The Purple Carrot | purplecarrotkc.com

Dante Ristorante Pizzeria

2013-06-15T22:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it seems the only thing I can blog about when I actually am able to blog is pizza … but I suppose that’s nothing all that new, now, is it??

Amidst all the craziness of everything going on in life right now, we decided to drive up to Omaha for a day just for fun.

But mostly to eat Neapolitan pizza.

It’s been nearly a year now since we took our road trip up the west coast, thus a year since a “Great Neapolitan Pizza Quest” post has been seen. Check the above link in case you’re new here or have forgotten about our delicious Neapolitan pizza adventures!

Since then, we’ve been wanting to try Dante’s in Omaha, one of the very few authentic Neapolitan pizzerias in the Midwest (also VPN certified).

True to form, the margherita pizza is always a must …yum! And of course we can’t go to a Neapolitan pizzeria without sitting as close to the oven as possible and timing how long it was in the oven. These pizzas came out in approximately 100 seconds.

(See my Pinterest album for comparison pics!)

We also tried Dante’s Bianco pizza which included: “papa’s sausage, olive, chili, garlic, basil & mozzarella”.

It was very good as well, but I ended up wishing we would have just gotten two margherita pizzas because we love them that much that nothing else compares!

The Quick Stats (Erik’s notes)

Oven: Mugnaini

Cook Time: Approximately 100 seconds.

Dough: The dough is made in a spiral mixer, put into a cooler for 24 hours, balled into 9 ounce dough balls and put back in for 48 hours. To my surprise, the pizzaioli stated that they were using a 00 ConAgra flour blend. I must say whatever flour they’re using, the crust was top notch in flavor and consistency.

Taste: Immediately, the flavors brought us back to that unforgettable Neapolitan pizza taste that once one has, one never forgets. Sauce was spot on, the crust was spot on and the fior di latte (made using local, hormone and antibiotic free milk) complemented the pizza very well. My only complaint would be a slight lack of sauce and the fact that our pizzas sat on the counter finished -- about three feet away from us -- for at least 5 minutes and were getting cold when we received them.

We will definitely return to Dante’s next time we’re in the Omaha area!

Pizza Party

2013-05-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone who is still there!

Thanks for being patience with us during our blog hiatus. (See previous post). Hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Our house is coming along nicely (though not quiiiiite as fast as I would like) and the more I see done, the more I can’t wait to be able to move in and hopefully get a few things settled before the baby arrives in just 3 more months.

This past week, Erik brought his pizza oven over to the house so we decided to try it out this weekend! He got this Renato wood fired oven at auction months and months ago and hadn’t had a chance to even use it yet. His plan is to build a nice home for it in our new backyard, but for now it’s just sitting there amongst the mess, as you will see. Here’s some pictures along the way:

That is our work in progress in the background. Luckily, the outside of the house looks MUCH better than the inside does right now, ha.

(Note Erik’s last minute chopping of some wood in the background, ha. I love it.)

My pregnant self hangin’ out while we wait for the fire to heat up enough for pizza time. Again, don’t mind the messy yard. It’s a work in progress, remember?

When you don’t live in your house yet and there is no kitchen or sheet rock or running water, one has to improvise. Insert: the pizza station, ha.

Ingredients for Pizza Napoletana:

Margherita pizza before:

And after:

Yum! Not too shabby for the first go around. We’re going to love this oven!!

Until next time …

Update

2013-04-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

Well I think it’s become pretty apparent that I’m likely NOT going to start posting more often on The Purple Carrot after all. (At least for now).

Our house renovation and baby growing is still underway, meanwhile we’re still crashing with Erik’s mom. Our goal is the be in the new house in June or July, as baby is due August 25th. And then once baby arrives I’m sure I’ll be quite busy, especially at first, as we adjust into our new home and new life with our extra addition!

So until further notice, I’ll be popping in here and there with updates and random posts. Food WILL return though, I promise! Perhaps I’ll get some posts in while I try out our new kitchen before baby and if not, certainly sometime afterwards.

Follow Along

Until then, if you so desire, please follow along our baby journey on Purple Carrot Kids! I update at least once a week over there and post updates from both Purple Carrot blogs can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for hanging in there with us as we transition into this new chapter of life!

Lawrence: 715

A week ago my parents came to town and we spent a day in Lawrence just for something to do. Where do we stop to eat in Lawrence? 715, of course. I got the sausage pizza and Erik got a fish special.

