Cranapple Pie

For something different at your Thanksgiving table, try this luscious pie in which cranberries become a purple-red mash of tartness, apples retain a touch of crunch, and a crumb topping adds another dose of sweetness.

Cranapple Pie
Makes 12-16 servings


1 ½ cups cranberries, washed and sorted
2 cups water
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of apples, peeled and diced in one-inch pieces
½ cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup apples, peeled and diced in one-inch pieces
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon


1 baked, deep dish pie shell


Topping:


4 tablespoons butter or margarine
½ cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour


In a large, non-reactive, non-stick saucepan, combine cranberries, water, sugar and cinnamon over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, covered, for 10 minutes.


Blend cornstarch thoroughly in water. Add mixture and 1½ cups of apples to cranberry mixture and combine well. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 more minutes.

Add remaining ingredients to the pan and simmer, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then pour in piecrust. Refrigerate while making topping.

Melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in sugar and flour, cover with a lid and microwave on high for
2-2 ½ minutes, stirring twice, until slightly browned and bubbly. Spread out on foil until cool enough to handle and then crumble all over top of pie. Cool pie at least three hours before serving.

Orange Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Reprinted from Visual Traveler: When you have a goal of creating a new recipe on a certain day, each week, sometimes the task is easier than others. Such was the case this week, but several days of pondering resulted in a great twist on an old classic. Give it a try and see if you agree.

Orange Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Makes 8-10 servings

Filling:

1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin

10 ounces evaporated milk

juice of one orange, about 2 ounces

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Topping:

juice of one orange

1/2 - 1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons orange zest

1/2 cup ground walnuts

single pie crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, orange juice, eggs, 3/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger thoroughly and pour in pie crust. Bake for 15-20 minutes and then reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 more minutes.

After reducing oven temperature, stir together orange juice, zest, and 1/2 cup brown sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Stir in walnuts and set aside.

Remove pie from oven at end of 40 minutes and spread topping across entire pie. Broil until topping bubbles, about 3-5 minutes. Cool thoroughly before serving.

Chocolate Lover's Pumpkin Pie

When I first thought of infusing pumpkin pie with a large dose of chocolate, I wanted to make a chocolate graham cracker crust. But I couldn't figure out how to combine what is typically a no-bake crust with a filling that clearly needed plenty of baking time.

That's when melted chocolate entered the picture - not once, but twice. There's also plenty of crushed chocolate in the light and fluffy filling, without totally overpowering the traditional pumpkin pie flavor. And I doubled the amount of spices in a typical pumpkin pie filling to help it stand up against the chocolate.

This Thanksgiving, there's a way to satisfy tradition and your passion for chocolate in the same luscious dessert.

Chocolate Lover's Pumpkin Pie
Makes 12-16 servings

1, 9-inch pie crust
1/2 cup dark semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted in double boiler
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can lowfat evaporated milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup dark semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground fine in food processor

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake crust 10 minutes while melting chocolate chips. Allow to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. Using a pastry brush, spread 1/2 of melted chocolate across entire crust, including edge.

Combine all other ingredients except ground chocolate chips. Fold in chocolate chips and fill shell; it will be very full. Bake pie approximately one hour or until filling surface is slightly firm to the touch.

Cool one hour on wire rack and then for 1/2 hour in refrigerator. Reheat melted chocolate in double boiler. Use pastry brush to 'paint' the pie top with remaining chocolate. Cool at least 15 more minutes and then serve.

Sweet Cranberries

                                    
The recipe contest required that entries use at least one cranberry product from the company sponsor and my wheels began to turn. No doubt I would enter a dessert recipe, and cranberry and chocolate would make a natural pairing, but plenty of other people had already used that combo. I needed something really different.

What about cranberry and white chocolate? Hmmm – okay. Now, should I make a cake, pie, cookies or cheesecake…? I decided to create a cheesecake with whole berry cranberry sauce in the filling and also as a pureed topping. I hoped to nail it within three tries and my neighbors agreed to be guinea pigs.

Since I’ve never liked side crusts on cheesecakes mine would only have a bottom crust – with nuts. I imagined a bright red, translucent glaze atop the white filling, and maybe some curls of white chocolate too.

