2010 KMZU Beef Contest Winner!!!

Just wrapped up another KMZU Best Beef Recipe contest. This winning recipe was submitted by Rita Wilson of Tina.

Grilled Sirloin Poppers

1 Lb Sirloin Steaks – cubed
¼ t Steak Seasoning
½ t Greek Seasoning
1 16oz bottle Italian Salad Dressing
½ Cup Jalapeno Pepper Slices
10 slices Bacon, cut in half
Toothpicks soaked in water

1. Season meat with Greek seasoning & Steak seasoning. Place in a bowl and cover with Italian dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to marinate – best to marinate overnight.

2. preheat grill for medium heat. Drain the marinade from the meat and discard the marinade. Place a slice of jalapeno on top of a piece of meat, then wrap with a slice of bacon. Secure with a soaked toothpick. Repeat with remaining meat.

3. Grill the sirloin poppers for 15 to 20 minutes to brown the bacon.

Serve and enjoy!!

I just spoke with Rita a little time ago. She dropped off the recipe as a last minute thought, handwritten on the last day of the deadline. That's a spur of the moment move that just won her a new BBQ Grill!! Congratulations Rita!!

By the way, it seems like we just did the recipe contest. As I look through my previous posts it looks like it was a short time ago. That means I need to find more interesting things in my world and get to posting! That said, here's my new mid-year resolution to blog more!! I've posted today so that's one down!

Lil Red is Done

So I found success in using reverse on the car. The good news I was able to slip the Lil Red Jetta into Drive one last time. Slowly creeping away from the stop sign I made a quick decision to hang a right onto a nice level street where I made the executive decision not to stop again! Luckily it was downhill most of the way to the office and that route just happened to go by an auto shop. After a couple slow and go's I pulled into a parking place at the shop where the mechanic could back out and roll down the hill into the garage if necessary. I then hoofed it up the hill to work. The next day I got the call..... "It will probably cost more to fix your car than it's worth, so if you could move it, soon, that would be great."
So how and where do you move a car that only works in reverse? You could have someone haul it for you, but strikes me as a little pricey, and no fun!! My answer... mom was in town and parked at the top of the hill next to the station. It was a short distance so I just backed the Jetta up the hill to the station parking lot. The following Monday I drafted Debbie from the office to escort me to the shop on the south side of town. As we were leaving the studio for the backwards adventure, there was a last minute joke to play. Ray needed to pick up his car from the place we were going so I volunteered to give him a lift. He climbed in the car and started chatting. As we backed out of the parking lot and he had an inquisitive look on his face, I informed him we would drive backwards to get his car. He had a fun reaction, but let's just say he said "what!!" So we proceeded to follow Debbie, backwards, through town. After a couple miles and a few odd looks from people, we arrived in one piece.
The Lil Red Jetta is done, but a new-to-me pretty Trailblazer has taken its place.

Hello Spring!!!

The Farm Road is moving slow! That's in reference to my lack of posts, but also in reference to the lack of activity in farm country at this time. We enjoyed a few days of sunshine last week but last night another storm set farm activity back once again. On a positive note, this morning I noticed my tulips are blooming. That put a smile on my face because it's just a matter of time till the flowerbed is full of color!!
Before I catch you up on one of the latest adventure, note the "KMZU Facebook" link to the right. We have a challenge we are trying to meet… reach 1000 "KMZU friends" by May 5th! If we reach the goal the sales staff will supply the on air hoodlums free margaritas and nachos (maybe with cheese)!!! Help some starving radio peeps out!!
Now, onto the latest adventure, and I use that term loosely…
If you refer back to late 2008, you'll see pictures of my former Jeep. That's the Jeep that met its demise on a dark road when it collided with the hind end of a large steer. After that sad encounter I bought a 96 Jetta to get me by for a bit. The Jetta held true to those expectations, though "a bit" was a little shorter than I hoped. The transmission started slipping on week number two and I've been nursing her along since then. Now fast forward to February 2010….
I was supposed to be at the Linn Tech Campus on the 25th. I'd planned to go down the night before and visit with friends but that fell through. The morning of, I was throwing things together and packing up stuff for Chilly (more on her later). I made a call to the campus to double check something when I learned I was a month early. I needed to be there the 25th of March. Ooops. I had other things to do anyway so I directed the Jetta to KMZU corporate. I made it two blocks and could tell something wasn't right. I was driving down the next hill when I had the feeling I was coasting instead of driving. At the next stop sign on the hillside I attempted multiple gears D, 1st and 2nd. As two cars gave up and drove around me, I finally found success... in reverse.

Bursts of Color

What a beautiful day! I grant that it's Monday, but the colors outside are really mood lifting. I recently found a few Fall bloomers I couldn't resist on the clearance rack of the nearby greenhouse. After a couple weekends they are actually in the ground and already sparkling with bright shades of pinks and yellows. I was going to take a few pictures of the countryside yesterday but I have apparently allowed the battery in my camera to run down. I plan to recharge the little inefficient beast today and post a few shots of the area just in case you haven't had the chance to enjoy the real life watercolor scenes of Fall yet.