And finally ... us!

Hopefully I'll be back soon to share what we're doing to our house!

Ellie

2013-03-09T18:33:00.000-06:00

So who’s ready to “spring forward” this weekend? I’m definitely not ready to lose an hour of sleep but I am ready for longer hours of daylight! I love this time of year when the sun starts shining longer and brighter and the weather starts warming up. One thing it usually motivates me to do is get outside and get moving more soaking up beautiful springtime weather. Winter blues, be gone!

And insert: Ellie.

I don’t pay attention to many of the companies that contact me for a review because they're simply not something I'm interested in but workout clohes? Yes, I couldn’t pass this one up. Ellie is a fairly new company that specializes in “highest quality activewear” that is “no longer an overpriced luxury item”. I’m certainly the type that is a cheapo when it comes to fitness clothing. It can be SO EXPENSIVE and I’m just not going to shell out $60-75+ for a workout shirt or pants, in fact, I think the most I’ve spent is $50 and that was hard enough. I do, however, notice SUCH a difference in quality between the really expensive brands out there and cheaper clothes from somewhere like Target.

First, the complimentary outfit I chose to review: the “Truth or Dare” racerback tank, and the “Heartbreaker” black capris …complete with a side pose belly bump photo, of course …

How’d I like it

I didn't know what to expect with Ellie’s clothing, and I’m definitely not afraid to give my honest opinion, but I was actually pleasantly surprised with their quality, comfort, and breathability. I get annoyed with having to adjust shirts and pants while working out and immediately I could tell these items would not have that problem. I also really like that Ellie is made in the USA. Just as promised, their clothing lines are all very cute and the number one bonus in my opinion, also very reasonably priced, especially considering the quality.

I would definitely purchase more Ellie without hesitation, though I will probably wait until after baby, as I don’t know if I can comfortably wear these babies for much longer! I do feel the sizes ran a tad smaller than I expected, but if you do get a size that doesn't fit, Ellie will happily expect returns and you can find the right size for you.

How it Works

First, you take Ellie’s style quiz to let them know your size and style preferences which allows them to tailor your shopping experience and show you the looks you’ll likely enjoy the most.

Second, you can chose to be a non member and simply shop from what’s available or to become a member which entitles you to choose any two pieces each month for $49.95 including free shipping. Read: my above outfit for $49.95. For good quality workout gear? Pretty solid price! With a membership, you can skip a month or cancel anytime you want so there doesn't have to be a long-term commitment either.

Try Ellie

If you want to try Ellie for yourself, you can receive an extra 20% off by clicking the link below!

Save 20% on Ellie!

Valentine’s Day

2013-02-16T15:01:00.003-06:00

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

Just wanted to stop in and wish everyone a happy belated Valentine’s Day. Hope it was a good one!

We really didn’t do much …a house and a baby are really enough for me anyways : ) Erik did bring home some goodies though! First off, some fun mugs. (I’m a sucker for mugs. I even have a Pinterest board dedicated to them).

Next, a card and my favorite, Justin’s peanut butter cups. Yum!!

Purple Carrot Kids

Also, new 13 week update post is up on Purple Carrot Kids today.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Purple Carrot Kids

2013-02-12T18:31:00.000-06:00

In case you don’t “like” The Purple Carrot on Facebook, are in Instagram, or just didn’t see my latest post on them …. big news in Purple Carrot land! I tried to think of a creative way to announce it, but I’m too impatient and have to simply come right out and say it ….

Yep! Excited to announce Baby Borger will be making his or her appearance in late August :)

Purple Carrot Kids

Naturally, and in order to avoid inundating The Purple Carrot with all things baby and pregnancy, I’ve created another more personal blog for such a purpose. Introducing … Purple Carrot Kids :: Where the art of real food meets family ; )

While I’ll still post updates here and there on The Purple Carrot, the main outlet and all the details for baby will be found on Purple Carrot Kids.

Our Miscarriage Story

While most of you won’t know this, as we really only told a small amount of people, about a year ago Erik and I miscarried at 8 weeks. Purple Carrot Kids was initially born then, but I have kept it private and pretty much dormant until now. The few posts I have left up from the past are our miscarriage story and a few posts of struggle afterwards leading up until now. It was a very hard thing to go through, and by leaving up our story, I hope to be able to sympathize with others who have gone through the same thing and also bring encouragement as I go onto a second pregnancy after miscarrying.

