Comments Off on Sweet and savory: what’s in store for your holidays
We’re heading into the holidays, and GreenAcres Market is ready. It’s not going to be easy to resist some of the tasty, healthier, yet indulgent goodies we bring in for our customers during November and December. The holidays are a time to celebrate, and don’t forget to try some homemade baked goods from the deli or sign up to have us make part or all of your holiday meals.
For the sweet tooth
Just to give you a little peek at what’s in store right now, look at this list:
Chocolate-dipped pretzels: some rolled in nuts are bagged and bowed and ready to become stocking stuffers.
A popular repeat from last year, chocolate “tuxedo” cups, shaped like a man’s dinner jacket, are stocked and waiting for that homemade, perfect chocolate mousse filling or strawberries and whipped cream. They are just enough deliciousness to top off a Christmas Eve meal.
Enjoy peppermint bark and sponge toffee truffles, they melt in your mouth!
How about organic candy canes—if they’re organic, they have to be good for you, right?!
And for you gluten-free fans, try our glutino holiday-covered pretzels – they are flying off the shelves.
For the savory palate
Not everything is sweet in GreenAcres at holiday time. Savory is always in demand.
Customers with food sensitivities and food allergies have come to rely on their favorite health food store to make shopping easy during this merriest of seasons, especially customers who are gluten free, who have embraced various lifestyles such as paleo, vegetarian or vegan or who eschew dairy, soy, or wheat.
Already, GreenAcres has stocked holiday staples, such as:
Organic canned pumpkin
Gluten-free packaged stuffing
Gluten-free soups: mushroom, cream of chicken and cream of celery
Organic broth, organic condiments, even organic canned cranberry sauce
And don’t forget the gluten-free frozen pie shells—a life saver for those who want to take the guess work out of converting a recipe to accommodate rice or coconut flour.
Comments Off on Your Taste Buds’ Favorite Fall Flavors
Roasted, wood-fired, braised, toasted—these are our favorite words of autumn and at Trezo Mare, we’re serving them with the freshest flavors of fall.
Chef Robert Padilla’s new fall menu is filled with succulent meats and decadent treats. Whet your appetite with our house-made gnocchi with smoked tomato cream or our P.E.I. Mussels with roasted apples, fennel, and a Pernod cream sauce. Then turn your palate to one of our house specialties. We’re roasting pork chops with fennel, apple, and potato hash, or try our citrus-marinated, roasted duck breast.
On the decadent side, we have S’more Panna Cotta with toasted house-made marshmallows and our pumpkin spice cake with espresso mousseline and pumpkin seed brittle.
Don’t forget brunch. Our Vanilla Maple French Toast with berry compote and sweet mascarpone or our En Fuego, a variety of fish, shrimp, mussels, sausage, and vegetables in a lobster saffron broth is sure to help you weekend standout.
And there’s so much more. Take a peek at our fall menus for yourself—and be sure to stop by to sample the flavors of fall.
Comments Off on How to Pick the Best Window Treatments
Curtain, drapes, shades, or shutters?
Window treatments define the style and mood of your room. When you decide on a window treatment, start with the style, then think about color and design—and don’t forget hardware choices to add the right finishing touch.
The first step in choosing a window treatment is to decide how much privacy and light control you need. For a room in which minimal privacy is needed, maximize the available natural light and select sheer fabrics. For more privacy and coziness, create a soft wall of opaque texture and rich color. However, beware of overdressing windows with yards of fabric, which can make your room look dated.
Curtains
Cafe curtains are ideal for a kitchen nook
Both curtains and drapes consist of panels of fabric; it is how they are attached at the top that determines which category they fall into.
By definition, curtains are gathered on a rod or attached to it by tabs, ties, or rings. They are generally stationary; if they are opened and closed, it is done by hand.
Curtains can be as simple as a flat panel tied back above the sash, pleated to resemble a drape, or voluminous creations. They can also be any length, from café style, which covers only the lower half of a window, to full-length curtains that reach to the floor.
Drapes
Elegant drapes instantly add drama to a room.
These are the mainstay of window fashions. By definition, drapes are pleated panels that hang from hooks that attach to small slides on a rod. You open and close the panels by a cord that moves the slides along a track. The rod itself may either be covered by the panel or exposed. Pinch-pleated styles are traditional, but numerous variations exist.
