How to Host an Oprah Finale Party

I would love to meet Oprah.  Lucky Neil did!  I can only continue to dream of that day.  I know we would become bff's.  Plus, she really adores her pet companions.

      With Oprah slated to turn out the lights (just a few days after some religious sects believe the world is coming to an end), it's time to think about how you'll celebrate such a momentous occasion.  On May 25, 2011 the queen of all daytime programming will take a final bow to her fans in 145 countries worldwide.

       So how does one salute television's top-rated talk show host for the past two decades?  Will you have your OWN (sorry about the pun) party to celebrate the finale?  Here are a few suggestions for hosting a celebration.   

• Our friend Rose chose Oprah as her Christmas theme a couple of years ago and placed cut-outs of the iconic personality all over their tree.  It's not the holidays, but it's one way of paying homage to this special lady.  There are plenty of images on the internet and placing them as a focal point in your home (around an entryway, on the mantle, as a centerpiece, etc.) would be a simple way to create impact.  

• Make bags of your "favorite things" to give as gifts to your guests.  Or, have your guests bring one of their "favorites things" wrapped (you can place a dollar limit) and do an exchange.

• Mark the occasion by starting a Book Club.  Oprah will certainly leave a legacy with this popular segment that she began in September 1996.

• Food, as we all know, was a focal point of many an Oprah show.  This makes for the perfect time to serve some of her favorites, including Graeter's ice cream.

      However you mark the last original telecast, it will certainly be a day for many memories.  I visited the Oprah show back in 1992.  The theme that day was "Wives of Men in Prison".  Not exactly the show that I was hoping for (I was thinking more of seeing a star like Barbra Streisand), but a fantastic memory nonetheless.  I recall Oprah taking off her shoes at the end of the taping and standing to greet all of the studio audience that day.  It's a ritual she repeats daily.  You can't hope to meet anyone that will make their guests feel more comfortable than that.  And that is one of the reasons for her great success.  

      Congratulations, Oprah, and many more years of making us love you even more!

http://www.oprah.com

Especially for pets:

http://www.oprah.com/packages/loving-our-pets.html

Aglamesis Brothers Makes Cincinnati’s Best Ice Cream

Mmmmm, everyone loves ice cream.  I’ll lick it up if it’s put in front of me, though I don’t ask for it like I do milk foam.  Neil and Eric went out for ice cream while I checked out some friends in the neighborhood.  I met their friends when they dropped them back at our home.

      Lin and Steve had set up an evening out with us a few weeks ago and it was the perfect way for us to celebrate a nice spring evening since it involved good friends and the great ice cream of Aglamesis.  Every city has its local ice cream parlor that’s usually family owned and operated and may have a couple of locations, but isn’t franchised.  Oprah made Graeter’s famous as one of “her favorite things” a few years back, but the weak economy, an inconsistency in choices between different stores, and probably a few too many locations has led to the three northern Kentucky Graeter’s being temporarily closed.  

1913 Interior of the Oakley Aglamesis

      Aglamesis has been around since 1908 and they’ve followed an old-fashioned business model that has kept them successful.  There are two locations.  The original is on Madison Road in the heart of Oakley Square and the other is in a strip mall, anchored by Kroger, in Montgomery on Montgomery Road.  They make their ice cream “the sincere way” using the French pot method.  I don’t know what that means, but it tastes like the dream version of what people think their homemade ice cream tastes like.  The focus is on the flavor and it’s intense.  Though there’s butterfat in it, there isn’t that over-creamy, overly thick texture of some other brands.  They make all the sauces and the chocolates.  

Ice Creams Clockwise from the Bottom Left:
Raspberry Hot Fudge Sundae, Two-Step Sundae,
Double Chocolate Chip, and  Hot Fudge Caramel Sundae

      Each time we’ve gone there with people for their first time, someone has usually said that it tastes like they imagine ice cream is supposed to taste.  That’s the reason we think of it as a legend in Cincinnati.

$

http://www.aglamesis.com

There's a History Lesson at Tower Hill Park in Ft. Thomas, KY

I'm really in to protecting our house, especially at night.  Sometimes I stay downstairs and watch out the window 

Dexter on Duty

overlooking our driveway.  There is always something scurrying around.  If I could only unlock the door and get to them!  Instead, I just fall asleep and bat them around in my dreams.

Vintage Postcard of Soldier Drill

      We were looking for something new to explore when Eric thought of Tower Park in Ft. Thomas, KY.  Just across the river, we headed there on a Sunday afternoon.  The park is part of a U.S. military compound that still serves as a U.S. Army recruiting center and reserves base, as well as a V.A. Hospital.  

