Back in the KC again...

So, I'm back from my 2 week jaunt to Eastern Europe, and it was great! The smorgasboard of food...I must have gained like 10 lbs. I can't help it, the goulash, the sachertorte, the kielbasa, the reindeer. That's right, I had reindeer and venison in Finland--rudolph and bambi on one plate.

My favorites were the grilled meats/kielbasa and pierogies in Poland, goulash and chicken paprikash in Budapest (and the dolos torta at this bakery, Gerbaud was really good), crepes in slovakia, viennese coffee melange and sacher torte in Vienna (I prefer Hotel Sacher to Demel), and roasted duck and pork, potato dumplings in Prague. Then the whole reindeer/venison experience in Helsinki. And as an added bonus to those who enjoy spirits, they serve alcohol (cheap too!) at every meal. In Prague, beer is cheaper than water. I had some vodka for breakfast in Warsaw as well which is very unlike me. And all these countries have incredible desserts and chocolates. Eastern Europe rocks, and seriously, it's more than the food.

But enough of that, I'm back in KC, so there will be a lot more updates, especially since this summer will be pretty lax for me. First, this weekend is the annual Festa Italiana at Crown Center, with a lot of different vendors selling awesome Italian food. Last year, my friend and I spend like $30 on food because we are oinkers. I had Chicken Parm sandwich from the Copa Room, funnel cake, and Sheridans. This year, I want to go to the festival for the meet and greet with Lidia Bastianich, tv chef and proprietor of Lidia's Kansas City (which is probably, in my opinion, the best italian restaurant in town). Entrance fee is $5, and there is entertainment, shopping and food abound. It's a great festival.

Also this Saturday, Sluggerrr, the KC Royals' mascot is turning 10 years old. There's supposed to be some sort of celebration, with other mascots from around the league. Unfortunately though, no Rally Monkey. But, the first 10,000 fans get a free Sluggerrr stuffed animal on Sunday. I'm not gonna lie, I touched his hand once, it was kind of creepy. But there's lots to do this weekend, so take advantage of it...I mean, when is this kind of opportunity going to present itself again?

Until the next update, bon apetit!