unseasonably warm

This winter in Kansas has been unseasonably warm, or so they tell me, as I have nothing to compare it to.  At first, I was frustrated by the lack of snow and the (in my mind) disturbingly warm December temps.  I wanted cold. I wanted Christmas. I wanted what I know.  But as this "winter" has stretched out, I have taken on a new outlook.  I'm happy to have had this nice weather and must try not to take it for granted.  It has certainly provided for many lovely walks in the different parks around Kansas City, giving me the opportunity to get to know the city better, especially its outdoor spaces. 

These photographs are from December 31st.  If I remember correctly, it was one of the warmest days we've had all winter at about 70 degrees.  I don't want to give you the wrong impression, much of this winter has hovered in the 40s.  This day was especially warm.  That sweater and scarf I'm wearing in one of the pictures? Yeah those came off shortly after that photo was taken.  This was definitely a t-shirt weather day. 

I love the colors of the landscape in the winter.  They're so monochromatic and calm.  Don't get me wrong - I'm excited for the vibrant hues of spring, but looking at these images fills me with a sense of serenity, of a slower pace of life, when you have time to stop and notice little details like fungus growing on a tree or the way grasses become almost translucent in the sunlight.  Anyway, I wanted to share these pictures with you before spring is upon us in full force and they no longer feel relevant.  I hope you like them as much as I do.

the west bottoms

The West Bottoms area of Kansas City used to be a busy place - filled with all sorts of industrial activity from Union Station, to the Kansas City Live Stock Exchange, to the Kansas City Stockyard - but since the Great Flood of 1951 (it flooded again in the 90s), it has been relatively deserted.  It is, however, making a come-back of sorts.  The first-Friday weekend of every month, numerous antiques shops open up and the area is flooded with visitors.  The old buildings are amazing - just walking through them would be enough of an attraction for me, the fact that they are filled with antiques for sale is icing on the cake.  Anyway, here are a few pictures of the buildings and the train that still runs through regularly that Dan took a few weeks back:

the nelson

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, lovingly referred to by locals as simply "the Nelson," reigns over the Kansas City art scene.  Yes, there are other wonderful museums here, but the Nelson is the most well known and (I believe) the biggest.  Simply driving past the Museum would be enough to peak your interest about its contents.  Owing much to the brilliance of the Bloch Building and the unexpected Shuttlecock sculptures in the Kansas City Sculpture Park (which lies just outside the museum), the architecture and grounds of the Nelson are stunning.

The Bloch Building by Steven Holl Architects

Shuttlecock by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

Of course, once inside the Nelson, the beauty of the curated collections is almost enough to make you forget the drive in.  Collections of art from all over the world, spanning centuries upon centuries, and in many forms of media are displayed throughout the Bloch Building and the older Nelson-Atkins Building.  Currently, Monet's Water Lillies is exhibited in an interesting setting that allows you to learn more about Monet's creative process. X-rays, photographs, and side-cuts expose the many layers and alterations of Monet's paintings to visitors.  The other exhibition gracing the halls and grounds of the Nelson is by Roxy Paine.  Inside, visitors contemplate the purpose of the artist in a computerized, modern age while viewing, Scumaks, sculptures made assembly-line style by machines, which are ultimately controlled by Paine himself.   Outside, Paine's 56 foot tall stainless steel sculpture, Ferment, sits atop a hill in the Kansas City Scuplture Park.

Scumaks by Roxy Paine

Perhaps my favorite piece of the visit (I don't want to say of all time, because I'm sure this will change the next time I go to the Nelson), was Neil Welliver's, Late Squall.  Upon entering the room in which it is exhibited, I was immediately drawn to the serene mood of the painting.  I love pointillism and the way Welliver conveys the snow squall has a pointillist quality about it.  I pointed it out to Dan even before I'd read the information plaque, which only proved to deepen my love for this piece.

Late Squall by Neil Welliver

In case Mount Megunticook doesn't ring any bells, it is located in Camden, where Dan and I lived last summer.  Anyway, the Nelson is a great (and free!) way to spend a day in Kansas City.  Dan and I didn't have enough time to make it through all of the permanent collections, but the best part is it's only a short drive away, so we can go back again soon.

fireworks, mrs waite's orzo salad and whoopie pies

Here are a few pictures from our 4th of July holiday weekend...just in case you wanted to live vicariously through us...

