Flavors of Kentucky

   This year’s Derby parties might be a little smaller because of the economy, but people still are having friends over to watch the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. Brown-Forman’s “Chief Entertaining Officer” Tim Laird has hosted hundreds of parties and has some tips for hosting a Derby party at home.

 Tips for hosting a Derby party:

 

  

 Plan ahead and make a timeline of activities. There are a variety of parties you can host including an early Derby breakfast/late morning brunch (if you are planning on going to the track), or an afternoon cocktail party or dinner (if you plan to watch the races at home.) If you plan to watch the races at home, invite guests to come over two hours before the actual Derby Race so you can enjoy a few cocktails and appetizers.    

 Set a price for each ticket. Have each guest who wants to participate buy a slip of paper (ticket) and have them write their name and the name of the horse they want to win the race. Guests may buy as many tickets as they want. As soon as the results are official, count the number of winning tickets and divide that number into the total money bet to determine the payoff per winning ticket.  

Set a price for each chance at choosing the winning horse. Write the names of each horse on a slip of paper and put them in a hat. Have each person who has bought a chance draw one of the slips of paper. Once the results are official, the person with the winning horse wins all the money.

    

Use themed invitations. The type of invitation you use will set the tone of the party – casual, formal, and/or costume. Costume ideas include: dress in your favorite jockey’s silks, creative hats required, or dress in the color of your Derby horse’s saddle cloth.

Use easy decorations. Get racing forms and programs from friends who have been to the track for decorating your table, or download or print the racing schedule from the newspaper so you know who is in the Derby race. Make multiple copies so you have enough for all of your guests.

Traditional table decorations include red roses in julep cups, or garnishing your table and food items with mint and red rose petals.Set up drink stations. Include a variety of ingredients and mixers where your guests can serve themselves. Make sure to be a good and responsible host and include an alcohol-free station with fun non-alcoholic mixers.

Prepare Derby-themed food and beverages that are easy for you and your guests to enjoy. Offer traditional Derby drinks: mint juleps or Derby punches. Make “Mint Juleps for Many” with mint syrup or simply buying Early Times Mint Julep pre-mix, the “Official Drink of the Kentucky Derby,” and serving it over crushed ice with a sprig of mint for garnish.

For larger parties and to be more economical, make punches or pitcher drinks of mint julep. Not only does this cut down on cost, but also makes it easier on the host as guests serve themselves.Get your guests involved. Assign tasks and items for them to bring as everyone wants to be included (and makes it easier on the host.)  Have each guests bring an appetizer or dessert and give prizes for the best named and themed dishes.

 

Create fun and interactive racing games. Set up a game of horseshoes in the backyard, or offer ways to bet at home parties: Here are recipes from Laird.

Easy mint juleps

2 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon

1 ounce simple mint syrup (recipe follows)

Crushed ice

Garnish with Kentucky mint sprig

Serves 1.

 To make by the pitcher:

 16 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon

8 ounces simple mint syrup

Mix bourbon and mint syrup. Pour into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and a sipping straw.

Serves 8.

 Make mint simple syrup by combining 1 part water, 1 part sugar, 1 part loosely packed fresh Kentucky mint. Bring sugar and water to a boil while stirring to dissolve. Add mint and take off the heat. Let stand for 20 minutes then strain into a tempered glass jar, let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

 Tip:  You can adjust the sweetness of the drink by adding more or less of the simple syrup.

 

Mint juleps for many

 2 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon

1 ounce mint simple syrup

Crushed ice

Method: Shake

Glass: Tall with crushed ice

Garnish: Mint sprig

Make mint simple syrup by combining 1 part water, 1 part sugar, 1 part loosely packed fresh Kentucky mint. Bring sugar and water to a boil while stirring to dissolve. Add mint and take off the heat. Let stand for 20 minutes then strain into a tempered glass jar, let cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

The “10-second” mint julep:

 

Pour Early Times Mint Julep pre-mix over crushed ice in a rocks glass or a julep cup. Garnish with a sprig of mint. 

  Thoroughbred punch 

 ½ cup sugar

4 ounces lemon juice

6 ounces orange juice

4 ounces Grenadine

1 liter Woodford Reserve bourbon

1 liter Club soda

Combine sugar with the lemon and orange juice and stir well. Add grenadine and Woodford Reserve and stir again. Add the club soda, garnish with mint sprig and Ice mold and serve.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love those tater tots? Prove it.

Bar Louie is having its second annual “Rock the Tot” tater tot eating contest on Thursday, April 23. The person who eats the most tater tots in six minutes will be declared the local “Rock the Tot” champion; after the results from 51 other Bar Louie contests are tallied, a national champion will be named.

