all in a days work

Testing one two three, we are blogging from KC, Missouri! Today was another hot one. It started early with getting up and dressed and heading over to the registration desk to sign in. Upon arriving at the registration desk we took a stroll along the Merit Winners row of all the hospitals that had entered the hospital of the year contest. In the middle was this:

 

and for all you people out there that are like me and need assistance with their vision, I took a close up as well.....

there is was beautifully displayed on an easel in the center. What a proud moment. We then carried on with the registration process, finding out where we will be presenting tomorrow, and ran into  Wayne Usiak the architect from Albuquerque who created AVH. From there it was back to the hotel where we both did quite a bit of paperwork/computer work - the work you can't get done while at the hospital. It turned out to be a productive day. Dr. Lechten then slipped out and she was involved with a group discussion about owners who are interested in building their own hospitals. Once back we decided to go down to the very well known "Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue". Which we both had a very well known dish to kansas city - burnt ends. Let me Wikipedia that for you:

Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the point half of a smoked brisket. A traditional part of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end removed and cooked further, or the point and flat are separated prior to cooking. Due to the higher fat content of the brisket point, it takes longer to fully cook to tender and render out fat and collagen. This longer cooking gave rise to the name "burnt ends". Sometimes when the flat is done, the point is returned to the smoker for further cooking. Some cooks re-season the point at this time.Kansas City style burnt ends are usually served cubed with sauce either on top or on the side. A "proper" burnt end should display a modest amount of "bark" or char on at least one side. Burnt ends can be served alone (sometimes smothered in barbecue sauce) or in sandwiches, as well as in a variety of other dishes, including baked beans^[1] and gumbo.

Following the fab meal, we obviously had to walk it off home and enjoyed the sights of the downtown city area at night. Despite the very loud "screaming coming form the trees" I asked Dr. Lechten (a native to Missouri) what the heck is that it sounds like a bird stuck somewhere- she laughed and said oh those are "cicada's". They are an insect that makes that noise at night. What an awful screeching sound, and let me tell you if I could have voice recorded it for you I would have!

The adventure continues, until tomorrow folks.... signing out...Lisa and Dr. Lechten...

"Cicada" pronounced "Sih-cada"

Downtown KC at night

 

burnt ends with potato salad and cheese corn - delish