Blind Box BBQ in Kansas City

Jacob and I are on a quest to try all the BBQ spots in Kansas City. It will probably take us 10 years but we're up for the challenge.

I've had Blind Box BBQ on my list for months so that was our first stop. They describe themselves as "...old school BBQ with a modern twist" and I totally agree. The restaurant atmosphere was perfection - servers wearing fun bow ties, beautiful wood tables, industrial lighting and light music playing in the background. As a marketing nerd I also really appreciated their overall branding, menu layout and style.

Sunflower Butterscotch Cookies

I'm so excited to represent Kansas in Bob's Red Mill 50 States of Cookies! What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Kansas? Sunflowers, of course! As the Kansas state flower this made a perfect inspiration for my cookie recipe.

I LOVE these cookies. The sunflower seeds add a fun nuttiness and it pairs perfectly with the butterscotch chips. The recipe makes over 4 dozen cookies so you'll have more than enough for a holiday cookie swap or gifting....or eating.

In August, sunflowers are at their prime and my Facebook and Instagram feed fills up with people taking photos in the sunflower fields at Grinter's Sunflower Farm. It's a pretty amazing sight to see a whole field of the beautiful yellow flowers.

While the star of the show is the sunflower seeds, baking with Bob's Red Mill flour is a baker's dream. It is perfectly formulated for baked goods with terrific taste and texture – no additional specialty ingredients or custom recipes required.

The best part of waking up...

This post is sponsored by my friends at Folgers. 

Come on, you know the slogan. Last week you got a peek into my husbands typical day. Now, it's my turn. I work full-time at a Kansas City real estate company as the Marketing Manager. I've been in the real estate industry for nearly 10 years - that's kinda crazy to say.

My Monday's seem to be the busiest lately so I thought I'd bring you along for the fun.

A Day in the Life of Jacob

This post is sponsored by my friends at Folgers. 

I mention Jacob in my posts often but I've never given him a whole post. Until now. I thought it would be fun to share "a day in the life of Jacob."

Our schedules are really different; I work a pretty traditional 8-5, Monday - Friday while each day is different for Jacob. It kinda floors me how it does it. Jacob is a Chiropractor, and a pretty darn good one at that. I might be a little biased, but I've visited multiple doctors and he's the only one that could truly adjust my neck and keep me from getting headaches. It's magical.

His hours vary everyday so let's look at an average Thursday. He works 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm so the lucky duck gets to sleep in.

9:00 am: Wake up, watch a little TV in bed.

Grapefruit Negroni from Seasons 52 - And a Can't Miss Event!

You guys know I'm a big Seasons 52 fan. They are having a super cool Kansas City Distillers Series that you don't want to miss!

Getting back to its pre-Prohibition roots, some of Kansas City’s most beloved local distillers are coming to Seasons 52. The fresh grill and wine bar will host a series of exclusive spirits tastings kicking off on Thursday, September 8 with Weston-based Holladay Distillery, followed by Kansas City’s J. Rieger & Co. Distillery on September 15 and SD Strong Distilling on Thursday, September 22.

Kitchen Makeover Final Thoughts

This is the final post in my #WMNkitchenmakeover thanks to my friends at Nebraska Furniture Mart and Whirlpool. Here's part 1, part 2 and part 3 if you're just joining me.

As you know, we chose the Whirlpool Ice Collection in White Ice. Aren't they pretty? I love the set - they just look like one big happy family.

The refrigerator gives us a lot of extra space and I really like the pull out freezer. I now know our old microwave wasn't performing as well - the new one cooks things so much quicker and is so quiet. That's true for the dishwasher too - our dishes are so much cleaner now! And the stove - those two large front burners and super huge oven is a bakers dream.

As first-time homeowners, this was one one of the bigger investments we've made in our home. It really changed the look of our space and makes the home even more "us". Here are a few of my final thoughts that will hopefully help you purchase your new appliances.

