Mark's Bar & Grill - Bucerias, Mexico

On this trip to Mexico, we had some pretty amazing food and some not so amazing. We actually never ate at a traditional Mexican restaurant though and had to resort to Senor Tequila's on the night we got home. We didn't feel that funny about it, while we were dining another couple from the plane showed up to eat there, too.
One place that we had really good food was Mark's Bar and Grill in Bucerias. The restaurant is a nice open place with a little shop attached to it. The place was totally packed, but we had reservations so we got right in. Unfortunately, they were way understaffed and the service suffered greatly. I'll never understand why restaurants continue to seat people when they don't have the staff to back them up. We were seated at 8 PM and did not receive our salads until 9!! The owner, Jan Marie Benton, showed up and ran around like a chicken with her head cut off. Not a good look, really.
Our waiter, Fernando, arrived and took our drink orders. The wine showed up promptly along with a basket of rolls and good, crispy flat bread. He took our food orders, well he forgot Dan B., and went on his way to try and help the rest of his tables. He was a good server and did his best to take care of us, but he was really in the weeds.
I ordered this amazing Roasted Beet and Apple Salad ($75 pesos), which is in the picture above. The nice thick slices of roasted beets were layered with apples and accompanied with arugula and pistachio encrusted goat cheese. A beet and berry sauce and lime oil dressed the plate. The flavor combination of the earthy beets, tart apples, peppery arugula and mild goat cheese were perfect together. Dan had the Mixed Greens ($75 pesos) and enjoyed them. Dan ordered the Margherita Pizza ($165 pesos) which was covered in a nice tomato sauce with basil, fresh mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes. I had the Salame Pizza ($155 pesos) and it was loaded with salami, home made sausage and mushrooms. The pizzas are big and are cooked in brick ovens.
I don't have a complete record of what everyone else had. Frank ordered a seafood pasta, Helga started with calamari and Lisa started with tempura shrimp. Lisa and Larry both ordered a wine braised beef pasta and Dan B. and Helga had the special which was Fettuccine Alfredo with really big shrimp. Every one enjoyed their food, we just wished that the experience were better. The food and presentation were great, the service was very weak. I would still recommend this place, just for the beet salad alone.
They are located at Lazaro Cardenas 56 Bucerias, Nayarit Mexico 63732. Reservations are advised 329-298-0303. www.marksbucerias.com

Back Home

We returned home from Bucerias, Mexico yesterday and we had a great trip! We stayed in a beautiful house on the beach, with a great infinity edge pool. Dan and Larry have been in the house for a month and our friend Lisa R. joined us this time. We also got to meet Helga and Frank, who were down for a visit. We had lots of great food and and conversation and it was very hard to return home. From our great vantage point we could watch pelicans diving for fish and whales playing in the bay, it was awesome!

Northland Garden Club

For some strange reason, this year our yard will be on the Northland Garden Club's tour. Gardening is another one of my passions and I can't wait to start getting my hands dirty. My gardens are a long way from comparing to some of the outstanding gardens that are usually featured on this tour, but I will do my best to make my yard as perfect as possible. You can view the web page here http://www.northlandgardenclub.com/editor/HTMLFiles/08tosatto.htm.

Panera Bread at 311 NE Englewood Road

Panera Bread is one of my favorite places to eat for "fast food". Unfortunately, the one that recently opened by my house has been a disappointment. The last few times that we have eaten there have left us wandering what's going on. The service is slow and the people working there have no customer service skills. I have never experienced these types of issues at other Panera's and wander if it's a Northland thing.
We stopped in last night and the gal behind the counter clearly did not want to be there and don't get me started on the two buffoons preparing the food. They were way to busy talking to one another to worry about the food they were serving. When I got home with my food the order was screwed up and there was food in the bag that we did not order and food missing. They weren't even working on any other orders, how hard is it to get this right!
I called the store and talked with Kevin who was apologetic and offered me free food. At this point I'm a little leery of going back. Good customer service is so easy to provide, but if it's not taught or enforced it doesn't matter.
People really do need to demand better service. You can be positive about it and let people know what you expect. When you eat at Panera, you expect just a little more from them. I hope they get their act together.

Snickerdoodles

When I was young, my older sister and I would make snickerdoodles. All the time! We loved to make them as much as we liked to eat them and they are still one of my favorite cookies. I came across this recipe in the Sept. 'o7 issue of Cooking Light and was curious to try them. While not quite the same cookie as the ones I remember from childhood, these are pretty good. They have 99 calories per cookie, 3.3g of fat, 16.9 carbs and 15mg chol. The perfect stay-home-from-work-snowy-day cookie!

