Oops!

I didn't realize how the headline on the post below would sound. Tasty Tuesdays will continue through October, but I guess I consider September as fall, so I should have said something more appropriate!
Cindy from Sweet Repeats just brought me a yummy sounding recipe for Zucchini Chocolate Cake that we'll be trying this coming Tuesday, and of course Michael Richardson will be here October 12 to cook and sign his cookbook The Best of Cottey Cooking. We will not be having Tasty Tuesday on October 19 due to the Friends of the Fort event at the Liberty Theatre-we hope you'll join us there and support our National Historic Site!

Last Tasty Tuesday of the Summer

What a great party last night! We made some Roasted Potato and Tomato salad with fresh produce from the Farmer's Market. It was enjoyed by our wonderful group of regulars, some new folks and also special guest Michael Richardson, author of The Best of Cottey Cooking. This was Michael's first experience with Tasty Tuesday and our Farmer's Market. He called this morning to tell me how much he enjoyed his visit, and to set October 12 as the date for his book signing and stint as guest chef for Tasty Tuesday. So mark your calendar to stop by on your way to or from the Farmer's Market for a taste of one of Michael's recipes, and to get your cookbook signed!

Too Hot for Tofu?

I guess our Kansas weather just got too hot for Monsieur Tofu so he took his vacation in the Antarctic! Too bad he's missing our beautiful weather right now and the Gala on Saturday too! Let's hope this photo doesn't look like January in Fort Scott-yikes!

So Much To Blog About...

...So little time!

Last Thursday Martha Scott held a private "Cooking with Herbs" class for a wonderful P.E.O. group from Nevada.

While Martha has taught this class several times before, she makes each class different and special. The menu included chicken salad three ways, herbed pecans and walnuts, her super secret "home made" roll recipe and a wonderful herbed peach dessert. If you haven't been to Martha's blog yet, you owe it to yourself to visit www.linesfromlinderhof.com. You'll find recipes, decorating tips and all manner of information about Fort Scott.

Our regular classes will return at the end of September. If you would like to know which classes will be held and when, go to our website www.fslifeplusstyle.com and sign up for the newsletter. Classes are only announced on the newsletter, and if you see a class you're interested in taking, come to the store right away as all reservations must be pre-paid and we only sell 12 seats.

Just ask the gals in Nevada-they'll tell you how much fun the classes are!

Thursday Field Trip

For our final field trip of the summer, we chose to go to Lee's Summit, MO. One of the reasons we chose Lee's Summit is because before we opened our store, we travelled to several historic down towns to see how they were doing; and Lee's Summit was one of them. On our first trip we visited with Jet at A Thyme For Everything (www.athymeforeverthing.com). Since our last trip, Jet has moved to a larger space and she has greatly enlarged her gourmet food selection. Even though a class was set to start soon, she showed us around and shared with us her considerable experience. She also recommended we go to Ciao Bella (two doors down) for dinner. Great recommendation! Jim had a pizza with blue cheese and I had cioppino-delicious!

Too Hot to Cook!

Tasty Tuesday found us a bit wilted, but we were revived by delicious gazpacho courtesy of Mary Corpstein, Sweet Rose Farm and Tastebud Magazine.
We also enjoyed a simple minted, watermelon salad borrowed from Real Simple Magazine.
Soooo Simple!
Cut up a quarter of a medium watermelon (about 2 pounds) and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with 1/4 thinly sliced red onion, 1/2 cup torn fresh mint leaves, and 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and black pepper.
While enjoying the salad, one of my favorite local cooks, Martha Scott remarked "I'll bet this would be even better with some balsamic vinegar!" We pulled out the good stuff and applied a drop. The results? In Martha's words; "A Home Run!"
We'll be trying this again!

Support the Fort!

One of the reasons I love Fort Scott so much, is that this is a town that knows it's history. Our National Historic Site has been the cornerstone of our existence since 1842. I'm so pleased to be on the board of Friends of Fort Scott NHS (www.friendsofthefort.com) a group formed to help develop and promote the Fort. We worked hard to gather enough votes to be named one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas History, and now we're asking for your votes again. And this time it's not just about honor; it's about cold, hard cash! The national or state park that receives the most votes by August 31 wins $100,000 grant made possible by coca-Cola's Live Positively initiative. VOTE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT!
To vote, go to www.livepositively.com and click on the "Vote for you park!" button.
Type "Fort Scott" and hit the enter button. You can also use the zip code search button.
Click on the red "Vote" button next to the name of our favorite park-Fort Scott!
In addition, for every vote cast, Coca-Cola will also donate $1 to the National Park Foundation up to a total donation of $200,000.
Thanks!