The length of your drapes can have great impact. For a clean, casual look, hang drapes so that they just touch the floor. For a more dramatic effect, allow the fabric to puddle four to six inches on the floor in luxurious folds.
The size of the room, the height of the windows, and the scale of the treatment will suggest the appropriate hardware for your drapes. Mount rods directly to the window frame or to the wall above it, depending on the look you want to achieve. To create the illusion of added height, hang the rod higher than the window frame.
Shades
Fabric shades provide privacy and light control.
Shades are one of the most practical and hard-working window treatments. They offer easy light control, instant privacy and a clean, tailored silhouette in a wide range of colors and fabrics. Options include simple roller shades, insulated honeycomb shades, woven shades, wooden shades, and soft fabric shades, including Roman, balloon, and cloud shades.
Shades are a good choice if windows don’t allow a fuller treatment, such as corner windows without much space between them. They’re also a good choice for an uncluttered look, or when you want to use a fabric with a large pattern or motif, because they will help show off the fabric. Naturally woven blinds and shades give a handmade feel due to their organic texture.
Shades can be mounted inside the window frame or on the wall or molding outside the frame. The general rule is to add two to three inches to the overall width of the shade to allow room for mounting hardware.
Blinds and Shutters
Budget Blinds – How to Pick the Best Window Treatments
Blinds and shutters have adjustable louvers and vanes that tilt to filter the light, level to reveal the view or shift to completely block the view. Horizontal blinds made of vinyl or metal come in a wide array of finishes and colors; vertical blinds also come in an array of textures and materials and create a more contemporary look. Wood blinds mimic the look of shutters but at a lower cost.
Shutters add architectural interest and style to a window. They’re available in wood and vinyl. Traditional shutters with 1-inch louvers provide privacy but cut down on light and the view. Plantation shutters have wider louvers, 2- and 3-inch sizes, which allow better ventilation and a clearer view.
Hardware
All types of window treatments need hardware. They can be as simple as a spring-loaded rod, ideal for a café curtain, to an elaborate top rod that may outshine the window treatment itself.
Hardware that will be covered by fabric is generally plain and unobtrusive. Other hardware is more decorative, including styles that include elaborate finials. When choosing the latter, look for styles that blend well with your windows and the rest of the room’s decor. Budget Blinds helps you sort out the difference and discover what works best with your room, your windows, and your style.
Your “Two Blind Girls,” owners Sherry and Natalie are a mother/daughter team with a great eye for window treatments. With a style for every point of view, they’ll develop and execute the perfect window treatment for your home.
So you have a plan: this year, those sneaky holiday pounds won’t get the best of you. GreenAcres Market can help you formalize a strategy to keep your holidays slim and trim.
Pro tip: It’s all about portion control.
It’s easy to get caught up in the spirit (and sweet and savory) of the season. Don’t deny yourself—but do be mindful of how much you’re treating your tastebuds.
Here are few tips:
Fill up ½ of your plate with a variety of non-starchy veggies like tossed salad, collard greens, broccoli, zucchini, squash and other holiday favorites.
Reserve ¼ of your plate for starches like mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn bread, and rolls. Try to limit the amount of sauces on your plate, as these can be a large source of empty calories.
Place your holiday meat or alternative protein on the remaining ¼ of your plate
To complete your meal, add ½ cup of organic cranberry sauce and a small serving of your favorite dessert.
Regardless of your food choices during the upcoming holidays, always remember these three suggestions to have a happy holiday season:
slow down and chew your food
breathe deeply and take in your surroundings
and allow yourself to enjoy the festivities guilt free
Our entire GreenAcres team wishes you and your family the greatest holiday season and we hope to see you soon!
Comments Off on Dress Your Mantel for Fall: 3 Ideas to Inspire You
By Mary Carol Garrity, Nell Hill’s
My favorite season of the year is just weeks away: Fall! I start pulling out my fall décor when it’s still beastly hot in Kansas because I just can’t wait to fill my home with all the colors, textures and aromas of autumn. If you want to celebrate this glorious season in your home décor as well, the perfect place to start is your fireplace mantel, one of the most visible spots in your home. Here are three beautiful looks we created at Nell Hill’s to inspire you.