Breaking in the New Whirlpool Appliances + Ice Cream Sandwiches

This is part three of #WMNKitchenMakeover thanks to my friends at Nebraska Furniture Mart and Whirlpool. Here's part one and two if you're just joining us.

We've had our new appliances from Nebraska Furniture Mart for almost a month and I'm still obsessed. I'll just walk into the kitchen to look at them...that's weird, I know.

What's the best way to test drive and break in the new appliances? Make chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches dipped in chocolate! Keeping on reading for the recipe.

I have to share some of my favorite features of the new Whirlpool appliances.

Kitchen Makeover - Install Day!

This is part two of #WMNKitchenMakeover thanks to my friends at Nebraska Furniture Mart and Whirlpool. Here's part one if you're just joining us.

I left you hanging with our final decision and I'm SO excited to reveal. I won't make me wait a second more. We chose the Whirlpool Ice Collection in White. Gah, aren't they pretty?!

We loved that they were white, but had a more modern look with the stainless steel accents and smooth white finish. We had such good luck with our old Whirlpool appliances and thought this collection was really a step up from what we had.

See full product details on NFM.com:

• Refrigerator
• Stove
• Microwave
• Dishwasher

Once we finalized our purchase with Nebraska Furniture Mart they ordered the appliances. I HATE waiting so I really appreciated they gave us a delivery time frame so we knew when to expect delivery.

It was less than two weeks and I got the call to set up delivery. My days can be a little crazy but I was able to pick a time that worked best for me and my schedule. Once the day was locked in, NFM called 24-48 hours before the delivery date to give a time frame. And, they called when they are on their way.

I was absolutely gitty when that big ol' NFM truck pulled up to our house. The delivery guys were super nice and professional. They reviewed the items they were delivering, took at look at our kitchen, and got to work. I found out later they were brothers - they did work really well together.

My kitchen needs some TLC

I'm so excited to kick off a four-part series today! I'm teaming up with Nebraska Furniture Mart and Whirlpool to share my kitchen makeover (#wmnKitchenMakeover).

Obviously as a food blogger I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. When we bought our home five years ago we were lucky to have appliances included. Those appliances have served us well but we are ready for an upgrade.

The biggest problem is our refrigerator. The previous owners of our home had to have brought it with them; our home was built in 2001 and the refrigerator is from the 1990's. Don't get me wrong - it keeps stuff cold, as Jacob says, but it's really starting to rust and the ice maker stopped working a few months back.

Jacob "offered" to paint it to hide the rust. I lovingly said "no way".

The stove, microwave and dishwasher are all Whirlpool and are all still in working order but I knew I wanted a "set" of matching appliances.

I started my research online to get a feel for styles, features, colors and prices. There are so many options it's easy to get a little overwhelmed but looking at a wide range of products helped me figure out what I did and didn't want. I also read a lot of reviews to see what consumers thought.

After that initially research, Jacob and I measured our space to further narrow down what would fit. This really is an important step and I love that Nebraska Furniture Mart puts space planning resources on each product.

Now for the fun part - Jacob and I went to the Nebraska Furniture Mart here in Kansas City to actually see the appliances. On the website, it does show what is "in store" so we knew we'd be able to see a similar, if not the same, product.

If you've never been to NFM it's an experience. It's massive and has a ton of products to choose from. The appliance section alone probably has 150+ refrigerators on display. They have great employees to answer questions at a moments notice. But, they let you look without pressuring you.

Sugar Cookie Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

In honor of Opening Day and the Royals I made sugar cookie bars with the most amazing blue cream cheese frosting.

Seasons 52 for Restaurant Week

The last stop on my Kansas City Restaurant Week tour with Fashion Plate KC had to be Seasons 52. As you all know, I'm a huge fan so any excuse to try their special offerings was good with me. Plus, the $33 dinner included two mini indulgence desserts.

For the first course, LaShonda and I shared the All-Natural Pepperoni flat bread. It had the best roasted Roma tomatoes.