Each of the 52 regional champions will receive a $250 Bar Louie gift card, a party for as many as 20 friends and free tater tots for a year. Participants may register at 7:30 p.m.; the contest will begin at 8.

Bar Louie is in The Mall at Lexington Green, 161 Lexington Green Circle. Call (859) 273-7985 or go to Bar Louie

Lexington Children’s Theatre is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a birthday bash from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

A competition for bakeries and pastry chefs will feature cakes themed around titles of children’s books that LCT has presented as plays and musicals. For a $5 donation, guests receive a cake judging and the opportunity to sample all the cakes. Participating bakeries include Nom Nom’s Masterpiece Cakery, Mondelli’s, Magee’s, Desserts by Rebecca, The Twisted Sifter, Custom Cakes by Crystal, The Fairy Cake Mother, Brown’s Bakery, Mama’s Cakery, Amry Cake Design, Bluegrass Barkery and Made by Maria.

Joseph-Beth is in The Mall at Lexington Green, 161 Lexington Green Circle. Call (859) 273-2911.

If you’re looking for a place to take the family, try Vito’s Café, 654 Highland Avenue in Fort Thomas. On Sunday evenings, the café offers Italian-style family platters. Included are spaghetti and meatballs, veal Marsala, shrimp Puccini and rigatoni Bolognese. Call (859) 442-9444 or go to Vito’s Cafe.

Dave McCauley’s Big Blue Q mobile smoker grill will be in front of CD Central on Saturday. The menu includes pulled-pork sandwiches and nachos to go along with the live bands that will perform. The event begins at noon. CD Central is at 377 South Limestone. Call (859) 233-3472 or go to Big Blue Q.

Brown’s Bakery, 1397 West Main Street, is gearing up for the Derby, making bourbon chocolate pies (9-inch and 3-inch minis) mint julep chocolate cupcakes and jockey silk sugar cookies. Call (859) 225-8400 or go to Brown’s Bakery.

Beech Springs Farm Market is open for the season. The market, 4776 Old Boonesboro Road in Winchester, sells locally and regionally grown produce, flowers and plants from Kentucky greenhouses, and salad dressings, barbecue sauces, jams and jellies. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Call John and Mary Beth Hendricks at (859) 749-2776.

The first Ramsey’s Diner opened April 20, 1989, at 496 East High Street. It’s probably the only place in town that hasn’t changed much in 20 years — except for some remodeling after a fire and repairs after a car crashed into the building. Ramsey’s still offers “meat & three” for one price. Call (859) 259-2708. Other locations are at 4391 Old Harrodsburg Road, (859) 219-1626; 4053 Tates Creek Center, (859) 271-2638; and 3090 Helmsdale Place, (859) 264-9396.

O’Charley’s Restaurants are giving away made-from-scratch strawberry lemonade on Wednesday. It’s in honor of administrative professionals, but the offer is available to everyone. If you can’t make it, you can pick up a coupon this week that will be redeemable Monday through April 24.

Lexington is one of the first cities to participate in a new loyalty program from Papa John’s. The Papa’s Points program awards one point for every $5 spent at Papa John’s; 25 points gets you a free pizza.

The East Up! Asian Sensations promotion at bd’s Mongolian Grill offers six new recipe cards for customers to create their own stir-fry entrees. The restaurant is at 2309 Sir Barton Way. Call (859) 264-0686 or go to bd’s Mongolian Grill.

