Blurgs

When you write a blurb in your blog, that is called a blurg. Here are two.

** Last night, while picking out two pints of Ben and Jerry's at my local grocery store, I was very excited to find the Americone Dream, Stephen Colbert's new flavor. I know it's been out for a while but I had kind of forgotten about it since the hype had died down and since I can't keep my eyes open late enough to watch the Colbert Report anymore. I have this to report: meh. I like caramel swirls, waffle cones, and chocolate coating. But maybe I just don't like all those things together.

Anyhow - now that that bubble has been burst, I can spend my time looking for the new Breyer's Triple Chocolate flavor. (I've got to find the ice cream to take me through the upcoming Murray-less winter. They close for the season on December 2nd and it is NEVER too early to start planning ahead.)

** Last week's food section in the Kansas City Star had a tremendous recipe for Chocolate Molasses Cookies. The point of the "Eating For Life" feature was portion control, and if I had the ability to eat just one cookie the whole concept would be excellent. But I don't. And if they had a better website, I could just link to the recipe. But they don't. So here you go, then.
(Typing out this entire recipe makes this much less of a blurg, but these cookies are worth the work.)

2/3 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 T dark molasses
1 tsp vanilla
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt chocolate and butter in microwave-safe glass mixing bowl on high power in 30 second increments, until almost melted. Stir to blend well, then let cool.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Stir brown sugar, egg, molasses and vanilla into cooled chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture, stirring until combined.
Place scant tablespoons of dough on ungreased cookie sheet, 2 in. apart. Bake 10-11 minutes until tops begin to crack and cookies are still soft to the touch. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to wire rack and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Columbus Park

If I didn't live in Pendleton Heights, I would be a resident of Columbus Park. It has a distinct feel that I don't get anywhere else in this city - the vibe of the neighborhood feels both progressive and nostalgic at the same time. You're just a minute away from the City Market and the highway, and yet there is a cozy insulated urban air that is unique and refreshing. We like to head down for the Third Friday art openings, maybe catch a bite to eat at Garozzo's, and just walk around, choosing which house we'd like to live in next, taking photographs, and enjoying the atmosphere. When the new Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout opens in the old SORedux space, we'll have another Columbus Park spot to frequent. And lots of delicious soup to eat, thanks to the Happy Soup Eater.

The other great offerings in Columbus Park include La Sala's deli and Kim Long Restaurant & Market. My husband grew up on La Sala's Poor Boy sandwich; served on a huge loaf of Roma bread, it's piled high with the "poorer" deli meats, cheese, mustard, lettuce and tomato. One sandwich can easily feed four hungry people and is less than $10. If you're feeling flush, try the Rich Boy instead, with more high-end meats. You can wash any of their sandwiches down with my favorite, Vess's orange soda, called Whistle.

Kim Long is one of the best asian markets in the city - clean and spacious. It's easy to find what you're looking for and quite a few things you didn't know you needed. And it's a great place to stop for a delicious and inexpensive lunch or dinner. Eat there or grab something to go - our favorites include the Lemongrass Chicken (which is a little heavy on the onions...so don't forget your breathmints), Spring Rolls, and the Tomato and Crab Noodles. While you're there, you might as well grab a tea or a slush to go. The taro slush (complete with chewy tapioca pearls) is vibrantly colored, delicious, and refreshing.

(Click on the photo below to see more pics from our lunch at Kim Long.)



Kim Long Market & Restaurant
511 Cherry St.
816*221*8892

La Sala's Deli
910 E 5th Street
816*421*2189
open Mon-Fri 8:30am - 3pm

Irish Fest

I like festivals. I like standing around people-watching, basically - and that, in essence, is what festivals boil down to, at least for me. It helps if the festival also involves good food, or interesting food, or just funnel cakes. I really love funnel cakes.

Last night's weather made getting out of the house a mandatory thing, and Crown Center is just a hop skip and a jump away from Noodletown, so we made our way down to the Irish Fest for an absolutely perfect Friday night. We haven't attended an Irish Fest for years, but our city is lucky to host such an amazing festival. It is incredibly well-run, toilets are plentiful, the food is good, and I love the location now that it has found a home at Crown Center. There is more room to move, to sit, and to get as close to or as far away from the stages as you like. We were delighted to find a diaper changing station (oh, how my priorities have changed) and we found ourselves surrounded by breeders and their progeny of all ages. It was a fun night.

My husband will tell you that his favorite part about the Irish Fest involves the many Boulevard tents and the scotch eggs at Hamish's Kitchen. If you're willing to shill out $6, it's a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and then deep fried. (That sentence either made you a little sick or a little hungry.) Surprisingly, the sausage was mild enough that it didn't overpower the egg and the effect was kind of delicious. Wrap the whole thing in a piece of toast and you've got breakfast.

Right next door to Hamish's Kitchen were the Heritage Meat Pies. I have a real fondness for this kind of thing - it's good simple food and especially tasty with a good beer. They had shepherd's pies, steak and mushroom pies, sausage rolls, chicken pies, and scottish meat pies. The lines were long and worth the wait.

I finally got to try my first Boulevard Lunar Ale (so delicious) and was holding off on my food consumption for a post-ale treat: the Deep Fried Mars Bar, which ended up being SOLD OUT. It was a tragic moment. I consoled myself with another beer.