Glorious Garlands of Fall Foliage
For some reason, we only think of dressing our mantels in the majesty of garland during the holiday season. But garland is a glorious treatment for every season, a sure head-turner. This luscious, layered display is perfect for an elegant living room, where you’ll want a look that’s as dramatic as the décor.
We started by selecting a mix of classic pieces to showcase on the mantel top. I’m nuts about blue accents mixed with the warm golds, oranges and browns of fall foliage, so we placed similar but not matching blue and white jars on either side of the mantel. They mirror the cachepots flanking the hearth below. I’m all about mixing contemporary and classic pieces, so we added in this bookend of black and white jars in a decidedly modern pattern. We wanted to keep the symmetry of this display, yet add a bit of visual variation. So we selected a pair of gold candlesticks and a pretty plate propped in an easel to fill in our center space.
If you’ve shied away from decorating with faux foliage because you find it intimidating to work with, don’t be. It’s easy as pie when you know the secret. First, you have to work with each individual stem, fluffing it out, twisting and turning the branches so they appear just as they would grow in nature, a bit wild and willy-nilly. To create this garland, Zack at Nell Hill’s linked together individual stems, one to another, like pipe cleaners, until he had formed a chain. Then he poked in accent picks to give the garland more interest and dimension. We love to add in picks that have nuts or berries, or contrasting flowers or grasses.
If you have some fall picks that are starting to look a bit tired and frayed, this treatment is a great way to get one more year out of them. Use the older picks for the garland, then purchase some new, bright picks for your accents.
Tumbles of Gourds
Do you like a cleaner, simpler and more edited look on your mantel? Here’s a great treatment to try. It’s a more relaxed display that still has a big impact. We started with a pair of clean, clear glass vases that have a bit of an aged patina, thanks to the tiny tint of green. We filled the vases with rustic fall picks, mixing colors, textures and styles so it looks like items you might gather on a fall nature walk. Then we filled in the central space with a tumble of assorted faux gourds, held in place with a twist of bittersweet vine.
We use faux and fresh gourds interchangeably at Nell Hill’s. When I use fresh gourds at home, I opt for diverse colors and shapes. The more quirky the gourds, with nobs and twists and irregular color patterns, the better. If you want to create a display then leave it be for months, pick faux gourds, like those shown here, so you don’t have to worry about them biodegrading on the mantel. I’ve had this happen to me, and it’s gross!
Tell a Story with a Tableau
I adore a tableau that tells a story, drawing in your guests for a closer look, engaging them in the moment. The tale can be complex, with each element contributing to the narrative. Or it can be simple, like our treatment here. Our goal was to invoke a feeling of history, celebrating the past through a few iconic images. Our tools were weathered books, a reproduction wooden storage box and artwork done in sepia tones. Because I like to add a touch of the unexpected, we picked a cluster of contemporary gold vases filled with a brilliant bouquet of fall flowers and greens.
What do you have on hand that you could use to tell a story on your mantel this fall? An old photo of your ancestors? A plate, platter or bowl that has been in your family?
If you love to decorate for Halloween, you could turn your tableau into a macabre saga. Pick out a pair of old candelabra and dust them with fake spider’s webs, complete with a plastic spider or two standing guard. Put a faux skull on top of a plate. Or tuck a rubber rat into your foliage. Let you inner child run free with this one.
Comments Off on “Make Mine a Double” And Other Wine Etiquette Faux Pas
Whether it’s celebrating with a bottle at home or dinner at a five-star restaurant, we all need some basic wine etiquette skills sure to impress even the top sommelier. With the increase of popularity of wine among younger generations, there are some unspoken rules you should follow to ensure a behavior that will impress, and not offend your companions. The following tips offer suggestions in etiquette from informal service at home to dining out and creating an enjoyable wine experience for all occasions.
Wine Tastings
The growing popularity of Midwest vineyards and wine tours brings a different kind of tasting crowd. Although wineries are a great place to learn about wine and envelope yourself in the process, it is not a free-for-all buffet. Wineries have experts on staff to assist in your wine selection and preference so your experience is enjoyable and you aren’t walking in blind. You’re probably not going to like every wine they serve at a vineyard, that’s why it is such a process to find one enjoyable to the palate. It is perfectly acceptable to discard unfavorable wine in the receptacle at a wine tasting. This will also keep you on your feet and discourage over consumption. You can also ask for a second pour on a particular wine you are unsure of. However, it is not polite to ask for a second pour on every sample. If you find yourself enjoying a particular wine, purchase a glass rather than asking for additional pours. Some wineries do not require a purchase of wine, but have a fee for the session. Others will waive fees if you purchase a wine. It is suggested that if you enjoyed a particular wine or if the winery is rather small, purchase a bottle in good form. If you don’t drink it, it’s a memento of fun times.