Snickerdoodles

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400.

Combine 3/4 cup sugar, brown sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add to butter mixture; beat until just combined. Shape in 30 balls.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a small shallow bowl. Roll dough in mixture and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake for 8 minutes or until tops crack. Cool on pans 1 minute, remove to wire racks.

Kansas City Made the Top 20!!

Cooking Light magazine just named the top 20 cities that best fit their philosophy and Kansas City, MO made the list. You can read the article here http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/02/20/cl.best.cities/index.html

A Different Kind of Fish Story

That beautiful fish in the picture above has a funny little story to it. Back in August of 2005, Dan was going to be in Vegas for a work shin-dig. This little shin-dig was being held at the newly opened Wynn Resort and I was going out to spend the weekend. They offered people discounted room prices if they wanted to stay on for a few days, so we decided to take advantage. Our friend Alicia and her ex decided to join us for the weekend and they were fortunate to get a wonderful room rate too.
We had recently received a Wine Spectator magazine that had a large write up about the Wynn and it's restaurants and I decided we had to eat at Bartolotta Ristorante Di Mare. Paul Bartolotta had the reputation of being a very good chef/owner and I wanted to try this place out. We had reservations for dinner on August 25, 2005 and we had a wonderful, if somewhat surprising, evening.
The restaurant is a large and open space, with this incredible stairway that takes you down into the dining area. We had a nice table with a great view of lake. I imagine that most tables have a great view of the water, because of all the windows. We were promptly greeted by our server, who was very attentive and had a great personality. He brought out a tray of fresh fish and explained each one as far as texture and taste. He told us that the fish were flown in daily from the Mediterranean and were caught that day! There was even a spiny little lobster walking around the tray that really tried to make an escape.
We ordered our food and pretty much decided to go family style. Our waiter explained that most people did it that way and we would all be able to try out different dishes. Since we had decided to order a whole fish, I wanted a steak, just in case I did not like the fish. I don't remember any of the food being bad, in fact it was all quite wonderful. The only bad thing was my piece of fish had bones in it(this always happens to me) and I almost swallowed a bone.
We ordered a bottle each of Pelligrino and Panna water for $7. We had 2 bottles of Pieropan Soa Seppia (I had read about how good it was) at $44 a piece. One of our appetizers was a special ($19) and I believe it was calamari? We also ordered the Cocotte di Parmigiano-Reggiano ($16.50). It was a wonderful warm custard made with the aforementioned cheeses and topped with wild mushrooms. Paul ordered the Zuppa Pesce ($42) and I believe he ate the entire thing by himself.
We had a bowl of Tagliatelle con Pocini ($16.00), with home made noodles and mushrooms. The beautiful and melt-in-your-mouth Costata di Manzo al Sangiovese ($47), which was an 18 ounce ribeye. The fish arrived and was cut up tableside just like they do it in Italy. The fish was called Urbina, a type of Sea Bass if I remember correctly. We finished the meal with a couple of desserts, one a gelato and the other a budino, an Italian pudding.
You would think by the way we were ordering food that we had not eaten in awhile and that money was no object. Sometimes you just get carried away in these situations and when the food and service are outstanding you just go with the flow. Our waiter brought us our bill and we all about fell out of our seats. The total was $507.00 and that was without a tip! It seemes that our fish was quite expensive, coming in at $170.00!! That fish must have flown first-class.
It was a wonderful evening and one that none of us will ever forget. Nor will any of us likely order like that again!!
The restaurant is located in the Wynn Resort at 3131 Las Vegas Blvd S. Las Vegas NV 89109.

Mushroom and Sausage Risotto

Saturday night, our friend Stacey came over for dinner. She has been wanting to learn how to make risotto, so I decided to give her a lesson. I had most of the prep work done so that we could prepare the dish without being stressed. This recipe is based on one from a book called Risotto by Judith Barrett and Norma Wasserman. Our recipe used fewer mushrooms, more sausage and we decided to add peas to round it out. The dish turned out very good, the mushrooms were wonderful. Risotto Con Funghi E Salsiccia is perfect for this time of the year.

