Author Archives: Laurie

Apricot Rhubarb Squares: A Seasonal Treat

Posted on by Laurie

Alas, I have no new stories … but I do have a yummy recipe to share. Serve these treats for breakfast or dessert.

Apricot Rhubarb Squares

2 c. diced rhubarb

1 c. granulated white sugar

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

2 whole allspice

2 T. water

1/2 c. dried apricots, diced

1 c. rolled oats

1 c. dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. unsalted butter

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

1 T. cinnamon sugar

  1. Place rhubarb, white sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and water in a medium size non-stick pot over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft and the mixture resembles melted jam. When done cooking, the mixture should measure about 1 to 1 1/4 cups. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves and allspice. (Count to make sure that you have them all.) Stir in apricots.
  2. While the mixture is cooling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter an 8” square baking pan.
  3. In medium bowl whisk together oats, brown sugar, and flour.  Using your hands, cut in butter until the mixture forms pea-size crumbs. Mix in pecans. Evenly press 1 1/3 c. of the mixture into the bottom of the buttered baking pan. Spread the apricot rhubarb mixture over the oatmeal base. Top with the remaining crumb mixture. Sprinkle top evenly with cinnamon sugar.
  4. Bake for approximately 43 to 47 minutes or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares. If desired, chill before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Apricot Rhubarb Squares

You Can’t Give Away Kindness

Posted on by Laurie

Kindness is difficult to give away because it always keeps coming back

In recent weeks we have hosted a potpourri of events at the Bed & Breakfast. Afterward, several of our guests sent us flowers to thank us. We, of course, did not expect flowers; but it did make us feel appreciated and that’s a nice feeling. Moreover, it was a reminder of why we do our best to do more than just what is expected of us. It is rewarding to see that our work makes people happy. How lucky we are to have such gracious guests and so many guests that we can call friends!

Memorial Day Rose

Posted on by Laurie

Memorial Day will soon be here. Appropriately, we -meaning my helper Benjamin, with me looking over his shoulder, giving instructions, and taking photos – planted an eponymously named rose today. Originally called Decoration Day, a day to honor Union soldiers fallen during the Civil War, in the 20th century Memorial Day became a holiday to honor all American soldiers killed in war. Often, however, people use the day to pay respects to any loved ones who have passed away.

Memorial Day Rose, a 2004 Weeks Rose introduction and AARS winner, is a hybrid tea rose with a strong damask rose fragrance. It’s just heavenly. When I was looking for a rose to bring home to plant, I sniffed every single variety at the garden center. While there were several others – Mr. Lincoln and Fragrant Cloud –  to which my nose gave equally high scores, I thought that Memorial Day would look best in the spot that I had picked out. And as I thought about it, I realized that this rose was an excellent selection for more than aesthetic reasons.

My father-in-law, a highly decorated war veteran, recently passed away. So, I think that as members of our family pass by this rose in the garden, the sweet fragrance of Memorial Day may occasion pleasant memories of time spent with Bob.

Memorial Day Rose

Benjamin planting Memorial Day Rose

“Refreshing Minty Lemon Limeade” and “Baked Tomatoes with Mint Cream”

Posted on by Laurie

Having recently written in general terms about ways to use mint – see my post Mint: It Grows Like a Weed, but That’s Okay from 5/15/12 – I thought it appropriate to offer a few more mint recipes every now and then. Both of the recipes below contain mint ingredients employed to a subtle effect. Enjoy!

 Refreshing Minty Lemon Limeade

2 1/4 c. ice water

1/2 c. fresh lemon juice

1/2 c. fresh lime juice

3/4 c. mint simple syrup, or to taste

Stir ingredients together. Chill until serving. Serve over ice.  Garnish with mint leaves, or with lemon or lime slices.

Baked Tomatoes with Mint Cream

(based on a recipe from Scottish Heritage Food and Cooking, 2005, Lorenz Books of Anness Publishing, London)

5 large ripe tomatoes

1 c. heavy cream

2 mint leaves

1 T.  mint-infused vodka

1/3 c. crumbled cheese of a good melting variety, such as Monterey Jack

salt and pepper

1. Fill a large stock pot to about half full with water then add a dash of salt and bring to a boil.

2. Meanwhile wash and core tomatoes – a grapefruit knife works well for coring – and then cut an ‘x’ into the bottom of each tomato. Carefully drop tomatoes into boiling water. When the skins start to split, transfer tomatoes to a colander and give a quick rinse with cold water. Allow to cool.

3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. While the oven is heating, place the heavy cream in a non-stick pot, add mint leaves and vodka, and allow to simmer over low to medium-low heat. Simmer until the heavy cream is reduced to about 3/4 of a  cup.

4. While the cream simmers, brush a baking dish with olive oil. Slice tomatoes and arrange them in baking dish, allowing them to overlap slightly. Strain the thickened cream over tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese and then with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve as a side dish or with a rustic bread for a small but rich meal.

Baked Tomatoes with Mint Cream

The James W. Berry Memorial Rose Garden, Manhattan City Park

Posted on by Laurie

Manhattan City Park is only a few blocks from the Bed & Breakfast and I’ve been wanting to get over there to see the Rose Garden for a few weeks now. With yesterday morning’s breakfast starting late, I was able to dash over to the park for some pictures about 45 minutes after sunrise. It’s hard to believe, but I actually got there too early as the sun was blocked by trees and I had to wait for it to get a little higher in the sky before any of the flowers were in the sun. I did get some nice pictures of the roses and the fountain, but was not able to stay for as long as I would have liked.

