NO time for boredom today

Category: Classic foods, traditional American cuisine

  • Eating My Way Through Missouri

    Eating My Way Through Missouri

    Recently, my husband and I spent five days exploring Missouri. The historic sights were a lot of fun but so was the regional food.

    A friend of ours, who previously lived in Kansas City, strongly recommended Winstead’s – a diner that goes back to 1940. Besides recommending the burgers, he told us that we had to try the cherry limeade drinks. Wow – what a fantastic beverage…especially on a very hot day. It is probably the best limeade I have enjoyed in a long time. The dollop of lime sherbet on top is a nice touch.

    We had heard so much about Tom’s Town Distillery and our visit did not disappoint. We took the tour which includes the distillery flight tasting – vodka, gin and several bourbons. The place is located in the Crossroads section of Kansas City. It is the first legal distillery in the city since Prohibition. The downstairs area includes a beautiful lounge and bar where you can order an assortment of cocktails and fun food. The place has an exciting speakeasy feel. It is named after the infamous Tom Pendergast who ran Kansas City politics between 1925 and 1939. When asked about bypassing prohibition laws, he famously responded that the people are thirsty.

    There are many terrific options for Kansas City BBQ. We chose Jack Stack’s at the Freight House. The restaurant dates back to 1957 and has 6 locations in the Kansas City area. The food was fantastic and plentiful. A local Uber driver insisted that we order the burnt beef tips, cheesy corn and beans with brisket. His recommendations were spot on. My brother-in-law ordered the lamb ribs and said that they were delicious. My husband loved his pork ribs, too.

    The next day we spent the morning in the Market Place section of Kansas City. My brother-in-law recommended Pigwich for lunch. It was a great recommendation. My husband and I both ordered the BBQ Pork Brisket sandwiches. They were delicious and so different from any BBQ that I have had in the past. I couldn’t get over how reasonably priced the food was versus at the equivalent in our home state of California.

    We spent two nights in Independence Missouri and discovered the Courthouse Exchange while walking around. What a great find! It is an old underground pub that has been in existence since 1899. The food was delicious and the cocktails, made using Polly’s Pop, were amazing. We even tried a local favorite item in Missouri – the fried mushrooms and they were really good.

    Speaking of Polly’s Pop, what a delightful find. It was a family-owned business that started in Independence Missouri back in 1923. The brand was a favorite of Harry Truman. Unfortunately, the company went out of business in 1967. In 2016, a local company brought the soda back. It comes in a variety of flavors including strawberry – which my husband and I both loved. Don’t make the mistake we did and assume that you can buy Polly’s Pop at their store location in town. An employee quickly directed us to several options for purchasing Polly’s Pop. We chose Gilbert Whitney & Company – a fun kitchen equipment and gourmet food store located across the street from the County Courthouse.

    The soda comes in classic glass bottles using 1940-era equipment that the owners restored. The soda is made with 100% cane sugar as well as locally-sourced flavors. In addition, Polly’s Pop makes a fantastic BBQ sauces called Polly-Q – including a Root Beer soda version. The store let us sample the BBQ sauce and I was hooked. I can’t wait to try it on some ribs.

    While visiting Hannibal, we quickly learned that it’s all about huckleberries. We tried huckleberry ice cream at the local ice cream parlor called Becky’s Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor. It was delicious. I also bought a huckleberry chocolate bar at the Mark Twain house gift shop. It was very good – extra sweet from the huckleberries.

    Our final food adventure was at the Kansas City International Airport where we tried the pulled brisket nachos at Meat Rushmore’s. The nachos were really tasty. The restaurant has multiple Meat Rushmore BBQ sauce bottles on its tables so that you can find the right one for you.

    Finally, be sure to allow a few extra minutes at the airport for some shopping. The airport has an impressive store that sells a large variety of local BBQ sauces to take home – including the famous Gates sauces.

    Cherry Limeade from Winstead’s
    A Single Winstead – the Dinner Serves Double and Triple Ones, Too
    Winstead’s Tater Tots
    Distiller’s Flight At Tom’s Town
    Ribs & Burnt Beef Tips At Jack Stack’s
    Pulled Pork & Burnt Beef Tips At Jack Stack’s
    Brisket Sandwich At Pigwich
    Courthouse Exchange Boozy Root Beer Float
    Courthouse Exchange’s Cherry Cream Soda Cocktail
    Courthouse Exchange Fried Mushrooms
    Courthouse Exchange Mac ‘N’ Cheese with Pulled Pork & Green Onions
    Courthouse Exchange Chicken-Fried-Chicken
    Huckleberry Ice Cream in Hannibal MO
    Famous Polly’s Pop of Independence MO
    Pulled Beef Brisket Nachos At the Kansas City International Airport – Meat Rushmore BBQ
    Local Chocolate from Hannibal
    The Pigwich At the City Market Section of Kansas City

  • Homemade Mac ‘N’ Cheese Versus the Boxed Stuff

    My mother and I have a running joke/argument regarding macaroni and cheese.

    She loves Kraft mac & cheese; she admits that her love for it goes back to her childhood. I should add that she was born in the 1930s. Kraft mac & cheese came out in 1937. At 19 cents a box, it was a great success. Between the depression and WW II food rationing, Americans were looking for cheap ways to feed their families.

    I prefer homemade macaroni and cheese. Over the years, I have perfected my recipe. My key tip is to undercook the macaroni. Otherwise, after you combine the cooked macaroni with all the other ingredients and bake the dish – you can end up with overcooked mush. Also, I like to use a good quality macaroni. For my latest effort, I paid an extra dollar for Italian macaroni. The result was a delicious dish with great texture.

    As far as the cheese mixture, I normally use a combination of a really sharp cheddar, parmesan and either smoked Gouda or smoked mozzarella. Other key ingredients include: Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, sweet hot mustard, nutmeg, dry Sherry, butter, heavy cream and milk.

    When I make the roux, I immediately add the Dijon mustard to the butter and flour – before I add the milk and cream. I then add in the cheese, spices and so on. I like texture in my macaroni and cheese. After combining the macaroni and cheese sauce, I fold in additional grated cheddar and cover the top with extra grated parmesan.

    My mother considers herself a Kraft purist; she likes her Mac ‘n’ cheese exactly as the box directions state. My husband and I just seem incapable of following the directions. We usually add additional cheese and replace the milk with either cream or half & half. My mother will protest if we make too many additions.

    I did notice that the other night, Mom ate her entire serving of my homemade macaroni and cheese. She grudgingly even admitted that the pasta texture was perfect. My husband and I just laughed as soon as she left the table.

    Dinner with My Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.