ness

Welcome -- we need more sophisticated KC folks in here!

I know Fort Osage, for sure. I was in the Kansas City School District when I grew up. That was before it all went to heck though.

Picked up another load yesterday, but still had some chard and taters from last week. Head of cabbage, red, white and blue taters (<-clever!), baby carrots, zucchini, onions. The bag was heavy this week. I've also got beans, onions coming in from the garden. I'm swimming in vegetables again! I've got a vegan friend who's taking some from me, thank goodness. Also brought a couple things to work to give away.

That's a great looking sandwich. Has my jowls going. I love the dark tomatoes, but could never get a very good result from Black Krim.

Hamburger Helper last night, lovingly prepared by my baby boy. He's got a pretty short list of things he likes. We did do the version with meat. Although 'I think it tastes fine all by itself.'

Ha! That's pretty cool--congrats. I don't think anybody (well, nobody who's a thinker anyway) can find fault with what you're doing. Sounds to me like you've got the right perspective--do it to learn, push yourself, get some experience, get better.

I do a little food styling on the side. I could help. I don't take cash, just balsa poppers, BBQ sauce, Wyoming gps coordinates...Oh crap, I guess I owe ya

I think these top ### lists are usually crap. They're what lazy journalists do to fill up pages. They're usually a rehash of some previous list, with maybe a tweak here and there based on who's schmoozing who. No way there is any real science in these things. If you're in a business that benefits from being on a list, you should be lobbying for your spot on the list. To the consumer, well, forget about lists like this. Same goes for political polls and a whole lot of other opinion crap we're subjected to daily. Use your own freaking brain, and supplement it with the knowledge of real people you know and trust. And for a true fisherman, I'd say your spot appearing on a list is about the worst thing that could happen. Fans of Table Rock should be happy about this omission.

Gotta be happy with what you've got.

Oh, can't bear to pick a green one now. So much promise, and just a little more time until perfection. Green tomatoes come late in the season for me.

Wow! Nice haul there. What varieties? OI see some darker ones

Yeah -- I like the Ott's products. Like them even more knowing they're local.

When?

Ahhh, nothing wrong with that seasoning. Butter on steak is pretty good though. Don't bring it to the table with a slab of butter on top -- just a little when it comes off the grill and let it melt while it rests. I've also done herb butters. Soften a stick of butter, work in fresh minced herbs (parsley, tarragon, whatever), then chill it back to solid. Keep it on hand for steaks or other meats. My fire wasn't hot enough last night. Didn't get a nice char on my steak -- actually let it go a little longer than I wanted just to get some color. Would have preferred medium rare, but it was a really nicely marbled rib eye so it held up well. Shoulda been nice at $12 a pound!

My brother told me about this technique to test the doneness of a steak a long time ago. Anybody ever do this? http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_finger_test_to_check_the_doneness_of_meat/ I've kind gotten to where I can do it by feel, but I don't always get it spot on.

I think Cook's Illustrated/ATC is an advocate for salting in advance. Now that I think about it, I probably picked that idea up from them.

Huh, I had to go back and look -- I didn't realize those were Cornish hens. The are bigger than the frozen whole ones I always see. Haven't had one of those in years.

JoeD -- I love you bro, but until we get "partial like" functionality on this forum, I'm not gonna be able to like many of your posts. That said, I'll give you a 'like' on this portion of your post:

Did I ever tell you guys the story of John Marzetti?

Can't say I've given it much thought. But, I always felt like putting on the seasonings early gave them some time to soak in a little. I usually do Montreal seasoning on steak about an hour ahead of time and let it sit at room temperature.

Dang, that looks good. Nice mahogany color. Legs and thighs are underappreciated, IMO. Pasta salad seems like the perfect match. Baby boy was out of town for a few days, so I figured I'd treat him right for dinner when he got home. Got a couple nice looking rib eyes and did them over charcoal. I don't always go to the trouble -- gas grill is so convenient, but the flavor doesn't compare. Mine was medium, his was medium well. He inherited the can't-eat-red-meat gene from his mama. Some green beans on the side. Made strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream. Bisquick shortcakes. May be my favorite dessert. No pics -- didn't want to waste any time. Nothing to see. Me, my boy and the dogs are all content.

Gave about an hour yesterday. Zilch.

Welcome, Jess. You've got a great resource right here. I hope you'll share your stories. BTW -- I grew up in Independence -- around 35th and Crysler.

Yeah. What's with the flags? If you get offended by a flag you're probably a little insecure.

Yeah, leave the gun at home. I'd rather get my butt kicked a hundred times than live the rest of my life knowing I killed somebody over a spat at a boat ramp, regardless of the situation. There are a-holes out there. Figure out how to live life with them. You won't cure them.