The Rose Garden was started in the 1920’s by Mr. Berry, an 1883 graduate of what was then Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University). He was a member of the Kiwanis Club which was instrumental in tending to and funding the garden in the early years. The garden served in part as a demonstration plot to show that roses could be grown in Kansas. Boy can they!

The fountain was originally put in City Park in 1895 and was moved to the Rose Garden in 1986. Whenever I study the fountain, I am delighted by the detailed workmanship and wonder if there is still anyone around who does such work.

Paul Scarlett Rose on Arbor

Tropicana Rose

Olympiad Rose

Bella Roma Rose

Fountain Detail

Shady Porch Cocktail

Posted on by Laurie

An original cocktail that calls to mind enjoying a shady porch on a hot summer’s evening.

Shady Porch Cocktail

1 1/2 oz. mint-infused vodka

1/2 oz. fresh lime juice

1/2 oz. mint simple syrup

3 to 4 oz. Ginger Ale

lime slice and mint sprig for garnish

Fill a cocktail glass with ice.  Stir together vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup. Pour over ice. Fill glass with Ginger Ale. Gently stir. Garnish with lime and mint.

(Thank you to Tim S. from NY for being my hand model and drink taster.)

Mint: It Grows Like a Weed, but That’s Okay

Posted on by Laurie

Herbs in the mint family are known to be so invasive that it is generally recommended that they be grown in pots rather than directly in the ground. A few years ago,  I started a couple of large pots of spearmint by the back steps. I still have those pots of mint. Kansas winters can’t kill them off, but grasshoppers can do some damage.  While the leaves are still pristine, having not yet been gnawed upon by the voracious grasshoppers that seem to plague my garden during the summer and are already appearing, I’ve decided to harvest some of the mint. So I have been thinking of its culinary uses. (In the post immediately following this I give a cocktail recipe that I created for using homemade mint products.)

Tip: To harvest mint, make sure that it has been well watered for several weeks prior to cutting. Cut mint in the morning before the heat of the day has started to set in and, preferably, cut only stems of mint that have not yet started to flower. Clean with cold water. Use only undamaged leaves.

Uses

(1) Mint Tea

Place a large quantity of leaves in a teapot. Pour fresh boiling water over leaves and let steep for about 5 minutes. Strain to serve. Variations: add lemon balm leaves, chamomile flowers, black or green tea leaves, orange or lemon peel, and so forth.

(2) Mint Simple Syrup

Add 1 cup cold water and 1 cup granulated white sugar to a non-stick pot. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. (No need to simmer.) Place 2 c. mint leaves in a large glass bowl. Carefully pour simple syrup over mint and allow to sit for 5 to 15 minutes. Squeeze juice from leaves into syrup. Stain into syrup into a glass jar.

Use in cocktails such as Mint Juleps or Mojitos.  Use to sweeten lemonade or  to sweeten black or herbal teas  (hot or iced). Toss a small amount with fresh fruit such as honeydew or grapefruit segments for a minty fruit salad.

(3) Mint-Infused Vodka or Rum/Mint Extract

Fill a glass jar with fresh mint and top off with vodka or white rum. Cover tightly and shake. To make infused-vodka, store in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Strain out mint leaves and pour vodka into a glass bottle. To make extract, allow the mint leaves to sit in the vodka for 2 weeks before straining. While the mixture is sitting for the 2 weeks, remove any leaves that float to the top and turn brown.

Use vodka or rum in cocktails. Use extract in brownies, cookies, or whipped cream.

(4) Dried Mint Leaves

Hang bunch of leaves on stems 4 – 5″ long and hang in a warm, dry place or dry leaves in an oven or food dehydrator.

Use for teas or  in middle Eastern and far Eastern dishes.

That’s all that I came up with for today. What are your favorite ways to use mint, whether spearmint or some other variety? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

A Revelation at Seven Dolors Church

Posted on by Laurie

For the twelve years that we have lived behind Seven Dolors, I’ve been trying to get the perfect picture of this historic church. Last evening, I waited until the sun was low and then I ran out and got in position with my camera. And after all these years, I finally had a revelation … well make that two: (1) I needed to stop trying to get a picture of the church because the pictures in which I tried to fit in as much as possible were all boring and (2)  I needed to stop trying to get the perfect picture because I should consider any picture that says what I want it to say as a perfect picture. So I tried to photograph those features that draw my eye to Seven Dolors over and over. I tried to capture a bit of what is beautiful and moving about this church. Here are a few of my results from last night. Something tells me that I’ll be photographing Seven Dolors for years to come.

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on by Laurie

It has been a joy-filled few days here at The Morning Star with several large families staying with us to celebrate graduation at K-State. Also, it has been a lot of work – fun, but work. Today is Mother’s Day, which means another happy occasion, though a slower paced one.

My mother taught me to garden when I was a little girl. To this day, we still share a passion for pretty flowers and foliage. One of our favorite things to do together is to admire a well-tended garden. So for my Mother’s Day blog, I decided to take some photographs of the “Apple Blossom” Double Impatiens that I have blooming in pots along the front porch. To my mother, and all of the wonderful mothers out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Putting on the Purple: Life in a College Town

Posted on by Laurie

Manhattan, Kansas is a college town of about 50,000 residents. If anything can be said of Manhattanites it is that they believe in the adage “be true to your school.” Around The Little Apple this is demonstrated by wearing and displaying the colors of Kansas State University: royal purple and white. With a house full of graduation-goers this weekend, I’ve been finding ways to play on the purple and white theme. To all the graduates out there, we at The Morning Star congratulate you and wish you happiness and success!