The 1890 Water Tower

Veterans' Memorial and Original Military Housing

      At the entrance stands a 90-foot functional water tower built in 1890 as a memorial to Spanish-American War veterans.  The two cannons are remnants of the war captured in the Havana Harbor.  Driving through, it's apparent that the park offers an abundance of recreational facilities.  There are several sporting fields and courts modified from the military operations there.  A mountain bike trail is unique and requires some experience due to the severity of the terrain.  In addition, there are picnic shelters and a new amphitheater being constructed.  On the property are military personnel homes now on the National Historic Register, many of which were sold to private owners in the transfer of property from the government.  At the end of Alexander Circle are the impressive former officers' homes and a view of the Ohio River valley.  Tower Hill Park is a walk (or drive) through the history of our area as well as an escape for future generations.

http://www.ftthomas.org/Recreation/TowerPark.html

Cleveland's Melt Bar & Grilled Lives Up To Its Reputation

Eric and I have been bonding this week.  He chases me around the house when he gets home from work.  I like that!

      My only request while visiting Cindy and Will was to visit one of the top restaurants in the Cleveland area. (In this case, "top" meaning casual dining.)  So, we went for the favorite and visited Melt Bar & Grilled in Lakewood, the number one pick on Urbanspoon's website.  The two of them had heard the wait can be tremendous so we headed out on our 40 minute ride to arrive there by 11 a.m. for the lunch opening.  There were a few people standing out front when we drove past a few minutes before 11.  We parked in the back lot and went in the rear entrance to a wild collection of memorabilia and kitsch.  

Entrance and Shop at Melt in Lakewood, OH

Bar with Lighted Holiday Figures

      The restaurant was sparsely filled when we arrived.  Had the hype worn thin?  We were greeted by our server, Leah, who had both a sense of humor and a vast knowledge of the offerings.  The menu is printed on the backs of various record albums and it can be intimidating with its variety and descriptions.  I had viewed their website and immediately went to the Westside Monte Cristo.  It's my favorite sandwich, so my decision was made.  Cindy chose the Smokey Russian and Will the Gyro Melt, a new menu addition.  All sandwiches are served on fresh baked bread with hand cut fries and sweet slaw.

Westside Monte Cristo

Main Street Café: A Reflection of Medina Square

Neil went away for a few days and I was on my own until Eric came home from work.  I was looking forward to exploring the outdoors but it's been so rainy.  (I like drinking the murky water in the puddles.) There were a couple of hours of sunshine so I made the best of it.  I was anxious to hear what Neil had been up to when he returned home.

Town Square in Medina, OH

      I visited our friends Cindy and Will in Medina recently.  Cindy and I get together for a few days from time to time to inspire one another as artists and designers.  Of course, meals are another way we get energized.  My second day there, we went up to the historical Medina Square in the center of town for a visit to the Main Street Café.  The square is turn of the last century and as we entered the café the time period was repeated. 

Turn of the Last Century Dining Room

      We had dinner there about a year ago and I was quite impressed by their take on several of the dishes.  It was around 2 p.m. so we had missed the lunchtime crowd.  Cindy found a Salmon Wrap on the menu and I was attracted to the Blackberry Chicken.  My entrée came with soup and I chose the Steak and Potato Soup du Jour (the lobster bisque is also yummy).  It was thick and robust in flavor with a generous amount of meat and potatoes.  Cindy liked her salmon, but was really intrigued by the pasta salad served alongside.  The dressing was homemade and quite light.  My chicken arrived with side dishes of ginger-cashew rice and snow pea pods.  Both were nice flavors with the chicken that was roasted to perfection with a blackberry demi-glace reduction.  At first I thought there was too much sauce, but the taste was a great accompaniment for the savory chicken.  I recalled the creamy tiramisu I had for dessert on my previous visit, but I just couldn't make room for it that day.

Steaming Steak and Potato Soup du Jour

"Win Win" Wins

      Thomas McCarthy’s latest film Win Win is well worth seeing, though it’s only playing at the Kenwood Movie Theatre and it’s been there a couple of weeks.  It stars Paul Giamatti as a lawyer in a small New Jersey city, who takes on custodianship of an older client (Burt Young) in addition to working a second job as a high school wrestling coach.  This leads to the man’s troubled grandson, on the run from his mother, showing up and forcing Giamatti and his wife, played by Amy Ryan, to question what family commitments and financial obligations mean to them.

Bouquet is a Short Lister for Foodies

Eric’s Mom came to visit for the week and she was very friendly, but her allergies started.  She said it wasn’t me, but I decided to go hunting in the twilight.  I’ve seen some of those bushy-tailed rats running up and down the trees and they’d better watch out.