Mushroom and Sausage Risotto

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup red wine
4 to 5 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. onion, finely minced
2 Tbsp. carrot, minced
2 Tbsp. celery, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. When it begins to foam, add mushrooms and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add red wine, turn heat to high and boil vigorously until the liquid is almost completely evaporated. Turn off heat and set aside.
Bring broth to simmer in a saucepan.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage, breaking up the sausage while stirring, until it begins to brown.
Add the rice, stirring for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir until absorbed. Start adding the broth, 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring frequently. Wait until each addition is almost completely absorbed before adding next 1/2 cup. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
After about 18 minutes, when rice is tender but firm, add mushrooms, cheese and parsley. Stir and serve immediately.

Balsamic Bean Dip

This recipe was in one of the many magazines I receive, but I don't remember which one, Bon Appetit, I think. Anyway, the dip is good but the one from Giada, White Bean Dip, is much better. I did add garlic to my version, the magazine recipe seemed to need it. Serve it with fresh veggies or pita chips. When I drizzled the top of mine with the oil and vinegar, I ended up with a little too much vinegar, so I used a knife and ran it through the dip to disperse it a little.

Balsamic Bean Dip

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained
1 clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar plus extra for drizzling
Oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper

Puree beans, garlic, olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar in processor until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with tomato oil and a few drops of vinegar.

Seared Rib-Eye Steaks w/ Edamame & Garlic

This recipe comes from the Fall 2007 issue of Fine Cooking. It's a simple recipe that turns out really nice and was the perfect dinner for 2 on Valentine's Day. The most time consuming part of the recipe is peeling and slicing the garlic in half, so that shows how easy this is to prepare. Althought the flavor was good, I still prefer my steaks on the grill as opposed to cooking them on the stove top. It's also a really pretty dish, but my pictures did not turn out, they were a little fuzzy so I decided not to post them.

Seared Rib-Eye Steaks with Edamame & Garlic

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
2 1-inch thick, boneless rib-eye steaks (6 to 8 ounces)
Coarsely cracked black pepper
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
Pinch cayenne, more to taste
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges for serving

In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm oil with the garlic and a pinch of salt. When the oil starts to bubble gently, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally, until it's light golden brown and perfectly tender when pierced with a fork, about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.
Generously season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil and the steaks. Don't disturb the steaks until they have a nice brown crust, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side until the steaks are done to your liking, about another 3 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer to a warm plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
While the steaks rest, add 1 teaspoon of salt and edamame to boiling water. Return to a boil and cook, uncovered, about 4 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons garlic oil, cayenne and parsley. Toss to combine, add salt to taste.
Slice steaks on an angle into 1/2 inch slices and divide between two plates and scatter with remaining garlic. Serve with edamame and lemon wedges.

Senor Tequila Mexican Restaurant

I have posted on Senor Tequila in the past, but we ate there the other night and I thought they deserved another write up. We've been eating there ever since we moved up north and that's about 7 years now. We love the food, it's nothing fancy, but their sign claims that the food is 100% authentic. The service is also good, there have been occasions where we ended up with a lousy server, but you never see those guys anymore.
On this trip, I ordered the Enchiladas Rancheras($7.75). This is one of the dishes that I go back and forth between, the other 2 are the Tacos de Carne Azada and the wonderful, big bowl of Caldo de Pollo. The enchilada dish consists of 3 cheese enchiladas, topped with enchilada sauce and this incredible pork with onions and bell peppers and a side of shredded lettuce, sour cream, guacamole and sliced tomatoes. The shredded pork is both crispy and moist.
Dan, as usual, ordered the Chicken Fajitas($10.50). This is a dish that they certainly don't skimp on, the skillet is piled high with chicken, grilled onion, peppers and tomatoes. All that is served with tortillas, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, gaucamole and beans and rice. I always say that I'm going to oder fajitas, but I always fall back on my other favorites instead.
We typically order the 32 ounce Dos XX for only $3.75. Compared to other restaurants that is a steal. They also serve up a pretty good margaritas at prices that are lower than most.
They are located at 6502 N. Oak Trafficway Gladstone, MO 64118 816-420-0640.

Cheesy Grits Souffle

I came across this recipe in my June 2007 Cuisine at Home magazine. I've never made a souffle before and thought this sounded great. Grits, smoked cheddar and corn, who wouldn't love it? Flavor wise it was very good, but it really tasted like a light and airy omelet, it was very eggy. I think I was hoping that it would be more like corn bread or at least a cornbread-frittata combo. It turned out great and looked pretty, but...It might be a good brunch item to serve your friends, they will be impressed with the work that goes into it.
The recipe calls for beating the egg whites to medium peaks, which means beating them until they droop from the beaters, yet hold their shape and don't slide off.