A sunset over the lake.  I might have to do a series of lake sunsets, because they are so beautiful! We have been up to the lake 3 times and I already have so many awesome sunset pictures - mostly thanks to Dan, who is a great photog.

The crew taking the boat out to watch the lake's fireworks show.

I like the reflections of the other boats' lights in this picture.  

For the 4th itself, we came back to Kansas City and went to Dan's cousin Amy's house in Kansas City, Kansas.  I made Mrs. Waite's Orzo salad (recipe below), which was delicious as always, and a failed attempt at red, white and blue whoopie pies.

Double vanilla whoopie pie cakes.  The recipe called for a vanilla bean, which cost us a whopping $7.95 for one, saying it made a huge difference in the vanilla flavor of the cake.  We ended up having to double the recipe, but only bought one vanilla bean.   I couldn't taste any difference between the batch with the bean and the one without, so I don't think I would bother splurging on a vanilla bean again...maybe it was a faulty bean though?

The plan was to make strawberry and blueberry cream cheese fillings (complete with pieces of real fruit) in keeping with the red, white and blue theme.  However, the colors ended up being so light, that I decided the whoopie pies would have been more appropriate for a baby shower.  Sigh.

The whoopie pies that we brought to the party each only had one of the fillings.  Dan and I made this one just to show you what the two colors looked like.  Am I right about the baby shower thing, or what?

This is Amy and Glenn's house.  I am obsessed with it.  Obsessed. It was built in the 1890s, which is quite old for Kansas City.  And it is SO adorable inside.  Granted, it needed/still needs a lot of work, but so far they have been doing a great job fixing it up.  Perhaps while suffering from a bout of renovation amnesia, I vehemently offered to come sand moldings anytime they want!  I wish I had pictures of the inside of the house to show to you.  I'll have to go back over there someday and take some.  The layout reminds me so much of my dad's parents' house.  Also, Amy and Glenn had a little baby girl, Beatrice, this past spring.  I love the name Beatrice.  Ironically enough, my dad's mom's name was Beatrice too - the grandmother who lived in a house very similar to this one.  

Kansas City skyline as seen from Amy and Glenn's front yard.  A pretty amazing view, no?  Later, when it got dark, we had a 180 degree view of fireworks being set off all over the city.  

Now for the recipes:

Mrs. Waite's Orzo Salad

1 lb box of orozo

1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbs lemon juice (I just used the juice from one lemon)

1 cup scallions, sliced

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 pint cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste


Cook the orzo according to package directions.  Allow it to cool completely.

Toast the pine nuts in a 250 degree oven for 4 or 5 minutes.  Be careful that they don't burn!

Combine with rest of the ingredients.

Double Vanilla Whoopie Pies from Let's Make Whoopie...Pies 

Note: As I said before, I didn't think that the addition of a vanilla bean made much of a difference in the flavor of the cake.  However, feel free to include it if you're feeling extravagant!  Also, with or without the bean, this is a great recipe for vanilla whoopie pies - the consistency is perfect!  Finally, I found the whoopie pies to be a bit too sweet with the filling we included.  At the link above, they recommend combining these cakes with a chai filling, which I think would be amazing and plan to try this fall!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbs whole milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter for a minute or so (I found the butter does NOT have to be at room temperature to do this). 

Add the white and brown sugars and beat until you reach a light and creamy consistency.

Add the eggs one at a time.  

Slowly add the buttermilk with the mixer on low. **At this point it is going to look like your batter has curdled - don't be fooled! Dan and I started over, but this is in fact how it will look until you add the dry ingredients.**

In a small bowl add the baking soda to the milk.  Then add the vinegar to this mixture.

Add about half of the dry ingredients to the "curdled" mixture in the stand.  Then add the milk/vinegar mixture.  Then add the rest of the dry ingredients.

Finally, mix in the vanilla extract and vanilla bean scrapings (if you splurged on the vanilla bean).

