13 minute read
DISH
PARTY BITES!
Semi-Homemade Appetizers
Recipes and photos by JAMIE ALEXANDER
Wedding season is approaching, which means that some people are in the midst of planning bridal showers and engagement parties (not to mention bachelor/bachelorette parties). With so many events to plan now that we are slowly being able to safely gather, it can be easy to run out of ideas for food. Some people think that making the food is the best part of planning, while others would rather invest their energy in thinking of entertainment. Either way, we all want our guests to be happy (and what better way than with food?!). If you’re planning a shower and have a long “to-do” list, here are some treats you can make by simply combining ready-made foods (no oven involved). Even with the minimal effort, these recipes are a guaranteed hit.
Bite-sized Chicken and Waffles
INGREDIENTS: Your favorite chicken nuggets (from a restaurant or frozen) Waffle mix or miniature frozen waffles Mango Habanero jelly 1/2 oz. Rosemary simple syrup* Rosemary and/or cranberries for garnish INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bake your chicken nuggets according to the package (unless you got them from a restaurant) 2. Make your waffle batter and pour them into your waffle maker. You can either pour small portions (1-2 tablespoons) to create miniature waffles, or make a full-sized waffle and cut it to size once they are made. If you are using frozen mini-waffles, toast them and set them aside for assembling! 3. Using a toothpick or decorative skewers, thread each bite-sized treat by layering a chicken nugget on top of each waffle. 4. Warm your mango habanero jelly to thin it out a bit, before drizzling it on top of each treat. Serve warm!
Easy Elote in a cup
INGREDIENTS: 4 ears of corn (or 3 1/4 cups of canned corn) 2 tablespoons melted butter (unsalted) 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup cotija cheese (or queso fresco) 1 tsp Tajin seasoning 1 tsp chili powder chopped cilantro to taste salt/pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cook 4 ears of corn brushed with melted butter until charred. You can grill, boil (and brush on the melted butter after), cook on a stove top or even use drained canned corn. 2. Cut the corn off the cob and pour into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir in mayonnaise and top with crumbled cotija cheese. 3. Mix in salt, pepper, Tajin, and chili powder until combined. Separate into small serving party bowls, alongside chopped cilantro, lime wedges and hot sauce for garnishing. In miniature bowls, this makes enough for about ten small servings.
Watermelon Feta Skewers
INGREDIENTS: Seedless watermelon, cut into cubes Fresh mint leaves
Balsamic reduction or glaze 3-4 blocks Feta cheese (depending on how many you’ll make)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut your watermelon into 1-inch cube pieces. Repeat with the block of feta. 2. Thread a piece of watermelon onto a skewer, followed by a feta chunk and a mint leaf. Repeat until you go through all your ingredients. These can be stored covered in a refrigerator overnight. 3. Drizzle each skewer with balsamic reduction right before serving! OL
Sisters Bring Burmese Flavors to Owensboro
Written by LAURA MURPHY Photos by JAMIE ALEXANDER
When sisters Hser Wah and Tee Moo opened Owensboro Karen Restaurant in 2020, they didn’t know what to expect. What they found is community support and growing interest in their authentic Burmese and Thai cuisine.
Over 20 years ago, their family fled Myanmar (formerly Burma) as refugees, and then spent the next 10 years at a refugee camp in Thailand. Upon moving to Owensboro in 2010, Moo says the community was an immediate improvement for them.
Their first year was the hardest, with only knowing how to say “hello” and “good-bye,” and not being able to communicate with their new peers at school.
“I could read and write a little bit, but not speak at all. It felt like no one could speak our language. We didn’t have any friends to drive us, take us to do the laundry or get groceries,” Moo said.
After graduating from Owensboro High School in 2014, the sisters knew there must be a job for them to do something they loved.
Wah, who enjoyed cooking, had the dream to open her own restaurant and Moo would join to help. Interacting with the customers as the main spokesperson for the business was something Moo looked forward to and gladly embraced.
When local customer Jeremiah Hinson first tried the restaurant, he said he was there to support a local business and try something new.
“I really enjoy Owensboro Karen because the food is phenomenal and everyone there is very friendly. I love authentic food and they definitely come through on that end,” Hinson said.