The Jacobson in the Crossroads

The fun of Kansas City Restaurant Week continues with a visit to The Jacobson in Kansas City, specifically in the Crossroads Art District.

"The J" actually has a really cool history. A.D. Jacobson was the brother of Edward “Eddie” Jacobson. Eddie Jacobson was a business partner and close personal friend of Harry S. Truman. The two owned and operated The Truman and Jacobson Haberdashery together in downtown Kansas City for many years.

Today, you'll find art and decor from local Kansas City artists and a patio with skyline views. Not to mention a unique menu with options you can't wait to try. They also have an incredible signature cocktail and flask service.

LaShonda (Fashion Plate KC) and I dined at The Jacobson for dinner and the food was nothing short of amazing. They also offered a $15.00 wine pairing with each course. Our server, John, did an excellent job explaining the different options and how the wine would compliment each course.

The Sundry in the Crossroads

Kansas City Restaurant Week is underway! Not only does this event give you the opportunity to try amazing food at local restaurants, but a portion of the proceeds go to local charities. Each restaurant has a set lunch menu for $15 and a dinner menu for $33.

My friend La'Shonda of Fashion Plate KC and I are using this as an excuse to get together, have amazing food and share the fun with you. I'm going to go ahead and also dub this "restaurant week" on the blog - make sure to follow along on Instagram too!

Our first top was The Sundry (1706 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64108). This has been on my list for some time. It's very much a local market and kitchen providing local produce, meats, fresh-baked breads and a kitchen serving dishes like meatloaf & stuff, seasonal risotto and fresh pastries.

Chiefs gear you should probably own.

Kansas City already exploded when the Royals won the World Series and it totally made me a baseball fan. Now, it's the Chiefs time to shine! Let's jump on the bandwagon and get our Chiefs gear on. Really, any excuse to buy a new clothes is good with me.

Here's a few of my favorites:

Defense & Tailgating from Bumpleft

Red Sea from Charlie Hustle

Andy Reid from DimestoreSaintDesign

Nike Red Rewind Rally Funnel Hoodie from NFL Shop

Laces Out Socks from Freaker

I'm From KC Koozie from Raygun (pardon the language)

Two more wins and we're going to the Super Bowl!

Winter Menu at Seasons 52

Laura and I were invited back to Seasons 52 on the Plaza to try their winter menu. The new menu features Braised Beef Short Rib, Warm California Golden Beats, Oak-Grilled Potato Salad, along with special desserts and cocktails, such as the Cranberry & Sage.

The cocktails were amazing. We had the Bourbon Berry Bramble and the Prairie Mule.

Coffee and Cookies with Friends

This is a sponsored post written by me for Folgers. All opinions are 100% mine.

Now that I have all of my Christmas shopping done, I can focus on the fun stuff. Like baking and celebrating the season. Thanks to my friends at Folgers, I hosted a Coffee and Cookie Party at my house!

Last month I learned about Folgers Perfect Measures at a super fun event here in Kansas City. Now, I get to share this product with my friends. Insert baking, crafts and a photo booth and you have yourself a banner of a Saturday.

Before we got started with our fun, I made pancakes and bacon to go along with our first cup of coffee. And most importantly we started the movie Elf to get us into the Christmas spirit. We went with the Breakfast Blend and used 14 tabs for 12 cups. The Breakfast Blend is pretty mild so it was perfect.

Mixing things up with a little KU Basketball

*Congrats to FashionPlateKC for winning the KU Gift Pack!* 

This post and giveaway is sponsored by Kansas Athletics, but all opinion are my own. 

My friends and I get together every few weeks just to catch up and have a little fun. For something different, we decided to go to a Kansas Women's Basketball game in Lawrence, KS. It took a little arm twisting for the Mizzou Grad, but she joined right in.

It's a quick drive from Kansas City giving us more then enough time for photo ops and snacks before the game started. Note the photo of me and Baby Jay. I don't know why I looked so nervous, but I got through it and it gave us a good laugh.

