Couple’s passion for entertaining makes Westport home a welcome spot for neighbors

Patti and Dana Meier were drawn to the beautiful remodeled kitchen in the house they purchased in the Westport area. Patti teaches sewing and hosts quilting retreats at her KC Maker Studio and Retreat Center. Dana is an accountant for the Kansas City Fire Department. They have two married sons and two grandchildren.

Q: Have you always lived in the city?

A: “I lived in the suburbs, in Lee’s Summit, but I had worked downtown in a career in human resources for many years,” Patti said.

“Dana and I met about six years ago and got married five years ago. The same week as our wedding, we purchased this house. Once we moved in here, we quickly learned that we not only loved the house, we really enjoyed the neighborhood. Dana is president and I am events chair for the Valentine Neighborhood Association. We enjoy our neighbors, as it is a friendly group of diverse people. We have fun at the many events our neighborhood association hosts.”

Q: Who or what has influenced your cooking?

A: “I grew up near Topeka on a family-owned farm,” Dana said. “My family had owned the land for about 100 years. We grew produce, then sold it at a roadside market so I was always around good, fresh food.”

Patti said she grew up the daughter of a single mom. “So my siblings and I would often help with the cooking,” she said. “My great grandma was also a big influence. She lived nearby, so we would go to her house after school. She taught us to cook and bake, sew, knit, crochet and do so many things.”

Q: What foods do you especially enjoy cooking?

A: “We both love to cook, often teaming together for dinner,” Dana said. “I enjoy grilling, while Patti likes to bake bread and desserts. Cheesecakes are one of her specialties.”

Patti added that they love to garden.

“We have a small garden here and a larger plot at a community garden. This time of year, our dinners typically include salad, grilled fish or steak, grilled corn and sliced tomatoes. I love to make an aioli sauce for the grilled corn.”

Q: Do you entertain often?

A: “We frequently entertain our family and friends,” Patti said. “When we first bought this house, we thought we might run a bed and breakfast, and I used to make scones every morning for those who attended the quilting retreats. While I can’t serve homemade food now, we arrange restaurant meals for the guests, then create a friendly atmosphere here so guests can enjoy the dinners. Hospitality is important to us.”

Q: What encouragement would you offer to someone learning to cook?

A: “Yes, you can is my first instruction,” Patti declared. “Everyone has experienced that situation when you first want to try something new and feel you can’t do it. But if you tell yourself you can do it, you can accomplish it and will be pleased you tried.”

Q: What recipe are you sharing?

A: “We love to serve this Strawberry Arugula Forbidden Salad,” Patti shared. “It is both beautiful and delicious. The black color of the rice is distinctive and contrasts with the red and green of the salad.

“If you have not tried forbidden rice, I encourage you to do so as it adds a wonderful, nutty flavor. I buy it at larger stores, such as Whole Foods. If you don’t have forbidden rice, you can substitute any other cooked grain, such as wild rice, quinoa or farro. Allow the cooked rice or grain to cool just a little before adding it to the salad.

“Sometimes I toss the salad together but other times I make a bed of arugula then spoon the rest of the salad over that. This salad holds up well so we enjoy it the next day and it is great for lunch. If you wish to limit sugar, you can use sugar free syrup in place of the maple syrup.”

Strawberry Arugula Forbidden Salad

Makes 6 servings

4 cups cooked forbidden black rice

1 pound fresh strawberries, stemmed and quartered

¼ cup fresh basil, sliced into ribbons, plus additional basil ribbons for garnishing the salad

½ cup chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

2 cups arugula

½ cup crumbled goat cheese

Dressing:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

¼ cup olive oil

½ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or to taste

Place the cooked rice, strawberries, basil and parsley in a bowl.

To make the dressing, whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup. Whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Just before serving, add the arugula to the rice mixture. Top with the goat cheese. Garnish with additional basil leaf ribbons and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar dressing.

Tips: Substitute cooked wild rice, quinoa or farro for the forbidden rice.

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Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore are cookbook authors and food consultants that make up The Electrified Cooks. They have published over fourteen cookbooks and thousands of recipes. They are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier and blog at pluggedintocooking.com.

This story was originally published August 17, 2020 at 5:00 AM.