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Welcome to The Morning Star B&B Update!
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Greetings!
I hope that your new year has gotten off to a good start. All that everyone is talking about around here is what a mild winter we have had so far. The past few days especially were unseasonable warm for January - nearly 70 degrees! We might as well be in San Diego! Oh, but we wonder what winter has left in store for us. Continue to be kind, winter.
January was a very productive planning month for me. I put together several promotions for wedding packages at The Morning Star and also planned our first Wellness Retreat to be held in June. (See right hand column.) I know that it is commonplace for businesses to write, "We're so excited" about this or that, but really I am so excited about both the Wedding Packages and the Wellness Retreat. I worked hard at putting them together and think that they should be great.
After all that work,I was afraid that I might be out of ideas for February's newsletter; but no such thing. I've put in an easy bean dip recipe that could be used for Superbowl parties, a fancy dessert for Valentine's or dinners or Fat Tuesday events, and passed along some movie and book recommendations. I guess that I've tried to touch on a little of everything in this newsletter. Enjoy!
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 Baked Black Bean Dip
8 oz. Neufchâtel cheese (reduced fat cream cheese)
1/4 c. seedless raspberry preserves
5.75-oz. can chilpotles in adobo sauce, divided
2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed, divided
1 1/4 c. shredded Mexican cheeses
1 c. diced colored bell peppers, optional
tortilla chips for serving
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking dish with vegetable oil. Set aside. Place Neufchâtel cheese, raspberry preserves, and 1/2 of the can of chipotles in adobo sauce into the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Add about half of the black beans. Pulse until smooth. Add the remaining black beans and pulse until chunky. Taste. Add more chipotles or preserves, if desired. Spread mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake for about 20 or until barely bubbly. If desired, top with diced colored bell peppers for color and crunch. Serve with tortilla chips. |
 Bananas Foster This dramatic New Orleans dessert invented at Brennan's Restaurant is a delicious and showy dessert that is perfect for special occasions. Made with flaming rum, cooks should be very careful in preparing this dish. (When cooking with flame, it is always a good idea to have a fire extinguisher near by.)
2 T. unsalted butter
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1 T. banana liqueur or Grand Marnier
2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 c. dark rum
1/2 t. freshly grated orange zest
ice cream for serving Melt butter over low heat in a heavy skillet, preferably one that is not non-stick. Stir in brown sugar and spices. Continue stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in banana liqueur or Grand Marnier and bring sauce to a simmer. Add bananas and spoon sauce over them. Cook for about 2 minutes, carefully turning midway. Bananas should be caramelized on the outside but still firm. Remove bananas and place on a warm serving plate. Carefully add rum to hot sauce. If the sauce is hot enough, it will burst into flames on its own. If not, carefully light the sauce using a long-handled lighter. After the flame dies out, continue cooking until the sauce is syrupy in consistency. Stir in orange zest. Serve immediately: add a scoop of ice cream to the bananas and top with the hot sauce.
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 Midnight in Paris
I had already decided to write about Midnight in Paris before it received an Oscar nomination for best picture and Woody Allen received a best direcor nomination for it; but now I have an additional reason for recommending it.
A few months ago, when Melissa & Curtis from Kansas recommended this movie to me, I hadn't heard of it; but they were so enthusiastic about it, that I put it on my list to rent when it came out on DVD. Bill and I watched this movie with my mother when she visited for Christmas and all three of us liked it - something which doesn't happen all that often. Starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, most viewers consider Midnight in Paris to be a romantic comedy, though I would place it in the fantasy genre - think time travel. Owen Wilson plays a writer who fantasizes about life in the roaring 20's and finds himself back there night after night - a fact which doesn't sit so well with his fiance. Midnight in Paris is an enjoyable, odd, little movie about finding happiness in your own time in your own way. |
 Two Books by Candice Millard
As President's Day or Presidents Day - depending on whether one is honoring George Washington, Washington and Lincoln, or the office of the Presidency - falls in the month of February, I decided to recommend two fascinating books about American Presidents by Candice Millard. Millard's first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, is one of the most interesting books that I have read. After being defeated in 1912 in his bid for a 3rd term in office, Teddy Roosevelt set out on an expedition to put a previously uncharted tributary of the Amazon River on the map. Woefully unprepared for what lay ahead, it is amazing that anyone from the party survived the trip. The River of Doubt, Millard's gripping narrative of the events surrounding the fateful trip, shows what a remarkably rugged and courageous man Teddy Roosevelt was. I was so enthralled with the story when reading the book that I kept stopping to read passages aloud to whomever would listen. So I was very excited to learn that Millard has a new book, Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President.
Destiny of the Republic is a griping work about the assassination of James Garfield. Before reading this book, I like many of my contemporaries, knew nothing about Garfield. This is a shame because he deserves not to be forgotten by the American public. In 1880, as a senator from Ohio, Garfield attended the Republican Convention to nominate Tecumseh Sherman as candidate for President. During the senator's speech, the crowd starting cheering "Garfield! Garfield!" Contrary to his wishes, the senator himself wound up winning the Republic nomination. Garfield believed that the desire to be President corrupted men and he had no inclination to seek that office himself. Yet in the election, he defeated Winifred S. Hancock to become the 20th President of the United States - a position which he accepted out of duty despite the sadness that he felt in leaving his former life behind. Four months after entering the White House, Garfield was shot by a mentally unstable office seeker. Destiny of the Republic, however, is not just a book about politics; for Millard places the events in the context of medical/scientific history, for example by detailing Alexander Graham Bell's attempt to save Garfield's life. The result is a compelling work about the senselessness of James Garfield's death and how that tragic event transformed the country.
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As always, thank you for reading The Morning Star Update! I hope that you have enjoyed this issue. Please pass along any book or movie recommendations, recipes ideas, or the like. I'd love to hear from you. Have a great February!
Sincerely,
Laurie Pieper
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Chocolate Sundays
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In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we'll be offering a decadent chocolate breakfast every Sunday during the month of February. Guests may choose the chocolate breakfast or one of our healthy selections from the Yummy 500 menu. Make your reservation.
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Wedding Packages
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Please help us spread the word ... The Morning Star now offers now offers four different wedding packages for couples looking to have a personal celebration without the stress of worrying about a million details. Packages start at $399. View packages.
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Wellness Retreat
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I'm so excited about The Morning Star's first Wellness Retreat that I can hardly wait for June to get here. June 1st - June 4th, the retreat will offer guests the opportunity to participate in Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation, Art Journaling, Wild Flower Hike on Konza Prairie, Wine Tasting, Cooking with Flavor not Fat, Life Coaching, and local walking tours. View poster. For more information, contact Laurie.
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Dates to Remember
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February 2nd: Valentines Work Shop for Adults, Beach Museum
February 6th: Mama Mia, McCain Auditorium
February 10th - 12th: Private Wine Tastings, Oz Winery, Wamego
February 11th: A Dress the Heart Gala, Holiday Inn
February 14th: Valentine's Day Lunch, Hibachi Hut
February 14th: Valentine's Day Dinner, 4-Olives
February 21st: Fat Tuesday Dinner, Little Apple Brewing Company
February 21st: Fat Tuesday Dinner, Hibachi Hut
February 24th to 26th: The Graduate, Manhattan Arts Center
February 25th to 26th: Manhattan Area Garden Show, Pottorf Hall
February 26th: Doc Severinsen & His Big Band, McCain Auditorium
February 29th: All Beef French Dinner, Little Apple Brewing Company
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