Easter Sunday is a big family day for restaurants and an opportunity to add a little springtime to their menus. Here are places that are offering something special for the holiday, on Sunday.
■ Breaking Bread Café with Jazz, 17 Wainscott Street, in Winchester will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Choice of one meat, three vegetables and dessert is $8.99. The restaurant is in the People Helping People building. Call (859) 771-6108 or (859) 745 6813.
■ The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue, will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serving brunch and dinner. The menu includes roasted leg of lamb, salmon croquettes and eggs Benedict. Call (859) 226-0300.
■ Stonefence Bistro, 730 Main Street in Paris, is normally closed on Sundays but will open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for Easter brunch. The menu features half rack of lamb, honey-orange glazed ham and chocolate French toast. Items are priced under $13. Call (859) 402-2009.
■ Three Suns Bistro, 298 East Brannon Road, in Brannon Crossing, Jessamine County, will serve brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu includes leg of lamb with mint sauce, turkey breast with sage dressing, and pecan fried chicken. Cost is $25. Call (859) 245-0048 or go to www.threesunsbistro.com.
■ Varden’s, 509 Main Street, in Paris will serve an Easter buffet 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Included are pork tenderloin, hot Brown, and filet of sole, Cost is $24.95. Call (859) 987-4700 or go to www.vardens.com.
■ Wayne Masterman’s group of restaurants will have specials along with their regular dinner menus. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Portofino, 249 East Main Street, (859) 253-9300, and at Summit, 1097 Duval Street, (859) 271-1400. Frankfort’s Serafini, 243 West Broadway, is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; call (502) 875-5599.
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Let the cooks at the Greek Orthodox Church make something special for your Easter feast at home. Stop by the church’s annual pastry sale for spanakopita, baklava, and ravani cake. The bake sale is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at the church, 920 Tates Creek Road. Call (859) 245-4057 or (859) 223-6267.
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Wine in Wonderland at Heard It Through the Grapevine features cuisine from 35 restaurant and caterers. The party will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Crowne Plaza Campbell House, 1375 South Broadway. Tickets are $85. Call (859) 257-3221 or go to www.wuky.org.
One of the vendors at Heard it Through the Grapevine will be Dad’s Favorites. Guests can sample four cheese spreads: Swiss cheese, smokey pimento cheese, chipotle cheddar and asiago sun dried tomato. The product now is available at Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati. Call (859) 276-0001.
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Thai Orchid Café, 1030 South Broadway, is celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year. Five special noodle dishes will be served Monday through April 18.
“In Thai and Chinese cultures, noodles represent happiness and long life,” chef Toa Veerasethakul Green said.
Included are spaghetti noodles stir-fried with ground beef in a spicy basil sauce, and egg noodles with topped with shrimp, scallops and calamari in a spicy seafood broth. Call (859) 288-2170 or go to www.thaiorchidcafe.net.
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Lexington Farmers Market opens at 7 a.m. Saturday at its new location, in Cheapside Park. Vendors will be selling spring greens and lettuces, hydroponic tomatoes, organic and natural meats, honey, eggs, cheeses, breads, herbs and spices, chocolates, sorghum, plants, flowers and wool products.
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Woodford Reserve’s Picnic on the Porch will feature sandwiches, salads and desserts handmade by Wallace Station. The lunches will be served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday through October on the terrace at the Visitor Center. The distillery is at 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles. Call (859) 879-1812.
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Cold Stone Creamery has a new line of frozen and iced coffee treats. The drinks will be priced at $1.99 through June 2. The iced and blended coffees come in five flavors, including sweet cream latte and raspberry truffle mocha latte. They’re also available in a light versions. The Lexington store is at 2337 Sir Barton Way. Call (859) 243-0694.

I will begin teaching cooking classes on April 23 at Just Us Girls, 2392 Woodhill Drive.
It will be a basic class on Cooking without Recipes (Sort of). By learning how to combine olive oil and vinegar and your favorite seasonings, you can have a tasty dressing that’s lower in calories and less expensive than ready-made dressings.
Sauteed chicken breasts can be served as the main course, sliced for salads, or chopped for fajitas. Learn to experiment with seasonings, and you can serve chicken five nights a week without getting bored. A perfectly cooked pot of pasta can be paired with a jarred tomato sauce or tossed with butter, garlic and Parmesan cheese – and it’s available in dozens of shapes and sizes.
For dessert, we’ll serve our favorite blackberry cobbler. There’s a little measuring here, but there are ways to make it even simpler.
The class is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and cost is $20. Call (859) 269-0312 or leave a comment below.

Got an idea for a class, e-mail swthompson@herald-leader.com.

Beginning next week I will be working part-time. I will continue to write the Tidbits dining column for Friday’s Weekender, the Tidbits food column for Thursday’s a la carte, and every other Thursday, a food story with recipes. Deadlines for my columns will be the same.

The owners of Just Us Girls gift shop on Woodhill Drive have asked me to teach cooking classes. The lessons will be very basic, but if you would like to sign up, or get more information, call (859) 269-0312.

In the middle of all the hoopla about the new University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, we found out his mother’s family was from Webster Springs, W.Va., and their diet included dandelion soup.
Mrs. Ben Cowgill called this morning to request a recipe so she could serve it to her family on Easter Sunday.
Here are two versions of dandelion soup.

