Friday, Aug. 29, 2008
Don’t say there’s nothing to do in St. Joseph. Fred Moore, professionally known as DJ Heat, has taken care of that problem — at least for this weekend.
Smokin' good chicken
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008
It’s hard to beat a weekend barbecue — relaxing with family and friends outdoors with mouth-watering aromas scenting the air. But instead of the usual burgers, steaks or ribs, why not try the other barbecue meat: economical and healthful chicken?
Granted, that may not sound too appetizing if your former grilled chicken experiences were tasteless and dry, so we talked with grilling expert Rodney Dyche, with the All American Barbecue team, to learn how he does it.
Mr. Dyche and his wife, Cecilia, of Easton, Mo. won the chicken category at the Apple Blossom barbecue contest in St. Joseph this spring and were the grand champions at the Harrah’s barbecue tournament in June. The first weekend in October, they will be competing in the prestigious American Royal Invitational in Kansas City. And they also are certified barbecue judges.
Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008
Farmers' markets for Aug. 27, 2008
Pickup power
Monday, Aug. 18, 2008
Buying a vacuum cleaner today is a lot like buying a car. With all the different brands, styles and options, it’s hard to know what to choose. Will it be an upright or canister, bagless or bagged? Do you want a lightweight or heavyweight? And what brand?
A new kind of bikerSunday, Aug. 17, 2008
A bike rack in downtown St. Joseph is not a common sight. Even more unusual, though, is what’s in the rack outside the Pony Espresso coffee shop on a recent Thursday morning. It looks like your everyday bicycle, painted green and white with a standard V frame. It probably would go unnoticed if not for the shiny, gray engine strapped to it.
Savannah Realtor wins pie contest at state fairFriday, Aug. 15, 2008
With only two minutes to spare, Mary Kay Lyle raced across the street with her lemon meringue pie in hand to the Home Economics Building at the 2008 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. The pie had to be there at 9:30 a.m. to be qualified to enter Melanie Blunt’s First Lady Pie Contest.
Farmers' markets for Aug. 13Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008
Farmers' markets for Aug. 13
Sylvia says: Gum lets you support your candidateSaturday, Aug. 9, 2008
They say it’s a no-no to discuss politics at the dinner table or anywhere there is polite company. But during this election year, it’s only natural to want to express your views. So the question is, how can you do this discreetly?
Bonus Gum may have the answer with its “gum that gives you more.”
Friday, Aug. 8, 2008
Walt Marek Catering and Deli is well known among local foodies, but easily missed if you are new to town. The family-owned business is hidden away among rows of small homes in on the South Side of St. Joseph off of U.S. Highway 59 (Lake Avenue). You’ll find it on Virginia Street in what was originally a neighborhood grocery store. The building dates back to 1919 when it was owned by John and Frances Marek, the grandparents of the current owners, Walt and his sister, Elizabeth. Their parents, Walter and Mary Alice, started the deli in 1982.
Sneak in a zucchini
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008
Just imagine the look on your neighbor’s face when he opens the door on Friday morning and discovers several giant green zucchini sitting there. In case you forgot, Aug. 8 is National Sneak Zucchini On Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. It’s a day that gardeners around the country anxiously await to share their bounty, or some might say get rid of those unwanted squash which tend to grow faster than weeds once they get started. Sneaking can be a problem, especially if you do it at night. You don’t want to get shot over a zucchini.
Zuchini recipesWednesday, Aug. 6, 2008
Zuchini recipes
Farmers' markets for Aug. 6, 2008Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008
Farmers' markets for Aug. 6, 2008
Second chance for gardeners
Monday, Aug. 4, 2008
So you miss picking fresh spinach out of your garden now that the summer has put it to seed. You long for more of those tender green beans, already harvested. Maybe you just didn’t get around to planting anything this year. Good news! You have another chance. “Fall can be a very good time for cool-season-type crops,” says Tom Fowler, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist. “Heat can sometimes be a challenge, but if you can get them through August, you’ll have some tasty stuff in the fall.”
Saturday, Aug. 2, 2008
Ask any good chef what is the most important tool to have in the kitchen, and the answer will most likely be a knife. But it has to be a sharp knife. Dull can be dangerous. You could use a sharpening stone, but you had better know what you’re doing or you’ll ruin the edge. So if you’re not so skilled, or even if you are, you might want to try EdgeCraft Corporation’s new Chef’sChoice Diamond Hone AngleSelect Sharpener Model 1520.