Three tries and several weeks later, my neighbors and I had chosen the second version. Dense yet moist, the filling showcased a big dose of cranberry flavor and a whisper of melted white chocolate. Finally, white chocolate curls peeked out from between two layers of glaze, thinned with a bit of cranberry juice cocktail.

Somebody else won the contest but I gained a spectacular recipe that I'll forever enjoy sharing with friends and family.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake
Makes at least 12 servings

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1/8 cup finely chopped walnuts
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 pounds low-fat cream cheese, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
5 large eggs
12 ounces Ocean Spray Whole Cranberry Sauce
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
¼ cup heavy cream
12 ounces Ocean Spray Whole Cranberry Sauce
6-8 teaspoons Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice
1 ounce shaved white chocolate

Crust: Combine crushed graham crackers, walnuts and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press crust onto bottom of springform pan to just above lower lip inside pan. Refrigerate until filling is ready.

Filling: Stir cranberry sauce in a small bowl until it breaks apart and becomes slightly liquid. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and then beat in granulated and brown sugar, a little at a time, until mixture is fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each egg. Beat in cranberry sauce and white chocolate. Pour filling into pan and bake the cheesecake in the middle of the oven at 325 degrees, for 1 1/2 hours (times may vary with individual ovens). Allow cheesecake to cool on a wire rack
before refrigerating, covered, overnight.

Topping: Puree cranberry sauce to make a thick, smooth sauce, and the spread half on top and sides of cheesecake. Top with shaved white chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Spread remaining sauce over the entire cheesecake and serve.

Artichokes + Garlic = Heaven

                                   
Inspiration can strike at the oddest times. As I shopped with a friend in a culinary store, we happened upon 'Artichoke Garlic Sauce,' and I decided to create my own version the next time I played in my kitchen. That time was this afternoon, and the result was smooth and seductive with a bit of bite and chunkiness.


This combination is more of a spread, but the flavors are unmistakable. My taste testers and I tried some atop buttered bread slices that were broiled crisp, on whole wheat crackers, and right off of the spoon. We also thought it would make a good pizza 'sauce,' or a sandwich spread paired with provolone cheese and romaine. A glass of Chardonnay is a perfect complement. See what you think of this...


Artichoke Garlic Spread
Generously covers five large slices of French bread


3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 can artichoke hearts, diced fine
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil


Saute garlic in olive oil over medium high heat, until slightly browned. Add two tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Add artichoke hearts, lemon juice, and pepper. Combine thoroughly and cook uncovered, over medium heat, for 15-20 minutes or until extra liquid has evaporated. This should yield approximately 3/4 cups. Set aside.


Put half of this mixture in a food processor with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and puree. Remove puree from processor and stir in remaining artichoke mixture. Spread and enjoy.

Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad

                                    
With our girls grown and gone I sometimes try to create a meal out of whatever we have on hand. Yesterday I looked at a thawed chicken breast and wanted chicken salad - but not the same old chicken plus mayo plus celery. What I came up with included all of these ingredients, plus some special additions. Serve this chicken salad on whole wheat bread, add some chips and raw vegies, and you've got a great summertime supper.


Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad
Makes 2 servings


1 chicken breast
1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
1/2 cup celery, chopped fine
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise + 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette


Marinate chicken breast in 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette for two hours, turning after one hour. Grill chicken over medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes. While it cools to room temperature stir together mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette, and chop celery and red onion. When chicken is cool, cut into bite-sized pieces and combine all ingredients.


Tip: for a little extra crunch, add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts.

Jasper Mirabile Jr.'s Applecello

                                                 
When Jasper Mirabile, Jr., had too many apples and too much cider from Louisburg Cider Mill in Louisburg, Kansas, seven years ago, he created Applecello. Then he introduced it to customers of his family's five-decade-old family restaurant in nearby Kansas City, Missouri (which he co-owns with his brother, Leonard) - Jasper's Ristorante.


A veteran maker of homemade limoncello (as well as mozzarella, pasta sauce, salad dressings and more), Jasper combined excess apples and cider with sugar, vodka, and grain alcohol, and then flavored the brew with cloves and cinnamon sticks - and he's been doing it ever since. This year's brew features Louisburg Cider Mill's Honey Crisp apples.