Closing the 09 Vacay Book

That evening I dropped Kayla off at her parent's place north of Bolivar. Her brother, Chris, would join her later that evening after a long drive from Texas. The next day the two of them would head to Columbia to visit their parents at the hospital.
After kicking Kayla out of the car I took off for south central Missouri to grab a little family time of my own.
When family time wrapped up the following day, the three of us gathered back in Humansville and spent the next couple days in late night conversations, late morning wake ups, and back roading through the landscape of Polk County… In a Jeep, with the top off!!! It was great weather to be out and about with friends and we learned a few things about the area. First, if you need to find someone and don't know where to look, plant yourself at the convenience store because they will pass through sooner or later. Second of all, we grabbed lunch at a small café in town. It was a pleasant surprise to dine on what has to be one of the best salads ever! I don't remember the name, but if you pass through Humansville, swing by the little café on Main and enjoy!!
Last but not least, backroading is still a great way to spend time. Yes, you burn a little gas but you see the good stuff when you venture off the beaten path. For example, while touring the countryside one day, we got a kick out of this sight... I love people with an entertaining sense of humor!! Do you have to be a small town kid to appreciate backroading, or do urban/suburbanites somehow learn that pastime too?
After a couple days entertaining ourselves, Saturday rolled around. Chris made another trip to Columbia to visit the family. Kayla and I ventured back to the Lake of the Ozarks for the jet ski adventure we missed earlier in the week. That evening Chris joined us at the lake for a night on the town at a little club down the road. Bright and early Sunday, he set out for the long haul back to the Lone Star state. Kayla and I returned to Columbia for another visit with the family. Her dad was feeling a little better after his week of recovery and her mom seemed to be a little more rested after the whirlwind week they had experienced. That afternoon we returned to Kansas City to do the rental car and checked luggage shuffle. We made it home and can't wait for the next vacation adventure.

Back to Vacation Past

A little slow on the follow up to the stories I suppose, but there's more to come…
It just so happens we had a great vacation.
Fred and Deb, it was great to see you.. even if you did spend most of your time "hanging out" with the nurses and doctors. There's a good chance they were better company, not to mention, a lot more useful under the circumstances than the rest of us! Hope to visit with you again
We had a great visit with the family and we wanted a spontaneous spin to vacation anyway! After we left the hospital we traveled south to the Lake of the Ozarks. Thanks to my friend Nicole who did a little online search, we found a great resort for $67 a night. At least half the price of some places we checked into and it was very nice. The only downside was the regional cheerleading competition that was being held there that same week. When the guy at the desk shared that information, images of teenie boppers doing cartwheels up and down the halls while giggling and screaming cheers throughout the night passed through my mind. Thankfully that was not the case because he placed us on a floor far away from the sleep threatening spirit squads. We had an awesome balcony overlooking a wonderful scene of greenery and the lake. One evening we participated in what we refer to as "sauna golf." It's an easy game, just attend any mini or full size golf course on what would have to be the muggiest, most miserable, humidity filled day of the year. As you step onto the course, make sure you are surrounded by a number of people (dozens works best) who can slow down the process of actually finishing all 18 holes. You will honestly find yourself fighting the temptation to jump into the mucky oddly colored "water hazard" at the course.

Congratulations, you have now experienced Sauna Golf!! We managed to survive the game by cutting out a couple holes early to make it to the air conditioned theater to see "The Hangover." By the way, I thought it was hilarious!!
During our time at the lake we also enjoyed a couple days of sleeping in, swimming, and a great morning at the spa with massage, manicures, and pedicures! Wonderful!!
We were going to head out for an adventure on Jet Skii's but Mother Nature had a different idea when she sent a monsoon our way. At that point we were already planning to leave the lake for another adventure and this just bumped up the schedule.

When Things Fall into Place...

Then that’s the place you're supposed to be… The next 24 hours were spent packing, doing laundry and trying to think of anything we might need for a week on the road to Colorado and who knows where. What shoes do I need, turn off the air, take out the trash, lock the doors… where are my keys!!!
I made plans to get to Kansas City early so I could tackle a couple of pre-trip tasks, including the need to arrange a rental car. The air conditioner I thought was working in my car decided to fail. That's not acceptable so a rental was a must! Uncharacteristically, I arrived in Kansas City right on time. As I pulled onto the highway toward the airport I got a call from Kayla. She had spent much of her day preparing in the same way, packing, unpacking and repacking. She was at the airport in Chicago about to board the plane for the short flight but called to let me know something had come up. Her parents had called to say that her dad was going to have surgery that evening… a long awaited major surgery… in a matter of hours… in Missouri!!
Of all the places we could have been, the numerous plans that came together to those same plans that fell apart, we were thankful to be where we were. When she arrived in KC we turned our little rental, loaded down with anything and everything, east toward Columbia. We arrived with a couple hours to visit before the operation started.
By the next morning her dad was resting comfortably, or at least as comfortably as one could after an internal overhaul. By the afternoon his color was good and he was visiting with everyone in the room.
Since things were going well they encouraged us to take off on our adventure. We did decide to oblige...