A phantom with humor
Friday, Aug. 1, 2008
A phantom will be haunting the Missouri Theater this weekend, but you’ll feel more like laughing than screaming. In fact, you’ll want to bring the kids. At 7 p.m. on Aug. 2 and 2 p.m. on Aug. 3, Creative Arts Productions (CAP) will present a comedy spoof of the classic mystery “Phantom of the Opera.”
Eats: Get your Boogaloo onFriday, Aug. 1, 2008
You can dance the boogaloo, but in St. Joseph, you’ll want to eat there. Boogaloo’s Bar-B-Que is the real deal when it comes to tender slabs of babyback ribs, barbecued brisket and piled-high shredded pork sandwiches. Owner Wilbur May makes everything fresh at the restaurant, including a slightly spicy barbecue sauce. He also serves Kansas City Masterpiece on the side for those who like it sweet. But you really don’t need any sauce on the baby back ribs, thanks to Wibur’s special (and top secret) rub.
Artist in the kitchen
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
It was 6:15 Monday evening as Karen Foley took the stage. The auditorium at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art was filled to capacity with people standing outside the door and along the walls. “Who ever heard of announcing an event and never sending out invitations?” Mrs. Foley asked the group. It would be an unlikely situation, she said, but that’s exactly what happened for this evening’s museum fundraiser — a three-course, $100-a-plate dinner called “A Culinary Dining Experience.” The invitations never went out because it sold out before they could get them to the printer.
Local farmers' markets for July 30, 2008Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Local farmers' markets for July 30, 2008
Bring ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ into your kitchenSaturday, July 26, 2008
When you’re ready to step up your culinary skills without investing in a cooking school, you should watch “America’s Test Kitchen” on PBS. It’s kind of a Consumer Reports version of a food show where they experiment with cooking products, recipes and techniques, testing them over and over until they come up with the best way of doing things. So instead of showing off some bizarre recipe you can make in three minutes, you might learn how to make perfect manicotti, with noodles that don’t fall apart, a sauce that’s not runny and a finished product you know will be perfect every time. You would also learn what the best noodles to use are, along with the best Parmesan cheese and the best garlic press.
America’s Test Kitchen baked manicottiSaturday, July 26, 2008
America’s Test Kitchen baked manicotti
A new kind of treasure hunt
Monday, July 21, 2008
On weekends, Richard Stout likes to don a 19th-century top hat and coat while working at his jewelry shop in Weston, Mo. That’s not as strange as it sounds, since the whole town looks similar to the days Weston was a significant river-port community in the mid-1800s, with many of the buildings dating to pre-Civil War days. Inside his store, R. L. Macy’s, you’ll find antique rings that were made during that period. There’s a ring made with tiny, natural pearls dating back to the 1830s. (They started to be cultured in the 1920s.) And you’ll see rose gold filigree rings made during the late 1800s to early 1900s, with delicate, intricate craftsmanship — something like great-grandma would have worn.
But he also has reproductions and new jewelry, such as a set of three rings he made for a customer.
“A customer had inherited great-grandma’s ring but had three granddaughters,” he says. “And they all wanted the ring.”
Then there are new art deco rings, a popular style during the last five years, designed to look just like the designs from 1900 to 1930. Both versions are beautiful. But how do you know what you’ve got? Old or new?
That’s one of the questions he will help visitors answer the first weekend in August at the Weston Ten Mile Trail Antique and Garden Show. Vendors specializing in high-quality antiques and everything to do with gardens will be set up at four locations in a 10-mile area for the event, with experts on hand to give appraisals, answer questions and speak on specific topics.
The little drug store that wouldn't die
Sunday, July 20, 2008
About 12 miles west of Interstate 29 in Northwest Missouri, the road makes a downward slope towards what looks like a riverbend. It becomes the town of Forest City, a once prosperous community in the late 1800s, until the Missouri River changed course. Now quiet railroad tracks run alongside farmland and a scattering of buildings, with little to remember the town’s heyday — until now. This year, 149 years after it was built, and several years after it was closed and left for dead, the Forest City drug store is making a comeback. A new lock on the door was just the beginning.
