March Madness!

March 20, 2016 by Patricia Farmar

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!!!!

Chocolate!!!

March 13, 2016 by Patricia Farmar

Week 3 of the Cheesecake Challenge - time to pick out a piece of CHOCOLATE! I stood at the case and had a very hard time deciding - but finally went with something simple. Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I have no regrets - it was wonderful! A chocolate crumb crust with a velvety smooth and pretty light chocolate mousse filing - topped of course by the best whip cream ever! Now that I'm a regular in the to-go line I see them top the cheesecake with the whip cream. It's definitely not Reddi Whip from a can. It comes out of a special stainless steel machine and I think I might have to try and buy one of those machines!

It has been a fun long weekend here in KC! March Madness! The Big 12 Tournament right down the street from me at the Sprint Center and the Power and Light. The weather couldn't have been more perfect so Thursday after work I decided to walk down and just feel the energy. They had all the streets around the Sprint Center blocked off for the Fan Zone and it was definitely packed. KU had the most fans in attendance no surprise but followed by Iowa State next in my opinion. Those Cyclones travel!

Lots of food and fun things for the kids!

Friday night I met friends at a fairly new spot in downtown for drinks, appetizers and jazz. It's called The Homesteader Cafe at 7th and Walnut and worth checking out if you live in KC. Easy to get to and park, live entertainment many nights, farm to table food, reasonable and a very friendly staff. What else do you need! Tracy's son was playing with the group and they were great! The plan is for them to perform every other Friday night and we will be back for sure.

Our waiter and a couple members of the band joined us for the picture!

I spent some time this weekend getting some planning done for my upcoming trip to Europe. I leave April 16th so just a little over a month away! For me reading about where I'm going and planning what I want to see and do while there is half the fun. I have maps of the cities I will be in and have noted where my hotel is in each city so I can start to get my bearings and plan how I will spend each day to do my best to see as much as possible - leaving time for great eating adventures as well. Another goal I have for this trip is to pack light so working on putting together a good travel wardrobe. When I post pictures expect to see me in lots of black!

Next up - Selection Sunday!!! My favorite Sunday night of the year. Expecting KU to be the number one overall team in the tournament - Rock Chalk!!! Enjoy your week!!

Cheesecake and Corinthian Columns

March 06, 2016 by Patricia Farmar

Week Two of the Cheesecake Challenge update: Fresh Banana Cream! My niece Angela swears it is the best one so I decided to make it my second piece. Warning - you must like bananas to enjoy this cheesecake because it is quite banana flavored. I like bananas so I enjoyed it. I did a little research on the history of banana cream desserts and found out that while cream pies have been around since medieval times - bananas only entered the picture in the 1880's due to improved transportation and aggressive marketers. But when they got here they took the American market by storm! Banana pudding, pie, bread, bananas everywhere. And side note - National Banana Cream Pie Day just happened - March 2!!! I hope you enjoyed some that day.

Two layers - banana cream on top, classic cheesecake on a crumb crust underneath. Yumm!

We were blessed with another great weather weekend here in KC! 70 degrees in early March - seriously??? Friday night I met up with my running friends for Happy Hour at Avenue Bistro in Brookside to celebrate Harriett's promotion - Yeah Harriett!!! If you live in or near KC and haven't been there it is wonderful and quite reasonable especially if you can get there for Happy Hour. And on a Friday you should make sure and always make Happy Hour!!! We had a great time and no shortage of laughing.

I have been wanting to visit the Kansas City Museum at Corinthian Hall - also known as the R.A. Long Home. It is located in the historic northeast neighborhood in Kansas City and was build as their private residence in 1908. It is a 3 acre site that includes a carriage house and stable with a spectacular view overlooking the downtown skyline. It was designed by Henry F. Hoit in the Beaux-Arts style and is 35,000 square feet. It was a private residence until Mr Long died in 1934 and was donated to the city in 1939 by his two daughters. It opened as a museum in 1940.

Four stories and a basement. 6 Corinthian Columns in front giving it the name Corinthian Hall.

The view to downtown!

The home sits across from a park where they could ride their horses and take carriage rides on scenic Cliff Drive.

When the home was donated many of the interior furnishings were sold at an auction and it was used to display various displays and historic memorabilia. In the past few years a major renovation is being funded by the city to take it back to it's origins and recreate the fantastic gorgeous home that it was. You can take a tour and see how things are coming together and that's what we did! They have been able to recover many of the original furnishings and with photographs will be recreating what will not be original - but keeping it as close as possible. Here are pictures of the amazing spectacular stained glass the home has in abundance.

Stained glass and one amazing mantle from the library.

It's going to take millions of dollars and years to get it back but totally worth it in my opinion. The first floor will be the official reception area for the mayor and also be rented out for weddings and special events. The upstairs will be the museum displays. I plan on going back a number of times to see how it is progressing!

