THE MORNING STAR B & B
617 Houston Street * Manhattan, KS 66502
[email protected] * www.morningstaronthepark.com
The Morning Star Update                                                                                                                             May 2010
House in April
Welcome to The Morning Star Update!
Greetings!

   May is one of my favorite times of the year in Manhattan. The gardens are full of spring blooms and showing promise for the summer months to come. Irises are the highlight of the May garden with their many hues and heady perfume. Toward the end of the month, the asiatic lilies and summer blooming spireas shall begin their show.
   Spirits are high around town as residents anticipate the end of the academic year. KSU graduation, 3rd weekend in May, is the main marker of time; and then there is the quiet that follows in a college town such as ours.
For the bed and breakfast, this typically means that we see a drop off in university guests ... people that we miss over the summer months. In their stead, come people for family reunions, weddings and the like, as well as the occasional self-described "tourist".Welcome folks ... looking forward to meeting you!
Lucy in the Sun
The Lucy Update
   Due to a collapsed larynx, in April Lucy had a permanent tracheostomy. We were terribly worried for her. Fortunately, our beloved Lu is recovering well after her major surgery. (We are thankful that we have such wonderful veterinarians at KSU as Dr. Susan Nelson who spotted the problem and Dr. Emily Klocke who was Lucy's surgeon.) The surgery created a small opening in Lucy's trachea, called a tracheostoma, through which Lu breaths. Once the area is all healed, Lucy will be sporting a bandanna when she goes outside to help keep foreign bodies out of the opening. Thank you to everyone who has expressed their concern for Lucy.
The People of Paper
Featured Author: Salvador Plascencia
   Salvador stayed with us recently while he was visiting KSU.  He was a great guest ... very easy going and fun to joke with. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a picture for the newsletter. I did, however, get his book, The People of Paper  and had fun reading it.
   At first, I was unsure what to make of  the novel. Works of  magical realism have a tendency to do that to me. The People of Paper is a crazy book about rebelling against the sources of sadness and loss that we perceive to strip us of control over our lives.  In it, you'll encounter a living woman made of paper, a street gang of carnation pickers, a girl addicted to limes, a wrestler-saint, and many unexpected characters including the author himself.
    The novel reminds me of Book: A Novel  by Robert Grudin, an academic satire which plays with text and also of The Life of Pi by Yann Martel - highly creative and replete with layers of meaning. All three of these are books that I like a lot.
    Salvador is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, but was raised near Los Angeles in the town of El Monte where The People of Paper is set.  In January 2010, Poets and Writers Magazine
named him one of the 50 most inspiring writers in the world.
Margarita
The Essential Margarita
   Having lived in Los Angeles - a city with a large Mexican-American population - for many years, I appreciate Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) Day  celebrations and a well made margarita.
   It always surprises me that so many people rely on salty, artificially flavored margarita mixes when they make this classic cocktail. For margaritas made with the basic ingredients are not only fresher tasting, they are also so easy to make. The variations are countless, but a margarita has these basic ingredients: tequila, lime juice and orange liquor. Simple syrup, agave syrup, or additional fruit flavorings are optional.


The Essential Margarita
(can be served as 2 or 4 drinks, but contains 4 servings of alcohol)

4
oz. blanco or oro tequila
(see A Tequila Primer, below)
2 oz. Cointreau
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup*
crushed ice for mixing
iced cubes for serving
margarita salt, optional

Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and crushed ice in a shaker. Shake vigorously. (This chills the drink with water from the melting ice.) If desired, rim margarita glasses or on the rocks glasses with salt. (To do this, wet the rim of the glasses with a wedge of lime; place salt in a broad enough bowl; then dip the glasses into the salt.) Fill glasses with ice cubes and then strain the drinks into the glasses. Serve right away.

   The following are some ways that you can customize the recipe to create your own signature drink:

(1) vary the relative portions of the ingredients;
(2) substitute a reposado or anejo tequila for blanco;
(3) substitute Triple Sec or Grand Marnier for Cointreau;
(4) substitute Blue Agave Syrup (available in health/organic food aisles) for simple syrup;
(5) substitute an all natural limeade for simple syrup and lime juice; and
/or
(6) add 2 to 4 oz. (or to taste) of fresh squeezed blood orange juice (or any citrus), pomegranate juice, cranberry juice, white peach juice, mango nectar, guava nectar, or fruit puree - omit the salt, and instead use superfine sugar to rim the glass, if desired.

Have a special margarita? To let me know your favorite, click here.


