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...

Blindfolded with Pointy Objects

Like I mentioned in the previous posts, we planned for vacation to be an adventure before we even stepped on the door. This one didn't fall short of the goal. So far our vacation plans for South Carolina fell through, last minute airline deals = not so last minute, and now the 24-hour reserve we had on a cruise was dropped somewhere short of 24 hours. As of Friday evening we were officially on vacation and no place to go. Over the previous couple of months we'd tossed around ideas, one of which… throw a dart at a map then hit the road. On a side note, I'm not a dart board owner but recently I found a dart. It was in a dart board that had been thrown away. I wasn't intentionally dumpster diving, I just happened to come across it, I promise. Anyway, I grabbed the dart just in case.
Now that our latest plans had crumbled, we decided to do a little more searching/surfing then discuss our findings the following day, Saturday. That morning I ran a couple of errands and ended up back at the office where there are multiple computers for searching ease. For inspiration, I placed a map of the United States above the computer and searched flights for anywhere, Florida… beaches and theme parks… California…more beach… Colorado… Colorado, what could we do there??? White water rafting… a possibility… Finally in a fit of frustration I took out the dart, closed my eyes and tossed it. Apparently I forgot to inform the dart that anyplace chillier than Missouri was not an option, because the thing landed in the chilly tundra of Canada, yuck! My own personal theory is we wait all winter for cold to go away, so going somewhere cold during summer is ridiculous.
Curt, one of the DJ's who seemed amused by the desperate vacation search, informed me proper dart throwing procedure calls for a twirl then toss. Ahhh, good idea! Relieved there was a professional on hand to clear up the bylaws, the first throw was disqualified!
I stepped back, took a couple blinded spins and threw the dart toward what I hoped was the map …… And the winner is, Colorado! I like it.. A few moments later I shared the results with Kayla who was all for a Colorado White Water Rafting adventure. There should be plenty to do and the state is also close enough to Missouri that I could drive out and we could road trip across the countryside.
Decisions made!! The following day Kayla, who lives in Chicago, would take an affordable flight into Kansas City instead of the pricey Denver option. I would pick her up in a rental car (with an operating AC) and we would be westward bound!!

Vacation Eve and Counting

When the 24-hour hold was placed on the cruise, we set to work making our travel arrangements to Miami. Kayla lives in Chicago. I'm near Kansas City. Between the two large airports we should be able to find flights to South Beach without much trouble… or one would think.
On a daily basis there is a plethora of emails bragging about these amazing "last minute deals." Most of the time those bargains are off to places that would be great to visit. I'll confess though, I don't usually read the whole thing because I don't have the time to go. During this planning adventure, I've officially read the fine print and have learned something about those "deals". It's bull!! The majority of these require a 10 to 14 day purchase prior to departure. If I can't purchase a ticket and be on the plane/boat/train/camel or water buffalo within 24 hours then it's not a last minute deal!!
Despite the false claim, we both found decent priced flights that would put us in Miami enjoying the sunshine in about 48 hours. That would be plenty of time to enjoy the beach before the cruise left port. With a little excitement as well as relief knowing when, where and what we would do, the call was made to secure the cruise…
or attempt to...

Mission Vacation...

Vacation! It's a great time to get away, relax, take in sunshine and visit with old friends. You've got to love it. This year was no different in the amount of fun, but quite different in the follow through. My friend Kayla and I had been planning to take a vacation for the past couple of months and finally settled on the week of June 22nd as the time to escape. In 2008 we took a trip to Vegas where we won some and lost some, just the way Vegas should be. This time we decided vacation would be an adventure from the very beginning, long before stepping out the door. How does that happen? By making absolutely no plans! We didn't know where we wanted to go so we decided to "let the cards fall where they may" and see what happens from a last minute adventure.
A few days into June, our friend Chris in North Carolina invited us to his place on the lake. He would take off a couple days to join us but thought we could find plenty to entertain ourselves in the meantime. Lake, boats, and sunshine in a land many states away… that sounded like a great idea so we started plotting when and how to get there. As travel plans fell into place, things on the other end fell apart. Chris had unavoidable stuff come up so he wouldn't be able to amuse us girls as planned. That's ok, we've got plenty of time!
As the vacation countdown continued, we dedicated hours to the search. Four days out, Kayla found a great 4-night deal on a cruise. Sunshine, boats, beach!! Can't beat it! She put a 24 hour hold on the cabin while we tracked down flights to Miami. We don't fly out for three days, that's plenty of time...

