Happy Sunday!

Small Triumphs: baking bread

To me, baking has a mystique. It's so exact, so unforgiving- I'm awful at it. This doesn't get me down too much though, except for bread. I remember my mother baking baguettes in their special pan when I was growing up- that smell, fresh baking and bread is something I want to replicate in my home. This weekend I tried a simple recipe for bread and I DID IT. Maybe I broke the baking seal? My neighbor and I are attempting french macaroons next, which is a large leap because they seem impossible and expensive to make. But for now, tonight, I'm basking in my bread-making success.


*a note before you try this recipe- the actually preparation time is maybe 15 minutes. This bread takes about 24 hours in all to make, so be sure to plan accordingly.


Recipe: No-Knead Bread, via New York Times

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

At about 10:30 Saturday morning, the bread looked like this:

Like Mr. Bittman says, it takes 18 hours to rise. What to do with those 18 hours?

Have some lunch:

Do some research:

Around 1:00 am Saturday night, the bread had expanded considerably:

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Um, okay. If you get nervous like I did, you will want to watch this video while you wait:

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.


While I waited for the bread to rise, I did some ballet flat shopping:

Oh my lord, is it really supposed to look like this?

It was a tense hour

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.


 An hour later I had an ugly duckling of a bread loaf:

victory! 

With some butter and a little sea salt, it was delicious:

Hello, Fall

I adore fall. I wake up on fall mornings with the best sense of anticipation- something is going to happen! This is probably from all those back-to-schools but still- it's a lovely feeling. This song is always on my mind.

I celebrated the first weekend of fall by visiting the Louisburg Cider Mill- it's the weekend of the apple cider festival! Apple cider and apple cider donuts are delicious and best eaten when standing next to a pumpkin patch. Just down the road is Somerset Ridge Vineyard- we had a wine tasting and visited with some sweet alpacas. 

They really make cider in this building

Cider making

A fence festooned with relics

happy alpacas

at the winery

Lovely Summer

Having a routine sometimes causes one to fall in a rut. Having a routine can also make life feel cozy and familiar. My summer Sunday in Kansas City falls into the latter category.

Steps to a lovely (summer) Sunday:


1. $5 community yoga class
2. Brunch (Bloody Mary or no? Depends of what sort of Saturday night was had)
3. Light wandering around (shops, events, museums- doesn't matter)
4. Grilling


Grilling is the best on a Sunday because there is minimal cleanup AND leftovers so there's no worry about Monday dinner. We hosted some friends last Sunday and it was a perfect start to the week (or end of the previous)

pretty potatoes

Buttermilk marinated chicken (recipes are at the end of the post)

My favorite bottle opener and new favorite beer (Goose Island Matilda)

Tiki torches are de rigueur in buggy Kansas City

a simple fruit dessert

I wonder how deeply into the winter it's possible to grill? Friends in Cleveland (and my father) grill while it's snowing. Maybe I'll do that and add a fire pit for s'mores?


Here's what I made:


Potato Salad with radishes and scallions (via The Kitchn)
Elote (via Food.com)
Grilled Buttermilk Chicken (via Real Simple)
Melon with chile-lime syrup (via The Kitchn)

City Garden

I went for a walk this morning and inspected my neighborhood urban farm. I cannot believe this space is across the street from my house- I walk through the garden often, on my way home from work. If I had any sort of green thumb, how wonderful would it be to pick a lettuce from my very own plot on the way home?

You can see the new performing arts center here- where the Kansas City Symphony will play next year!

lovely sunday

This was a reading in my yoga class this morning and it was a good way to start the day.

Mother Teresa: "The Final Analysis"

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

           

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

             

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

           

 If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

             

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

            

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

             

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

          

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

          

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

Sweet Season

A short list of my last weekend in the Paris of the Midwest--

-Packing, and more packing

-Chinese teatime after packing

-A very traditional dinner in Little Italy, then shutting the club down (seriously). 

-Easter dim sum

-More bubble tea- how have I never had bubble tea before? I'm in love. 

-And finally, an Easter dinner. All in all a lovely Sunday and wonderful weekend. 

Lucky me, I got to see some of the people I love most in the world this weekend.

Cleveland! The movers will be here in two hours and though I am tapping my foot, eager to start the next chapter-- I will miss you.

With apologies to Debbie Gimbel

My mom is an amazing cook, but as a child I hated, hated, hated meatloaf. Maybe it's because I hate ketchup? Since the days of childhood meatloaf night, however, I've had some amazing meatloaf- notably at a Brooklyn Heights cafe where it was wrapped in bacon, and once on a cold night when I first moved to Cleveland. Friends called and said "we're coming over to have dinner with you, and we are bringing meatloaf!" I cringed, but THAT meatloaf had prosciutto in it! A bacon-y surprise! If that's not community, I don't know what is.

All that is neither here nor there tonight, though. Tonight I made Fennel and Apple Meatloaf - a revelation in meatloaf. Here's the recipe via one of my very favorite blogs, Pink of Perfection

Movie tonight is Paris, Texas. Happy Sunday!

Fennel and Apple Meatloaf, from Everyday Food

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced medium (3/4 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small fennel bulb, diced medium (1 1/3 cups)
1/2 Granny Smith apple, peeled and diced medium (1/2 cup)
1 3/4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 pounds ground pork or turkey
1 cup grated Gruyere or sharp cheddar (1 3/4 ounces)
1 to 2 slices white sandwich bread, diced medium (1 cup)
1 large egg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, garlic, fennel, and apple and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and vegetables begin to brown, 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and coriander, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
In a large bowl, combine pork, cheese, bread, and egg. Add vegetable mixture and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using your hands, mix until ingredients are combined. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet; form into a 4-by-10-inch loaf. Bake until meatloaf is cooked through, 40 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

lovely sunday

Dim sum! Lovely Sunday indeed. And the last relaxing day for quite awhile. I'm making chana masala while procrastinating on making a T-day shopping list.

Also, a lovely Sunday remembered

I have no pics (the better time I'm having, the fewer pictures I take) but I had a very grown-up (my first EVER not dressing up) Halloween/lovely Sunday. Good friends + Fall + 5 lbs of pork roast = a very good day.

lovely sunday

vintage shopping +  mod mexican food= a happy birthday for a lovely friend. (I was too busy eating my weight in guac to remember take pictures)

lovely sunday

hot dogs + tots + The Social Network= lovely sunday