Kathy from Kansas gave this book to me a few months ago and I am so glad to have finally had time to read it and pass along the recommendation. Written by Mary Helen Stefaniak, The Cialiffs of Baghdad, Georgia is set in a small southern town in 1938.  In it, Miss Spivey, a well traveled and headstrong woman has been sent by the WPA to teach in the one-room-school house in Threestep, Georgia. This endearingly exotic teacher - i.e. endearing to the narrator (Gladys Cialiff), though not to Threestep at large - takes it upon herself to enlighten the town's children to the fact that the ways of their community are not necessarily the ways of the broader world. Culminating in the reenactment of an Arabian Bazaar for the town fair, Miss Spivey's antics efforts are met with sometimes comical, sometimes poignant results. I hope that you enjoy The Cailiffs as much as I did. Pass along your book recommendation. I always love hearing what people are reading.

Cooking Class: Crema, Salsas and Tortillas

    I've donated a cooking class to the Annual Flint Hills Festival of Wines which is a fundraiser for Homecare & Hospice of Manhattan. Part of the festival is an auction to be held March 5th. I hope that you will consider attending the auction and bidding on the class.  

    Here is the class description: "Hola! Learn how to make Crema Espesa (homemade Mexican-style sour cream), Salsa Ranchera, Salsa Verde, fresh fruit salsas, flour and corn tortillas along with ideas for how to use these delicious basics of Mexican Cuisine. Class is hands-on and you get to eat what you make. This class for four people should run about two and a half hours. Preferred time almost any Sunday starting at 2:30, but  we'll do our best to be flexible. Class taught by Laurie Pieper at The Morning Star Bed and Breakfast. Value $160."  It should be a lot of fun! 

    The first time that I had a Hurricane was in New Orleans for the wedding of my friends Dana and Sam. The second time was on an early date at Hibachi Hut (a local Cajun restaurant) with my future husband, Bill. With memories of happy times, I offer you this recipe for a New Orleans favorite to help you celebrate  Mardi Gras . (And since, Hurricanes were popularized by a bar called Pat O'Brien's, this drink should serve you well for St. Patrick's day, later this month, too!)

Hurricane

Fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice. Add rums, juices, and syrups. Shake vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Strain into an ice-filled hurricane cocktail glass. Garnish with fruits. Depending on the particular ingredients that you use, the color of a Hurricane can vary from amber to coral red. Beware, with 4 oz. of rum, this fruity drink is a quite potent!  

* If you can't find passion fruit juice, use pineapple juice. 

** If you can't find pomegranate grenadine, e-mail me, and I will send you my recipe. It's easy to make.

    Turning to a more conservative culinary page with an idea for a St. Patrick's Day dinner ...

    Called 'Colcannon' in Ireland where it is said to hail from, and by various other names with variations to the recipe in other parts of the British Isles, this rustic potato and cabbage dish can be made many different ways. (Yes, it does look like textured mashed potatoes.) It is called 'Kailkenny' in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland where it is made with heavy cream instead of butter and milk, and 'Rumbledethumps' in the Scottish Borders where it is topped with cheddar cheese and then baked. The cabbage can be boiled instead of sauteed. The dish can be made with kale instead of cabbage. Ham, bacon, roast beef, onion, leeks, turnip or carrot can be added for an extra layer of flavor, in which case the dish might be called 'Stovies', 'Clapsot', or 'Bubble and Squeek'. It can also be thinned with extra butter and cream and served almost like a soup. Below is the basic recipe. (Shown here with whiskey-glazed lamb chops.) Be sure to try out the variations too, though. 

1 lb. yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped

6 T. unsalted butter, divided 

1/4 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. cabbage, washed and shredded

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 15 to 20  minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain. Add 4 T. butter and milk to a pot. Then add the drained potatoes and mash. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat the  remaining butter in a large skillet and then add the shredded cabbage. Saute until desired consistency. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the mashed potato. Mix well.  Serve immediately. (Yields 4 servings.) 

     Over the years that I have lived in Kansas, the month of March has taught me to be a more patient gardener than I used to be. With the first hint of warm weather, I would rush to the garden centers, purchase some showy flowering perennials, rush back home and start planting only to have my money and efforts laid to waste by a subsequent frost or snow fall. 
     According to KSU Research and Extension, the average last frost date for Manhattan is April 18th, and in parts of Kansas it is as late as the first week in May. So I have learned to wait to make any additions to my flower beds until late April or so.
     There is still much to be done here in March, however. I try to stick to a routine, no matter how nice the weather. Travis - who helps me with the yard - and I get out our gardening gloves and inspect our tools. Then we clear out dead foliage and lay mulch. It's much easier to perform these tasks before new shoots start to emerge on the perennials and this will also give us a head start on weed control, which nevertheless still seems like a never ending project. We prune trees and shrubs to remove any winter damage before their leaf buds pop out. Trees and shrubs that bloom on new wood during the Summer or Autumn can also be pruned for shape at this time. For the best show with Spring flowering shrubs that bloom on last year's growth, however, we hold off on shaping until after they have bloomed. And then, if I still can't help myself, I plant a few cold hardy annuals in pots that can be moved indoors if an unusually late winter storm descends upon us.
    Let me know if you have any gardening tips for April that you would like to pass along or if there is a gardening topic about which you would like to ask. No lawn questions, though - lawns do not  fall within my purview. 

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