It's What's for Dinner… And Dessert!!!

During May, KMZU hosts the Best Beef Recipe Contest. We've had the contest for a few years now, five I believe. If there is a day that people get to work early, the beef cook off is the day. As promised, I'm posting the winning recipe here. We'll also have the rest of the recipes in our KMZU cook book, as soon as I finish typing it. This year's book will contain all the recipes submitted last year and this year, so there is bound to be something you'll enjoy.
This month is National Dairy Month so we've decided to continue our delicious savory summer with a Dairy Dessert contest. It's underway now. The dessert must include some type of dairy product and the deadline for entry is June 26th. We'll announce the winner for this contest on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009. Recipes can be sent to KMZU Dairy Dessert, 102 North Mason, Carrollton MO 64633.. or email it to us at farmdept@kmzu.com

The 2009 winning Best Beef recipe was submitted by Tom Ecklund of Brookfield. According to Ecklund, it's a concoction he uses for elk and has modified it for beef. His recipe helped him when this amazing Treager Grill which I'm sure he's already put to use!! The recipe is creates an elegant, delicious home cooked steak… Even our die hard grilling guys loved it. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

PAN SEARED FILLET OF BEEF
With a Cranberry Merlot Sauce

Ingredients
Steak: 1 9oz Fillet
Olive Oil
Seasoning: 1Tbsp Cracked Pepper 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Pepper 1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp White Pepper 1 tsp Season Salt
½ tsp Cayenne Pepper 2 Tbsp Salt

Sauce: 1 Cup Water ½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Dried Cranberries
1 1/3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
2/3 Cup Merlot (Does not have to be expensive)
¼ Cup Butter

Preheat your Oven to 450 Degrees

Preparation
Seasoning: Place all ingredients into a small plastic container with a lid, Shake until combined. Stir with a fork before using, because oregano will sift to the top when you shake it.
Sauce: Using a 12” Skillet on high heat, bring the water & sugar to a soft boil. Add Cranberries to the water and let them boil for one minute. Then add the merlot and Worcestershire, let it reduce for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn heat to low, stir in the butter, you are finished when the sauce coats the back of a spoon. (You do not what it to be syrupy but if it is really translucent just let it reduce longer.)
Steak: In a 10” Stainless Steal skillet, sear all sides of your fillet.
1. Get your pan hot
2. Dust all sides of the fillet with the seasoning
3. Drizzle just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan
4. Sear all sides of the fillet (including edges), roughly 10 to 15 seconds per side
5. Place in 450 degree oven for 6 to 10 min depending on your oven. You want it to be Medium Rare for best results, but you can go to medium if you must. I wouldn’t go over that because then the steak will become tuff

Put it all together: Cut the fillet against the grain into four to five equal strips. Fan the strips out on a plate and spoon some cranberries and a little extra sauce over the strips. You will have extra cranberries and sauce left but if you cut the recipe down too far it doesn’t work out as nicely.

Tip: While your water comes to a boil for your sauce, sear your steak. While your steak is in the oven, finish your sauce. This way you should be done at the same time. Otherwise make your sauce first and take it off the heat and just bring it back to temperature before you top the steak with it.
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Hope you enjoy the recipe and don't forget to send in your favorite Dairy Dessert by June 26th. We're building a great prize package for the winner!!

Get to Typing!!!

That's what I've been telling myself, and others have told me, for the last few weeks. I've typed up a few notes here and there but didn't feel there was much excitement to share. At least that's what I thought until I took a stroll through some random pictures from the last couple months where I discovered a few points of inspiration.
First, this is a shot of the mess in the office during National Ag week. Why do we have a mess at that time (or more of a mess, my coworkers would ask)? During National Ag week we work to educate kids throughout the area about agriculture. This year I visited about 10 different schools and spoke to more than 400 elementary students about agriculture. The students usually enjoy the program but really get excited when I tell them they get a free KMZU t-shirt for listening so well. That means a lot of shirts pass through the farm department over the two week period. This is just a sample of the cotton headache that was in the office before the school visits got started.
This photo.... it's a shot of the car after the schools visits came to an end. It takes a lot of energy to talk to 400+ enthusiastic kids. This is how I build up the energy to survive the week. In hindsight, it appears I may have a dew problem.