Enjoying a menu that includes everything from egg rolls and samosas to Pad Thai and Bubble Tea, many customers have become regulars.
“The variety of dishes is what I like the most because I keep trying new things and want to come back for more. I’m also happy to support a family business, especially one sharing their culture and love with each plate,” Hinson said.
The restaurant has truly become a family business, with Wah’s husband assisting with the cooking when he’s not working his other job, and their parents coming in to help when they can.
As far as future goals, Moo says she would love to see more people come in to try all that they have to offer.
“We just want our restaurant to get busier and
have more customers to come and try our food. For people who have never had Thai food, we have a few Burmese dishes that are here that they can try,” Moo said.
Although they had to close down for a while during COVID, when they reopened in person, they were thankful to continue serving the community.
“People always see me because I’m in the front all the time and my sister is in the back all the time cooking. I love getting to know the customers,” Moo said.
Owensboro Karen Restaurant is located at 7046 KY-56. Their hours are Tuesday-Friday 10:30 AM - 7:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday 10:00 AM - 7:30 PM. For more information, visit their Facebook page — Owensboro Karen Restaurant. OL
EDITOR’S RECOMMENDATION: First of all, if you haven’t tried Owensboro Karen Restaurant, I suggest you go immediately! Second, once you’re there, be sure to try the Tea Leaf Salad. After watching Anthony Bourdain rave about it in his Myanmar episode of “Parts Unknown,” Summer and I had to sample it ourselves, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s savory, salty, fresh, a little spicy, and the crispy peanuts give it the perfect crunch. After you’ve tried it, shoot me an email at steven@owensboroliving.com to let me know your favorite dish, or post your pictures to our Facebook page.
What we’re eating now
Here in Owensboro, we do a lot of things well. Visitors from out of town know us for our bluegrass and barbeque, but the locals know that nobody does donuts better than our bakeries.
Rolling Pin
CHOCOLATE LONG JOHN
A true Owensboro staple, the chocolate long john is synonymous with Rolling Pin. With fluffy golden dough and that famous chocolate frosting, it’s a can’t-miss.
Koehler’s
CHOCOLATE DONUT HOLES
Looking for a bite-sized treat? Look no further than Koehler’s, where their chocolate donut holes are always a hit. In a hurry or have a car full of kids? Try their drivethru window for fast and friendly service.
Gramps
STRAWBERRY DONUT
Owensboro’s newest donut shop is quickly becoming a local favorite. Their unique and tasty pastries include this donut with a fresh strawberry glaze, topped with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Q: WHY REPLACE MISSING TEETH?
A: Losing one or more of your teeth creates a gap in your smile, can cause surrounding teeth to shift, and ultimately even lead to further tooth loss. The jawbones exist to support the teeth, without anything to support, bone loss occurs steadily.
Q: WHY ARE DENTAL IMPLANTS PREFERRED OVER OTHER OPTIONS?
A: Dental implants allow healthy bone to attach, stabilizing them and providing purpose for the jawbone. Dental implants can replace single teeth, or multiple teeth. They are the closest available replacement to your natural teeth, and are easier to clean around than other options.
DENTAL IMPLANTS
Dr. Josh Stamper and Dr. Shawn Stringer of Bluegrass Dental discuss how dental implants are your best option for replacing missing teeth.
Q: CAN DENTAL IMPLANTS HELP MY LOOSE DENTURE?
A: Dental implants are the number one way to stabilize and secure a denture. There are several options, but the most reliable is a denture fabricated to snap onto an implant. No more slipping dentures or partials! You still remove the dentures regularly to clean them, but now when you insert them, you will have the confidence of knowing they are attached to solid dental implants, and won’t have to stress about them falling out, or avoiding foods you love anymore! There are even options to replace your dentures with totally fixed prosthetics!
Q: AM I A CANDIDATE FOR DENTAL IMPLANTS?
A: Most people missing teeth need, and will benefit from dental implants. However, not everyone is a candidate. One of the primary criteria in dental implant treatment is the amount of jawbone available to support the implant(s). At Bluegrass Dental, we utilize a cone beam CT machine that precisely images how much bone you have, in three dimensions, allowing us to determine the best placement for the implants. Our belief is to treatment plan beginning with the goal in mind. This allows proper design of the prosthetic, helping to ensure a long service life. We include this scan as part of our free implant consultation.