Sylvia Says: Old Bay Seafood Steamers make shrimp dinners quickSaturday, July 19, 2008
Old Bay Seasoning has come out with a new way to spice up shrimp. It’s called Old Bay Seafood Steamers, which is essentially a package of seasonings and a special steaming bag to cook shrimp in the microwave. If you aren’t familiar with Old Bay Seasoning, it’s been the standard for flavoring seafood for years.
Area designer chases dreamSaturday, July 19, 2008
Terry Oldham hopes he doesn’t see his daughter cry on Sunday, but there’s a chance he will.
Try it, you'll like itFriday, July 18, 2008
When visiting the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., art educator Mary Helen Stuber was amazed at the ornamental tin work children were creating in a class there. It’s a craft the people of Santa Fe developed during the mid-1800s using tin cans brought in by the military.
Eats: Cook’s Corner CafeFriday, July 18, 2008
You’ll want to get going early and loosen your belt buckle a notch when heading over to Cook’s Corner Café in Dearborn, Mo. Although sisters Charlene Cook and Darla Dubois just opened the 120-seat former pizza shop in Nov. 2007, it gets busy soon after they open at 5:30 a.m. (7 a.m. on Sundays) and stays that way until they close at 2:30 p.m.
Crazy over colcannonWednesday, July 16, 2008
In Maryville, Mo., where burgers and fries usually rule for lunch, guests sat elbow to elbow enjoying steak and ale pie, colcannon and treacle.
This feast might be a common occurrence in England, but not here. We like the variety of international cuisines, but for whatever reason, British fare has not caught on like Mexican, Italian or Oriental. Most people don’t even know what British food is, let alone like it. This lunch proved to be an exception.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Local farmers' markets for the week of July 16, 2008
Eats: JJ’s RestaurantTuesday, July 15, 2008
If you haven’t been to Plattsburg, Mo., for awhile, you’re in for a surprise. The downtown has had makeover over the past four years and now looks like an aspiring Parkville, Weston or Westport. Mayor of Plattsburg James Kennedy says one of the forces behind the change has been the owners of JJ’s Restaurant.
Take stock nowSunday, July 13, 2008
During the worst point of the Great Depression, historians report one in four Americans were unable to find a job.
Money was so tight that Jeannetta Danford of St. Joseph remembers hearing how her mother-in-law would buy 10 cents worth of bologna at the grocery store so her small son could have meat to eat.
“As children, we just accepted things the way they were,” she says, “but managing was very much a struggle for adults.”
The economy today may not have you making underwear out of flour sacks (as some people did then), but it should be getting your attention.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Maybe you can’t impress the neighbors with a fast car or fancy house, but you can make a splash with the water you drink. Evian, the company that bottles spring water from the French Alps, now sells designer water on its Web site, ShopEvian.com.
Farmers' markets for July 9, 2008Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Farmers' markets for July 9, 2008
A touch of beauty
Monday, July 7, 2008
The April ice storm turned Eleanor Langemach’s garden into a war zone. Although she usually doesn’t ask for help, she knew she would be playing pick-up-sticks forever, so she called a number that offered help for senior citizens. Soon a group of volunteers came to her aid from a Baptist church in Lebanon, Mo. They did a wonderful job, she says, and she was very thankful. But she still gets a chuckle remembering the prayer they said when they were finished. “He said, ‘and bless Eleanor, we know she loves flowers because she has them planted everywhere.’”
The Robidoux connectionSunday, July 6, 2008
It’s been more than 200 years since Joseph Robidoux III, founder of the city of St. Joseph, was alive, but he’s hardly been forgotten.
Thanks to the invention of the Internet and a Web site by the Robidou Association of North America, his descendents and relatives can know all about him and each other.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Summer means picnics, parties and impromptu get-togethers. For me, that also means paper plates. They’re especially great for large groups because there’s nothing to break, everything matches and cleanup is a breeze. But I have to admit, I feel guilty about all that paper going into the landfill.
Eats: Carson's Sports GrilleFriday, July 4, 2008
If you love watching sports, Carson’s is your kind of place. With 23 TVs, including one enormous 8-foot-by-10-foot screen on the wall, you won’t miss any action.
Local farmers' markets for July 2, 2008Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Local farmers' markets for July 2, 2008
Regretfully yours
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
It’s not going to be a typical library program — even controversial, maybe. But the teenagers who attend “Think before you Ink,” one of the summer events sponsored by the St. Joseph Public Library, should not fall asleep. It’s designed to teach them about things they need to consider before joining the growing numbers of young adults who get a tattoo. To get the point across, children’s librarian Will Stuck will let them watch as he gets tattooed across his back next week.
Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery coming to St. JosephSunday, June 29, 2008
Donald J. is a 10-year-old boy who loves cats, dogs, semi-trucks, going to church and watching SpongeBob Square Pants on TV. He’s much like other boys his age, except for one thing: Donald dreams of having a family. “Someone to love me and I get to stay there forever,” he told the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Just looking at his sweet face with those puppy dog brown eyes — well, it’s enough to break your heart.
That’s kind of the idea behind the Missouri Adoption Heart Gallery tour that will be coming to the Buchanan County Courthouse in St. Joseph July 21 and 22. Sponsored by the Adoption Exchange and the children’s division of the DSS, they hope to find homes for the 238 children depicted in the 185 photos on the tour. The tour will travel to 16 cities across the state to be on display in 22 venues.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Even my dad makes pies these days, thanks to ready-to-go refrigerated pie crusts. Slide them into the pan, fill and bake. They cost more and are not as good as crust from scratch, but new cooks, like my dad, find making crusts the old-fashioned way a little intimidating. It can be a challenge to roll out the dough nice and smooth without tearing it. And it certainly can be messy. But as with all things, it’s easier if you have good tools.
Eats: Pizza RoyalFriday, June 27, 2008
Pizza Royal’s trademark is their thin, cracker-crust pizza with homemade sauce and lots of toppings. It’s not like anything you’ll find at the chain pizza places. Neither is the decor.
Farmers' markets for June 25, 2008Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Farmers' markets for June 25, 2008
Rain harvesting
Monday, June 23, 2008
With all the spring showers this year, harvesting rain may seem like the last thing you would want to do — even if you knew what it was.
But talk to Lori Lynch and Shane Marvelli of Savannah, Mo., and you’ll realize it’s great way to save money on your garden this summer, not to mention being good for the environment and your vegetation.
“It just makes sense,” Shane says.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Aaron Moore was just 4 years old when he first went bowling with his grandmother at Olympia Lanes in St. Joseph.
He liked it so much, he kept on bowling on his own, first in leagues, then in tournaments. It’s been a fun, recreational sport for the Faucett, Mo., teenager, but if things keep going well, it also could pay for much or all of his college.
“There’s a lot of scholarship money you can get and lots of opportunities,” Aaron says. “And it’s really fun.”
At 15, he already has won close to $3,000 in scholarship money. When he becomes a junior in high school this fall, he will be allowed to talk to college recruiters. Just like football and basketball, there are many schools that have their own bowling teams.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
When you are starving and on the run, it’s handy to have one of those healthy snack bars on hand. They are better for you than a candy bar and more convenient than eating a salad or juicy piece of fruit. The problem I have found is that they tend to be hard as cardboard or not much better for you than a candy bar. But I may have found an exception.
Actually, the folks at A to Z FreshAir Fare in downtown St. Joseph discovered them and said they were so wonderful I should try them. They’re called Dr. Weil Pure Fruit and Nut Bars by Nature’s Path Organic. They come in Chocolada Walnut, Pistachi-Oh, Chia Razz, Banana Manna and Goji Moji.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Michael Lieffring and his mother, Sue, opened MoJo Cafe about five weeks ago in downtown St. Joseph. Although the previous tenants changed so much it gave fast food a new meaning, Michael says they hope to have better luck by offering larger portions and lower prices.
Just throw it on the table
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Family get-togethers will never be the same after last weekend. We decided to break out of our barbecue, burger and beans rut and try a popular tradition in Southern entertaining: a Louisiana shrimp boil party. “It sounds easy,” said my sister-in-law, Wanda Anderson, after we did some research on the Internet. But would it be?
How to host a shrimp boil party for the neighborhoodWednesday, June 18, 2008
A shrimp boil party is ideal for large groups, says Doug Reed of Overland Park, Kan. Ten years ago some of his neighbors hosted one in the cul-de-sac where he lives. They were Louisiana State University graduates and said they do it all the time down South. It was great fun, Doug says, but they moved.
“I thought this was too cool to let die, so I went and bought a 60-quart seafood cooker.”
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Food briefs for June 18, 2008
Farmers' markets for June 18, 2008Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Farmers' markets for June 18, 2008
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