peanut butter chocolate tofu ice cream (tofu???)

Well, since I'm torn between Blogger and Tumblr right now, and rarely use either, here is a post I just made on my other blog: http://rachelyeakley.tumblr.com/post/25440053413/peanut-butter-chocolate-tofu-ice-cream

Maybe someday I'll stay in one place!

Nothing to Wear

The next time I get "nothing to wear" syndrome when I look in my closet, I'm going to come back and read this. I usually don't prefer translations from The Message, but this passage really benefited from a modern update. I discovered it from this blog about a family of six living off of $28,000 a year. The mom reminded me of my friend, Sharon, who often prays before she goes shopping. When I was younger, I admit I thought that was pretty silly. Now I can see the wisdom in it. Here's the passage:

^27-29“Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference?

Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

^30-33“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.

People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

Matthew 6:29-33

OPERATION: Avoid Eating Out

New post on my mini-blog

OPERATION Get All My Friends to Live in Kansas City

Three years ago, I emigrated from Oklahoma City to Kansas City. Graduation left me at a crossroads, deciding if I should make a drastic change like moving to NYC or Chicago for a few years before returning closer to family, stay in OKC where I had job security and friends, pursue a career in pr for the music industry in Nashville or go somewhere different-yet-appealing like Denver or Kansas City. After tons of praying and job searching, I landed here. And what a perfect decision that was. I quickly (as in, within a week), confirmed that this city is my cup of tea (or coffee). I was having a blast living the single life, exploring all the unique neighborhoods here and decorating my apartment. Then…in the midst of my “single” state of mind, I met a guy with a magnetic personality and kind way about him. And now we’re getting married! Soon, I’ll get to experience this vibrant town as a newlywed.


Who doesn't want all of their friends and family to live near them? Well, some might exclude the second group of my previous statement. For me, friends and family are a blurry line, so I want them all as close as possible. However, when I decided to leave Oklahoma for new territory up north, I thought I was giving up that dream.

So this brings me to the purpose of this post. Through several conversations with my best friends, I've found that hope remains. Below, I will give my list of potential immigrants and a few extra tidbits. I have my work cut out for me, but I think by 2016, Kansas City will be filled with a Who’s Who of Rachel’s favorite people.
Timeline, current location and what needs to happen before they can move.

• 1 year – Loren & Penelope O’Laughlin
• Jonesboro, AR
• structural design job for Loren and ESL or refugee program position for Penelope
• 1.5 years – Tara McComas (and her bf Kevin Heeney)
• Tulsa, OK 
• finish med school, apply & select residency program in Kansas City, find job for Kevin
• 2 years – Kevin & Whitney [Pettyjohn for now] Sterling
• Brooklyn, NY
• wed one another, get their fill of Brooklyn, graphic design job for Kevin and pr job for Whitney (non-profit preferred)
• 2 years – Ryan Yeakley (brother)
• Wichita, KS
• Find a job in IT/computer software
• 2-3 years - Julia Kaissling
• Chicago, IL
• get her fill of Chicago (not rushing this one too much, because I love that she lives there right now), then find a teaching or other equally fitting job here
• 3 years – Anna Vinzant (cousin)
• Searcy, AR
• Graduate with a degree in interior design & find rock star position in KC
• 3-5 years – Adrian & Katherine [Roland for now] Milton
• Houston, TX
• Gain valuable experience at respective law firms in Houston before finding positions in Kansas City pre-babies
• side note--this one is going to be harder to wait patiently, but the pay-off will be worth it
• 5+ years – Mark & Kimberlee Yeakley
• Wichita, KS
• Realize life will be incomplete unless they live next door to their grandchildren. Oh, and find a way to make money here.

• Undetermined timeline:

• Stephanie Mester – after she’s gathered some speech therapy experience in Amarillo.
• Jennifer Pekrul – after I find her a job here
• Lyndsay Suttles (soon-to-be Davis) and her hubs, Andy

If you’d like to register with the RRP (Rachel Relocation Program) or know of open positions that would be a good fit for any of the above names, please email rachel.yeakley@gmail.com.

Update on cold deliciousness for the summer

(mango passion fruit + lemon blackberry sorbet)


As a follow-up to my snow cone post, let's talk briefly about ice cream. If you've known me any time at all past 2004 (when I discovered gelato), you know I'm not much of an ice cream person. HOWEVER--one man has changed that. His name is Christopher Elbow, and if you haven't heard that name before, come to Kansas City and let me introduce you.

