Month: December 2015

Lunches with Dad – Silver Spoon Cafe and Herrdura Mexican Restaurant

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This post is a two-fer.  I forgot to post about our visit to the Silver Spoon Cafe a couple of weeks ago and then this past week we went to Herrdura Mexican Restaurant.  Both of these were Dad pick weeks as it turns out.

I recently gave dad a map that I picked up at the conference I went to here in town earlier this fall.  It has all the food/drink venues in the downtown area listed on it.  It may be our new “restaurant bible”.  He used this newfound map to choose the Silver Spoon Cafe.   There are two locations downtown and we visited the one Wyandotte location.

Thursday was the day we were there and the special that day was Taco Salad/ Nachos.  I chose the taco salad and dad chose the Nachos.  Both were decent meals.  I would go back to try other things.  They have quite the menu but we were so overwhelmed, we both just went for the special.

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My taco salad, Dads nachos not pictured!

The best part of the meal, however?  Dessert.  They have homemade cookies for sale on plates.  Dad chose a plate of iced sugar cookies.  They were fabulous.  Buttery and perfect.  YUM!

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BEST SUGAR COOKIES!

Scores for Silver Spoon?  Me: 3, Dad: 3  I think we both want to go back and try more things and get more of those sugar cookies…

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Next up is this last weeks lunch in Excelsior Springs.  We decided to make a trip up to Excelsior to get a new trailer jack and do some looking around at a couple of thrift/”junk” shops and thought we would try another Excelsior restaurant.  This one happened to be Herrdura Mexican Restaurant.

Its a nice little place with your standard Mexican fare menu.  I don’t remember what we all got (and there is a lack of photographic evidence).  The Mexican rice was very good and my meal was solid.  Dad and Audrey both agreed.  What really stood out was Dad loves Flan and he believes that they have the BEST flan he has ever tasted.

I don’t think we would drive all the way up there to eat there, but would definitely stop in if we were in the area and wanted a solid Mexican meal.

Scores?  Me: 3.5, Dad: 3.5 (He gives the flan a 5+!)

 

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Crab Rangoon dip

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This is a recipe that I got out of a cookbook years ago, but have changed it up to a version I like much better.  It can be served with a host of dip devices such as baked wonton wrappers, crackers or pita chips.  It is super easy to put together and just needs a few minutes in the microwave to cook.

Crab Rangoon Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 – 8oz boxes cream cheese, softened
  • 8 oz swiss cheese, grated
  • 3oz crab meat, chopped up
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • sweet and sour sauce (I used a 10oz jar)

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Instructions

  1. Unwrap/soften cream cheese and put in a bowl.  Add swiss cheese, crab meat and garlic and mix well.
  2. Spread mixture into a microwave safe dish, I use my Mini Baker from Pampered Chef
  3. Spread sweet and sour sauce over the top and microwave uncovered for 4-6 minutes.
  4. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Voila!  Time to start dippin!

Lunches with Dad – Q39

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This week’s choice has been on the radar for awhile now.  We noticed it on the way to another lunch spot earlier this summer and then a few days later a friend was raving about it.  Finally we made it there, and we aren’t sad about it either!

When we walked in we noticed it was already a hoppin’ place.  We always try to get to places “early” to beat the lunch rush so usually we get there around 11:15 and watch the place fill up.  This was not the case at Q39.  There were already about half of the tables filled with customers!  Our waitress immediately brought us a bottle of water for the table and 2 glasses and offered other drink choices.  She also explained the menu and some of her favorites for us first timers.  After taking our orders I pulled out my phone to check us in on Facebook, as I usually do, and check a couple of things.  Not more than 5 minutes after taking our order, the food arrived!

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Mine – Apple Brined Pulled Pork Sandwich with potato salad


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Dads –  Certified Black Angus Beef Brisket and Apple Cole Slaw

Both meals were DELICIOUS.  The beef was tender and not too fatty and the pulled pork was flavorful and moist.  They have 3 sauce choices: classic, zesty or chipotle-cilantro.  I am a classic kind of girl but the waitress recommended the zesty with the pulled pork and she was not mistaken!  It was the right amount of vinegary flavor to go with the pork.

Dad and I were both pleased with the entire experience.  We were in and out of there in just over 30 minutes and were glad we went early as there was a wait by the time we left, before noon even hit!

Scores:  Dad: 4.5, Me: 4

Next time I need to try the onion straws.

Pickle Dip!

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I had some of this magic at a bachelorette party earlier this year and have been craving it ever since.  In my perusals of the internet, I found several versions of it, all slightly different.  I decided I would just take from several of them what I thought would be good and go for it.  Turns out I was right!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of sour cream
  • 2 – 8oz packages cream cheese
  • 1 – 2.5 oz pkg Sliced Dried Beef
  • 1 – 16 oz jar of dill pickles
  • 1 Tbsp pickle juice
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder

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Instructions:

  1. soften cream cheese in a mixing bowl
  2. add sour cream
  3. dice up dried beef and pickles
  4. add spices and pickle juice
  5. mix well and let sit in refrigerator, giving it a couple hours before serving, if possible, so the flavors have a chance to meld
  6. serve with chips or crackers and ENJOY!
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Dicing of the dried beef

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My slap and chop is great for getting the pickles the right size!

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Voila!  Pickle Dip!

 

 

Day off!

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I have been trying to be pretty low key these days, after a hectic last couple of months.   Dad and I lunched at Panera early this week before his doctors appointment.  Nothing exciting there, but always a decent meal in my opinion.  I am loving their Apple, Cheddar and Turkey sandwich but on Tomato Basil bread instead of the cranberry walnut nonsense it usually comes on.

Today was a lovely day off.  I got to catch up with a friend that I haven’t seen in too long and finally meet her baby and give her the baby present I made her!

After that I came home and put my dogs in their adorable sweaters and had a photo shoot out back since it was such a pleasantly sunny day.  They were not amused by the photo shoot and it was really hard to get all 3 in one shot!

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Almost Christmas card worthy, if I did that…

I also read 80% of this months book club book, The Sense of an Ending, for tonights meeting.  I didn’t enjoy it and either did the others in the group that read it.  I would have given it 0 stars if 0 was an option on Goodreads.  Back to The Goldfinch for me!  In fact, I think I shall go curl up and get to reading.  Maybe i’ll finish it this time before my loan from the library is up on it.  I love Overdrive and being able to check out books to my Kindle!

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My reading partner.  Somebody is glad to be back home after her stint in the “hospital”.

Ten on Tuesday

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This weeks Ten on Tuesday topic:  10 Best Things You Did in November.

I will say that it seems like it has been a long and trying month, but there is some good that happened!  Here we go!

  1. Watched our Boys in Blue with the 2015 World Series!  Go Royals!
  2. Sewed and gave my Grandma, Uncles and Dad pillows made from my Grandpas old work shirts.
  3. Yarn adventures with Laura
  4. Received TWO boxes of goodies from my awesome buddy in Ireland! (I’m in a swap group that swaps goodies from your country)
  5. Elegant Dinner Party with friends, its a (delicious) tradition!
  6. Bought some coveted yarn that I wouldn’t normally treat myself to
  7. Was able to help out Dad before surgery and in the recovery process.  My co-workers are awesome.
  8. Thanksgiving celebrations with both sides of my family.
  9. Friendsgiving.
  10. Survived…much credit to Josh, my friends and my furry babies.
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A fuzzy picture of all my fuzzy babies on my lap!