Toto, we're in Kansas...

That's why two days ago the cloudy, rainy weather made it necessary to have the furnace on during the day, and today I had to switch on the air conditioner at 10 a.m.! That's Kansas in springtime.

Chocolate syrup

     Note:  This post is of interest to foodies only.

Last Sunday I served multigrain waffles for breakfast with an assortment of toppings for guests to pass around the table. There were strawberries, caramel bananas (an experiment for me), whipped cream (with a secret ingredient), toasted pecan pieces, sweet cream butter and pure maple syrup. Since I had an 8-year-old here, I decided to add something different to the array of toppings--chocolate syrup. The ready-made chocolate syrup I've had is not so great, probably because it's mostly corn syrup. So I went to my favorite recipe web site, http://www.epicurious.com/, to find a recipe. Here is the one I used, with my comments following. (This recipe appeared in the Feb. 2003 issue of Gourmet.  Ah, Gourmet, RIP.)

Chocolate Syrup
yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring water and sugar to a boil, whisking until sugar is dissolved. Whisk in cocoa and salt and simmer, whisking, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, then cool (syrup will continue to thicken as it cools).

This is a not-too-sweet syrup, which I like. I didn't have any Dutch process cocoa on hand, so I used regular, but next time I will use the Dutch process--my batch had a slightly bitter taste. Despite that criticism, the 8-year-old loved it, so it is kid-approved.

One nice thing about this product is that it has virtually no fat--just the tiny bit that occurs in the cocoa. With skim or low-fat milk, it's not a bad choice for a chocolate fix (alas, it still has calories). I made hot chocolate with the syrup, using a substantial quantity, and it was great! Intense cocoa flavor.

Yesterday I took a cheesecake to a lunch meeting I attended. I made a simple three-berry sauce for topping and also took the last of the chocolate syrup. It's quite a thick sauce, so I thinned it with a little hot water to facilitate pouring. Both were hits.

Now back to those caramel bananas. For some reason I decided on that morning that plain old sliced bananas just wouldn't be special enough, so I tried a little experiment.  I sliced firm-ripe bananas diagonally, dipped them in cream, then coated each side with brown sugar. Next they went into a non-stick pan with a tablespoon of melted butter at medium heat. I didn't want the bananas to get mushy, so I turned them just as soon as the sugar on the "down" side began to caramelize. I cooked three small batches of bananas. Because some of the cream and sugar cooked off into the butter (forming caramel), I had to wipe out the pan with a paper towel between batches and melt more butter. The lesson learned is that you should try to cook the bananas in a single batch. The bananas were the hit of the morning with the grown-ups at the table.

Interesting side note. Sunday afternoon I was on Facebook and one of my FB friends (one of the ones I don't know--ha ha) mentioned having caramel bananas for breakfast that day. And I though I had created something new! I think when it comes to cooking there really is nothing new under the sun. But I still love making discoveries for myself, though I've been cooking for many decades.

If you try either of these recipes, please post a comment to let everyone know how you liked it.

Ready for commencement visitors, with help from the garden

Hays is a bustling place right now because of Fort Hays State University's commencement on Saturday. Those who are attending convocations and receptions on Friday have begun arriving in town this afternoon--I'm waiting for a couple to check in as I write this.

Everything here is ready to go. I've tried to give a nod to FHSU's school colors of black and gold, but the black is a challenge. Dark chocolate cupcakes are perched on the sideboard, with gold napkins beside. I did see some black icing in a tube at the grocery store, and I know I've seen it on bakery cakes, but I just couldn't bring myself to use it. Instead I chose substance over style--dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate frosting--all homemade, natch. That'll have to be close enough to black.

There are dozens of yellow irises blooming on the south side of the house, so there's my gold for the dining table centerpiece. The closest I can come to black flora are the majestic dark maroon irises just starting to open in the front flower bed (the outer petals are almost black) and the dark maroon leaves of the ornamental plums in the back garden.