So there you have it!
We’re so very excited and blessed to be where we are right now, and thank you all for your words of congratulations!

I'm allliiiiiive! (And Good Health KC Magazine)

2013-02-09T16:04:00.000-06:00

So … apparently I haven’t posted since NOVEMBER!?

However, I am still very much alive, ha. It’s been a whirlwind of a past almost three months with quite a lot of changes going on. Just to name a few:

Erik got a job as a fitness specialist at a hospital in St Joe (a little bit north of KC).
I got my old job back in St. Joe as a transcriptionist at an insurance company.
Subsequently, we moved to St. Joe.
We bought a house.
Said house previously had a fire so right now there’s absolutely nothing in it. At all.
Therefore, renovations are just about to begin.
Until said house is complete, we’re staying at Erik’s mom’s house.

There is one more change that has recently happened, but we shall save it for a later date. Don’t you think getting new jobs, a new town, and a new house is enough for one day? Yes, I thought so too.

We certainly never expected to be moving just a few short months after finally ending up in the perfect location downtown but sometimes life just doesn’t pan out quite the way we expect it to. I already miss a lot about being so close to our friends and favorite spots; Little Freshie, Westside Local, and Quay Coffee just to name a few but we feel very much at peace with our new surroundings and we’re not very far away!

Good Health KC

Last but not least, check out this winter’s edition of Good Health KC Magazine, specifically page 46 ; ) Online edition can be found right here.

**Note: As you can tell if you click on the link, the left caption says the recipes are courtesy of American Heart Association but they’re actually from right here at The Purple Carrot. They must have just forgotten to change that part. Oh well!

It features our sloppy lentils recipe alongside homemade kettle style chips. An excellent combo if I do say so myself!

I will be back soon! It won’t take three months again, I promise.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

2012-11-23T12:14:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I’ve had tons of fun being sick (NOT!) off and on the past few weeks so have not been on top of celebrating the Thanksgiving festivities or sharing recipes, etc. I really haven’t been sick in literally years so it was a bummer! However, I woke up to a beautiful [cold] sunshiny day feeling very refreshed. Hopefully that was all of the sickness I will be feeling for many more years to come.

So just wanted to stop by and wish everyone a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend!

Did anyone brave the Black Friday sales?? I’m always too chicken for that!

Genessee Royale & Thanksgiving

2012-11-16T11:35:00.001-06:00

Long time no blog!

I’ve really no good reason for bugging out for the past almost month (!!!) all I know is time flies. One moment it’s summer, the next it’s Halloween and all of a sudden you’re making plans for Christmas and the year 2013. I hope not to stay away for so long again, and I’ve still got some backlogged posts to catch up on.

But for now, just wanted to check in and say … I’m here!

This & That

A little this & that of what we’ve been up to this week. My very good friend was in town the other day and we got to hang out just about all day. I miss her! We started the morning with some breakfast at Genessee Royale.

I got the Farmer’s Toast. It was not only beautiful but very delicious!

After breakfast, we hung out and got to take a lovely walk outside enjoying this beautiful fall weather! The walk may or may not have even included some throwing of leaves.

Thanksgiving

And this past Wednesday, friends from church had an early Thanksgiving dinner together (similar to last year). Erik and I were on turkey duty. Along with turkey, we brought mashed potatoes and quick & easy mini cinnamon rolls. It was a great night with tons of food!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, what are you cooking this year??

Caffeine Crawl: Broadway Roasting Co

2012-10-23T23:11:00.000-05:00

Taking a break from pumpkin-filled goodies, and time for Part IV of the Caffeine Crawl recap!

Part I: Parisi
Part II: Benetti’s Coffee Experience
Part II: One More Cup

Part IV brings us to …. Broadway Roasting Company.

Broadway Roasting Co

Broadway Cafe began roasting coffee in 1998. Broadway Roasting Co. has grown and evolved over the years and currently operates out of the former Westport Fire Station at 4012 Washington, just one block north of Broadway Cafe. Broadway Roasting Company’s full-service espresso bar serves drinks 7 days a week.

This Crawl stop was all about culinary + coffee. Broadway Roasting Co. really went all out for this crawl stop as you will quickly see!