Dandelion soup
2 quarts chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
8 cups loosely packed dandelion greens
1 pound mixed ground meat (beef, veal and pork)
1 egg
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large saucepan, combine broth, oregano, basil and garlic powder; bring to a boil. Add the dandelion greens and cook until tender, 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients; mix well. Shape into 1/2-in. meatballs. Add to soup. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the meatballs are done. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).
Editor’s Note: When dandelions are not in season, fresh spinach may be used in place of the greens.
From Taste of Home

Cream of dandelion soup

2 pounds (about 6 cups) dandelion greens, trimmed and washed
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
4 cups vegetable stock
2 large leeks, white and light parts only, cleaned and sliced
1 carrot, cleaned and diced
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Dandelion buds and/or flower petals for garnish

If using more mature or very bitter tasting greens, blanch them in a pot of boiling salted water, then drain and squeeze out the excess water, chop and set aside. Heat butter or oil in a large pot over medium high heat, add greens, carrot and leeks and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Add stock and simmer for about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in milk, cook stirring frequently, until slightly thickened.

Puree mix in a tightly-covered blender until smooth, taking care with the hot liquid. Season with salt and pepper, and add Dijon if you like. Serve in bowls and garnish with flowers or buds.
From Care2 Green Living

In the May issue of Cook’s Country, writer Kris Widican shows how she developed a less than authentic Kentucky burgoo – but with just as much flavor as the traditional stew that takes hours to make.
Widican visited Moonlite Bar-B-Q Inn in Owensboro and talked to owner Pat Bosley and some old-time burgoo makers for her article on Kentucky burgoo. One of burgoo makers told Widican: “You really want to know what goes into burgoo? I’ll tell ya: anything that’s free.”
Burgoo began as a way to make use of whatever the hunter brought home, and vegetables from the harvest, cooked in a large iron pot over an open flame.
While in Owensboro, Widican tasted burgoo at all the barbecue restaurants and gathered a half-dozen recipes. She went back to the test kitchen to perfect the recipe for the home cook. Her first stumbling block came when she found out her supermarket didn’t carry mutton. So Widican tested recipes with leg of lamb, lamb shoulder chops, and lamb stew meat.
Widican’s “secret to layers of flavor:” She added black pepper at the end of cooking rather than at the beginning, some lemon juice, and ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce to add richness.

Here’s the recipe.

Kentucky burgoo
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 pounds
4 lamb shoulder blade chops (6 to 8 ounces each), about 1/2 inch thick
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups baby lima beans
1/4 cup juice from 2 lemons
Brown meats. Pat chicken and lamb dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to plate. Pour off fat from pan and reserve. (You should have about 3 tablespoons fat; if you have less, supplement with vegetable oil.) Add 1 tablespoon reserved fat to Dutch oven and heat until just smoking. Brown half of chops, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to plate. Repeat with additional 1 tablespoon fat and remaining chops.
Cook aromatics. Add remaining fat and onions to now-empty pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and flour and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and Worcestershire, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Return chicken and lamb to pot and bring to boil.
Simmer meats. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. When cool enough to handle, pull chicken into bite-sized pieces and reserve in refrigerator; discard bones.
Add vegetables. Add potatoes to pot and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Add corn, lima beans, reserved chicken, and reserved lamb and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Season with salt. Skim fat, if necessary. Serve.

Silks Lounge bar is new, but its home has a rich history.
Sandy Fields, owner of the Rosebud, has leased the building at 125 North Mill Street since 1996 for La Petite Rose and Scarlett Lounge. She bought it last summer, and the renovations are now complete.
The building dates to 1837, built by by French confectioner Monsieur Giron.
“Ballroom dancing lessons, cotillions and banquets were held on the second floor of the building,” Fields said. “Half of the building was demolished in the early 1900s and is the site of the Rosebud, but the Silks building is original and the oldest commercial building in Lexington, according to David McKnight of the Blue Grass Trust.
“We uncovered the original tin ceiling, magnificent columns, which originally led to an outside courtyard,” she said.
The Rosebud was named for Old Rosebud, the 1914 Derby winner.
“I felt Silks Lounge, and jockey memorabilia, would link the two bars even though Rosebud is a pub and Silks is fancy, upscale,” Fields said.
Silks is open 4 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily. Call (859) 254-1907.

Fine dining on the go
Restaurants in the Old Vine dining district will have a progressive dinner on Monday.
Cocktail hour will begin at 6:30 p.m. at The Julep Cup, 111 Woodland Avenue. Guests will walk to Annette’s, 431 Old Vine Street, for the main course and dinner wines, then have dessert and after-dinner wines at the Bistro at Wines on Vine, 400 Old Vine Street.
The Julep Cup will serve country ham and collard green pot stickers, and salmon croquettes. Annette’s will serve spring lamb with mint sauce, duck breast with Woodford Reserve cherry-rhubarb glaze, and battered shrimp on a grits cake. Dessert at the Bistro includes devil’s food chocolate cake with a caramel icing layer, topped with chocolate ganache.
Tickets are $95. Call (859) 296-6444 or go to www.annettescatering.com.

