Mastering the Art of Julia

I know I'm about a year too late, but did you guys see that wonderful movie, Julie and Julia? I'm re-watching it. I forgot how wonderful this movie is. Its one of those you can pop in at any time and enjoy over and over again. Based on the book by Julie Powell, this movie really brought Julia Child back onto the front burner. She was such a wonderfully exciting woman. I find it so extraordinarily inspiring that she didn't even begin culinary school until she was 36. There is so much pressure for those of us in our 20s to know just what we want to do with our lives as soon as we graduate college, and just look at Julia. She found her calling a little later, and it happened perfectly for her. Mastering the Art of French Cooking is in the top 10 Best Selling cookbooks of all time. Julia brought this art to the women of the United States, and we could never thank her enough. If you haven't seen this great movie, watch it! It will inspire even those whose cooking level is only making toast or a box of Shells and Cheese, to poach an egg or even attempt Beef Bourguignon.

There is a great debate on which is more planet friendly, buying organic or buying local. Are the pesticides being used worse for the soil than all the carbon burned to bring food to where you are? Its a close call, but usually the consensus is: Buy Local. That's why Farmers' Markets are so great! Family farms bring their stuff to you, its great food by local farmers and families. So instead of supporting great big giant mass produced fruits and veggies where the big concern is size, shape, and color, you are supporting a wonderful small farm, concerned with taste, quality, and love for the food. Around Kansas City you can go to farmers markets at Rivermarket, Brookside, Parkville, Briarcliff, and many other locations. Go to Local Harvest to find a Farmers' Market near you.

Hell's Kitchen

I'm not really into Reality TV shows but Hell's Kitchen is one I've really gotten into. The show starts with a group of cooks divided into teams and they have to do dinner service at Gordon Ramsay 's Hell's Kitchen. Things get really intense. Chef Ramsay demands excellence and all the while he's yelling, cussing, throwing food, and throwing cooks out of the kitchen. Ramsay is an amazing Chef and even though he loves to scream and yell, cooking with him is an honor...which is why these poor people subject themselves to this stuff. Teams that win get amazing prizes, spa days, helicopter rides, knife and pots and pans sets, while the losers get to clean and prep kitchens, pick up litter off the side of the road, and other wonderful things like that. The last cook standing gets to be head chef at an amazing restaraunt. Last year's winner, Dave Levey , got to head the Araxi Restaurant during the 2010 Winter Olympics. This season's winner will head the Savoy Grill in London. Watch a 2 hour show tonight on Fox 8EST/7Central.

KC Juice

I think I could maybe live off smoothies. KC Juice is one place I love to go for really good ones, made with real fruit. They have quite a large menu, but I seem to always go for the Triathlon, a great mix of mango, raspberry, and peach, among others. They also offer chocolaty flavors, coffee flavors, and vegetable juices. Add a shot of wheatgrass to your juice or smoothie. If you buy a 24 oz smoothie, they give a 10% discount to students, Westport merchants, people who work in the health field, and those with memberships to the gym or health clubs. They are located at 4141 Pennsylvania Ave. in the Westport district of Kansas City, go grab a smoothie for a great summer lunch! Also, become a fan on facebook! 

Glace

Last night I walked down the street to chocolatier Christopher Elbow 's new ice cream shop. Quite possibly the most interestingly delicious treat I've had...well, possibly ever. With unique flavors that are great on their own or mixed with different combinations, I know I will be a regular there this summer. Last night I sampled a Basil-Lime which was like a party in my mouth but, I decided on a combination of French Lavender and Goat Cheese with Wildflower Honey. That's right, goat cheese in ice cream. I think I died and went to heaven. As someone who would put goat cheese on everything, even I wouldn't have thought to make it into ice cream. They have some other great flavors. Chris sampled Peanut Butter and Jelly but decided on Salty Pretzel with Vietnamese Cinnamon. There is also Cilantro Pineapple, Caramelized Banana, and Sweet Corn among others. Located at 4960 Main Street, just south of the Plaza (hey, that's right next door to Spin!) Come and see me, get some delicious pizza, and head next door to try these amazing ice cream flavors!

