What's Cooking Archives - Function Junction

Spring Has Sprung

As spring gives way to summer temperatures and the sun decides to stick around for more than just a moment, my thoughts turn to being outside, nurturing my garden and eavesdropping on the gossip of neighborhood birds. I love the long hours of daylight and try to get as much done in my yard and garden as possible, which doesn’t leave much time for food preparation. One of my favorite go-to meals is a chicken salad. I can make up a big batch and eat on it for almost a week. It is quick, easy, and healthier than a drive-thru hamburger (a weakness, I must admit). Just the other day...

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo, or the 5th of May, marks the day the Battle of Puebla was won in Mexico back in 1862, when Mexico was fighting France’s attempt to conquer as a means of recovering a debt. Today in the USA, people celebrate the Mexican culture and revel in the music, foods and festivities associated with our neighbors to the south. In my youth, I paid homage to tequila with salt and lime, but as the years stack up the high octane has been replaced with high nutrition…like avocados, for example. Avocados are considered to be a “super food” due to the healthful benefits when added to your meal planning. I love almost every way I’ve...

Hold the Straw, Please!

One of my favorite things I used to do was to hit a drive through or convenience store for a fountain pop. The satisfaction of sipping an ice-cold beverage through a straw while tooling about my day was a regular treat. But what happens to all those straws once I’ve gotten my refreshing fix? My beverage may have lasted a couple of hours, but that disposable straw will last forever. I know, it sounds melodramatic, but really, just because I toss it in the trash and it’s out of my sight, doesn’t mean it is really gone. I am only one person, but the number of straws I’ve discarded over my lifetime is staggering. Don’t get me wrong,...

Opening Day Tailgating

Spring is in the air, flowers are exploding into bloom, birds are building nests, and baseball season has arrived! What better way to prepare for our Royals opener than tailgating with friends before the game? At Function Junction, we’ve developed a game plan to help you hit it out of the park on opening day. For starters, select those of your friends who have great positive energy, love and accept you as you are and are kind-hearted to others. A great sense of humor is optional, but always a welcome addition. Add plenty of team spirit, delicious food and pleasant weather and the season is off to a fabulous start! Tune in to Fox4KC this Thursday morning to catch...

Unexpected Beauty

As we rush along through our busy days packed with soccer practice, ballet lessons, meetings with the tax people and putting dinner on the table for our household, it is easy to overlook all the little blessings whirling around us, if we but stop and take note. Here in the heartland, after a long, cold winter pocked with potholes and too many snow days, we are ready for spring to burst forth. A colorful pot of flowers brought me great happiness over the weekend and caused me to look for other signs of beauty along the way. This Saturday at Function Junction we will show you how to create beauty in the top of your latte! Using a

Luck o’ the Irish – St. Patricks Day

Are you a lucky person? What does it mean to have good luck? Is it really luck or is it karma, or something even more divine? Sometimes I cross my fingers for good luck or toss a pinch of salt over my shoulder. In this season where we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, shamrocks pop up as festive expressions of luck and rivers and fountains run temporarily green. At Function Junction we have our own ways of spreading luck and good cheer and we invite you to join in the fun! On Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day Eve, we will have sugar cookies just waiting for you to decorate them. To enhance your luck in creating...

Incredible Eggs

As I ponder what to write about eggs…the jingle from my childhood bounces around in my head, "The Incredible, Edible Egg", which was an advertising slogan for the American Egg Board in the late 70’s. I remember when eating eggs was good for you, then I remember also how eating eggs raised your cholesterol and increased your risk for getting heart disease. Which is true?? It didn’t take me long to google health benefits of eggs, which explains, to my inquiring mind (another marketing blast from the 70’s) where eggs fall in the spectrum of overall health. My vote is .....yes, they are GOOD for you in moderation, as with most other things. My favorite way...

Best Popcorn Poppers & Toppings for Movie Night

Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around Sunday nights sharing a big ol' bowl of popcorn with my Dad and brothers. Mom would always pop corn on the stove in the same beat up 2-quart saucepan that looked like it had survived a hail storm because of all the dimples hammered on the outside. I can still recall the sound of that pan scraping back and forth as she shook it over the burner. The smell would curl in tendrils throughout the house so no matter where you were or what you were doing, you knew it was time to gather when it reached your nose. Once popped, the corn was dumped into a large...