Mr. Elbow is known around here (and across the country) as one of the best artisan chocolatiers. I could spend paragraphs on the Caramel Fleur de Sel alone. *sigh*



A couple months ago, Mr. Elbow opened an artisan ICE CREAM shop. Believe it or not, he has somehow managed (magic, perhaps?) to translate his amazing chocolates into frozen deliciousness. The aforementioned favorite chocolate of mine is now my favorite ice cream treat. Caramel ice cream (with a hint of salt) plus hot fudge drizzled on top.

Zach (the boyfriend) who is not usually a dessert person has even come over to the dark side. His favorite flavor is Vietnamese Cinnamon.

I want to make this short, so in summary--get in your car (buses go right past the shop, too), and visit Glacé Artisan Ice Cream (just south of the Plaza Library).

P.S. It's pronounced "Gla-say." :)


Oooh--in other exciting news, a Red Mango (fabulous frozen yogurt) just opened on 50th & Oak!

Snow cones are the new cupcakes

Okay, not really. Nothing, no matter how trendy, can replace the deliciousness of a Bella Nutella from Cupcake a la Mode. Or my recent discovery during the chocolate tour of Chicago that Katherine took me on (really, it's an official tour) -- More Cupcakes. Mmm.

Despite that tangent, however, I've noticed that snow cones (or sno cones, shaved ice, etc.) have risen in popularity lately.

A few examples:

Fresher Than Fresh snow cones (in Kansas City) are ALL NATURAL. Yes, all natural. This is a far cry from when I worked at Sun 'n Fun Water Park's snow cone shack in '03. Ha! Blue Coconut and Tiger's Blood were about as far from natural or organic as you can get. They might have even been radioactive.

Here is a video and article to get you excited about this trend sweeping the nation. Other trends to watch: macarons (more on that later).

Fox 4 Kansas City news story on Fresher Than Fresh:
Who is that strange girl at the end? ;) Oh, and here is the article where FTF is mentioned...hooray local businesses!

New York Times - The Snow Cone Grows Up

Happy summer, everyone!

no more trips to Walgreens for toothpaste!

Let me start by saying I am NOT an employee of Alice.com, nor are they my client. I'm just a really happy customer! Although I love grocery shopping, I'm not thrilled by random and annoying trips to the store just for little things I run out of (i.e. toilet paper, soap, etc). Enter: Alice.com (as in--Everyone needs their own Alice, or the maid from The Brady Bunch).

If you're like me and you don't have a Wal-Mart with everyday low prices within a 20-minute radius or you're morally opposed to shopping there, this is the perfect solution! The prices might not always be as low as WallyWorld, but they're quite close. And it's a million times more convenient. It took me about three orders to finally accept that there isn't a catch. Here's what you should know:

* you always have to order at least 6 items
* BUT--then shipping is free
* the selection isn't perfect, but it's better than you'd think
* you can search by what coupons are available
* they ship your order in a pretty blue box to your office or home in a couple of days

Now--be SURE that if you're ever going to use this service, you sign up using this link or by clicking the banner to the left.
<---that one

If you do, then you'll get $10 automatically plopped into your account (but only if you've been referred). They don't give it to you until you prove your loyalty by spending your first $50. This just happened with me, and I guess they trust me now!

Have fun exploring and shopping!

Farmer's Market

This has been the harshest winter I've lived through (keep in mind I lived in sunny Oklahoma for 22 years and mostly dealt with ice and wind). I don't say that to complain--it's definitely been a snowy adventure this year, but to say how much I am longing for the sweet, warm spring! Spring is my favorite season (with autumn coming in a very, very close second). Mostly, I've had the open air farmer's market on my mind. I've loved going there on Saturdays in the spring, summer and fall, but have missed it desperately lately since I've been trying to eat healthier foods. It's not as fun to buy apples from Wal-Mart when you know you're not supporting your local farmers AND you're eating who-knows-what kind of disease-causing preservatives. Plus, I can save a lot of money there. :)

I need to compile some yummy recipes in anticipation of all the produce I'll be able to buy. Feel free to share your favorites with me. Specifically ones that involve in-season produce. I also buy eggs, Shatto milk and Bread of Life nutty bread from the market. Oh, and I'm super excited about my tomatoes from a young farmer with a super long beard who has a really cute little boy that I let pick out the tomatoes for me. There's nothing like a home-grown tomato. And since I failed at my attempt to grow my own on my balcony, I will stick to the experts.

That's all my dreaming for now--time to get back to work.