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Welcome to The Morning Star B&B Update!
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Greetings!
September was a good month for us. Bill and I got to see old friends in the form of our football regulars and make some new ones too, such as writer Libuse Binder. We also had a group stay with us who were celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Scholarship House at KSU. They had been in the original Scholarship House class that started college back in 1960. What fun guests!
Every month, I try to feature something to do around Manhattan. So, working on The Update helps keep me in touch with what the area has to offer. For this issue, I spent a very pleasant afternoon in Wamego eating at Toto's Tacos, tasting wine at the Oz Winery, poking around the shops and walking around taking pictures to give you some ideas for your next stay at The Morning Star. I hope that you enjoy this month's Update!
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 Featured Author:
Libuse Binder
Libuse (pronounced El-eye-bu-chay) stayed with us in mid-September while she was at KSU to give the first Lou Douglas Lecture of the year and to visit the Leadership Studies Program. Her book, 10 Ways to Change the World in Your Twenties, suggests ways that young people can enrich their lives and improve the world. Bill and I enjoyed visiting with Libuse as she has a very upbeat personality. Libuse is originally from Vermont, but worked in film production in Hollywood before becoming an environmental advocate. I had a small-world experience in talking with Libuse, because it turns out that we both spent our summers growing up on the same lake in upstate New York, though, of course, I did so about 20 years before her; and here we wound up meeting in the middle of Kansas. But Libuse has been traveling all around the world, so why not run into each other here? |
 Pumpkin & Smoked Gouda Cheese Bisque
1 T. + 1 t. all purpose flour or 1 T. potato starch*
1/4 t. ground chili powder
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/8 t. ground cumin
1 T. + 1 t. unsalted butter
2 c. vegetable stock or chicken stock
2 c. milk
1 (15 oz.) can packed pumpkin
1/4 c. honey
1 1/4 c. (about 3 oz.) shredded Smoked Gouda Cheese
Place flour or potato starch in a medium size stock pot. Whisk in chili powder, nutmeg and cumin. Add butter. Turn heat up to medium and as the butter melts, whisk it into the flour or starch mixture. Once the butter has been combined with the dry ingredients, slowly whisk in vegetable or chicken broth. Simmer mixture, whisking frequently, until slightly thickened. Then whisk in the milk. Bring almost to a simmer whisking constantly. (If your whisk doesn't reach into the corners of your pot, you made need to scrape the edges with a heat-proof rubber scraper.) Whisk in the pumpkin and then the honey. Stir in the smoked gouda cheese until melted. If desired, salt and pepper the soup to taste. (Yields 4 to 6 servings.)* Potato starch can be used as a thickener in place of all-purpose flour in gravies and soups for people who are gluten-intolerant. Click for more tips on gluten-free cooking. |
 Morning Star Reader's Pick: Manhunt
Judith from Kansas recommends Manhunt: the 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer James L. Swanson. She said that she and her husband listened to the book on tape (which they picked up at a Cracker Barrel) while taking a road trip and were riveted by it. This true-crime story about the search for John Wilkes Booth traces the events leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln through until the demise of Booth and his conspirators. I was especially moved by Mary Lincoln's description of Lincoln's mood earlier in the day when she described it as probably the happiest day of his life for he was freed from the burden of sending young men off to die in war. I sometimes have a tendency to think of historical figures in the abstract. Swanson's book made me take a look at Abraham Lincoln and those around him, including John Wilkes Booth, as real people with joys and sorrows.
Pass along your book recommendations. I love learning what people are reading (or listening to, as the case may be).
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 Sedum "Rosy Glow"
When planning their gardens, many people focus on flowers for Spring and Summer but forget about Fall. I am a big fan of autumn-blooming perennials that give color and texture to the garden long after summer-bloomers have quit.
Sedum "Rosy Glow" is a medium to slow-spreading, drought-hardy, autumn-bloomer that gets to be about 8" tall and has the added bonus that rabbits do not eat it. The specimen, a clump of which is pictured here, is 10 years old and has survived our coldest winters and hottest summers and trampling by the dogs. (Of course, it might not spread quite so slowly if the dogs didn't run through it breaking off small pieces on a regular basis.) It has grayish-green foliage and rosy purple flowers that bloom in clusters from August until early October, after which it sets deep red seed clusters that are just as pretty as the original blooms. "Rosy Glow" can be pinched back until June to prevent sprawling. "Rosy Glow" prefers poor soil and full sun.
