March Madness! — Patti Part Two

March is by far my favorite sports month. I LOVE college basketball and it all comes to a head in March. Selection Sunday is my favorite Sunday of the year and this has been an exciting and tumultuous tournament with so many upsets. But luckily my most favorite team - the Kansas Jayhawks, who got the coveted number one seed in the entire tournament are still in it and moving on to the Sweet 16. My second favorite team - Michigan State was not so lucky. They were a 2 seed and got knocked out in the first round by Middle Tennessee State - major upset!!! I'm sad but that's what makes the tournament so exciting. So I have been watching a lot of hoops - but since this is not in any way a sports blog I will leave it at GO JAYHAWKS!!!!!

Next up the cheesecake I sampled this week. I have determined a 4 point rating scale and here it is:

4 = A gift from God! Fantastic! Can't wait to eat it again!

3 = Really good and I would definitely consider getting it every now and then.

2 = Just ok. Not my cup of tea. Edible but didn't look forward to the next bite.

1 = Yuch! Can't even finish it. A waste of $ and calories.

So I went back and assigned a value to the 3 pieces I have already tried and here is how I rated them:

The Original - 4

Fresh Banana Cream - 3

Chocolate Mousse - 4

And drum roll please...........................

White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle - surprisingly a 2!

It looks beautiful and my expectations were high. You can't really see this but it actually has a chocolate crumb crust - in my opinion a mistake. It overshadowed the white chocolate flavor. And the texture of the actual cheesecake was a little runny - maybe due to the raspberries. I was able to finish it though and thoroughly enjoyed the as always delicious whip cream! No need to feel sorry for me.

I volunteered at the Nelson-Atkins Museum this weekend and thought I would post one of my favorite pieces - when I work I get to look at it as it is right across from coat check.

This piece is huge, and has the appearance to me of a beautiful draped cloth. The artist is El Anatsui who was born in 1944 in Ghana and lives in Nigeria. The piece was created from recycled liquor-bottle tops that have been flattened and stitched together using copper wire. The artisit's use of liquor-bottle tops acknowledges both the historical role of liquor as a commodity traded by colonial powers for slaves and its ritual use as a libation, when it is poured as a form of prayer. The title Dusasa comes from Ewe words, du and sasa, meaning a fusion of disparate elements on a monumental scale. It is really breathtaking and just one of many amazing pieces to be seen FREE at this wonderful museum.

Jim and I celebrated our 3 year "dating" anniversary by having a wonderful dinner at Rye in Mission Farms. If you haven't been there you should get there asap and enjoy a fabulous meal. Reservations definitely recommended as it is very popular.

The food is all farm to table and we both had the salmon which came with a wonderful wild rice mix. We shared some delicious green beans and a great bottle of wine. And of course dessert! They are quite well known for their homemade in house pie. Who can resist!

Banana Cream and Chocolate Peanut Butter!!!

This might be turning into a dessert blog!!!! Nope - still sticking to fun and interesting places to go and see. I continue to plan for my upcoming trip. It's less then a month away!

"May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years." Rob Brezsny

Well Rob I will try!!!!