A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of making a road trip up to Des Moines to join nine other delightful bloggers for the Iowa CornQuest 2012. Sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association, this trip was a thoughtful and fascinating look into the modern corn industry — from meeting the farmers who grow our nation’s crops, to hearing their take on farming trends and innovations, to discussions with experts about the role of corn in our nation’s food and alternative energy supplies, to seeing the impact that Iowa has made throughout the decades in everyday kitchens (hello, Better Homes & Gardens!)…and on and on. And of course, there was tons of fabulous food just about every step we turned. And of double-course, all the better when enjoyed with great new friends!

So here is a quick peek into our packed few days! I’m sure I will leave out a bunch of details, but here is a “fly over” of our time in Iowa… :)

Ok, this is not a recipe post. :)

But for those who are interested, or who might have wondered why your comments on the blog have gone unanswered for the past two weeks, thought I would share a brief glimpse into where I’ve been. After a weekend trip to Washington D.C. to participate in an event with the International Justice Mission (pretty much the most amazing organization ever), I had the chance to travel with my friend Amanda to spend a week living at Energy of Hope, an orphanage that she runs in the heart of Zambia.

The two of us 28-year-olds packed up our little carry-ons, and six enormous boxes full of baby formula, clothes, toys, and all sorts of supplies, and navigated airports and flights for about 30 hours until we reached our new home sweet home. And thus the real adventure began.

This post isn’t a recipe, but rather an invitation to join me for a November of giving thanks…actually, thanks²!

It’s very simple.

My poet-photographer-reader-creative-artist-kind-amazing-and-thoughtful friend, Beth, has organized a project amongst some friends in our community called “thanks²“. Basically, everyone is invited to upload a photo a day during the month of November giving thanks for something in your lives. If you’re a smart phone-er (like Yours Truly, who just bought my very first iPhone!!), would encourage you to use Instagram or Retrocamera to upload a square photo. Hence, thanks “squared”. But any size photos, uploaded however many days you can, will be great. The idea is simply to be thankful — on the days when that comes easily, as well as the difficult days when you may have to intentionally seek out something to be grateful for. You can read on below for guidelines about how to tag and post on Twitter/Facebook to share your photos and captions with others.

I love this for so many reasons.

So, I will be posting on my Facebook and Twitter accounts daily during November, and would be totally honored to have you join along! Cheers to kicking off this year’s holiday season the best way I can imagine — with thanks!!!

Because I love my farmers’ market so much…

And because, really, I couldn’t narrow my photos down to just one post….

Thought I would share a little more Kansas City goodness. Thanks for indulging me. :)

I’m madly in love with my local farmer’s market. Well, actually, Kansas City has numerous farmers’ markets to choose from. But my longtime favorite is called the “City Market”. Located in Downtown Kansas City in our historic River Market, it is pretty much a foodie’s heaven. Tons of local farmers bring their goodies to share — from endless varieties of seasonal produce, to plants and herbs, to cheese, to grass-fed meats, to soaps, to pollen and honey, to fresh pastas, and on and (wonderfully) on. And of course, it is always so inspiring and fascinating to hear each of their stories about how everything is grown and prepared. These people work hard, and are passionate about what they share with our city.

But if the farmers aren’t incredible enough, the perimeter of the market that surrounds these booths includes some of the city’s best ethnic markets, local stores, and restaurants. From the Italian market (incredible prosciutto and fresh mozzarella), to the various Middle Easter markets ($1 spice scoops, fresh pita and naan, and my favorite baklavah), to my favorite local places for pizza (Minsky’s) and pork fried rice (Bo Ling’s) and breakfast (The Farm House) and cupcakes (BabyCakes), and on and on….this market is incredible.

And that’s only skimming the surface. :)

Basically, we are lucky ducks here in KC. If you ever pass through the city, I highly recommend you come spend a Saturday morning here. It is hands-down my favorite way to begin the weekend. So thought I would take the opportunity this weekend to share with you some glimpses of the autumn bounty…

What do you love best about your local farmer’s market??

And…to follow up the list of YOUR ten favorite 2010 recipes from Gimme Some Oven, couldn’t resist adding in an extra ten of my own. It was so hard to choose, and many of my favorites overlapped with yours. But to highlight ten more delicious ideas for your next year of cooking, I narrowed it down to this yummy list.

Thanks so much again for being such rockin’ readers this year! Looking forward to another year of some more deliciousness. :)

Enjoy!!

Wow — it’s hard to believe that another year has gone by, and that Gimme Some Oven celebrated another half birthday in December! Whoo!

(Ok, well when you’re 1-and-a-half years old, you still celebrate half-birthdays!) ;)

Still, a million thanks to each of you for continuing to follow my little site! I still feel like I’m a total newbie when it comes to blogging and photography. But I’ve been so grateful for all of your wonderful support and encouragement over this past year. :) Hopefully you’ve found some fun recipes on here to enjoy and share with those you love!

As an end of the year (and half-birthday!) roundup, thought I would do two features this year — YOUR favorites recipes of ’10, as well as some of my own personal favorites. Enjoy!!

Most Wednesdays, my lunchbreak usually consists of a sack lunch and me at my cubicle editing endless pages of sheet music. But this past Wednesday, I was able to slip away for a few hours and attend a sweet (literally!) cookie exchange with some fellow Kansas City food bloggers. So fun!!!