They highlighted how coffee can be incorporated into cuisine, and many examples awaited us!

Three different kinds of toddy drinks …

Oatmeal Toddy Stout Ice Cream a la Poppy’s and French Toast from Chef Michael Foust of The Farmhouse … yum!

And even beer! It was an awesome stop in the Crawl, and we were all thrilled to try the many delicious coffee inspired samples.

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

2012-10-21T18:51:00.003-05:00

And the weekend is over. Don’t they always go by way too fast? Yes, I think so too!

We enjoyed absolutely beautiful weather here in Kansas City this weekend, and it looks like it’ll continue for a little longer into the week. I’m loving it!

But despite how good the sunshine feels, fall is still here and warmer temperatures are not here to stay. What does that call for? A delicious, creamy hot beverage. Add some pumpkin, and we’re golden!

Note: I made this hot chocolate and brought it to an E.T. fall movie night, keeping it warm in a large crockpot. This recipe makes a large batch (using a full gallon of milk) so it’s perfect for a large group, but you can easily cut the recipe in half or thirds, etc for a smaller group!

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate *Yield: A little over a gallon
*Adapted from Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts

Ingredients:

1 gallon milk (I used Kalona Super Natural whole milk to make it extra creamy – bonus: their milk is organic, non-homogenized, cream top, and from grass fed cows)

4 cups pure pumpkin puree

4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

16 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chocolate bar, chopped)

1 cup brown sugar

Instructions:

Pour milk into a large stock pot and place on stovetop over low heat, until warm. (Be sure to keep checking it, as you don’t want your milk to burn).

Stir in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and sugar. Whisk until smooth.

Add chocolate and let melt for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

To remove excess lumps, place hot chocolate through a blender (alternatively, you can pour the hot chocolate through a fine mesh strainer). I prefer the blender method, as it makes the hot chocolate nice and frothy!

Feel free to keep the mixture refrigerated in the stock pot and reheat as desired or keep the hot chocolate warm at a party by pouring it into a crock pot on low heat!

I was slightly skeptical at first of the actual pumpkin puree in this recipe but found it to be exceptionally delicious! You could definitely taste it but it was subtle, and even friends who said they typically don’t like pumpkin flavored things really enjoyed it. Yum!

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

2012-10-17T21:51:00.000-05:00

Hello pumpkin season!

I can’t help but get caught up in the wonderful seasonal foods this time of year; apples, cider, soup, and my favorite lately … pumpkin. So let’s just get right to it. Pumpkin whoopie pies. Oh yes.

I seem to be seeing these around the web a lot these past few weeks, but I could not help myself, I just had to whip up my own. The cookies are light, airy and delicious with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor and the cream cheese filling is fluffy and fabulous.

Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies *makes about 3 dozen mini pies
-lightly adapted from Cooks.com

COOKIES
Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cups cane sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup plain pumpkin puree (I used Farmers Market Organic brand)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together butter and sugar for about two minutes. Add eggs, beating well. Add milk, pumpkin and vanilla and beat until mixture is smooth.

Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Drop heaping teaspoon sized pieces of batter on baking sheets. This recipe should make about 72 mini cookies. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Remove, and let cool completely.

CREAM CHEESE FILLING
Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy

Now it’s time to combine them!! Spread a heaping teaspoon of filling onto the flat side of one cookie, and top with a second cookie to make the completed whoopie pie. Repeat with remaining cookies, and store in air tight container in refrigerator.

These are especially perfect to bring to a fall get together - they’re mini so they go a long ways, and everyone will love them!

That is all.

Caffeine Crawl: One More Cup

2012-10-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

After far too long a break from Caffeine Crawl posts … let’s continue! Once we left Parisi and Benettis, our next stop was at One More Cup.

One More Cup

One More Cup is located at 7408 Wornall Road in the Waldo area, and hours are:

Monday..Friday 6:30am..7:00pm
Saturday 7:00am..7:00pm
Sunday 8:00am..7:00pm

I’m ashamed to say we had never been to One More Cup. I’ll use the excuse that we’re rarely in the neighborhood and hope that justifies it enough, ha. Though never there, I’d read a lot about them in the past so I felt like I already “knew” them and I was certain I’d love it there.

I was right.