While I was there with my friends, this is such a family-friendly venue and event. They have a special Hawk Zone with inflatable games, photo ops, supplies to make a game poster and more. Alison even got a perfect photo with Big Jay!

This is also where kids under the age of 13 can join the Junior Jayhawk Kids Club to get exclusive perks throughout the year like free admission to games, free t-shirt and free pizza. If my nephew, Grant, lived closer I would definitely have him join the club. He would have a blast - and his dad (KU fan) would enjoy attending more games.

I really want to get them to a game next time they visit. They would love it.

Gift Guide - Made in KC

It occurred to me that it's just a little over a month until Christmas. It's true. And scary. I started my list on Wunderlist (seriously, obsessed with that app). I've only crossed a couple things off my list so far.

We all know how much I love Kansas City so I thought I'd share a few "made in Kansas City" gift ideas! My sister already requested a pair of earrings from Nickel & Suede and buying a 2016 planner from Simply Paperie is always a good idea. Her new patterns are amazing.

Let's go shopping!

Kansas City Beautiful Tote Bag – RAYGUN
raygunsite.com

Socks 101
sock101.com

Earrings
nickelandsuede.com

magic number paprika throw
happyhabitat.net

Black and White Floral Planner Simply Paperie
shopsimplypaperie.com

KC HEART NAVY
charliehustleshop.com

"Kansas City Royalty" - 9" x 12" Print — Bozz Prints
bozzprints.com

Royal Waves (blue tee)
oceanandsea.com

Orange Clove Candles
5bandcobrookside.com

Coasters (Set of 4)
sandlotgoods.com

(These are not affiliate links, I just love these local KC brands and think they would make fabulous gifts!)

The Perfect Scoop Without the Scoop

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Last week I attended an event hosted by Folgers here in Kansas City at Gram and Dun on the Plaza. The event gave me, along with 4 other local bloggers, the chance to learn about a new product and experience how it works and tastes.

 
Folgers has a new 100% pure coffee for an automatic drip coffee maker called Folgers Perfect Measures.This product is currently available in limited markets – St. Louis, Kansas City and Indianapolis. Go Kansas City!

You guys are going to love this. So you know how everyone makes their coffee a little different -some do level scoops, other do heaping scoops, different scoops per cup? Well, Folgers has eliminated this from the coffee making equation.

They have created pre-measured coffee tabs allowing for a consistent, great tasting cup of coffee. It's the same Folgers coffee we all know and love, too.

At the event we were able to make coffee how we like it and in doing so found our perfect recipe. I like mild coffee - so I opted for Folgers Breakfast Blend using 1 tab per up. Others like "hair on your chest" coffee to  they liked 2-3 tabs per cup.

 
One big perk I took away is that its makes it easier for other people to make you coffee exactly how you like it - just say 1 tab per cup and you'll have your coffee, your way. But at the same time now I can't tell Jacob "I don't know how strong you like your coffee".

 
As I mentioned, this fabulous product is currently only available in St. Louis, Kansas City and Indianapolis. It comes in 5 flavors: 100% Columbian, Breakfast Blend, Classic Roast, Classic Decaf and Black Silk. For you mid-westerns I know Target and CVS carries it.

A big thank you to Folgers for including me in on the fun and Gram and Dunn for the amazing meal and service - our waiter was phenomenal.

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Gettin' Down with Science on the #FarmFoodTour

As you may have noticed on Instagram, I went on another #FarmFoodTour organized by Kansas Farm Bureau, Kansas Soybean and Kansas Pork Association. Here's last years recap if you want to start from the beginning of the fun. This time around we focused a little bit more on the science of food and all of the research, collaboration and regulations that help our farmers provide us with the best products.

This is a bit of a long post so grab a little popcorn, a beer, put your feet up and enjoy. ;)

Merck Animal Health

Merck Animal Health develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of veterinary medicines helping with prevention, treatment and disease control. They have offices in more than 50 countries - we had the chance to speak with the experts at the DeSota, Kansas location.