Customers at the restaurant can't seem to get enough of this luscious stuff. Each fall they consume more than seven gallons of Applecello, in everything from Applecello Martinis to Applecello & Cream. Jasper adds Applecello to fruit-based breads and cakes (including his signature Applecello cake), pours it over fruit salad, and serves it warm, beside apple strudel and vanilla bean gelato. "It reminds me of fall," Jasper says. "It tastes like mulled cider with a little kick to it."

Want to make Applecello yourself? Here's the recipe:


Jasper's Missouri Applecello
Makes 1 1/2 gallons


6 apples, seeded and crushed
8 ounces apple cider
12 cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
6 tablespoons sugar
10 ounces vodka
10 ounces grain alcohol


Tools: 2, 32-ounce Mason jars, 2-quart stockpot, 1 gallon jug with a cork or cap, very fine strainer, 1-ounce glasses
Place all ingredients, except vodka and grain alcohol, in stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat and let steep for 15 minutes.


Pour mixture into a sterilized 1-gallon jug and then add vodka and grain alcohol. Place cork or cap on jug and store in a cool, dry, dark room. Let the mixture sit for 14 days.
Strain mixture and place in Mason jars, let sit for 14 more days, and then refrigerate until ready to use. Serve chilled.

White Bean and Spinach Soup

Our suburban town's farmer's market only closed for the season a little while ago. One of my favorite purchases there occurred when, for only $3, I received a full shopping bag of absolutely gorgeous fresh spinach, and learned that fall is actually the best season for this leafy green. After giving half to a friend, I started thinking about how to use the rest. This new recipe has spinach as a central ingredient, but with plenty more flavors in the mix.

White Bean and Spinach Soup
Makes 3-4 servings

1/2 pound cooked ground sausage
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cans Great Northern beans
1/4 cup sherry
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut in 1/2-inch ribbons
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
honey to taste

Puree 2 cans of white beans in food processor. Saute onion and garlic in oil and a large soup pot, over medium heat. Add bean puree, onion, garlic, sausage, sherry, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add third can of beans, spinach, and 1-2 teaspoons honey, stirring thoroughly. Simmer 15 additional minutes. Adjust salt, pepper, and honey, to taste. Serve with light rye or sourdough bread, and a crisp green salad.

Yukon Green Chile Soup

Ever since we first tasted Yukon gold potatoes, our family has loved their soft, buttery texture and flavor. Because our grocery store only sells them by the five-pound bag, I often have these beauties on hand.

One evening, when there was little food left in our refrigerator or cupboards, I pulled together a pretty wonderful, savory soup with just a bit of heat. We ate ours on a cold and rainy night, with some crusty garlic bread and fresh veggies on the side. It should also make a great lunch, after thinning with a little water or milk.

Yukon Green Chile Soup
Makes 4-5 large servings

3 1/2 cups Yukon gold potato chunks, skin on
2 cups water
3 teaspoons bouillon powder
1 medium onion, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of butter
4 slices of cooked bacon, chopped
6-8 ounces cream cheese
2-4 ounces green chiles, chopped
1/2 cup instant milk
1 tablespoon fresh Parmesan
2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine potato chunks, water and bouillon powder in a large pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, approximately 40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. While potatoes cook, saute onion and garlic in butter until onions become translucent, about 3-5 minutes.

After 40 minutes, mash potatoes in cooking water over low heat, leaving occasional small chunks. Add instant milk, bacon, cream cheese, Parmesan, sherry, chiles, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil briefly, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with crusty French bread, and a crisp salad or raw vegetables.

Rustic Turkey Soup

                                    
For me, cool weather and soup are synonymous, although our fall temperatures have been uncharacteristically warm (and wonderful :) this season. When I was growing up, my mom made soup frequently during the winter months, from minestrone to black bean and split pea. My husband, on the other hand, didn't eat homemade soups as a child so when he couldn't get enough of this one I knew I had created a winner. Serve with crackers or thick slices of crusty bread, and a salad, and you've got a hearty meal for only a few bucks.


Rustic Turkey Soup
Makes 4-6 servings

1/2 large onion, minced
2 celery stalks, minced
olive oil
1 medium zucchini, diced and lightly sauteed
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 can low-sodium cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked wild rice (may use canned)
1 pound white and dark turkey meat, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Saute zucchini in olive oil, on medium, until lightly browned. Set aside. Saute onion and celery in olive oil and large pan. Maintaining medium-high heat, add stock, soup, rice, turkey, zucchini and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for minimum of 25-30 minutes. To thicken, simmer uncovered for some or all of the cooking time.

