Kansas Travel - Free State Brewing Company

It's been 20 years since Free State Brewing Company, in Lawrence, became the first legal Kansas brewery, in more than 100 years. The thriving company crafts more than 20,000 barrels of beer, annually, in its 14-barrel brewhouse, and also has its own bottling facility. And customers can watch as brewers work behind two-story floor-to-ceiling windows of this one-time trolley barn while they sip brews over lunch or dinner. 

There are plenty of choices for beer lovers. In addition to the brewery's original Ad Astra beer visitors may enjoy Copperhead Pale Ale, Ironman Imperial Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Old Backus Barleywine, Wheat State Golden, Lovejoy IPA, Old Stormy and Walloon Gold. Not sure which one to pick? Try a few samples, at $1.35 a pour, and then order a full-sized serving of your favorite.  

Free State Brewing Company also has a large menu in which many healthy and locally produced items star. Flavorful and filling black bean quesadillas come with Spanish rice with loads of cheese, sour cream and salsa.  Hand-cut fries and a dill pickle spear accompany the thick turkey bacon sandwich served on ultra-fresh foccacia bread. 

Free State Brewing Company offers great beer and good food in historic surroundings, with a clear view of the brewery. And, if you want a souvenir of your visit, they'll even sell you a T-shirt or pint glass.

Becker Vineyards in Fredericksburg, TX

Located 70 miles west of Austin and 75 miles northwest of San Antonio, Becker Vineyards, of Fredericksburg, Texas, planted their first vines in 1992 and offered their first wines three years later. Then the vineyards opened their first tasting room in 1996. Fourteen grape varieties grow across 46 acres. Becker was the first winery in the state to make Viognier or Malbec.

With the third largest production yield in Texas, Becker crafted 56,000 cases of wine during 2006, and 65,000 in 2008. And the culinary world has taken notice. These wines have been praised in Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Saveur and Decanter magazines, to name a few.

Owners and founders, Richard and Bunny Becker won't pour a wine they’re not proud of, and Richard believes that winemakers are like artists. Winemaker, Russell Smith, worked in Napa for nine years and then with other vineyards and wineries in Texas, and award-winning wines line a long display shelf in the winery's front lobby.

Becker Vineyards uses premium French and American oak  barrels for aging and only use each barrel twice. The winery rarely adds sugar or fruit concentrate to their wine; they also tell grape growers when to pick the grapes and what level of sugar goals are required. Visitors can find their favorite vintage while enjoying samples in the large new tasting room.

But more than grapes grow on Becker Vineyards acreage. Lavender fills a three-acre field behind the winery and infuses body care and other products with its heavenly scent, including Lavender Comfrey Salve, lotion, sea salt scrub, eye pillows, candles, room spray, sachets and bookmarks. Finally, each May, visitors can enjoy the annual Lavender Festival. The two-day event features cooking demonstrations, speakers, a luncheon and, of course, acres of fully blooming lavendar.

Wine lovers - and lavender lovers - will find a lot to like about Becker Vineyards.

Thanks, Joy (of Cooking) Redux

Last December, I introduced Visual Traveler readers to a Joy of Cooking cookie recipe that was a holiday tradition in both my childhood home and my husband's - Almond Crescents. Then I offered my variation on the theme, Walnut Crescents (http://visualtraveler.blogspot.com/2008/12/thanks-joy-of-cooking.html).

But, this year, I thought I'd also show you how to make these cookies that my older daughter recently said were 'so much better than the ones you made before you changed the recipe.' For instance, here are the cookies when half-baked. This version looks far more like crescents before they're fully baked (above) than after (below).

It's a good idea to place the finished cookies on parchment or waxed paper, atop foil, to completely cool. 'Rolling' each cookie in the powdered sugar/cinnamon mixture requires gentle handling to avoid breakage and a willingness to get your fingers totally covered with this sweet stuff (never a problem, in my case).

After you've coated all of the cookies thoroughly, put them back on the parchment paper for an hour or so, which will minimize them sticking together when you finally place them in an airtight container.

Then comes the best part - eating these Walnut Crescents - which are light and flaky with just the right amount of sweetness. And, if you use your imagination, you can pretend that the bits of powdered sugar landing on your shirt are the gentlest of snowflakes.

Happy Holidays!

Kansas Travel: Pancakes in Liberal

A mural painted on the outside of the City Hall, in Liberal, Kansas, depicts two women running down opposite roads that meet at a 'Y,' as they each carry a skillet. Painted by renowned muralist, Stan Herd, it is a daily reminder of an annual event that has occurred here for more than 60 years.

International Pancake Day began when Liberal residents challenged residents of Olney, England, at a race that began there in 1445. An Olney woman, who was using up the last cooking fat in her house before Lent began (use of the fat was prohibited during the Lenten season), scurried out of her kitchen with skillet and pancake in hand so she wouldn't miss the church service that immediately preceded Lent. She left in such a hurry that she still wore her apron and a headscarf - the latter required for women attending church.

The next year, the women of Olney launched a race in which they each tried to reach church first while carrying and flipping a pancake and, of course, wearing aprons and headscarves. Today, women in the two towns race simultaneously and Liberal's four-day event also includes pancake eating and cooking contests, a parade, English High Tea and other races.

Pancakes have become an integral part of Liberal's culture, and griddle cake lovers have flocked to The Pancake House, on Pancake Boulevard, for more than three decades.