picture via: Ink www.inkkc.com

Bananas: A miracle food

I don't know how many people know this but, bananas are the saints of the fruit family. Bananas are full of tons of important vitamins like A, B complex, Riboflavin, Niacin, and of course Potassium. Its also full of protein and good carbs. Surprisingly, Bananas will help cure many ailments from Anemia to Hangovers to Morning Sickness to Ulcers. Have heartburn? eat a banana! Have PMS? eat a banana! you can even rub the inside of the banana skin on a mosquito bite and it will reduce the swelling and irritation. This wonder-fruit is inexpensive, delicious, and good in any kind of smoothy. If you want to learn more about bananas and their benefits or recipes that include them, visit bananas.com ! Here's to bananas!

My Favorite

I thought I wouldn't post again until I got back from Europe but I just had to.  Chris took me Justus Drugstore in Smithville, Missouri and I just have to talk about it again. This is only the second time we've been,  but I can say it is my favorite place to eat. This food is life-changing good. Everything is unique, a wonderful mix of flavors and you can taste the passion of the chef in every bite. Tonight I got the Camp Lindo Roast Chicken which has a black pepper lemon herbed creme fraiche, duck egg pasta, morels, asparagus, and spring garlic. It is amazing.  Chris got the Kobe Braised Beef that came with these wonderful vanilla glazed carrots. The head chef, Jonathan Justus came out and spoke with us for a bit, telling us about their new addition, the outside kitchen that has recently opened and will be in full swing this summer. He told us it would be more casual, burgers and beer, not necessarily a three hour dinning experience like the main restaurant. I love this restaurant not just because the food is wonderful, but because they really care about where their food is coming from. Chef Justus told us tonight that he gets all his beef from one farm that is primarily grass fed then finished off with barley. This farm only processes five cows a week. The back of their menu lists where they get all their ingredients, raised at local farms. If you get dessert, check out their Strawberry Trio, delicious! Make reservations for their main restaurant, and check out their outside kitchen for more causal dinning. Also say Hello to the bartender (the bar is the old soda fountain from when this building was an actual drugstore) he looks like a mad scientist behind that bar, mixing drinks with fresh fruit and herbs! 

MMMMMMilk

Shatto Milk Company is a local dairy that is located just north of the Kansas City metro area. They are a locally owned family dairy with a drive for making pure, wholesome milk.  I began buying their milk just this past year and I never want to buy anything else. I am not a big milk drinker, but I love a bowl of cereal once in a while and of course its a must for macaroni and cheese. Shatto Milk Company not only has milk though, today i just picked up a gallon of sweet tea, and noticed they also had fruit punch and orange drink. Their milk flavors range from the classics, Whole, 2%, and Skim but also they have amazing Chocolate, Strawberry, Orange, and get this..Root Beer. That's right Root beer flavored milk. I have to admit I haven't tried it. The great thing about this company is not just that they never use growth hormones but their milk is bottled in glass jars, you pay a small deposit for at the grocery store and when you're finished with it, you rinse it out, return it to the store and your deposit is returned. That way they can reuse these bottles as often as they can. The glass keeps the milk colder, and really, who doesn't love the aesthetic of milk in a glass jar? Shatto offers tours of their dairy for those who are interested and hosts events on their farm. When I visited the website earlier, I even found out they will be coming out with Ice Cream. Yum!