Sedums are real workhorses of the garden. The genus contains about 400 varieties of leaf succulents. They come in several forms: ground cover, trailing, clumping, semi-upright, upright and shrub. Their bloom can be white, bright yellow, pale or hot pink, or lavender and their bloom times vary from early summer to Fall. "Rosy Glow" is one of about half a dozen varieties that I have. |
 Storm Clouds
Kansas is known for dramatic storms and we had our share in August and September.
Here's a photo that Bill took outside of Motorcycle Supply on the morning of September 25th, looking out over the future site of The Flint Hills Discover Center. The storm rolled in right after the start of the KSU v. Central Florida football game. I was feeling pretty sorry for the fans when the storm hit. The game had to be delayed and the bleachers cleared due to lightning. When our guests got home, though, they had stunning photographs that they had taken of the storm over the stadium. KSU fans are pretty dedicated and our guests stuck it out for the remainder of the game. Nevertheless, we were relieved when it amounted to nothing more than a thunderstorm. |
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As always, thank you for reading The Update. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon! Have a great October!
Sincerely,
Laurie Pieper
The Morning Star B&B
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Oz Winery
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I recently had the pleasure of attending a Label Launch at the Oz Winery in Wamego. The Oz Winery produces about 30 labels including the likes of Run Toto Run (a semi-dry red wine) and Auntie Em's Prairie Rose (a semi-dry rose). Several of their wines such as their Catawba and Niagra remind me of fruity New York state wines. Not all of their wines are sweet, though. Their Seyval - my favorite of the ones that I have tried - and Emerald City Lights, for example are exceptions.
The Oz Winery is located on Lincoln Avenue - the main street through downtown Wamego. The winery has a tasting room and a cute little gift shop. It hosts private wine tastings too. Wamego is an easy 20 minute drive from Manhattan and has several fun events going on this month. (See below.)
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Toto's Tacos
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While you're in Wamego, you should stop off at Toto's Tacos. In fact, Toto's Tacos is worth the trip on its own. The food is fresh and flavorful and the atmosphere is a quirky blend of Oz, the old West and Southern California. On my most recent visit, I had the Shrimp Tostado. The sauce had a quite a little kick to it. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. Toto's Taco's makes three kinds of salsa daily and sells their own hot sauces, "Toto'sTail Twister" and "Toto's The Cryin' Lion'". Open Tuesday through Thursday 11 to 2 and Friday through Saturday 11 to 7.
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Dates to Remember
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through October 3rd: "I Do, I Do" (musical) Manhattan Arts Center through October 23rd: Manhattan Area Photographers' Exhibit, Manhattan Arts Center
through October 30th: Neo-Regionalists Exhibit, Strecker-Nelson Art Gallery
October 1st: Jack Hanna's, "Into the Wild", McCain Auditorium
October 1st - 2nd: Pumpkin Patch Arts and Craft Fair, Cico Park
October 1st - 3rd: Aggiefest
October 2nd - 3rd: Oztoberfest, Wamego
October 6th: Promenade on Poyntz
October 7th - 10th: "Wizard of Oz" (musical), Columbian Theatre in Wamego
October 8th: Janis Ian, McCain Auditorium
October 9th: Krista Detor, Birdhouse Acoustic Music Series, Manhattan Arts Center
October 10th: Let Them Eat Cake (cake baking/decorating fundraiser), Manhattan Arts Center
October 13th: KSU Concert Band and Wind Ensemble Concert, McCain Auditorium
October 20th:Domaine Marcel Deiss Alsace Wine Dinner, 4 Olives
October 20th: Wine Club - Bubbles!, Della Voce
October 23rd-24th: Spooktacular, Sunset Zoo
October 29th: KSU Homecoming Parade
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Autumn Foliage
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This is a photo that I took in our front yard during late October of last year. Pictured here are Nine Bark 'Diablo' (foreground), American Linden (tall background), and Spirea 'Neon Flash' (low background). The foliage has not started to turn here yet this year, but it will soon!
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