Cheesy Grits Souffle

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup yellow corn grits
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3/4 cup smoked Cheddar, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1/3 cup scallions, chopped
2 egg yolks (reserve whites)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne
3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 400, coat a 2-qt. baking dish with nonstick spray. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add grits in a steady stream, whisking constantly; reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring often, until grits are thick and creamy, 15-20 minutes.
Off heat, stir in cream, corn, cheeses, scallions, yolks, salt and cayenne. Transfer to a large bowl and cool to room temperature, stirring often to prevent a "skin" from forming.
Beat the whites in a bowl to medium peaks. Blend 1/3 of the whites into the grits, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Serve immediately.

Good News From Florida

Thursday night, when my Mom went to bed, she laid there and could not get to sleep. She was worried that she would never sale her house and did not know how she would continue to pay for it and the ever increasing Florida property taxes. She asked "George, what have you done to me?"(George being my late father), and finally fell asleep.
The next morning she decided to go through her jewelry box. I did not ask her if she was contemplating trying to get money for some of it, knowing that she loves her jewelry and not wanting to step on her pride. While going through her jewelry box, she came across a small box at the bottom that she did not remember being there before. She took it out and opened the box and there was my father's St. Christopher medal. She had not seen that medal in 40 years and decided to take it up to my Aunt Betty's house to show her. Betty helped her clean the medal and they both marvelled at the fact that it was even in her jewelry box.
When Mom returned home, she had a message from her real estate agent that someone had made a very nice offer on her home. Needless to say, by Sunday the paperwork was all finished and my mother will be moving back to Kansas City on April 15th.

Fizzy Chicken w/Lemon Vinaigrette

This recipe comes from Issue 63 of Cuisine at Home. It looked interesting, so I decided to try it out last night. Flavor wise it was good, it just seemed like a lot of trouble and mess and I probably would not make it again. I would make the vinaigrette again and use it over grilled chicken.

Fizzy Chicken with Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper
1/2 cup club soda
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Combine lemon juice, honey, chives and mustard in a bowl. Drizzle in a 1/4 cup oil, whisking constantly until emulsified. Add salt to taste. Trim chicken breasts of fat and season with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, then saute in 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and saute for 2 more minutes.
Deglaze with club soda, reduce heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon butter and pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until liquid is syrupy, about 5 minutes; turning chicken to coat. Keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. Serve topped with vinaigrette.

Tomfooleries at Zona Rosa

A couple of weeks ago, Dan and I were at Zona Rosa and decided to eat at Tomfooleries. We have eaten there before, both here and at the Plaza, and have always had decent food. They have such a varied menu, so it's easy to find something to try.

Since it was lunch, I decided to go a little on the light side. I ordered the Coconut Fried Chicken Salad ($8.79). This was a very good salad, with crispy coconut chicken and lots of it. The salad also had thinly sliced red onion, real bacon, tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese and croutons served over mixed greens topped with a nice honey mustard. It was a very satisfying salad and much better than the Peanut Butter Fried Chicken Salad that I had on a different visit. That chicken was a gloppy, gooey, gross mess.

Dan ordered the Southwestern Chicken Cobb ($8.79). He enjoyed this salad topped blackened chicken, bacon, tomato, cheddar & Monterey Jack cheeses, black beans, tortilla strips all on top of mixed greens and served with salsa and ranch dressing. The blackened chicken had a great flavor and worked well with the other ingredients.

The service was good and quick and the food was satisfying. They are located in Zona Rosa at 8680 NW Prairie View Road KCMO 64153 816-746-8668.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

All I can say is this is one of the best soups I've made. I came across this recipe in a 1991 issue of Bon Appetit. The hardest part was finding unsalted tortilla chips, I finally found them at Green Acres Market in Briarcliff Village. The soup is simple to prepare and quick. You could easily substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth, if you so desired. You could also add some cooked chicken, saute 1/2 of a bell pepper with the veggie saute or top it with a nice spicy home made salsa. All that said, it's pretty perfect as written.