And then finished the afternoon outside at Aixois having wine and small plates! In March!!!

Today went to see an interesting movie. Who doesn't love Maggie Smith?? In honor of the Downton Abbey final episode EVER got a little Maggie early in the day too! It was quirky but good and mostly a true story.

For me this says it all!

Thanks for reading and being a part of my journey!

Cheesecake Taste-Off Launches!

February 28, 2016 by Patricia Farmar

I'm taking a bit of a detour from writing about travel to start eating my way through the Cheesecake Factory Dessert Menu - and giving my opinion as I compare them! I love the food at the Cheesecake Factory although the portions are too large - especially if you can't take home leftovers. But the dessert menu is a work of art. When I indulge in a slice of cheesecake making a selection can be anguishing - what if I make the wrong choice??!! So when I was there last I decided why not try them all!!! Over a period of time obviously - maybe one selection a week!

But first I did a little research on the history of cheesecake. After all if I am committing numerous funds and calories to this endeavor I want to know a little more about where it came from. And it turns out to be pretty interesting. Cheesecake is no passing fancy - it was popular in Ancient Rome! When the Romans conquered the Greeks they also got the secret recipe for cheesecake - but started calling it placenta - Yuck! It was so revered it was presented at temple to the gods and also served to the Olympic Athletes at the games in 776 B.C.

Fast forward to 1929 when Arnold Reuben owner of the Turf Restaurant on 49th and Broadway in New York City claimed he developed the 1st cream cheese recipe - and the beginning of the New York Cheesecake began. So I thought it only fitting that my first piece in the Taste-Off was the original cheesecake - one I have never tried before! It was spectacular in taste and texture. Smooth and light. Sour cream layer on top adding just the right contrast. Just a dollop of whip cream. Perfection!

Since I am making all the rules the two I have put in place are that if I don't like the piece I do not have to finish it, and if I start gaining weight it ends immediately!!! Going for slice number two this week!

In other news I had a wonderful weekend in KC starting Thursday night with Swan Lake! The weather has been spectacular and I had a full schedule of events on my calendar - each one was great!

Thursday night Deidre and I saw Swan Lake at the Kauffman Center and it was wonderful! First time the KC Ballet has done the entire ballet and the sets, costumes and dancing was phenomenal! Friday night I went to my first Arts Alive event with Cheryl and Gina and what a great night that was! First drinks and appetizers at the lovely loft in the River Market of John and Sharon Hoffman - and viewing of their very extensive private art collection. There had to be hundreds of pieces in every medium you can imagine - even video art. They have been collecting emerging artists for 40 years and were so gracious in opening their home for us to browse.

One of my favorites! Made of little pieces of paper written to describe the model.

Cheryl, Gina and me!

Art everywhere - on the table, under the table, behind us, over us!

Then we headed over to the Kauffman Center to hear the KC Jazz Orchestra - and it was fantastic! Beatles, Petula Clark, Tom Jones, and Donovan to name just a few. Saturday Joyce and I went to see the Broadway show Newsies at the Music Hall. Keeley and Tom have seen it in NY and told me I would love it and they were correct. The dancing - all men - was incredible! And the set was very cool and changed levels and moved in and out which was amazing to me since it's only here for 5 days. We had lunch at one of my favorite spots before the show - "Baked" in Westport. I should have taken a picture of their bakery case but didn't want to make you all jealous - but I did get a few scones to take home! Today I am doing my volunteer gig at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Always such a wonderful place and the new exhibit "Rembrandt and Vermeer" just opened. I didn't get here early enough before my shift to see it but have heard it's incredible so will get in soon.

Tonight watching the Oscars!!!

Southern California Week!

February 21, 2016 by Patricia Farmar

What a great week it has been in Southern California! We really lucked out on the weather - kind of unseasonably warm and clear for February. We (me, Jim, son Tom and niece Angela) have been staying at my time share - the Marriott Newport Coast Villas in Newport Coast. This is my 4th time here and I like it better every time. So beautiful and a wonderful location - tucked between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. One of my best friends from high school - Liz Tutton - lives in Newport and is a fantastic resource on what and where to go! Plus I get to hang out with her as much as possible! Here are a few pictures of the resort.

Really pretty villas overlooking the ocean and great amenities!

It's a very easy walk to the beach - less then half a mile and we are right at Crystal Cove. That's a beach area that is owned by the parks system so a public beach. I try to walk down there as much as possible - or take a run which is great too!

One of my most favorite things to do here is walk to the beach and eat at the Beachcomber. It is literally right on the beach and the food is great - but the wait is usually long so we try to go for breakfast and get there as early as possible keeping in mind we are on vacation and no one likes to get up too early! We got there about 8:30 Monday morning and only had about a 20 minute wait - totally worth it!