Celebrate Barbecue and Fight Hunger at the Culinary Center of Kansas City

Nearly 1 in 4 American children struggles with hunger. One national organization that fights this problem is Share Our Strength, a nonprofit whose mission is to end childhood hunger in the United States. A big component of their fundraising efforts is the Great American Bake Sale, in which people from across the nation create and sell sweet treats with 100% of profits going directly to this charity.

On Saturday, May 1, the Culinary Center of Kansas City, in Overland Park, Kansas, will hold its first annual Great American Bake Sale in conjunction with its first annual Festival of Smoke, a quintessential barbecue event that will run from 8:30 to 2 and feature smoking and grilling education, competition among Culinary Center chefs, a make-your-own-rub station and, loads of great barbecue plus fixings and much more.

When you're ready for dessert, or a sweet treat to take home, visit the bake sale. In 2009, Great American Bake Sales held across the nation raised more than $1,220,000 to fund after school and summer feeding programs for children, and support Share Our Strength’s Operation Frontline®, a chef-led nutrition education program for low-income children and families.

Here are nine more reasons to hold your own Great American Bake Sale:

12.6 million…American children wonder if they will eat in the morning

13%…of American families with children under six years old face hunger

50%…of American food stamp recipients are children

60%…of requests for emergency food assistance come from American families with children

89%…of low-income American children who receive school lunches do not receive regular meals during the summer

One…summer of poor nutrition will seriously impair a child’s ability to learn

1 in 3…Americans who stand in a soup kitchen line are children

1 in 5…American households with children live at risk of hunger

1 in 10…American households lack access to enough food

You'll have a wonderful time, eat some amazing food and support a great cause during the Culinary Center of Kansas City's Festival of Smoke and Great American Bake Sale.

*Lisa Waterman Gray is a part-time employee of the Culinary Center of Kansas City

Winter Harvest at Seghesio Family Vineyards

Pete Seghesio (center) continues his family traditions with fellow wine growers.

For Pete Seghesio, nothing tastes better than freshly made sausage served atop a slice of crusty bread, with a glass of Zinfandel, at 10 o’clock in the morning. It’s a flavorful way to celebrate two family traditions – making wine and handcrafting Italian sausage.

Seghesio Family Vineyards, located in Sonoma County, has long been known for quality wines, including their 2007 Zinfandel, which appeared on Wine Spectator’s list of the top 100 wines. But when harvest season has ended each year, the family shares another tradition - making sausage amidst the wine barrels.

The Seghesio family creates 2,000 pounds of sausage every December. They use Boston butt with 10 percent fat blended back in, because pork is much leaner now than when Pete’s grandmother created this recipe. Once the meat has been spread across a long table, family members pour a mixture of Zinfandel and fresh garlic across every 100 pounds of meat. Healthy doses of salt, pepper, nutmeg, clove, and allspice follow. Then dozens of gloved hands knead the meat to incorporate the seasonings.


The sausage machine (circa 1859) that has been used by the family since the late 1800s

In the early days, the Seghesios used an 1859 sausage machine. Although their grinding machines are newer now, filling the casings still requires plenty of hands-on attention. Pete blows into a sheath of cow intestine before placing it on a spout and then holds it tightly as meat fills the long casing. Expert hands tie-off the casing in six-inch lengths and then hang dozens of sausages on clotheslines near the wine barrels.

Pete Seghesio fills cow intestine with sausage

The Seghesio family also has turned this event into an annual party, attended by many members of their Centennial (wine) Club; some even help to make the sausage. As everyone works the wine flows, finished sausages sizzle in frying pans and neighbor, Frank Passalacqua, cooks risotto to accompany the freshly made meat. Pete shares samples of his own Sicilian-inspired sausage recipe with friends, full of fennel, fennel pollen, red pepper flakes, pepper, fresh garlic and secret ingredients.

Ed Seghesio, Chef Jon Helquist, Will and Pete Seghesio taste testing in the winery kitchen.

If you’d like to learn more about this lovely winter tradition, see their YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoJVmhR-XcQ.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SEGHESIO FAMILY VINEYARDS
Lisa visited Seghesio Family Vineyards during a press trip, in February 2008

Birthday Baking With Chocolate and Coffee

My birthday was coming up in several days and my husband, Mark, asked how I wanted to celebrate. Among other things, I mentioned that I might want a birthday cake.