Cream of Tortilla Soup

2 141/2-ounce cans chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
1 1/2 cups crushed unsalted tortilla chips, plus extra for garnish
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic in the last minute. Reserve 1 tablespoon of chopped tomato and 1 tablespoon of chives for garnish. Add remaining tomato, chives and 1 1/2 cups of tortilla chips to saucepan and saute for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle with flour and stir mixture for 2 minutes.
Stir broth into tortilla mixture. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in cream. Add cheeses and stir until melted and well blended. Add chili powder and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with tortilla chips, tomato and chives and serve.

Down Home With The Neelys on the Food Network

Last night, we finally watched the first episode of Down Home With The Neelys on the Food Network. The first show was very good and if the rest of the series was like this, then I have a new favorite. Pat and Gina Neely have this great chemistry together and they both seem as thought they were born for the camera. I was ready to head for Memphis to find their restaurant, the food looked that good. The show is on at noon on Sundays CST. If you get a chance, watch it, you'll be glad that you did.

Jazz a Louisiana Kitchen - Kansas City

We ended up eating out twice on Saturday. I called Stacy to get her e-mail adress and ended up with dinner invite. She and Tracey were going to Jazz for dinner and she invited Dan and I to tag along. Parking can be kind of crazy on a Saturday night along the 39th Street corrider, but we were lucky that night. We ended up with a Doris Day parking spot, right in front of the restaurant entrance!

Stacy was already seated, she got there just in time, so we walked right in and took our seats. She had ordered some Hushpuppies ($1.99) and some amazing Fried Pickles ($3.99). Both are good starters, but those pickles are to die for. Our server reappeared and took our beer orders while we waited for Tracey to show up. The waitress was a little on the surly side and the 3 of were resigned to an evening of bad service. That is until Tracey showed up. Obviously our waitress has a thing for tall blondes, because once Tracey was seated our server's demeanor went from poor to joyous in a very short time.

For dinner, both Stacy and Tracey ordered the Shrimp & Scallops Pontchartrain($12.49). This was a plate of shrimp and scallops that were sauteed in a tequila lime cream sauce and served with dirty rice. Very good, but also very rich. Dan had a not full order of Cajun Fried Shrimp($7.99). I believe there were 8 pieces of shrimp in a spicy cornmeal crust with some hushpuppies and really good cajun coleslaw. He enjoyed his meal and even ate the cole slaw (he hates cabbage). I ordered the not full order of Beer Battered Shrimp($7.99) and was a little disappointed. It's not that the shrimp were bad, they just were a little on the bland side. I should have ordered the Louisiana BBQ Shrimp instead, but sometimes we all make mistakes.

Dan and I were actually a little hesitant in joining them for dinner. We used to occasionally eat at Jazz and then they opened a restaurant up north and ruined the experience for us. The Northland place had the world's worst service and had just become too painful of an experience to deal with. They have since closed that location. Jazz is located at 1823 W. 39th Street KCMO 816-531-5556. They have quite a few things to choose from on the menu, so everyone will find something to their liking,

Waldo Pizza

On Saturday, we were in the Waldo area and decided to stop in at Waldo Pizza for lunch. We used to eat there quite often when we lived in the area, almost once a week to be honest. They serve up some of the best pizza in Kansas City and we try to eat there whenever we are in the neighborhood.

They always seem to have things on their menu that you never see on other pizza place menus, like over 9 kinds of cheese including ricotta and Asiago. They have 6 sauces to choose from and ingredients like pine nuts, roasted corn and eggplant. They also have a great salad bar that features home-made dressings, like the ever popular garlic ranch. Waldo Pizza have also always had an extensive beer list and since we were last there, they have added a Tap Room that features 14 taps and 100 bottles of beer.

On this visit, we opted for the buffet since it was lunch. They charge $6.50 for their all-you-can-eat salad and pizza buffet. It's a great way to try out some different crusts and toppings and you don't have to sit and try to figure out what kind of pizza you want.

Waldo Pizza is located at 7433 Broadway at the corner of 75th and Wornall KCMO 816-363-5242. They also have a Lee's Summit location at Rollins Meadow in Douglas Square.

Beef and Bean Chili

I made this chili last night with ingredients that I had on hand. Since I had a couple of leeks, I used them instead of using an onion and the chili turned out really good. I used a spicy garlic olive oil to saute my veggies and that added another nice layer of flavor to the dish.

Beef and Bean Chili

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbsp)
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 Tbsp. Ancho chili pepper powder
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 (14 oz) lower-sodium fat-free beef broth
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium heat, add the leeks, garlic and peppers and saute for minutes to soften, stirring often. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add the chili powder and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.