Scoop mixture onto parchment paper.  Leave a couple of inches between each scoop. Depending on the size desired, or how many whoopie pies you need, you could do anywhere from 1 tbs to about 1/4 cup.  This batter spreads/grows quite a bit in the oven, so 1/4 cup ended up being a pretty big size, while the 1 tbs sized ones were more like two bites each once fully assembled.

Make for 8-10 minutes.  Allow them to cool completely before adding frosting/filling.

Strawberry/Blueberry Cream Cheese Filling adapted from The Tasty Kitchen recipe by Cake Dutchess

Note: Next time I think I would skip the food coloring and just add pieces of each fruit to a white cream cheese filling.  Also, if you're making these in hot temperatures (like we were, even though it's air conditioned in the house), I would highly recommend making the filling first and putting it in the fridge to cool/harden while you make the cakes.  This will make for a much less messy (aka stressful) whoopie pie filling experience.

1 stick butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp strawberry or blueberry flavoring
red and blue food coloring until you reach desired color (if that ever even happens)
1/2 cup each of strawberries (diced) and blueberries (whole)...I think I would add even more next time as the fruit        
pieces were my favorite part


Beat the butter and cream cheese.  


Add the confectioner's sugar and salt and mix until combined.  


Add the food coloring and flavoring and mix.


Stir in the fruit pieces. 

one bite

One Bite is a Japanese Grill located on 133rd Street in Kansas City.  Well, technically it's in Overland Park, but you get the idea. A funny thing I've noticed about Kansas City is that the people who live closer to the city (aka north) tend to scoff at the idea of living "out south."  And, while I don't actually know anybody who lives "out south" (to be totally honest, I don't really know where out south begins), from what I have gathered, it seems like they tend to hate on the people who live close to the city.  In summation, there's a bit of a rivalry.  Or a clashing of preferences, if you will.  This division is sometimes so strong that some people rarely make it to the other part of the city.

While Dan's family definitely exhibits a preference for the northern areas closer to the city, they aren't necessarily opposed to "out south."  But, I was surprised when we went all the way to 133rd Street for dinner on a Sunday night when everyone was suffering from jet lag (Dan's parents and sister had just returned from spending weeks in Spain...tough life).  When we arrived at One Bite, I started to understand.  When I tasted the food, I knew: this place is worth the drive.

orange barstools at OB

Fresh, modern decor instantly separates One Bite from other Asian food restaurants.  You will be hard-pressed to find a digital waterfall or goldfish pond here.  Clean lines and punches of bright color give the restaurant a youthful vibe.

a bright take on a seaweed salad

The menu items are just as enticing as the furnishings.  There is no sushi on this menu.  I must admit that I had never been to a Japanese restaurant that doesn't specialize in sushi before, so I had no idea what to expect.  Upon reading the item descriptions, I was tempted to order pretty much everything, but after much debate I settled on the modan yaki.  It is a batter filled with vegetables, topped with noodles, a fried egg and mushrooms.  It is also unbelievable.  If I hadn't already stuffed myself with appetizers - seaweed salad, mushrooms, tofu and edamame - I would have been devastated when I devoured the whole entrée and had no left-overs for the next day.  Luckily, I had had plenty of appetizers and, with some self-restraint, was able to bring some yaki home with me.

a picture of the vegetable yaki - just like what I ordered, but sans noodles

They offer most of the food with the option of getting a tapas style portion.  I would guess that this is an attempt to promote sharing and therefore an expanded knowledge of Japanese food among their clientele.  However, once I tried my entree, I reaalllly didn't want to share.  But I was polite and let everyone try a bite.  

our strawberry shaved ice dessert

When we had finished our entrees, our waitress (who is maybe also the owner?) was extremely friendly, patient and informative and brought us a dessert on the house.  The dessert was this huge pile of shaved ice with Japanese cream and a homemade strawberry sauce drizzled on top.  It was somehow incredibly light and refreshing while still being satisfyingly creamy.  I don't know how they managed to do that.  But they did.

sauces for sale! with cool packaging, too!