Q: I’M INTERESTED IN DENTAL IMPLANTS, WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?
A: The very first thing you should do is schedule a consultation with a dentist that is familiar with, and places dental implants.
At Bluegrass Dental, our free implant consultation consists of an examination by a dentist, regular x-rays, a special 3D CBCT x-ray, a thorough review of your health history, a discussion on your wants and needs, and an explanation on how we can help you. From there, we develop a treatment plan and review costs with you, including ways to help finance your treatment. OL
Spring Cleaning
Written by LORA WIMSATT
The season of Spring was welcomed to Owensboro with open arms 100 years ago, both on the community and individual levels. Following the dreary, cold winter months, the promise of warmer weather, blue skies, colorful flowers and festive activities served to brighten the spirits of all.
As early as February 1922, the Daviess County Department of Health and the local Women’s Club joined forces to announce a partnership with the City of Owensboro to promote “spring cleaning” on a citywide level.
The clean-up campaign emphasized the benefits of whitewash and paint in beautifying homes, while “careless householders” were warned that complaints regarding unkempt properties would be taken seriously. Scavenger department wagons were scheduled to make regular trips to collect ashes and garbage, “but the time required in which to do the work is lengthened by ashes being dumped on the side walk so the collector has to shovel them up instead of simply emptying a receptacle.” Likewise, “papers and pasteboard boxes mixed in with ashes fly over the streets and detract from the cleanliness of their appearance.”
City officials bemoaned the fact that many households dumped ashes and trash on their lawns, “and so destroy the beauty of the plots.” Officially, the use of galvanized cans was required, but the newspaper article of Feb. 26, 1922 noted that many people used “washtubs, wooden barrels, lard cans and anything convenient, while empty cans and rubbish of all kinds mar the appearance of the city and invite disease.”
Speaking of disease, the spring cleaning campaign was also intended to wage war on flies. Local physician Dr. Duvall said “stables, alleys and piles of filth and rubbish should be cleaned, the earlier the better, as one fly killed in the spring prevents the propagation of millions in the summer.”
Duvall warned that flies presented “one of the greatest mediums of conveying typhoid fever germs and the summer complaints so fatal to babies.”
Once those pesky matters were addressed, however, residents of Owensboro could move on to more joyous topics – including the annual Easter Parade.
Sunday, April 16, 1922, promised that Frederica Street would be filled with “fragrant flowers, beautiful music and attractive costumes.”
Easter lilies, roses, violets, sweet peas, lilies of the valley and carnations lent their fragrance to the happy atmosphere. Echoing the spectacular colors of nature in full bloom, ladies of Owensboro were also excited to show off their new frocks.
The newspaper noted “… there are few souls, feminine at least, who are too dead to the influence of the season to wish something new to wear today. And so old and young, men and women are ready to appear in new Easter costumes, for which stores have been searched and the bountiful stocks of Owensboro merchants depleted.”
And oh, those merchants’ stocks! They included dresses, skirts, hosiery, wraps, sweaters, millinery, blouses, kimonos, petticoats and bloomers. Suits of tweed, jersey, poiret, tricotine, twill cord and serge – “in all high colors, mixtures and
solid, including navy, tan, sand and black” – boasted prices starting at $10.
And for those who traveled to town from the far reaches of Daviess County to shop for those bargains at Levy’s (“an exclusive shop for better dressers”), there was the added value of knowing “We refund railroad fares.”
Meanwhile, Salinger’s, located at 114116 E. Main St., declared itself “Owensboro’s only strictly cash dept. store” and “Owensboro’s greatest underselling store.”
Not to be outdone, McAtee, Lyddane & Ray lured shoppers with the reminder that “No hat goes now but a new spring hat” – and their “smart and becoming” selection featured shades of blossom, spark, periwinkle, bluebird blue, dove, putty, vatican, navy, brown and black – with prices ranging from $2 to $25.
Ah, Spring! The season of renewal, hope, promise and parades!
May Owensboro and all its residents of 2022 blossom with happiness, health … and a fly-free summer. OL