Dining Out
You sit down at table dressed in white table cloth, three forks, four glasses, and are presented the wine list. This can seem quite intimidating for the novice wine drinker, but using basic wine etiquette will ensure an enjoyable experience for both the server and you. Don’t feel shy in asking your server for recommendations. It is their job to provide you with suggestions that will compliment your food nicely, so deciding your meal prior to wine selection is helpful. Mark Taylor, Wine Director at Trezo Mare Restaurant located in Briarcliff Village also suggests “Start with a glass of sparkling, such as Prosecco so you aren’t pressured to make a decision right off bat. Then from that point the qualified server can suggest drinks that will compliment your dinner nicely.” It is also acceptable to ask your server for suggestions of wine in a variety of price ranges since restaurant wines can be so pricey. If you’re with a group, the server will also be able to recommend a wine that will compliment everyone’s meal. At a more formal dining establishment, the server will present you with the bottle and label before pouring. This is to ensure it is the correct bottle and year that was ordered. The server will then pour a small sample for the host’s approval. You can taste the wine sample, smell it, examine it, all to make sure it is a wine that is to your liking. This is where the cork is also presented for examination. Many people think it is for the host to smell the cork. Don’t smell the cork. “You want to touch it, see if there’s mold which may suggest the wine is old. If the cork was dry it could suggest it was stored improperly,” says Taylor. Do not be afraid to reject the wine if it does not live up to your expectations. This is perfectly acceptable, but do use the opportunity to have the server suggest another wine more to your liking. Any wine steward knows that the restaurant can sell the open bottle by the glass. In addition the server will be sure your red wines “open up” or decant and that whites are served properly chilled. “Red wines need a little bit of time to bring all of the floral or fruit characteristics and structure into the air,” explains Taylor. It is customary that if your server was exceptionally helpful in your wine selection or if you use the restaurant’s sommelier to tip 10-20% of the cost of the wine.
Dining In
When serving wine to guests in your home, using the proper etiquette will ensure an enjoyable experience for your guests. To do this, first, select wine that will pair well with the food you are serving. If you plan to serve wine before the meal, a lighter white or sparkling wine is appropriate. Be sure to use appropriate glassware in your home, not plastic or paper because it will affect the quality and taste of the wine. Serve at an accurate temperature for the wine in conjunction with reds and whites. And finally, pour the correct amount of wine. Leaving about half of the glass empty will make it easier for your guests to enjoy without the possibility of spilling.
Gifting Wine
Wine is always an appropriate hostess gift when invited to someone’s home. A basic rule to follow is to give red during winter months and white during summer months. Of course, if you know the wine the hostess prefers, always gift it. If not, a medium priced and medium bodied wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc is a safe gift. The hostess will most likely have their menu and wine pairings selected, so never bring a bottle already chilled and expect it to be served for dinner.
Jose Pepper’s made its debut in 1988 and quickly became a favorite dining spot in the Kansas City area. Now with more than 13 restaurants in Kansas and Missouri and 25 years of experience creating great Mexican food, people continue to enjoy Jose Peppers. Try our complimentary ultra-thin chips and zesty salsa, our famous Espinaca con Queso, our delicious Pollo Magnifico and other appealing signature dishes.
Our mission is to provide the highest quality and freshest Mexican food possible. Margaritas are made in-house with our own 100% agave tequila. We offer 2 for $10 El Patron margaritas all day, every day and $2 Jose ‘Ritas on Mondays and Tuesdays!
Any day of the week, Jose Pepper’s is the perfect place to bring your friends and family. We strive for extraordinary service so you can have the best experience possible. If you’re staying home, Jose Pepper’s offers convenient carryout accommodations for groups of all sizes. Whatever the occasion, the fresh taste and friendly atmosphere of Jose Pepper’s are second to none because that’s who we are. Visit us in Briarcliff Village today!