The spring flowers are so happy to be in the sunshine today after a week of rain and cool temperatures. I cut an armload of irises and peonies to place in the guest rooms and in the common rooms. They're all so beautiful and devinely fragrant.

Peonies are one of my absolute favorite flowers. Hays is the first place I've ever lived where they will grow, and they do flourish here (and all over Kansas). All of my plants were given to me by other gardners who were dividing their ever-expanding clumps, and I was very happy to take them. I learned that peonies require patience. Although the plants thrived, it was three years before any buds appeared in the spring, and most of those didn't open. I sought advice from local gardners wise in the way of the peony. After checking that all conditions were favorable, they patiently advised me to be patient. As predicted, my peonies gradually lived up to their promise, yielding more flowers each year. This spring I have a bumper crop. It's heaven.

By next week I should be able to start cutting roses! One of my Pat Austins has buds that are already showing a bit of color, so it won't be long now.

Plant Exchange party

Every year in early May my friend Mary hosts a plant exchange party in her back garden. We have brunch on the lawn, walk about Mary's lovely gardens, catch up with fellow gardeners we haven't seen in awhile (in some cases not since last year's exchange), and then the swapping begins.

Weather is unpredictable at this time of year; in past years we've gathered in drizzle, cloudy skies and cold temperatures, and in one memorable year gale force wind. But today was perfect. Sunny, cool, and not windy (that last one is notable on the high plains in springtime, especially).

Mary put out a lovely spread of goodies, and I got permission to bring my own contribution. This year it was a thermos of vanilla tea and a plate of cherry-chocolate cream scones, still warm from the oven. Those got snatched up in a hurry.

When it was time to divide the loot I, as usual, made out like a bandit. I had taken a bagful of applemint and another of Greek oregano, both of which I have in great abundance. What did I come home with? Lemon balm, which I've done without for far too many years. Lilies of the valley, which I have long wanted to have in my garden. Ten years or more after planting crabapple and peach trees I finally have enough shade to grow the dainty little lilies. Someone contributed tomato plants they grew from seed; I brought home a Roma in a peat pot. (I'm mainly going to stick with heirloom varieties, like I did last year.) I also chose several bulbs of a pink allium that should nicely complement the maroon variety in my front bed.

A very satisfying morning. Now to get out there and get it planted!

Musical visitors

Last night I had a lovely young couple here from the U.K., a husband and wife known collectively as Tinderbox. I got to hear the last half of their accoustic set yesterday evening at Coffee Rules (a coffee bar/wine and beer bar), near the campus. They performed a few covers, but mostly original music. Monique has a beautiful voice and a gift for writing lyrics. Though they played to a small audience, it was an appreciative one.

Then of course, I had the pleasure of getting better acquainted with them over breakfast this morning. They are winding up a two-week tour of Kansas that started in Wichita, then on to Colorado for a few days. Dan commented that Hays was the first city they'd been to where they could actually park their car and walk around to shops and restaurants. They especially enjoyed the Ellis County Historical Museum. That's our Chestnut Street District! It's why I live downtown--almost everything I need is a short walk away. The shops and restaurants have local flavor and high quality.

I think what most excited the couple--and their friends back home--is that they were in a real "Wild West" town. They even thought that downtown Hays retained some of its Wild West look and feel. Hmm...I'll have to think about that one. I thought we were pretty civilized! I haven't seen a single gunfight in the 13 years I've been here.

Monique and Dan left me their latest CD, called State of Play. I know I will enjoy it for a long time to come, and think of our brief visit when I hear it. Dan declared that the next song they write will be "The Life and Times of Baxter Stramel," or something like that. Wouldn't that be a hoot? They took quite a liking to my little buddy.

You never know who you'll meet at the Tea Rose Inn. I feel so priveleged to be in the position I'm in. It hardly feels like a job, hosting interesting people from all over the world and around the corner.

First Harvest

What perfect spring weather we've had these past three days! I will surely make more progress on the flower beds today. My reward will be to relax this evening at St. Joseph's Catholic church, just one block from the TRI.

