Day at the K: A family-friendly experience

Posted: May 17, 2012

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Baseball season is in full gear and the Kansas City Royals have high expectations for this season. Although the team has gotten off to a slow start, they have shown signs (since the end of April) of playing better baseball and (maybe even) fighting their way back into the division race.

As I have mentioned in past blogs, I am a huge Boston Red Sox fan. Over the past five years when the Red Sox are in town to play the Royals, I try to take my family to at least one game.  Some years the Red Sox play the Royals in August or September, and other seasons like this year, they come in and play the Royals in early May. 

My family and I attended the Tuesday, May 8 game against the Red Sox and it was a close game throughout, until Billy Butler’s eighth inning homerun, which gave the Royals the victory over the Red Sox that night. Please know that my blog is not going to be about how either team played or even the low attendance that was there that night. I want to say how great Kauffman Stadium is for all ages and how it is a family-friendly stadium.

I have an eighteen month old daughter, who I am encouraging to root for the Red Sox just like her grandparents and dad! For anyone who has children, you know how cooperative they can be at that age right? She was restless the entire game and did not want to be around the seating area where we were watching the game.  She lasted 8 innings that night and I attribute a lot of that to the great kid’s area that the stadium has located behind the left field area.  There is something out in that area for all kids to be a part of and enjoy. They have a small baseball field, a hitting and pitching machine where kids can practice their game.  They have a miniature golf course, a playground, a carousel, and even a game room that features the MLB 2k12 Baseball Game on Xbox 360 for the older kids to take part in.

Also in that area, there are great souvenir and food options to choose from not found in other parts of the park. There is also a lot of space where if you have strollers and need to walk around trying to get your little one to calm down or sleep, you can do that and not feel overly crowded by other fans at the game.

I just want to thank Kauffman Stadium and the Kansas City Royals for having such a great area, designated for kids of all ages, that allows the parents a chance to watch the game and cheer on their respective teams.

~Justin

Tomahawk Creek Greenway: A Place Made for Us

Posted: April 19, 2012

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The spring of the year!  What a glorious time.  And, for those of us who live in Johnson County, KS, the spring of 2012 has been simply fabulous!  So fabulous, that if we do not pause and experience it in some sense of solitude and serenity, it will quickly dissipate into the tablets of our memories.  The question then becomes, do we have the internal discipline to carve out some time to enjoy this priceless gift of nature?  Do we make the commitment to devote purposeful time, either with family and friends, or even by one’s self to get outside for exercise, education, meditation, relaxation, friendly bonding or all of the above?

I have made such a commitment several times in the past three weeks.  My most recent staycation hike was just minutes from my home on the Tomahawk Creek Greenway.  I entered the hiking/biking trail system just north of 127th Street and Nall in Overland Park.  It was a beautiful crisp morning encased in a perfectly blue and cloudless sky.  To choose a southerly route or northerly trip was the most difficult task.  On this day I chose to saunter north.  And, I can guarantee that I would have had a most similar glorious experience had I chosen the southern option.  While human sighting was limited at this time and place, it was most gratifying to observe facial expressions of peace and happiness, just like mine, as we met on the trail.  When I purposefully paused several times along the greenway, I could not help but be most grateful for nature’s concert of splendid sounds.  And, if my pause was lengthy and quiet enough, I was quickly entertained by a variety of nature’s creatures.  What a wonderful gift!  What a rewarding experience!  I am pleased that I remembered to take pen and paper along as the magic of thought flowed abundantly through my imagination (an imagination by the way, which is quite limited in the hurriedness of a normal work day). I was reminded several times, on this morning, of the great lines of Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959):

God Made This Day for Me
“…This is jes’ my style o’ weather – sunshine floodin’ all the place,
An’ the breezes from the eastward blowin’ gently on my face;
An’ the woods chock full o’ singin’ till you’d think birds never had
A single care to fret ‘em or a grief to make ‘em sad.
Oh, I settle down contented in the shadow of a tree,
An’ tell myself right proudly that the day was made for me…”

Well, the days and this place are made for us.  If only we would slow down our hectic pace from time to time and simply enjoy it.  We have come to believe that vacations away from home are for all the items I mentioned in my opening lines.  However, they are right in our own back yards for us to find.  A staycation in Johnson County you might question.  However, try it once and I am certain you will repeat the experience on our many miles of hiking/biking trails.  Learn more these opportunities on our hiking/biking webpage or the Johnson County Park & Recreation District. And remember, the days are made for you.

~Jerry

Smokalicious: Culinary Center of Kansas City’s MBQI Certificate

Posted: April 7, 2012

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One more class down and only two left to achieve my MBQI Certificate (Midwest Barbeque Institute).  This is a program that is offered through the Culinary Center of Kansas City in downtown Overland Park.  It is a great program for both the beginner and the competitive smoker/griller. 

The class I just completed was the Brisket Class and the first time I have had Andy as an instructor.  This class was just as amazing and helpful as the others.  Not only do you learn how to cook the brisket a variety of ways, but you are also instructed on how to buy a brisket, and most importantly how to trim and cut the whole brisket.  Andy was even able to convert me to a pellet smoker, which I am still saving to purchase. 

I have also signed up for my final two classes and as previously mention I should be able to obtain my certificate by the end of June.  My next class in May, which is National BBQ month (more to come on that topic later), is Trends in BBQ: “Smoke Infusion” Grilling.  Doesn’t that sound cool? During class we will learn to cook and sample Mango Stuffed Chicken and Marinated Tri Tip Roast.  My final class is the all day barbequing class.  This class instructs you specifically on how to use your own specific equipment/smoker on items such as ribs, pork butt, etc.  Now that is hands on plus I should have my new pellet smoker by then. 

Now, enough about me and a little more about the Culinary Center and its MBQI Classes.  I thought I knew a lot about grilling and smoking, but come to find out I did not.  I have taken 6 classes so far for example:  Smoking 101, Grilling 101, Booze and BBQ, Brisket Class, Ribs Class and will be taking the Trends in BBQ and the all day class with my own smoker.  There is also a class specifically for ladies only and a Gills on Grills Class.  Finally the instructors are, outstanding, Chef Richard McPeake, Bruce Campbell and Andy G are the instructors I have had during my two years of classes.  These guys have competed on all levels and do an excellent job with explaining and demonstrating every step in the grilling/smoking process.  I am looking forward to my future class with Shannon Kimball.

If you are interested in barbequing, smoking or the Midwest Barbeque Institute then check out the Culinary Center of Kansas City or stop by the “Festival of Smoke” on Saturday May 12 in downtown Overland Park.  Or even better check out this Burnt End Chili Recipe.  Smokalicious!

~Kelly

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