email: [email protected] website: www.museumhill.com

Museum Hill Bed and Breakfast Newsletter

09/14/2006

Volume 1, Number 3

September came up fast and in the past several weeks, I have found a lot of events going on, things to see, and places to go. To start, last week one of our guests told us about the huge antique shows that go on in Sparks and White Cloud, KS. We finally had a chance to check it out on the last day of the event, and I highly recommend these two events when they come up again. There is everything, and for anyone who loves antique or even just looking for a hard to find item, these events are just the place to find them. While there, we were told by one of the vendors the events are held twice a year, the first weekend in Sept. and the first weekend in May. I will be keeping up on this and let everyone know as it gets closer to May.

Last week while taking a night walk towards the river, I stopped at a monument off Edmond Street down across from the Holiday Inn. I walked up to it and saw that is was a tribute to the early settler movement West. It had an inscription on it that I will not quote here, to get the full impact it has to be read while looking at the monument. After reading though, I started thinking about a little place I visited in Montana several years ago, a little town called Garnet, near Missoula. In order to get to it, you have to go off a main road onto a little dirt road that is carved out only by 2 wheel lines.

The road travels for about 10 miles into the forest and mountains. It progressively deteriorates as you continue on. Finally when you do get to the town, you find out just how determined people were back in those days. It was a rough ride by car, imagine how it was by covered wagon and a horse. The town is part of the National Park System and it is restored with all its buildings and homes. You can walk through all of them and learn about how people lived during that period. What is fascinating about Garnet, is it was a mining town thriving at one time, and one of those small places where some people during their journey West chose to stay there and build a life for themselves. Many of those people started their journey here, in St. Joseph, and the placard inscription reflects that. The West was full of towns like that; many no longer exist, so it was a real treat to be able to see one that was preserved.

Speaking about history, I found a neat and informative publication while going through some antique places. This site http://www.discoverypub.com covers not only antique stores and auctions, but it publishes all kinds of events and historical articles about the Mid-West. The printed publication called "Discover Mid America" circulates throughout 7 states and is published every month. The web site is just an extension of this and is also updated monthly. I have never seen such a wonderful publication as this that covers so much. It can be found free of charge in any antique shopping district, many small restaurants, or even some tourist centers throughout Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas, and Arkansas and it is free to take a publication in most of these places. I love the publication's motto "Connecting the past with the present."

To keep up to speed on what is going on in the historical preservation arena here in St. Joe, check this site http://www.heritageaction.com. There is a nice link here from the home page that will help anyone who is interested in historical property. I have had some inquiries about where to go to find historical property for sale in St. Joe; the following web site http://www.oldhouses.org will help.

Down at the Pony Express Station on Oct 13-15, is the Pumpkinfest Festival. More info at http://www.ponyexpress.org/pumpkinfest1.htm. In next month's newsletter, I will have some recipes on what to do with pumpkins after Halloween. Also I will be linking some sites about "Haunted St. Joseph" and the surrounding area. Atchison, KS has a lot going on in October in the spirit of Halloween, so check out their web site at www.atchisonkansas.net. If anyone is interested in finding good Western style clothing, St. Joseph has the Stetson Outlet Factory, (816) 233-3286. Right off the I-29 before the I-229 interchange, at 3601 S. Leonard Rd. This store looks small from the outside, but when you get in there, they have a wonderful selection of hats and clothing at very reasonable pricing. For another unique dining experience in town, check out the Barnard House at http://www.barnardhouse1877.com. Or take a stroll to Fosters Fine Wine and Cocktails, 726 Felix St. (816) 364-4400 for a nightcap. Both are within walking distance from Museum Hill.  

During our marketing campaign at the Platte City "End of the Trail" Motorcycle Rally we were able to check out some of the town, and what a really neat little place this is. For more information on the city, this link http://plattecitymo.com goes directly to the Chamber of Commerce site and is loaded with info about the town. During the rally, the food vendors were cooking up a storm and the music was very good. Platte City is just 30 minutes from St. Joseph and I will be adding it to one my day trips on my self-guided excursion site page. The Shields Manor Bistro www.shieldsmanorbistro.com is a small restaurant in an 1850’s home where elegance, food, and wine meet. Their menus change monthly, so you are always in for a real special dining experience here. DaCapo Teas and Eatery (816)-858-7979, 325 Main Street, takes a coffee shop to a whole new level, combining the gourmet coffee and tea world with 19^th century ambience. I had the best biscuits and sausage gravy here for breakfast last Saturday. Two other places, The Outlaws Bar and Grille, 816-358-7771, and The Pool Hall, 816-213-0756, are right in the heart of town on Main Street next to each other. Both of these places have really cool bars and are great places to stop for a glass of wine or beer while checking out the town. The cheeseburgers at The Pool Hall are awesome and Outlaws has a very good steak. Platte County’s Dinner Theatre www.fbp.info has a lot going on also and $25 for dinner and a theatre show is not a bad deal either.

For those who ride bikes, I found web links for local riding throughout the area.

http://www.cycleconnections.com/articledetail.asp?TypeID=3&ID=65

http://www.cycleconnections.com/articledetail.asp?TypeID=3&ID=542

http://www.cycleconnections.com/articledetail.asp?TypeID=3&ID=391

http://www.cycleconnections.com/articledetail.asp?TypeID=3&ID=164

These would be great small road trips while staying at Museum Hill B and B.