New menu at Jonathan
Jonathan at Gratz Park, 120 West Second Street, has a new menu for spring. It includes a deviled-egg trio (asparagus and chive, house-smoked salmon, country ham); grilled rack of lamb with house-made mint jelly and goat cheese-scalloped potatoes; black-eyed pea-crusted rainbow trout with wilted limestone Bibb lettuce; and King crab cornbread cakes served with arugula and roasted-corn aioli. Call (859) 252-4949 or go to www.jagp.info.

Spring brunch at Doodle’s
Doodle’s Breakfast and Lunch, 262 North Limestone, has new hours for its spring brunch, and new menu items fresh from the farmers market. Brunch hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Regular hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (859) 317-8507 or go to www.doodlesrestaurant.com.

Easter eating
Easter Sunday is a huge day for eating out, so make reservations early. Here are places offering special menus.
■ Bayou Bluegrass Catering at The Red Mile will have a lavish buffet and egg hunt from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12. The buffet will be open in the clubhouse from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering chef’s stations for waffles, breakfast, salads, entrees and desserts. The cost is $27.95 for adults and $13.50 for children ages 4 to 8. The egg hunt will be at 12:30 p.m. and is included in the price of the buffet; the egg hunt only is $5. Call (859) 233-0814 or go to www.bayoubluegrass.com.
■ Istanbul Palace Turkish restaurant will serve brunch instead of its usual Sunday buffet on April 12. There will be roast leg of lamb, roast beef, chicken in cream, zucchini pancake and falafel. The price is $14.95. Call (859) 231-1792.
■ Jean Farris Winery is serving brunch Easter weekend. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 11 and noon to 3 p.m. April 12. An Easter egg hunt will take place in the vineyard for guests’ children at 1:30 p.m. both days. A three-course prix fixe menu with wine pairings is $45. Call (859) 263-9463.
■ Easter treats at Tinker’s Cake Shop include bunny-shaped cakes, cupcakes, petits fours, strawberry shortcake, Key lime cheesecake and coffee cakes. The deadline for Easter orders is Wednesday. Call (859) 224-0639. The bakery is at 109 Springdale Drive, in the Paddock Shops in Nicholasville.

Mutton and more, with sauce
Got a craving for barbecued mutton? J.J. McBrewster’s American Smokehouse, 3101 Clays Mill Road, serves Western Kentucky-style barbecue featuring locally raised meats from Bluegrass Goat and Lamb. Smoked meats include pork, salmon, chicken, turkey and beef. Owner ­Susan Mirkhan said the sauce recipe has been in her family for five generations. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call (859) 224-0040.

Seafood with a Thai touch
Thai Orchid Café, 1030 South Broadway, is offering a seafood ­special through Easter. Included are three-flavor shrimp, ginger-steamed salmon, butter and garlic shrimp, coconut curry shrimp. The dessert special, served Fridays and Saturdays, is mango and sweet sticky rice drizzled with coconut cream sauce. Call (859) 288-2170.

A sip of Patron
The Thoroughbred Shop, 2005 Versailles Road, will offer samples of Patron XO Café, a blend of ­tequila and coffee liqueur, 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Call (859) 254-0358.

Crawfish after the races
Furlongs Catering and Shades of the Bluegrass will have a crawfish boil after the races on Saturday. The party will be at Riptide on the River, 9079 Old Richmond Road. Call (859) 263-3286 or go to www.riptideontheriver.com. Steve ­Norman’s band will entertain.

Campbell’s goes Cajun
Campbell’s in Paris, 519 Main Street, offers a Cajun seafood ­special on its dinner menu Saturday. Call (859) 987-5164.

Farmers market at the show
The Lexington Farmers Market will be at this weekend’s Central Kentucky Home, Garden & Flower Show through Sunday. Market vendors will have spring greens, lettuces, organic meats, eggs, and cheese. The event will be at Rupp Arena and Heritage Hall.

The artisans at Great Harvest Bread Co. are handcrafting honey bunnies for Easter baskets and dining table centerpieces. Stores are at Palomar Centre, 3735 Harrodsburg Road, (859) 223-7603, and Idle Hour Center, 2121 Richmond Road, (859) 266-2915.

The bunnies are made with freshly ground whole wheat flour, yeast, water, salt and honey, and contain no additives, preservatives or dough conditioners.