One More Cup was opened by Jeremy and Stacy Neff in early 2009 and has been going strong since! The topic at this stop on the crawl was all about coffee within a community! We were greeted with coffee, toddys using Shatto chocolate milk, and homemade cookies (with vegan and gluten free options available!) The Neffs operate their coffee shop with the community in mind, not only in the atmosphere of their shop but also in what other local businesses they choose to support. We think they’re pretty great!

One More Cup has a big focus on local, organic and sustainable products. The map Stacy is holding in the above and below photos showcases the local areas they get much of their fare from. And so you can get a better idea of just what I mean … here’s a list of their local suppliers per their website:

Kansas City,MO

Benish's Bakery – biscotti

foldedpigs - unique drinkware

Fresher Than Fresh - all natural snow pops

GetReal Food Co. - localbucha (kombucha)
Le Monde Bakery – pastries

Mean Vegan - vegan tamales

Oddly Correct – coffee

Oishii Studio Sweets - caramels
The Nutty Girl – sandwiches

The Roasterie - espresso & coffee

Lee's Summit,MO

Be Free Bakers - allergen free baked goods

Kneaded Specialties - allergen free baked goods

Osborn,MO

Shatto Milk Co. - milk & ice cream sandwiches

Raytown,MO

Benetti's Coffee – coffee

Springfield,MO

Askinosie Chocolate – chocolates

Kansas City,KS
Bagelworks – bagels

Louisburg,KS

Louisburg Cider Mill - sodas & apple cider

Overland Park,KS

By Mindy - reusable coffee sleeves

Side note: One More Cup is also very vegan and gluten free friendly.

I think we may have to venture to the Waldo area more often!

American Meat Film Screening

2012-10-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody!

I hope October is treating you well so far and that pumpkin, apple and soup are becoming a regular part of your diet I know they are in mine! Before I finish my Caffeine Crawl posts, I wanted to stop in and share an event that’s happening THIS Sunday evening that is not one to miss – a screening of film American Meat.

American Meat

American Meat is a film that Erik and I have been wanting to see since we first saw a trailer for it awhile back. It’s a pro-farmer look at hog, cattle, and chicken production in The United States. Rather than taking sides, it allows farmers’ perspectives to convey the challenges involved in both conventional and sustainable forms of agriculture. Take a look at the above trailer to get an idea of what it will be like!

The details:
When: Sunday, October 14th at 7 p.m.
Where: UMKC campus in the Student Union at 5100 Cherry
What: A screening of American Meat followed by a dynamic panel discussion and reception

We’re quite excited about the panel discussion because it will be featuring some of our favorite KC area people and places – local sustainable meat farmer Tom Parker, co-founder of urban farmstead and educational center BADSEED Brooke Salvaggio, 715 Mass Chef Michael Beard, The Local Pig’s owner Alex Pope with the film director, Graham Meriwether moderating.

Not only that, but word on the street is, there will be a reception afterwards with goodies provided by Local Pig as well. Yes, please!

Who else is going??

Caffeine Crawl: Benetti's

2012-10-03T21:12:00.000-05:00

Onward with the Crawl!

The second stop of the Crawl brought us to Benetti’s in Raytown.

Benetti’s Coffee Experience

I had never been to Benetti’s before and enjoyed hearing what they’re all about. One thing that is very evident is how great Kansas City’s coffee scene is! As owner Ben Helt said, one thing he has learned is to never underestimate the Midwest palette.

Benetti’s is located in Raytown at 6109 Blue Ridge Blvd and has been open since 2007. They’re a locally owned and independent coffee roaster “committed to providing neighbors and guests with a fresh experience using longstanding traditions”. They’re dedicated to delicious coffee, a cozy and friendly atmosphere, and have house made goodies as well as lunch items. Hours are Monday through Thursday 6-9, Fridays 6-10, Saturday 7-10 and Sundays 8-9.

The Crawl topic at Benetti’s was coffee unplugged.

Literally!

We all went out back the coffee shop to find a camp fire, tents and a pot of boiling water. Nick (left below) and Ben (right below) went over the logistics of coffee brewing with no equipment whatsoever besides a good ole campfire. The amount of time in the boiling pot of water along with the ground size will affect how the coffee turns out but when you’re working with so many different elements you can’t really control (fire heat, size, amount of smoke, etc) in the “unplugged” environment results always vary.

And though I don’t have any plans to be “unplugged” for awhile, this presentation was a lot of fun and I’m glad to have gotten in on a little of Benetti’s Coffee Experience!