* Note: Simple Syrup is a combination of equal parts water and sugar warmed until the sugar dissolves and then cooled to room temperature. It can be made ahead of time and then kept in the refrigerator.
 Tequila
A  Tequila Primer
    Tequila is a denomination controlled liquor. (That is, in order to be called "tequila," a liquor must be produced in the area around the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico.) It is made from the distilled juice of the agave plant and contains at least 51% tequilana weber blue variety Agave. The flavor of a tequila depends on a number of factors including at what altitude the agaves from which it is made were grown, and so many good tequila makers will indicate the region from which its agaves were harvested. In general, highland agaves are supposed to be sweeter than lowland ones.
   According to the NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana) classification system
, tequila is classified according to  the liquor's contents and for how long it is aged. In terms of contents, it is either 100% agave of the required type or is a mixto (blend). In terms of aging the following 5 categories are the standards.

   Blanco
("white") or Plata ("silver"), sometimes also called or "platinum", is a clear tequila that has been bottled right after distilling or aged for up to 2 months before bottling.  Blancos typically have a strong agave flavor can be very hot and peppery. 
    Joven ("young") or Oro ("gold") is a blanco tequila to which a resposado, anejo or extra-anejo tequila has added to make the flavor smoother.  (Amongst the general public -- myself included, before reading the standard - there seems to be a lot of confusion about this category. The cheaper oros contain caramel color and additional sweeteners  to mimic the color and smoother taste of a reposado or anejo, giving oros a bad name. I have also come across the term "joven" applied to any tequila, that has rested for under 2 months before bottling and the term "oro" applied to reposados because of their pale golden color.)
   Reposado ("rested"), called "aged" in international standards, is a tequila that has been aged in oak barrels for 2 to 12 months, mellowing the agave taste and giving the tequila a slight oaky flavor and faint golden color. Reposados are usually 100% agave.
    Anejo (pronounced an-yay-ho, meaning "aged"),  called "extra-aged" in international standards, is a tequila that has been aged for more than one year in oak barrels and has a more distinct oak flavor than a reposado and can be light to deep golden in color .
   Extra-anejo or Maduro ("vintage"), called "ultra-aged" in international standards is a tequila that has been aged in oak for a minimum of three years. Typically, after 3 years it is then transferred to a stainless steel tank to complete its aging. Extra-anejo tequilas are golden to amber to caramel in color, have more oak flavor and are smoother than an anejo tequila.

  So, which tequila should you buy? That depends on your budget, your taste, and how you are going to consume the tequila. 
Margaritas (and tequila cocktails in general) are typically made from blanco or oro tequilas. These tequilas tend to be less expensive - for the ones that I looked at,  $7 to $12 a bottle less than a reposado or anejo of the same brand.  Blancos and oros generally have a strong agave taste that can be overpowering, unless used in a cocktail, and still allow the tequila flavor to come through even when mixed with a fair amount of citrus and sugar. Reposado tequilas tend to have a little less edge and are sometimes used for cocktails; but the more expensive ones are can be reserved for sipping and are often served on ice. Anejo tequilas are sometimes used in cocktails by people who appreciate the richer flavor and don't mind the extra cost; but they are usually thought of as a sipping tequila. Extra-anejo tequilas, though, generally command a high price and so are not used for mixed drinks. Rather an extra-anejo is sipped, at room temperature, after dinner from a tequila snifter or a tall thin shot glass. It is often compared to sipping cognac
    Those are some general guidelines, but you will still find considerable differences in flavor and heat from one brand to another. If you have a knowledgeable person to ask at your local wine and spirits store, that person can describe his or her impression of the various types of tequila that store carries.  I also like to go to  tequila.net for product reviews. (I've been disappointed, though, not to be able to find some of the tequilas that I wanted to try based on the reviews; but I'm told that Kansas has odd liquor distribution laws.)
    For what it is worth, here is what Bill and I think about the tequilas that we tried while I was working on this article. There wasn't any particular methodology to our tasting apart from trying each straight and then in The Essential Margarita recipe above. (It was by chance that almost all of the ones that we tried are hot tequilas.) All of the ones that we tried are moderately priced ($25 -  $50) and can be found easily. No $200 to $2,000 a bottle private reserve tequilas here.

* El Tesoro Platinum by Don Felipe: agave taste, smoother than other blancos that we have tried and lacks the intense heat of some tequilas; almost, but not quite, disappears into a margarita.
* Milagro Silver: this is very hot with an intense white pepper flavor; makes a good margarita if you like more heat. (Unfortunately, we had to cancel on the tequila dinner that we were going to and didn't get a chance to try the 6 Milagro tequilas on offering.)
* Patron Silver and Resposado: consumed neat, both are sharp and hot, though the reposado is less so than the silver;  the reposado makes a smoother margarita than does the silver.
* Don Julio Reposado: smoother than Patron, very light oak, lightly spicy, medium heat; stands out  more in a margarita than El Tesoro, less than Patron or Milagro.
* Tres Generaciones Anejo by Sauza: starts sweet, but then has a bitterness in the middle before the medium-hot finish; we know several people who are big fans of this both for sipping and for mixing.
* Cabo Wabo Anejo: slightly sweet in the start with a caramel undertone and finishes very hot and slightly cinnamony; the caramel taste is a pleasant complement to the fresh lime juice yielding a sophisticated margarita.
* El Mayor Anejo: very smooth with strong caramel and vanilla tones, finishes medium-hot, not as hot as Cabo Wabo; no overpowering alcohol taste; pleasant for sipping and makes a sophisticated margarita.
   Have fun with your own tequila tasting and remember to drink responsibly! To pass along your favorite tequila suggestions, click here.
   One of my main challenges in writing the newsletter each month is deciding what to leave out.  Believe it or not, "The Essential Margarita" and "A Tequila Primer" sections went through some heavy editing. I'm jokingly telling people that my next book is going to be on tequila recipes.
   I hope that you enjoyed this installment of The Morning Star Update. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon.
 
