Eating Across Kansas

Last week two Hutchinson restaurants rolled out new menu items. Summer's coming, vegetables are fresh, and people are looking for lighter fare. Both Jillian's and The W have added new, seasonal items to their menu that will satisfy your craving for something fresh and different. Change has been underfoot at Jillian's for a while. After months of planning, their outdoor patio will open tonight. I've heard the owners and staff talking about upcoming menu and wine list changes, which I've been greatly anticipating. Last Thursday, I stopped in for dinner, and to my delight, they happened to be rolling out their new menu items! As far as I can remember, Jillian's has added 1 appetizer and 3 entrees to their menu. During the first Taste of Hutchinson event last fall, Jillian's concocted a 4-cheese stuffed toasted ravioli . The dish went over so well it earned a spot on the appetizer list. The new entrees are very diverse. Eggplant Parmesan is the newest in the p...

Pig? Not today. Today is the first day of the 2010 season of the Reno County Farmer's Market. I got there shortly after the 7:30 opening. I woke up at 5:45 from a strange dream and couldn't go back to sleep, so I figured I'd get my butt out of bed and head to the Farmer's Market for breakfast, produce and whatever other goodies I could find. There were quite a few booths for the first day, and a lot of good-looking produce for so early in the season. There were lettuces, spinach, asparagus, strawberries, green onions and radishes. Several farmers were selling vegetable and herb plants. There seemed to be many more baked goods tables than last year. I was planning on selling baked goods a few times this year - might be more difficult than I thought with all the competition! One of my first stops was at the Red Fence Farm booth to visit my friends Tracy and Kate. They make rain barrels, rain barrel stands, and rotating compost bins. They also sell fresh eggs from their ...

So, eating is great - it can be an adventure, a way to bond with friends and share memories. However, as I've come to learn, if the focus is always food, especially high-fat, high sugar and processed food, eating can be an unhealthy habit. A good way to deal with the negative effects of unhealthy eating is to eat healthier. However, diet alone does not good health bring. I'm learning more and more how essential physical activity is for both mental and physical health. It can be a pain to get started on an exercise program - the key is finding an activity that you find enjoyable that doesn't put too much stress on unused muscles too soon . For most of us, if a workout is too boring or if we're too sore the day after, we won't keep doing it. If you live in the Hutchinson, Kansas area and you want to try some different ways to get fit, this Sunday, April 18 is the perfect opportunity for you to try different fitness lessons. The Don Michael Field Community Workout wi...

Each year for Easter, my mom sends me 2 types of candy: Peeps and Cadbury Crème Eggs. Over the years, I have grown to be fond of stale peeps. However, a recent discovery has changed my outlook on Peep consumption. I can’t remember which website I got the idea from, but somewhere on the interwebs, there was a posting that detailed how to have a Peep War. 1. Place two Peeps approximately 2 inches apart on a microwave safe plate. 2. Have each person choose a Peep and place a toothpick in a sword-like position approximately where the Peep’s “arm” would be. 3. Place plate in microwave on High for about 2 minutes. If you have a microwave with a rotating table, be sure to mark which Peep is which, because when they’re spinning, it can be hard to remember which Peep is which. 4. Watch carefully as the Peeps swell. The first Peep to stab the other “wins.” If the Peeps get much bigger than an orange, turn the microwave off. I’m not sure how big a Peep will get before it explodes, but no...

Everyone knows one, everyone wants to be one, but only some people get treated like one – VIP. You don’t necessarily have to be a high-roller to be one, but it does help. I was never too concerned with being a restaurant VIP until I moved to Kansas. In Hutchinson and most other places I’ve visited in central Kansas good service is hard to find. I grew up in the south, where “Southern Comfort” was not just bourbon and “Southern Hospitality” wasn’t a cliché but a way of life. Couple that with 4 years at college in a southern tourist town, and I was spoiled. I rarely saw a glass less than half full, I never had to ask for silverware, and I never, EVER started a meal without knowing my server’s name. Once I moved to Hutch, I learned that there are places where the service industry is less of an industry and more of a state of limbo for people who are waiting for a better job. I knew my fair share of people in college who were waiting tables just to get by, but almost everyone was always “...

It’s fire season here in Central Kansas. Before moving to Hutchinson, I was not aware of a fire season. I had never heard of a “controlled burn” and I’d never seen hundreds of acres of land purposefully set ablaze. Where I come from, if you see a big column of smoke in the sky, it means a building is on fire. Someone’s home is gone. 300 jobs lost unexpectedly. Local schools evacuated because of haz-mat fumes. Before moving to Kansas, a big column of smoke on the horizon was a weeknight tragedy, in retrospect, an event marking the end of my childhood and the loss of my religion. It was a Thursday evening the summer after my freshman year of High school. Classes had just ended for the year, and I had just gotten my restricted license. Those first hot days of my first summer as “real” teenager were full of promise and temptation. My parents had just gotten home from work, and we decided to go get something quick for dinner. As we drove out towards Woodruff Road – a major comm...

In Hutchinson, Kansas at 13 W. 6th there lies a place where few people go. Well, I assume that few people go there because I’d never been there, and aside from a co-worker and a friend who recently started working there, I’ve never heard anyone say “Hey, you should go to Jackson’s.” What exactly is Jackson’s? I’m not exactly sure. The sign out front says “ Jackson Frozen Food Center ,” as does a Google search for “Jackson Meats” or “13 W. 6th, Hutchinson, KS.” This is part of the reason I never went in. I’m not a huge fan of frozen meat. I keep some in the freezer for times when I’m “in a pinch,” but, like many people, my preference is definitely for fresh meat. I know that a co-worker swears by their hotdogs and has procured them a couple times for cook-outs and retirement lunches. Other than that, I knew nothing else about them until I ran into my friend Ben last Thursday. Over the course of conversation, I found out that Ben had started working for Jackson’s. When I asked...