This homey spot offers hearty food at great prices, such as this breakfast of strawberry pancakes accompanied by Canadian bacon, hash browns, a fried egg and coffee, plus an gargantuan helping of whipped cream. Hunters, ranchers, travelers, social workers and families all enjoy breakfast here. Adventurous diners may try chocolate chip or butterscotch pancakes and berry syrups too - or waffles or crepes.

The restaurant also serves sandwiches and a wide variety of entrees. But in a place that serves legendary breakfasts, why would you order anything else?

Orange Cinnamon Bread

According to the Random House dictionary, tradition is "the handing down of beliefs, legends and customs from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice." One Christmas tradition for the family in which I grew up was to have bake-your-own packaged orange cinnamon rolls for breakfast. The scent of these rolls has always meant Christmas to me, and to our now-20-something daughters.

But there's more than one way to enjoy the luscious combination of orange and cinnamon in a breakfast treat. I developed this recipe before my daughters were born and then sold the bread to a small local restaurant for more than two years.

In 1998, a version appeared in the local cookbook, This Place Called Home, A Kansas City Cookbook. I've recently decreased the amount of sugar from my original recipe and substituted whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose flour. The decreased sugar also seems to help compensate for the slightly 'heavier' consistency of whole wheat pastry flour.

This Christmas, I will offer the bread as an orange-cinnamon alternative. Will my family accept it as a substitute for the packaged rolls that they know and love? Only taste will tell. I'll add an extra half teaspoon of cinnamon and also may add the filling that the cookbook authors suggested (see below) or drizzle a bit of icing on top.

In the meantime, ENJOY this 'traditional' recipe during your own holiday celebrations.

Orange Cinnamon Bread
Makes 8-10 slices

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup + 1/4 cup sugar (VOE - when printed in a local cookbook, this recipe featured 1 cup +
                                                                                                                                  1/3 cup sugar)
2 eggs, beaten
1 orange rind, grated

1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (VOE - the cookbook recipe used all-purpose flour)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or light sour cream)
juice of one orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan. Cream together butter and 3/4 cup sugar. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and then add to butter/sugar mixture, combining well. Add orange rind and yogurt and stir to combine completely.

Pour batter into pan and bake 1-1 1/4 hours, until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack. While the loaf bakes, combine juice of one orange and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour syrup over hot loaf. Cool completely before removing from pan. Keep refrigerated.

filling suggested in cookbook:

Combine 6 ounces of cream cheese with 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon grated orange zest. Pour two thirds of the batter in the prepared pan, top with the filling, then top with the remaining batter. Lightly swirl with a knife. Bake as directed until bread is lightly brown and firm to the touch.

Pittsburgh's Primanti Bros.

There's more than one Primanti Bros. restaurant in the Pittsburgh, PA area. But for a true taste of this legendary joint, belly up to the wood-topped counter at their original location, in 'the Burgh's' equally legendary Strip District - several downtown blocks packed with longtime food vendors, wholesalers, and restaurants. A wall-spanning mural just inside the front entrance features caricatures of local celebrities from Mr. Rogers to Pittsburgh Pirate, Roberto Clemente. You can also grab a booth in the back room and chow down.

 

In 2007, the James Beard Awards declared the Primanti Bros. signature sandwich - which originated in the 1930s - an ‘American Classic.'  This hefty combo starts with customer’s choice of meat, from split and flattened kolbassi (kielbasa) to a huge pile of turkey or corned beef, and then adds melted cheese, a mountain of fries with some nicely browned skin, a mound of vinegar-based, coleslaw, and bright red tomato, layered between thick slices of Italian bread. Even the breakfast special has the same toppings.

Sweet and savory, mellow and tangy, soft and crunchy, Primanti Bros. sandwiches come wrapped in waxed paper just as they always have. Visitors who aren't in the mood for a sandwich might try Smallman Street Fries, another hearty meal served on a bed of chili with just the right heat, smothered with melted cheese, tiny bacon bits, and a large dollop of sour cream.

For a side of history with your sandwich, stop by Primanti Bros. in The Strip. Just don’t ask for coleslaw on the side.

Kansas Travel - Queen's Pantry

Nearly 75,000 people live in Leavenworth, Kan., the state's first city. Approximately 9,000 soldiers and their family members live on the Fort Leavenworth army base, and thousands of people call on the post each year, including international visitors.

So it's no wonder that Queen's Pantry, tucked away on a quiet block near the town's main thoroughfare, does a big business.  Open since 1999, the family owned and operated company pays homage to the founder's mother, who is British. The shop offers more than 200 varieties of British tea, from Pumpkin Spice and Raspberry Chocolate Truffle, to Spiced Pear Tart, Spearmint Herbal, oolong and white tea - the largest British tea inventory in the Midwest. In addition, Queen's Pantry sells this region's largest selections of British food and gifts.

Visitors also can purchase hot or cold to-go items from London On the Go. This small, British-inspired deli at the back of Queen's Pantry, offers such classic dishes as Fish and Chips (Thurs.-Sat., only) or Shepherd's Pie. There are plenty of luscious desserts too, including several varieties of cheesecake and baby scones.

For a true taste of Britain in the country's Heartland, Queen's Pantry and London on the Go clearly fit the bill. Not sure when you'll get to Leavenworth? You can order many items online, at http://www.qptea.com/ - but probably not the fish and chips.