Wishing you a month of lovely Spring days,
 
Laurie Pieper
The Morning Star B&B
In This Issue
The Lucy Update
Featured Author: Salvador Plascencia
The Essential Margarita
A Tequila Primer
Mother's Day at The Morning Star
Eating Mexican in Manhattan
Dates to Remember
A Taste of Morning: Second Printing
Narcissus
Purple-Leafed Sand Cherry
Mother's Day at The Morning Star
    Remember, Sunday May 9th is Mother's day. Treat Mom to Mother's Day at The Morning Star and we'll provide a lovely arrangement of mixed flowers. Click here to make reservations. (Flower selection subject to availability and must be requested by May  7th. Value $25.)
Coco Bolos
Coco Bolos Restaurant
Eating Mexican in Manhattan
    Every now and then, I feature local restaurants in The Update. I decided that it was about time to write about our Mexican restaurants. We have quite a few to choose from. From talking with guests and our friends in town, what I've realized is that everyone has their own favorite.

* Hillside Cafe offers authentic Mexican cuisine and is 3rd generation family owned restaurant; located South of Ft. Riley Blvd.
* Texas Star serves up Tex-Mex cuisine and smokes their own meats; located in Aggieville.
* Coco Bolos brings a twist to the  Mexican restaurant scene serving what it describes as "New" Mexican and Caribbean foods cooked over a wood fire grill; located in Aggieville.
* Los Coco's offers dishes from various regions of Mexico and has, relative to this area, a large seafood menu; located just west of Seth Child.
* Los Potrillos serves classic American Mexican dishes, located off Tuttle Creek Blvd.
* La Fiesta has a large menu and lively atmosphere; located off Tuttle Creek Blvd.
* Carlos O'Kelly's has a large menu with classic America Mexican dishes and also has a gluten free menu; located in the mall.

Cowboy Sign
Dates to Remember
through June 12th: Flint Hills Forever, Strecker-Nelson Gallery
May 1st: Tyrus Morgan, Coco Bolos
May 1st: Mercy Wild Run, Sunset Zoo
May 1st: Town and Country Garden Plant Sale, 116 S. Dartmouth 8 - 11 a.m.
May 2th, 5th, and 12th: Pairing Cheese and Wine Classes, Emerald City Market
May 5th: Cinco de Mayo dinner, Texas Star Cafe
May 6th: Zerf (concert), Arts in the Park
May 8th: Spring Round-up, Lazy T Ranch
May 9th: Mother's Day Brunch and Dinner, Four-Olives
May 9th: Mother's Day Brunch, Della Voce
May 11th: Flinthills Masterworks Chorale Spring Concert, First United Methodist Church
May 13th - 15th: Meadowlark Hills 30th Birthday Celebration
May 14th: Rhapsody Ringers (bell choir concert), Manhattan Arts Center
May 20th: Tall Grass Beer Dinner, Texas Star Cafe
May 28th: Jearlyn Steele (concert), Arts in the Park
May 29th: Heather Masse (concert), Arts in the Park
May 31st: Memorial Day Concert, City Park

Join Our Mailing List
A Girl of His Dreams
A Taste of Morning: The Second Printing
Thank you to everyone who has bought a copy of A Taste of Morning: Recipes from The Morning Star Bed & Breakfast. The first 200 books are gone and our second printing has just arrived. Click here for more information about how to order copies.
Daffodil
Narcissus 'Papillon Blanc"
Usually crocuses are the first flowers to bloom in our garden, starting sometime in March; but this year they were no where to be found and daffodils took the lead in early April.
Sand Cherry Blossoms
Prunus x Cistena
    The Purple-Leafed Sand Cherry is great for landscaping. It can be pruned as a shrub or allowed to grow upward into a small tree. (We have one tree-form specimen that is almost 15 feet tall and several shrub-sized specimens that I prune back considerably every spring and which then reach a height of about 6 feet tall by summer.)The deep reddish purple leaves provide a pleasing contrast to all of the greens other plants and grasses. Early to mid April, our sand cherries are covered with profusions of delicate, pink blooms that last for a few weeks after which the distinctive foliage really shines.
Sand Cherry Tree
Quick Links