Beet it!

"The natural aroma of the beets drifts into the bedrooms and makes one dream of simpler times . . ."
                                                                                          - Dwight Schrute, The Office

Today is a two-for-one blog kind of day - I guess we're just making up for lost time.

I seem to be in the minority, but I love beets. Like really love them. So, I woke up early today for my first official beet harvest! The beet section in my garden has filled in very thick this year, so I picked all the ones I could see that had bulbed out (probably somewhere between one third and one half of what's planted).
 

I hate peeling vegetables, so I was excited to read recently a different way to prepare and store beets that requires no peeling. First I cut off the roots and greens, then put them in a baking dish, covered and with some water in the bottom, to basically steam them in the oven.

They cooked for a long time (about an hour and a half) before they were tender, and my husband did indeed wake up to the natural aroma of beets, but when they came out I was able to just rub off the stems and skins without peeling. So easy!

I've got beets for the week in the fridge (looking forward to a great beet and gorgonzola salad tonight) and froze the rest of them for later.

Bed & Breakfast House Tour

Notice the gargoyles

First, apologies for the slow blog roll this year. After the whirlwind kitchen/bath remodel last year, our updates to the house will be limited for a little while.

June 29th crept up quickly this year. The significance is our 4th year anniversary.

I suggested a B & B to Becca and she quickly obliged to the idea. My theory is that the fun part of a B & B is the newness of it all. So, I clicked around on some of the main sites and found the 1812 Overture in Westside/Downtown KC.

We go to Westside a lot for lunch and usually walk around the neighborhood afterwards. It's probably one of the best spots in KC for creative types. The restaurants are charming and have all the natural/organic concepts you would expect. The houses are majestic Victorians — their craftsmanship is at a level we might never see again in new homes.

Finally we had a chance to look inside one of these gems.

1812 Overture.

I would describe the current homeowners as bohemians. They seem most interested in offering a creative space, and less worried about 90º angles and order. This "perfectly imperfect" concept goes against my natural tendencies, but its good for me to absorb.

Naturally, the home charmed our pants off. The 12' ceilings and oversized doors, the hand painted flower wallpaper, the winding crooked 3rd story stairs, the absurd over-decoration, the gazebo and hot tub, the gourmet omelet breakfast — they achieved the "we're on vacation" feeling we wanted. All for $119. Not bad for a cheapskate like myself.

Entryway lobby

Backyard grotto

Flan

View of hot tub

Yummy Breakfast

Yes, this is all hand painted

Breakfast spread

View from the hot tub

Our room for the night was the 3rd floor loft. The room's shape inspired us to consider finishing our attic.

I'd recommend the place if you like old homes and you're craving a hot tub. We chose this over a Hilton downtown and have no regrets.