Vivilore

Vivilore is in a hidden place.  The building, decorations, and flowers are beautiful.  The courtyard is gorgeous!  But when i go out to eat, it isn't just for the ambiance.  Unfortunately the food was just OK.  We started off with the Lobster Roll app $14.00.  It is big enough for a meal.  It was OK.  The garnish on the plate was way too much though.  It just wasnt anything special.  I ordered the Pork Chops $28.00.  It was a big sized portion, and it looked great!  Sadly the flavor was not there.  The potato and stuffing were good, but the squash and pork chop lacked serious flavor.  My husband ordered the Lasagna $14.00.  It too was just OK.  Nothing special.  I would rather get Lasagna from Zio's or Olive Garden when compared to here.  

All in all I can't see myself coming back here.  Yes the ambiance is GREAT!  But the food is lacking.  I so wanted it to be a great place.  If we are ever in Independence, we would stop in on a nice day to sit in the courtyard for a drink, but not stay to eat.


10815 E Winner Rd, Independence, MO 64052
(816) 836-2222

http://vivilore.com/

Matt's Bar Minneapolis, MN

We heard this was the place to try the Original Jucy Lucy.  It is a hole in the wall with non-stop people coming in and out.  Nothing fancy about it.  Soda from the can, no ice in the water, and its Cash Only.  The cook top is right behind the bar, menu is very limited.  They have a niche and are sticking with it.

All 3 of us got the Jucy Lucy and split a basket of fries.  My lucy had onions added.  The burgers were "jucy" and the cheese inside was melted perfectly.  Loved it!  They also had a good selection of beers.  Go try out a Minneapolis staple!


3500 Cedar Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55407

www.mattsbar.com

(612) 722-7072

Murray's Tables & Taps

This place was fantastic!  We went in at a strange time...2:15 p.m. and was worried cause there wasn't any cars in the parking lot(again odd time).  We went in and got to pic where we wanted to sit.  The menu was very BIG.  Joanne was our server and very nice.  We ordered the Bacon Wrapped Scallops, Buffalo Mac & Cheese, and the Murray's Irish Stew.  The Bacon Wrapped Scallops were very good.  They had a sweet sauce on the bottom of the place then 3 big bacon wrapped scallops sit atop.  Very tasty!.  The Buffalo Mac & Cheese we ordered was a 1/2 portion and it was a good size!  It was basically a mac & cheese with buffalo sauce topped with bleu cheese.  The buffalo sauce gave it a good little kick too.  This too was good.  Then the final thing we ordered was the Murray's Irish Stew.  This was amazing too!  the bottom of the bowl was coated in mashed potatoes.  The stew was cradles in the bowl of mash taters, and was very good and flavorful!  Then there were fried onion straws on top.  I would definitely recommend this place.  We were told that they have live music on Fri & Sat nights.  They have a nice patio, and they serve breakfast on Sat & Sunday's.  Go eat here!

• 12921 State Line Rd
• Kansas City, MO 66209
• 816-943-3333

Tablesandtap.com

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DooDah Diner in Wichita, KS

I am from KC and was in town for work.  My friend Timirie moved from KC moved out to Wichita and opened a diner with her husband and I thought I would try it out.  It was fantastic!  I had the Triple D trio.  Banana Bread French Toast(Featured pic)...Unbelievable! Timi's Bene(Eggs Bendict)...Amazing! and Corned Beef Hash...Yum!  Everyone should go try this place out.  It is a cute nostalgic diner set up.  You can sit at the bar and watch them cook the food.  They will serve you a monkey bread(cinnamon roll type of thing) while waiting for the food too.  Go eat here!

• 206 E Kellogg Dr
• Wichita, KS 67202

(316) 265-7011

doodahdiner.com

No Sew T-Shirt Bag

Again i was wanting to make something that is upcycled and did some research on the world wide web about t-shirt bags.  I found several different ideas, but this one struck out to me the most.  No Sewing!!!!  and a reusable upcycled bag!!!  it is really simple!

items you need:

t-shirt
Safety Pin
Scissors

cut off both of the sleeves right inside of the seam.  then cut the other side of the seam so that you have a little loop.  the reason for using the entire seam is for extra strength.  cut the loop where the sleeve met each other(the thick part), and then pull and stretch it a little.  this will make it curl up a bit.  now do it to the other sleeve.  now you have two long curled up strips of t-shirt.  Take the safety pin and stick it in the end one of the strips.  Cut a snip in the bottom hem on each side of the shirt.  be careful not to snip above the thread lines of the bottom hems.  Thread the safety pin thru the snip until you get to the other side.  now do the same for the other side.

Now you can tie off both of them and this will seal up the bottom of the sack.  Now you can cut the neck to whatever shape you would like.  Make sure it is big enough to fit items in the bag.  Here is my finished product!  and it only took about 15 minutes to make!  love it.  make one!

pop tab bracelet

I was looking up some recycle/upcycle crafts to do for my daughters Girl Scout meeting and came across some pop tab bracelets.  It just so happens that my husband saves every single pop/beer tab for some strange reason.  I found this great tutorial on Instructables.com that is great to follow!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Pop-Tab-Bracelets/

The one on my wrist is the one from the instructable.    I made up my own closure though.  I decided that my little girl scouts were going to do the easier one in the picture.

I just looped the ribbon thru the last tab holes in the below pic.

Then I rethread the ends thru the starter ribbon, and then it has a built in tightener.  

Now just put it on and tie a bow!

this is a great upcycle of pop/beer tabs.  and kids will love them and can be made in every color and season.

Chocolate Chipotle Lime Cupcakes

i was looking for a savory kind of dessert and stumbled across this recipe.  i changed it quite a bit from what the original one is(the original is a vegan one from http://cupquake-atlanta.blogspot.com/2008/08/iron-cupcakeearth-chili-pepper.html).

i changed mine up a bit, so here it goes:

Chocolate Chipotle Cupcake:

get a dark chocolate cake mix and mix it up like it says too then add either 3-4 Chipotles in Adobo Sauce or Chipotle Powder 3-4 tsp.  Make sure you taste the batter to make sure you can really taste the chipotle in it. Then cook it up like the box says, and then let cupcakes cool.

Lime Pudding Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup lime juice 
2 teaspoon grated lime zest
1 large instant vanilla pudding mix (the 5.1 oz one )
milk

Mix all the ingredients together except for the milk until creamy and smooth - about a minute or so. Then add enough milk to make the consistency of a pudding filling.  Put in fridge to keep cold for later.

Lime Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2-3 Cups Powdered sugar

Cream together cream cheese, lime juice and zest with an electric mixer. Add the powdered sugar a little bit at a time and continue beating. If frosting is too thin add more confectioners sugar until proper consistency is reached.




Once the cupcakes have cooled, you can put the filling in the middle of them!  I used a ziplock baggie with a piping tip.  Just stick it in the middle of the cupcake and press the bag while lifting up.  Then you can ice them.