Next up … One More Cup!

Caffeine Crawl: Parisi

2012-10-02T22:13:00.004-05:00

Okay … better late than never. We continue to settle nicely into our new abode, and I’m loving that the weather has welcomed us with cool breezes and orange autumn leaves! Perhaps I’ll post some pictures one of these days.

But right now … time for the Caffeine Crawl! First things first … what is the caffeine crawl?

Caffeine Crawl

The Caffeine Crawl originated right here in Kansas City by The LAB, founded by Jason Burton. (It’s since moved onto many other cities so if you’re a non KC reader, there just might be a Crawl heading your way!) It’s created “to give enthusiasts of quality-driven coffee, tea, soda and chocolate a one-of-a-kind experience that has never been created. The Crawl is designed to give individuals an opportunity to learn, share and experience what the passionate baristas, tea soms, specialty coffee roasters and other local, artisan producers in their communities bring to the table.”

Erik and I attended Day 1 of the crawl, therefore we visited the following locations:

Parisi Roasting Facility
Benetti’s Coffee Experience
One More Cup
Broadway Roasting Company
Oddly Correct
Annedore’s Fine Chocolates
Crossroads Coffeehouse

And I thought, what better time to ~~brag about~~ feature some of Kansas City’s best coffee shops, baristas, and local business owners on The Purple Carrot? First up … Parisi!

Parisi

All 100 crawlers met at the Parisi roasting facility to begin the day. Our first lesson of the day, given by Kate Blackman of Parisi, was all about coffee processes and origins. She explained the difference between two types of processing; washed and natural and how each can have a significant impact on flavor. Natural processed coffees tend to have more body and lower acidity than their washed counterparts. We got to try a few samples of each to really be able to taste the difference for ourselves between these two processes.

Parisi began roasting coffee in Kansas City in 2006, founded by members of the Paris family, which established specialty food supplier, importer and manufacturer Paris Brothers Inc. In 2011, they added to their roasting facility a café in Union Station, open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends.

Their small batch roasted coffee is served in many Kansas City area restaurants and can be purchased from their café, online, or from a number of retailers such as Costco, Hyvee, Cosentinos, Price Chopper, Hen House and Sun Fresh.

After our time at Parisi, we split up into four groups of 25, hopped on our buses and continued the crawl! Next up … Benetti’s.

Greek Fest Recap and Giveaway!

2012-09-27T22:11:00.001-05:00

Time for some much needed blog catch up!

Despite how many times I have moved (quite a few!) I always seem to forget just how tiring it is until I do it. We’re a week and a half into our move downtown, and we’ve made awesome progress. Boxes are getting unpacked, pictures are being hung, and we’re absolutely loving our closeness to all our favorite spots. And now … some much needed time dedicated to the blog to give the recap of this year’s Greek Fest!

2012 Annunciation Greek Fest

The 51st annual Annunciation Greek Fest was held the beginning of this month, September 7th, 8th, and 9th at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on Wornall Road. We were invited to come out, enjoy the fun, and taste the feast!

And feast it was!

The festival was filled with all kinds of delicious Greek food such as souvlaki (chicken or pork shish kabob), pastitsio (macaroni layered with ground beef topped with cheese bechamel sauce), gryos, dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita, pita breads, salads, desserts and much more.

Being our first time attending the Greek Fest, I was impressed with the vast amount of delicious and authentic food options. It was evident right away this was definitely a foodie festival, and a lot of time in the kitchen goes in to making it what it is!

Along with all the awesome food items, the festival had a stage with all kinds of Greek dancing and entertainment featuring three children’s groups, two teen groups and an adult group, The Olympians, who are Kansas City’s oldest professional Greek Folk Dance Troupe.

And speaking of Greek food … last but not least, a giveaway!

The Purple Carrot was provided the cookbook “From Yaiyia’s Kitchen: A legacy of Greek Foods and Pastries" to give away on the blog! It was compiled by Ladies Philoptochos Society of the Greek Orthodox Church here in Kansas City.

From Yiayia’s (meaning grandmother) Kitchen is full of recipes from appetizers, soups, and salads to pitas by the pan, pastries, sauces, and even lenten dishes. Yum!