Kansas City is presenting a huge air show this weekend. More info can be found at http://www.kcairshow.com. This website is really cool as each time you click on it, the Blue Angels pictures change. Some other things out there in KC, the Zona Rosa Mall http://www.zonarosa.com is a beautiful outdoor type shopping center with plenty of restaurants. They have a unique place called the Majestic Theatres. These theatres show first run movies, but with a twist. You can actually have appetizers, dinner, with a glass of wine or beer while watching the show, and be fully waited on. The chairs are reclining with a "call for service" system to order. Tickets and reservations can be made online. There is also an Improv. Theatre here with nightly comedy shows. The Renaissance Festival www.kcrenfest.com is currently underway and will be continuous through 15 Oct. A lot of good food and performing arts shows throughout the festival.

Enjoy Nascar? We just found the Kansas City Raceway http://www.kansassuperspeedway.com last Thursday during one of our "networking" excursions with the Kansas City Visitors Bureau. Two huge races are coming up on the Sept 29^th weekend. More info can be found at the website. Right next to the track another huge mall Legends http://www.legendsshopping.com is a great place to go before and after the racing. Or just for another day trip. Right by here is also a huge Nebraska Furniture Store and for furniture or even electronics, this is the place to check out.

__________________________________________________________________

Summer is about over and with the Fall setting in, I thought it would be good to throw in a simple soup recipe. Campbell’s always brags about their chicken noodle soup on TV, well this recipe will hopefully spoil you.

Take the chicken, wash it, and put it in a large stockpot with 3 gallons water. Bring to a boil. Add poultry seasoning, thyme, and bay leaves. (Tear leaves about half way down, this gives more flavor) After chicken comes to a boil, turn down temp and simmer for 2 and half to 3 hours. The goal is for the chicken to be done nice and tender and to be able to come off the bone easily. You may want to test a small portion about every 45-min. When the chicken comes off the bone easily, this step is done. Take chicken out of pot with tongs and put in a strainer over sink to drain and cool. The water in the pot is for the stock. While chicken is cooling, add the celery, carrots, onions, salt and black pepper to the stock. Continue to simmer. When chicken is cooled, pick it from the bone in nice small pieces and add the pieces to the stock. The pieces do not have to be uniform; this gives the soup a homemade appearance. When the vegetables are tender, and chicken is added, turn off the heat. (As an option, you can add the chicken bouillon for a bit more flavor). Add the noodles and just let them sit in the soup, they will cook within the heat of the broth. Stir occasionally to check noodles, but not too much or they may break apart. After noodles are done, the soup is ready to serve. This soup can be cooled and frozen in Tupperware containers. Try it a couple of weeks after freezing a portion and the flavor will be even better.

_________________________________________________________________

Back in the day when I was a chef apprentice, I used to work in an old home in New Jersey that was converted into a nice gourmet restaurant. The menu consisted of a lot of heavy sauces and breaded items. One item the cordon Bleu was a breaded chicken breast wrapped around ham and Swiss cheese, deep-fried than finished off by baking for 15 minutes than served with a cream sauce. Several years ago, I created my own version, simpler to make and with much more flavor.  

 Cook chicken breasts in large skillet. (Note-this recipe works well with a good electric skillet.), Sauté the onions and mushrooms with the chicken. Add the lemon pepper seasoning, white wine (for a different flavor, a good white Zinfandel also works with this instead of the port, white port is sometimes hard to find), and mince garlic. Heat and than add the cornstarch. ( mix it with a little cold water first than add the mixture to the pan for thickening) Put the ham and cheese on top. The provolone cuts down on the saltiness of the ham, and the Swiss cheese adds a bit of sharpness. Cover skillet until cheese melts over top the breast. Both are good with whatever cheese is used.

  ________________________________________________________________

This very easy noodle dish is an excellent compliment for the Cordon blue. Cook noodles, drain than add garlic powder and butter, stir. Add a little chopped parsley for color. The Cordon Bleu and Noodles make an easy and excellent meal for entertaining company. Serve this course with a green salad and some soft dinner rolls and add a good red wine to your meal.

 ________________________________________________________________

This salad will add a nice touch to the Cordon Bleu meal. It also works well for a soup and salad combination and for any meals where fish is the main course. Real easy to prepare. After spinach is washed, place in salad bowls. The recipe yields 4 servings. Put the onion, bacon bits, hard-boiled eggs and Feta cheese on top of salad, this makes it attractive as well. For the bacon bits, just fry up some fresh bacon, drain, let cool and crumble. I usually buy bacon by the 10 lb. box at a wholesale store and than cook it up at once, drain and cool, crumble and than portion out in small zip lock bags to freeze. This always gives me available bacon. For a 10 lb. box, if it is priced between 10 and 14 dollars, that is a good buy.

_________________________________________________________________

This dressing is perfect for the salad. . In a small saucepan, mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, garlic and pepper. Stir over a low heat. It is ready when it is the consistency of bottled dressing. Ladle over salad just before serving. Enjoy!

As always, if anyone has any cooking questions, or looking for any type of recipe for a specific occasion, contact me at any time.

Have a good day everyone and when you want to "Check out where the West Began and Jesse James Ended" come stay at Museum Hill Bed and Breakfast.

Sincerely,

John Courter

Innkeeper/Owner

 Newsletter archive:

www.geocities.com/museumhillbandb/newsletter-07-20-2006

www.geocities.com/museumhillbandb/newsletter-08-14-2006