But then this baking enthusiast realized that Mark wouldn't want to make a cake - great grilling and awesome breakfast food are his favorite kinds of cooking - and I really didn't want him to buy a cake. So I decided to combine two of my favorite flavors - chocolate and coffee - while celebrating my birthday and my joy in baking.

I started with a Chocolate Buttermilk 'Sheet Cake' recipe from Better Homes and Gardens NEW COOK BOOK and the tweaking began, with substitution of whole wheat pastry flour for unbleached flour and olive oil for half of the butter, a little less sugar, the addition of coffee. Then I put the batter in round cake pans so that I could create a layered cake with loads of frosting. See what you think:

Lisa's Dark Chocolate Layer Cake
Makes 16-20 servings

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons strong coffee
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Then combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder and water. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Add and incorporate olive oil. Add chocolate mixture to flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed, until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute - batter will be thin.

Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean; do not overbake. Cool completely, remove from pans (VOE-be very patient as you remove the cakes, they're quite tender and may break easily) and allow to rest on parchment paper.

Put one layer on cake plate or tray and spread thick layer of frosting on top (see recipe below). Place second cake layer on top of frosting and then frost entire outside of cake. Keep refrigerated until 15-20 minutes before serving, allowing to reach room temperature. ENJOY!

Chocolate frosting

4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons strong coffee
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa
2 1/4-2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
milk as needed

Combine butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla, coffee and cocoa and mix thoroughly. Slowly add confectioners sugar, stirring to combine until all sugar is incorporated. Add milk by the tablespoon to thin, if needed.

San Francisco's Ultimate Chinatown Tours

photo courtesy of Shirley Fong-Torres

Within moments after joining Shirley Fong-Torres on a tour of her beloved Chinatown, it’s easy to understand why, in 2007, San Francisco Weekly named her company, Wok Wiz Chinatown Tours and Cooking Company, 'The Best Chinatown Tour in San Francisco.' The New York Times, Gourmet, and Cooking Light also have called the tours top San Francisco attractions.

Photo courtesy of Kenny Wardell

Fong-Torres lives and breathes Chinese history, culture, and cuisine as she shares the area she knows so well, coupled with a dazzling smile and boundless energy. She and her guides enchant visitors during the Wok Wiz Daily Tour, and the I Can't Believe I Ate My Way Through Chinatown! tour.

photo courtesy of Shirley Fong-Torres

Because each tour leader speaks fluent Cantonese, visitors can experience some of Chinatown’s oldest restaurants. A traditional Chinese breakfast or dim sum luncheon; visits to a Chinese temple or a neighborhood farmer’s market; history lessons about Chinese immigration to the area, and tips regarding the best places to shop, are only a few tour highlights.

If Wok Wiz tours can help participants achieve a greater understanding of Chinese immigrants and their contributions to American life – while introducing them to great food – then Fong-Torres believes she has accomplished her mission.

While this 5’2” human dynamo lights up San Francisco’s culinary and cultural world, Wok Wiz is far from her only pursuit. Fong-Torres is a passionate food-lover and traveler who also has shared her infectious enthusiasm with Good Morning America, the Food Network, the Discovery Channel, Fine Living TV, PBS, and Rachel Ray viewers, plus European and Australian networks. She frequently gives talks and seminars, and has been a guest chef at food fairs such as Goldsboro, North Carolina’s "Feast in the East,” and the Iowa State Fair.

Fong-Torres’ books include her most recent, The Woman Who Ate CHINATOWN: A San Francisco Odyssey. This freelance travel writer also has appeared on the History and Discovery Channels and in (in-flight) videos for Qantas and Hawaiian Airlines, and JetBlue.

The next time you visit San Francisco, sign up for a tour of Chinatown with Fong-Torres. You'll learn a lot, eat well - and have a blast!

photo courtesy of Shirley Fong-Torres



























For listening: In Nov. 2009, I talked as an 'expert' on Kansas restaurants w/the food editor of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, who talked about Missouri restaurants - http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LiveFromJaspersKitchenWithJasperMirabile/~5/oOHpu-qeEJO/Jasper091128.mp3.%20click & listen from 23-41 minutes into the podcast. ENJOY!