The walk back! Got to burn off those beignets!!!

As mentioned my good friend Liz and husband Bill invited us to go sailing Monday afternoon and that sounded great! Something we don't get to do in the Midwest. Well when we got to the boat they discovered a problem with the motor - but were able to borrow a Duffy Boat from a good friend in the harbor so that saved the day. I had never heard of a Duffy Boat but they are basically an electric cocktail cruiser - so fun!

Liz and Bill with the Duffy Boat after we went sight seeing in Newport Harbor. Saw where John Wayne and Roy and Dale Rogers lived!

Tuesday we went to Balboa Island for lunch. If you ever watched the show "Arrested Development" one of the characters worked there selling frozen bananas. It is so retro - an old Fun Zone arcade and a Ferris Wheel. The easiest way to get there is to take a very short ferry ride from the mainland - three cars at a time. We took the ferry and played some games in the arcade - then Tom and Angela rode the Ferris wheel. Kind of touristy but still fun. If you remember Tapanga from Boy Meets World you will be interested in knowing that she walked right past me there - looked exactly like she does on TV - celebrity sighting!!

That's a pic on top of the little ferry!

Tuesday night we celebrated a birthday for Jim at a pretty famous restaurant in the area called Javier's. It's an upscale Mexican restaurant that has an awesome atmosphere and the food was delicious!

Tom and Angela and I got up early Weds and drove to Ruby's Shake Shack for breakfast overlooking the beach! Such a cool place and you can get shakes at 8 AM!! I can't think of a better way to start the day!

Ruby's is overlooking Crystal Cove about a mile before you get to Laguna Beach.

Weds afternoon Angela and I were going to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding with my friend Liz - but the weather really didn't cooperate. That afternoon it got cloudy and windy and even rained a bit. So instead we had a great lunch at a place called Greenleaf. You guessed it - great salads - my favorite lunch! It was in Newport and had a great atmosphere. The people who worked there were pretty cute too!

Then Liz took us to a few more beautiful spots around Newport and Corona Del Mar where she walks with her friends. Spectacular views of the beach and ocean.

Weds night we took another of Liz and Bill's recommendations for dinner and tried Bandera's in Corona Del Mar - perfect for a rainy night as it has a wonderful warm atmosphere. We had to wait about 20 min for a table so had a drink by the fireplace!

Wonderful food and yes that salmon is mine!

Thursday we did some shopping at Fashion Island and then Jim and I went in to Laguna Beach to walk around that cute artsy beach town. I think Laguna has a much different feel then Newport although I really like them both. Laguna has so many cute little restaurants, shops and art galleries - feels quite a bit more laid back to me.

Thursday night was lots of fun! The 4 of us went with Liz and her son Marshall up to the Comedy Club at the Irvine Spectrum. We had dinner before at the Cheesecake Factory and as always it was delicious. In fact it sparked my next countdown idea - I'm going to eat my way through their entire dessert menu one week at a time! Starting next week! The Comedy Club had a special show featuring only female Asian comics - and one man that is in the process of becoming a woman. No it's not Bruce Jenner! It was a fun and different thing to do.

Friday was BIG!!!!! The high point of the trip for Tom and Angela was to skydive for the first time! They had reservations at Go Jump Oceanside which is south of Laguna but not as far as San Diego. The three of us headed there first thing Friday morning on a spectacularly beautiful and perfect day. I wanted to be there to see it but it was not something I myself wanted to do. They were really excited and nervous - me too! It was a very professional operation and great group of people that made you feel calm and secure immediately. Most people will not believe me but I think I could have done it! And maybe one day I will! Tom and Angela had a phenomenal experience - it exceeded their expectations and they said the feeling was incredible!

Tandem jumping so each jumper has an instructor with them,

After the jump we headed to Carlsbad for lunch. Such a cute beach town! We found a great place thanks to Tom and Yelp - as you might guess neither one of them had eaten much that morning. We ate and then walked around the cute village area and to the beautiful beach.

Friday night was our last night. Jim's friend Todd who lives in Newport had just gotten back to town so we planned to meet him at Javier's for a drink. Liz and Bill joined as well so it turned out to be a very fun conclusion to a great week.

Bill was taking the pictures so we forgot to get one of he and Liz!

It wouldn't be a trip to California if we didn't make it here at least once!

This was a really relaxing vacation for me. The weather was perfect almost every day, great food, beautiful walks and runs at the beach, wonderful friends and lots of fun! My next big trip will be quite a bit different. Mid April I leave for two weeks in Europe - traveling solo and heading to Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon and Paris!! If you want to come along subscribe to my blog and you will receive an email when I update my blog - which I will try and do every day. Just click on the SUBSCRIBE link at the top and enter your email!!

"I do not bring back from a journey quite the same self that I took." W. Somerset Maugham