My sis and I had a rare and welcome Christmas alone, which meant parade and movies, lighting the Christmas tree and playing records – no family drama, how sweet is that? But we didn’t want to have just your ordinary, everyday Christmas dinner. We decided to do it the KFC way, the way so many people celebrate in Japan.

Well, we can’t get to a KFC and we don’t know all the recipes, so we just had to find a recipe for corn salad and sort of wing it then buy the chicken and cake at Hy-Vee – here’s how it’s supposed to look:

And here’s what our make-shift Christmas dinner looked like:

Pretty close, huh? Okay, not exactly – but it was fun and tasty!

Baked chicken, broccoli and rice with stir fried peppers, sausage crabs and meatballs.

I can’t stand Hunt’s canned pasta sauce, there’s just something too bitter about it. So I cooked up some spaghetti, browned some ground beef and added the pasta sauce + about 2 T of honey to round out the flavor. Worked like a charm – I do so love spaghetti!

How do we not have this in America? That’s all I can think as I poke around this awesome website for a hog roast hire business in the UK called Parkers.

The idea is that you can hire Parkers to come and cater your function or event and, for about the same price as it would cost you to rent a roasting machine, they come in with the machine and hog, roast your dinner for you and serve it so you can think about other things like how to keep Uncle Mike-y away from the liquor cabinet and thus avoid a no-pants, lampshade-hat scenario!

One of the really great things about this is that, other than it just freeing up your time, your hog is also prepared by professionals who know what they’re doing and roast these hogs for a living. It’s a fabulous concept because it would take you out of the equation, and the possibility of you absolutely ruining your own roast hog by trying to do it yourself if you’re not familiar with these roasting machines. And if you’re hosting a party or event, the last thing you want to do is cook with a contraption you don’t understand – you could end up with a lot of sick guests and a polite decline to your next party invitations! Why not let the professionals do it? You wouldn’t try and fix your car by yourself if you didn’t know how, would you? Well, I wouldn’t but that’s because I know me and I know how much I can fudge up what should be a simple job!

I really wish they’d expand their business with one in the United States. As you probably know, I’m a vintage loving gal and this would make a great centerpiece to an old fashioned tiki party or kitsch luau!

I’ve never been a big fan of Ryan’s, partially because I just don’t like buffet style food, but this last year I’ve been there a few times and it’s always been really good. This time was no exception!

I nabbed two big platefuls ( Mashed potatoes and gravy, fried chicken, potato wedges, BBQ ribs, carrots, rolls and macaroni and cheese ) and a little ice cream. I would’ve had more but one of our party got sick (as usual) and decided to be a downer the rest of the time, including freaking out because we were still enjoying the buffet after she had already had her fill and gone to the car. Women!

Ryan’s gets 3 stars out of a possible 5, the food was good but not necessarily great and the atmosphere always leaves something to be desired. Plus our service woman was rude (not just to us, to everyone).

4302 North Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO 64506
(816) 390-9855

Buffet was 50/50 – all the greens except for the iceberg salad (blargh!) had frigging bacon in them (including the green beans!), but the mashed potatoes and fried chicken were pretty good. The best part of the meal was the nachos I got with my second plate – I forgot to take a pic of the ice cream, but I did get a pic of one of the awesome signs on the wall!

The first thing you notice about Dos Chiquitas is the great lighting in the building. Unlike China King, and some other small but great chow stops, Dos Chiquitas has softer, warmer lighting instead of florescent bulbs buzzing two inches from your eyeball for the entire meal. The next thing you notice? The super friendly, even more super attentive staff who make you feel at home from the moment you walk through the doors.

Then comes the food. Your started off with a basket of light, crispy tortilla chips and a little cup of the best salsa you can imagine. And they keep it coming while you wait for your order.

The menu is full of combos and drinks, and even a burger or two, but what Laota and I got were shredded chicken soft taco combination plates that come with heaping helpings of rice and beans. We couldn’t finish it there, we had to take it home!

The food is fragrant, and packed full of flavor. Like our server (awesome guy, very friendly!) said about other Mexican restaurants in the area, “There’s no flavor, it’s just food.” and I agree with him. The difference between Dos Chiquitas and other places serving Mexican-style or TexMex food is that Dos Chiquitas food is infused with flavors. The chicken was delicious, the tortillas were delicious, the rice is to die for and the beans were a great balance to it all. There was a mild fruity note to the meat, as if it had been cooked with peppers or tomatoes, and the order was on our table in no time.

I can’t gush enough about this place, and I can’t wait to go back! Four out of five stars, would have been five if FoxNews hadn’t been on the televisions lol.

DOS Chiquita’s
(660) 425-4639
Bethany
3507 Bulldog Ave
Bethany, MO 64424