Oh, and they sell their own sauces!  I would love to buy one or two (or all) of them to experiment with in my own kitchen. They even provide recipes on their website to help you incorporate their sauces into your home-cooking.  While I appreciate their desire to share their wonderful Japanese food with me, I have a suspicion that anything I try to make on my own will fall significantly short of the deliciousness I discovered at the restaurant.

Needless to say, I was very impressed.  One Bite is definitely worth the trip.  I can't wait to go back for another, well, bite.

all images from One Bite's website

historic downtown overland park

As a newbie to Kansas City, my take on Overland Park (a suburb outside of the city) was that it was lots and lots of suburbia and a Whole Foods.  However, I have been proven wrong.  Yesterday, I went to the Overland Park Farmers' Market in search of Pappardelle's ravioli - something that Dan and I bought (and ate!) a lot of at the Vail Farmers' Market - and I must say I found a new spot to add to my list of Kansas City favorites.

images via

I think I might actually prefer this farmers' market to the one in the River Market (where Dan and I went last weekend).  It is more intimate and the farmers all had signs up about exactly where the produce was grown.  Also, they offer much more than just produce and other foodstuffs. My favorite "extra" being canning classes, so you can learn how to preserve all of the goodies you're buying!  I really want to learn how to can.  Plus, isn't the "discover you can" logo really cute?

But wait, there's more! Historic Downtown Overland Park not only has a great farmers' market, but the streets are also lined with cute and unique shops. I had so much fun wandering Santa Fe Drive and checking everything out.  I started to regret going to the farmers' market first - those tomatoes and turnips got heavy.

image via

The Tasteful Olive, an independently owned and operated business, sells delicious flavored olive oils and vinegars.  They're in big vats at the store and you can taste them all!  I gave myself a bit of a stomach ache, but they were so delicious that I couldn't stop.  I almost feel bad for people who don't live near here and can't experience this first-hand.

image from their Christmas display (the store isn't decorated like that now) via

When I came across Now and Then, a furniture consignment shop, my knees buckled.  The owner, Cheryl Hocker, has done amazing things when refinishing some of the pieces!  If it were socially acceptable, I would have drooled all over the refurbished chairs and tables. I mean this store is what I dream about. It took pretty much all of my self control not to buy anything.  I just kept telling myself that someday, when I have a space of my own, I will be back. And with a vengeance. 

From a bakery, to a sewing store (that offers lessons!), to The Culinary Center of Kansas City (more classes offered here!), to a spice shop there was definitely enough to keep me occupied and still feel like I need to go back for more!  Overland Park: it's not just a Whole Foods anymore.*

*Don't get me wrong. I l-o-v-e Whole Foods and went there next, but still, it's nice to have a main street and a little downtown.

Symphony Designers' Showhouse

For 42 years now the Kansas City Symphony Alliance has been redecorating homes, well technically local interior designers and artists do the redecorating, and using the proceeds from the tours to benefit the Symphony and its programs for kids.  This year the 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom home, built in 1910, is located in the Sunset Hill neighborhood of Kansas City (yeah, I don't know what that means either, but it is a very nice neighborhood).  Laura took us to see the house a couple of weeks ago and I loved touring it! Not all of the rooms were decorated to my taste, but some rooms were too amazing not to share.

The front of the house

My favorite living room on the first floor. I can't figure out who this is by! If you know, please tell me so I can give proper credit!

Monochromatic dining room room by Ethan Allen.  I loved the his and hers chairs and the photos ---they're an old map of paris blown up and divided into 9 pieces. 

The funky and sophisticated nanny's room on the third floor by Katy Sullivan

Wine storage and leather countertops in the bar section of the kitchen by Kitchens by Kleweno

Another view of the kitchen...I l-o-v-e-d the back splash! It is a dogwood tree, which is Missouri's state tree and every little branch had to be hand pieced back there! So beautiful.  Also by Kitchens by Kleweno.

The coolest screened-in porch ever and probably my favorite room in the house. There is an identical hanging bench that matches this one.  By Jennifer Bertrand (winner of the 3rd Season of HGTV's Design Star) and Julie Ransopher of Bertie and Jules Design.

Oh and of course, if you're interested in living in this house, you can! For a mere 1.695M...