The Hays Symphony is performing a free concert there with a Ft. Hays State University choir. I know several of the musicians in the symphony, and although they don't get paid for their considerable efforts, they never disappoint their audience.

Before strolling over to St. Joe's I and a friend will have a very springy supper chez moi of cream of asparagus-leek soup and spinach salad. Some goat cheese melted into the soup will give it body and complement the vegetables perfectly.

And speaking of springtime foods, for the first time this year I was able to serve fresh mint with the fruit at breakfast. My favorite mint has to be apple mint. If you've never grown this hardy plant be forewarned that it is very invasive and difficult to contain unless you grow it in a pot. But it's a very pretty plant, growing taller than most mints. It has soft, almost "spongy" light green leaves, either oval or round. Once it reaches a mature height pinch back the white flower spikes for best flavor and continued production. The flavor is perfect with fruit, in tea, or as an infusion. When you steep tea for ice tea (whether you use a cold or hot method), just toss in a few fresh mint leaves. Mint leaves can be used fresh or dried to make a soothing, tasty infusion (herbal "tea"). Using fresh leaves will yield a liquor with only a tinge of color, and you'll need quite a volume to get much flavor. Add a drop or two of honey if you like.

Here's an easy recipe for mint syrup. I keep it on hand in the refrigerator all summer and fall. At the end of the growing season, I harvest all the mint in the garden, make a big batch of syrup, and freeze it in small plastic containers. (You could also use a divided ice tray.) That way I have it all winter long.

Applemint SyrupCombine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes to make a simple syrup. While the syrup is cooking, wash the mint leaves (no stems or flowers) and shake off excess water. You should use at least 4 cups of mint, loosely packed. (Use more if you like; you can't use too much.) Any size leaf will do, and you don't have to chop the leaves. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the mint leaves. Immediately cover the pan with a lid and let steep for at least 10 minutes. If you get distracted and leave the mixture steeping for an hour, that's okay. You can't oversteep it. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, pour it through a strainer into a clean container. Press hard on the mint with the back of a spoon to extract every bit of flavor. Discard the leaves.

If you like to sweeten your ice tea, mint syrup is great for that. No trying to dissolve sugar crystals in an ice cold drink. Although the best way to eat fresh fruit is unadulterated and at the peak of season, during the sping and fall the fruits we buy can need a little help with flavor and sweetness. Mint syrup is a great way to give them a boost. Naturally, you can use any kind of mint you have available to make this refreshing syrup. Enjoy!

Tea, hope and renewal

This Easter weekend is a typical one at the Tea Rose Inn in that I don't have many guests here. I guess it's a stay-at-home or stay-with-family kind of holiday. In any case, I can't remember an Easter holiday when the inn was really busy. That leaves me a little spare time to do some outdoor chores on this windy, windy spring weekend.

This evening I will have dinner at someone else's house--a rare opportunity for me on a weekend night! Sunday I will have more leisure time than usual, which is great because I like to spend Easter with family and friends. So tomorrow I am hosting an afternoon tea party.

We'll have darjeeling tea, hot and iced, plus fruit punch. For nibblies I'm making miniature strawberry tarts with fresh organically grown strawberries, poppyseed cupcakes decorated for spring, and some whole strawberries for those who want to keep it healthier. On the savory side there will be asparagus tips rolled up in prosciutto spread with a little herbed goat cheese, cucumber sandwiches (of course!), and egg salad on multi-grain crackers.

Tonight I get to blow out about 18 eggs for our tea party activity. I'll set up a decorating table on the front porch with paints, pens, stickers, etc. Everybody gets to take home an egg they've decorated.

If Easter is a holiday that is important for you to celebrate, I hope yours is everything you want it to be. But even beyond the religious holiday, I love that we all celebrate the arrival of spring together with age-old symbols and activities. I love the community of Easter. The springtime theme of renewal, both symbolic and actual, makes it such a hopeful time.

So here's wishing you hope and happiness this Easter!