How to enter:

Simply leave a comment on the blog and you will be entered. If you want, comment telling me your favorite Greek food! That’s it. Winner will be announced and notified on Monday, October 1st!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

2012-09-24T13:31:00.004-05:00

And we’re making progress with our move! Slowly but surely our new place is coming together and starting to feel like “home”. Posts about the Greek Fest and Caffeine Crawl are still coming very soon but while I continue to unpack boxes, I’ll leave you with a recipe from a few weeks ago.

They involve not baking, chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal. Yes, please!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies yield: about 1 1/2 dozen
-- adapted from Food Network.com

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup almond milk

1 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

Waxed paper

Directions

^{In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil the sugar, cocoa, coconut oil and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by tablespoons, until cooled and hardened.}

^{Note: I stuck mine in the freezer since I was too impatient to wait for them to cool, and we ended up leaving ours there because we loved them chilled so much! Also, feel free to lesson the sugar if you don’t want them to be too sweet, as they do turn out pretty rich}

Hope everyone has a great week … who’s loving fall as much as me?

October Food Photos

2012-09-23T09:01:00.002-05:00

Happy Autumn, everyone!

As the weather begins to change, leaves morph into beautiful colors, apples, pumpkin and squash show up in about every meal, and warm apple cider, tea, and coffee are more irresistible than ever, I thought it was a perfect time to bring back Foodie Photo-a-Day!

So here it is … for the month of October we bring you October Food Photos, autumn edition.

How it works

As always, it’s open to anyone who would like to join, and here’s how it works!

Beginning October 1st, take a food inspired photo corresponding to the date and cue written next to it. Feel free to interpret the cues however you’d like!
Once photo is taken, post it to whatever outlet you’d like whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, a blog, etc and use the hashtag #OctoberFoodPhotos

That’s it! If you have any more questions, ask away. And feel free to share with anyone who might be interested in joining in on the fun!

Who’s in??

We've moved!

2012-09-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Who’s enjoying this fall weather as much as me?? Yes!

Wanted to stop in and give an update and say HI. I may have appeared to vanish, but I promise, I’m still around! Aside from a super busy work week, I’ve been missing because WE JUST MOVED!

But don’t worry, not away from Kansas City

We’ve been north of the river for about two years now and beings how we’re pretty much always downtown, our goal has been to end up there. Well … everything ~~finally~~ fell into place, and here we are … by day and by night:

Yes, we are so happy to now have the Kauffman as our new view, and good friends right across the hall, with more just down the street! It’s still a bit surreal. We went to dinner at Blue Bird with our new neighbors and for lunch today Erik and I went to Westside Local … okay, nothing out of the ordinary for us except WE WALKED.

I could get used to this.

Lots of things coming up including a recap of the Greek Festival (with giveaway!) and all about Day 1 of this past weekend’s Caffeine Crawl!

Homemade Kettle Potato Chips

2012-09-10T21:26:00.003-05:00

We decided the other day to try the homemade version of a classic; the potato chip! I rarely even eat potato chips, but sometimes it’s just fun to do a little experimenting in the kitchen. And though it took some trial and error, potato chips we made. They’re easy to spruce up by adding herbs and flavorings of your choice, and they’re crunchy as can be! Here’s the how-to …

Homemade Kettle Potato Chips
** Inspired by The Food Lab and Food Network **

Ingredients:

6 large potatoes

Extra virgin olive oil (enough to fill up to about two inches in large stock pot) or if you have a fryer, use it!

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Herbs and seasonings of choice (we used some fresh ginger and freshly chopped garlic cloves)

Instructions:

Wash potatoes in cold water, and thinly slice with a mandolin (or by hand if you do not have one).

Place sliced potatoes into a bowl full of ice to prevent them from browning and also to remove excess starch.

Pour olive oil into your stock pot, along with herbs and/or seasonings of choice and on your stovetop, heat to about 325 degrees at medium low heat.

While oil is heating up, pat dry your sliced potatoes using a kitchen towel or paper towels.

Fry in small batches until chips are golden and crispy. Drain the chips, dry on a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.

The chips got great reviews from some taste tester friends, and it was fun to make something out of the ordinary that didn’t involve the usual dinner item or baked good. Yum, yum!

Port Fonda

2012-09-10T08:26:00.000-05:00

Time for some Port Fonda!

We had a great weekend enjoying this fabulous almost-fall weather, and part of that weekend including a stop for dinner at Port Fonda, the restaurant.