The Heart of the Home

The other day I wrote about porches and outdoor spaces and how I was so exicted to have my own home someday so I could create a wonderful place like that. I think of all the indoor spaces, the kitchen would be my pride and joy. At this point in my life, I am by no means a great cook, probably even not a good cook. I can throw together some  okay dishes, but I have so little time to cook, it hasn't become a great skill yet. Kitchens to me mean something else. So, I don't really care about having chef's grade appliances, amazing cutlery, or anything else. I just want it to be a real family place, a place for entertaining friends, the spot in the house where everyone comes together. One thing I love about my parent's kitchen is that they've had the same kitchen table since before I was born. It isn't polished, it has water rings from my brother and I not using coasters, a spot where someone left a newspaper too long and some print rubbed off on it, and one chair has a painted arrow on it from where one of us decided to get creative during an art session. The leaf inset may be a different color from the rest of the very worn table, but I am so glad they've kept it. It holds many memories from childhood and is a real staple piece to their home. For my own dream kitchen, I would love a bar area around an island where kids can spread out their homework while dinner is being made, where scrabble and trivial pursuit is played, announcements are made, waffels and scrambled eggs are a sunday morning tradition, and cupcakes are iced with multi colored frosting on rainy days. Kitchens are usually secondary rooms to living rooms and such where the family gathers to watch a favorite TV show. I am hoping to make my kitchen that place, with less TV and more games, with less take out and more home cooking.  I love these four kitchens because they are airy and bright, open with the rest of the house, comfortable and clean, yet very real. I feel like I could walk right into them and feel at home. If you want some great tips, this article has some good advice on how to make your kitchen unique, inviting, and all your own.

mmmmm food.

So, I told you all about some great restaurants in St. Louis last week, but I haven't done that for my own town, Kansas City. These are some of my favorite restaurants in the city. Spin! pizza is so amazing. And I'm not just saying that because I work there. It really is the best pizza in the city.  I eat there after my shifts, not just because its convenient but because it's that good. I love the Pollo Chevre. An olive oil glaze with roast chicken, goat cheese, caramelized onions and crimini mushrooms with fresh mozzarella. I also love the new whole wheat crust with the Pizza Classica. I am loving the Spinaci e Ricotta: spinach, ricotta cheese, sliced tomatoes on a red sauce with fresh mozzarella and oregano. The Sonoma salad is also amazing. Lots of lettuce, apples, raisins, grapes, crushed pecans, goat cheese, with a blood orange vinaigrette to top it off.  La Bodega is also so amazing. I can suck down some of the Sangria like I'm an eight year old drinking kool-aid. Tapas is also just so much fun, I love getting together with my best girlfriends and coming here, picking out some food and everyone taking a few bites. My absolute favorite thing is the Crespelle de Feta y Puerros, this wonderful layered crepe slice with feta cheese, leeks, and basil. It is one of the best things I've ever put in my mouth. Then there is Eggtc. Such great breakfast. Sometimes there can be a wait on a table, especially if you come on a weekend, but it is definitely worth the wait. My boyfriend claims to be a French Toast connoisseur and he says theirs is the best he's had. I love the Eggs Benedict Florentine and their Despierto Burrito. They also have a great Bloody Mary. 

Check out the menus for these great restaurants at their respective websites.

Hello St. Louis!

I visited my best friend in St. Louis this weekend. Its always interesting to me how different St. Louis is from Kansas City, but it really is. One thing they have in common though is some great restaurants. Pi is an amazing pizza place local to St. Louis, in fact I heard Barack Obama himself flew out a group of cooks to make him pizza at the White House. During the summer they have a patio and although sometimes the wait for a table is pretty long, it's worth it! Another place we love to go is Rooster for breakfast. My favorite thing on their menu is their choices of crepes. On this visit I got breakfast crepe #2, egg, goat cheese, and arugula. It was delicious. They also have a full menu of Bloody Marys, which I also took full advantage of. Their house Bloody Mary is a meal in itself. Next time you're in St. Louis, check these places out!

mmm, good wine

I love to drink wine. but alas, I am a college student and cannot afford to drink the incredibly fancy, expensive stuff. I absolutely love Fetzer wines though. They are very affordable and taste great and the best thing about them is their commitment to sustainability. Their wines are completely organic, their grapes are grown among other gardens and chickens are brought in to eat the bugs. Their bottles are even made with recycled glass. I love their Cabernet and their Pinot Grigio.