The Townhouse Dining Room

      Katy told us that she and Dennis had really enjoyed Bouquet a few weeks ago.  When Mom said she wanted to go to one of the fancy restaurants she’d read about from Dexter, we thought about a number of restaurant we hadn’t visited and thought why not Bouquet?  It’s located in Covington’s historic Mainstrasse district in an Italianate townhouse.  It’s a beautiful building with a long dining room and an atmosphere that seems like a Parisian Bistro or a restaurant in the Ontario wine country.  The wood floors, while attractive, intensify the volume.  I wish there were some soundboards to dull the noise.

The Featured Soup—Carrot with Maple 

Bibb Salad with Pineapple and Cornbread Croutons

      The Carrot with Maple Soup sounded lovely and the taste lived up to expectations because the dollop of cilantro cream added a lemony tang to the sweetness of the maple and the earthiness of the vegetable.  It was a purée of medium consistency with a liquid, rather than cream, base.  It was a great entrance into the meal.  Neil had the Bibb Salad, which intrigued him because of the tiny chunks of fresh pineapple in it and Yuzu (a Japanese orange) and Cardamon Vinaigrette.  The sweetness and the acid complemented each other very well in this dish with the other ingredients – carrots and cornbread croutons (a little soft).

Sea Scallops as a Small Plate

The Butterflies of Brazil Flutter at Krohn Conservatory

I love nature!  That's why it's important to me that I get out and walk about each day.  I can't wait for our garden to start blooming and attract my butterfly friends.

     Tropical butterflies have emerged for the 16th annual show at the Krohn Conservatory in Eden Park.  This year the elusive insects come to us from Brazil, the "greenest" country on earth, and this is a theme that is emphasized in the exhibit.

      Guests are routed through the Desert House and Orchid Room, passing by the Butterfly Nursery where they hatch and unfold before being released in the Showroom.  The tour continues through the Bonsai Gallery with photographs and collections from Brazil, and an education area for kids to create art from recycled materials. From there, enter the Butterfly Showroom where the fragile creatures flutter and entertain.  The setting is tropical, and while it is not one of Krohn's finest displays, it's not important as the butterflies are the center of attention.  Plan to linger for a while and examine closely those camouflaged in the foliage and snacking on oranges.  There's more sights and sounds from the Brazilian Carnival in the Sambadrome as you leave the butterflies behind.  

Virgil’s Café Should Not Be Missed, But Plan Ahead

Living just north of Kentucky, people sometimes think my meow has a southern drawl.  I don't think so, but I do notice Neil and Eric picking up certain sayings like "y'all" (although it's more like "yu'all") and one that's particular to this area, which is saying "please" rather than "excuse me" when they didn't hear what you were saying.  I really like living here as we have the influence of both the North and the South.

Virgil's Café at 710 Fairfield Avenue in Bellevue, KY

      The moderately priced jewel of northern Kentucky restaurants right now is Virgil’s Café in Bellevue, KY.  It’s five minutes from downtown Cincinnati and the only difficult thing is getting over to the right in order to take the first exit off of 471.  The other difficult thing is to get a table at Virgil’s.  Not only is it a charming place, but it was also featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a year or so ago.  It’s none of the D words; it’s truly a Café.  We dropped by on a Sunday evening around 6 p.m. and we were seated without a reservation, but the place was still more than half full.

      The food is Southern American and everything I’ve had there – whether for lunch, Sunday Brunch, or dinner – has been good.  We decided to focus on sharing some appetizers, one entrée, and a dessert.  

Frogs' Legs and Hush Puppies

The Frogs’ Legs are fried in corn meal and served with a Pinot Grigio aioli that is smooth and rich.  Jalapeno cheddar hush puppies also accompany the dish, but we went ahead and ordered them as a side as well.  Though fried, they are remarkably light.  

Hot Slaw with Bleu Cheese

The Royal Couple Sparks Dexter's Curiosity

      Everyone’s talking about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and there are lots of people who look up their ancestors and where they came from.  I’m wondering where I came from too so, after Neil left the computer on the web, I tapped a few keys and found fancyfelinesfoundations.  I was sure that I must be from royalty because, if you look far enough, you can always find some type of royal connection.  

      I always suspected that my ancestors might have lived on a boat because I like looking at water and I like drinking it as long as I don’t have to get in it.  I even thought it could have been a royal barge.  My coat blends in many places and I bet my ancestors blended in with silks and satins and golden thread.  After tapping more keys, I found out that I was right!  Well, not exactly, but I was on a similar kind of path.  My great-great-great-times about eight – grandfather earned his way over to America.  He worked on a ship carrying immigrants.  He had to hunt for the furry tailed things to protect everyone’s food supply.  One of the immigrants hid him in his coat when he went through Ellis Island.  He didn’t sign his name, but he did peak out of the immigrant’s pocket and I saw the picture.  He may not have been royal, but he was pretty heroic!

View the latest on the Royal Couple here:

http://www.rr.com/news/galleryroyal?cmpid=RRWMHero#rr%2F31346879%2F40112075%2F