Port Fonda

In case you’re not familiar, Port Fonda started out as a very popular Mexican food truck housed in an awesome Airstream trailer. As of this summer, it now has a permanent home in Westport at 4141 Pennsylvania Ave (where KC Juice used to be). They even include many local and natural ingredients in their delicious Mexican fare.

This new Westport addition is owned by chef Patrick Ryan and partner Jamie Davila and is open Tuesday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

We made the mistake (though we didn’t mind) of going on a Saturday evening during the Westport Air Fair which made them extra packed. We still got a spot outside pretty quickly, which ended up being perfect because of the beautiful weather.

Dinner started with some chips and salsa: "two housemade salsas, fresh, fried, corn tortilla chips".

Followed by Queso Fundido Especial for Erik "Green Dirt Farm bossa cheese, chorizo verde, poblana rajas, oregano, corn tortillas"

And Tacos de Calabaza for me "grilled zucchini, squash, sweet potato, salsa roja, queso fresco, cilantro, onion, lime".

Our absolute favorite part of Port Fonda is their décor and overall ambiance. One con to their Saturday night busyness and our sitting outside was that I wasn't able to get interior photos to show you all. We will certainly be back to eat inside another day, and I'm looking forward to trying some other menu items!

Excellent addition to Westport -- an awesome place to check out if you haven't been yet!

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

2012-09-07T16:47:00.002-05:00

As hot summer days begin turning into cooler, cloudier days my thoughts cannot help but turn to fall! It’s the time of year I begin dreaming of all things cool and comfort; sweaters, hot apple cider, crisp dewy mornings, and creamy warm soup. So even though it’s still not exactly cool here in Kansas City, fall soup just sounded way too good to resist.

(And it was way too good to resist!)

This soup is very simple. Not many ingredients but packed of flavor, and surprisingly filling. The star of the show is one of my favorites … sweet potatoes.

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup Yield: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

6 small sweet potatoes

2 onions

1 stalk celery

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup, then 1 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (alternatively, I’m pretty sure coconut oil would be fabulous too!)

2 cups water

Pinch of nutmeg

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, let about 1/2 cup oil come to medium heat.

Finely chop 2 onions, 2 cloves of garlic and a stalk of celery. Add to hot oil. Reduce heat to medium low and caramelize for about 25 minutes, salting lightly.

Peel and chop sweet potatoes into cube sizes. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add salt and 2 tablespoons of oil into water along with sweet potatoes. Boil until cubes are tender.

Strain the sweet potatoes and put into high powered blender or food processor along with 4 cups water and 1 cup oil. Once finely blended, pour back into pot and add 1/2 cup oil and 3 more cups of water.

Mix in caramelized onions, garlic and celery. Whisk together for a few minutes until soup begins to coagulate. Add pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste.

Have a great weekend!

51st Annual Greek Festival

2012-09-06T12:48:00.001-05:00

Just stopping in to tell all you Kansas City folks about an event coming up THIS weekend, The Greek Fest!

51st Annual Greek Fest

The information is as follows:

Date: September 7, 8, and 9th
Time: Friday 6-10, Saturday Noon-10, Sunday Noon-6
Location: The Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at 12001 Wornall Rd.

Entertainment and parking is FREE.

For more information, check out their website!

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

2012-09-04T10:08:00.001-05:00

A recipe?

What?

Yes. A recipe. It’s been awhile, I know. But finally, I had time to get some baking done.

We’ve been on a serious chocolate and banana kick lately. It all started with chocolate covered banana pops. And then some more. And then some more. We literally haven’t gone more than a few days without some in the freezer the past few months. I’m not complaining. (Unless Erik eats the last one. Then I might complain).

Sometimes there’s just nothing better than the wonderful combination of chocolate and bananas. Add some flour, sugar, and a mixer and you’ve got some delicious cookies! So here we go.

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies
* Makes about a dozen medium-sized cookies
Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter (To make them vegan, I used Earth Balance organic soy free coconut spread)

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 large ripe banana

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons almond milk (or any other milk)

3/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In a mixer (or using hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar. Then add your ripe banana, vanilla, milk, and beat.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, continuing to beat until just mixed.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Place on a cookie sheet (I cover my cookie sheet with parchment paper to make for easier clean-up), press down, and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.