A show of European and American prints and drawings from the 20’s and 30’s will open Jan. 9th at the Des Moines Art Center www.desmoinesartcenter.org Don’t miss the #1 thing to see/do in January in Des Moines. Make it a special art weekend and stay at the Frank Lloyd Wright style B&B, the Garden and Galley in Indianola only minutes away from Des Moines. www.gardenandgalley.com Inquire about taking a Folk art class at the Inn!
If you haven’t made arrangements for lodging during the Sprint Car Nationals August 12-15 om in Knoxville IA and the Oskaloosa IA races at the Southern Iowa Speedway August 10-11, you’ll want to call soon. The McNeill Stone Mansion B&B provides racing guests a comfortable place to stay that’s a short drive after a full night of races. We only have two rooms left, with one room for two people and the other can accommodate four people. Call for reservations at 641-673-4348. You’ll be glad you did.
For a sample of Dutch history, make plans to travel to Southern Iowa for the Pella Tulip Festival. There will be street cleaning, parades, special baked goods and flower gardens to enjoy. Only 20 minutes away, you can stay in the beautiful, historic McNeill Stone Mansion Bed and Breakfast located in a residential neighborhood of Oskaloosa IA. Between Pella and Oskaloosa, stop and walk along the vinyards and sample the award winning wines of Tassel Ridge Winery. You can savor history, unique architecture, wonderful food and wine all in one weekend.
Share the gift of a getaway this holiday season. Have a loved one or friend who is hard to buy for??? The Okoboji Country Inn has the perfect solution this holiday season. Purchase a gift certificate for a getaway at the Okoboji Country Inn. Save 10% on gift certificate purchases from now until December 31, 2008. If you have enjoyed a great B & B experience in the past, then your friends and family will cherish a gift to spend a fun getaway at the Okoboji Country Inn. Click on www.okobojicountryinn.com for more information or call (712) 332-2358.
Friday & Saturday, December 12 & 13 come celebrate the Holidays in Indianola with the Holiday Taste of Indianola - the biggest and best one yet! Also Tour five homes beautifully decorated to inspire you and than enjoy the local artist showcase and pick up a treasure or two. For more information go to www.indianola chamber.com. Stay at the Garden and Galley B&B, located in the heart of all the festivities, and enjoy the B&B’s holiday decorations while sipping a hot toddy and munching some cookies! www.gardenandgalley.com
Innkeeper Donna Muilenburg from the Okoboji Country Inn wants to share her Brunch Casserole recipe. This is one of several recipes that she submitted to the Discover Iowa: Cooking with Iowa Wines, Meats and Other Products. This cookbook features original recipes from the Iowa Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers Association members and many are guest favorites that have stayed in the various bed and breakfasts across Iowa over the years.
Brunch Casserole serves 8
1/2 loaf day old French bread, cubed
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1/3 pound Genoa salami jubine
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon black course pepper
6 green onions, diced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 pound shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 eggs
1/3 cup white wine
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
In a well greased 9″x13″ casserole dish, spread bread pieces over the bottom and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and salami pieces. Beat together eggs, milk, wine, green onions, mustard and both peppers. Beat until frothy. Pour mixture over bread. Cover casserole and refrigerate overnight. Remove from refrigerator and let set for 30 minutes. Bake, covered, for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Uncover, spread with sour cream and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake an additional 10 minutes, until lightly brown.
This easy to prepare casserole was a favorite of Annabelle’s Tea Room luncheon guests for many years, as well as a family favorite. We now serve it to our guests that stay in our bed and breakfast, the Okoboji Country Inn. It is easy to prepare the day or night before an event or family get-together. Everyone will want seconds of this light, but hardy dish.
The Indianola Chamber of Commerce (www.indianolachamber.com) presents A Story Book Christmas around the Indianola town square Friday December 5, ‘08 from 5:00-8:00 pm. Come start your holiday celebrating in Indianola, only 12 miles south of Des Moines, Iowa. Experience Santa’s House, Living Windows. A Lighted Holiday Parade. the Golden ladle Chili Cook-off. Live music and Caroling. A live Nativity Scene, good eats like bread pudding, old fashioned beef stew & hot chocolate plus wonderful holiday shopping which will include a silent auction of wreaths and mini-trees. Rooms are still available at the Garden & Galley B&B just 1 mile south of the square, where you can sip a hot toddy in front of a roaring fire after you celebrate down town! (www.gardenandgalley.com)
Arts on Grand in Spencer will host a book fair on Sunday, December 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. A number of local authors will be on hand to sign their books. Books inscribed by the author make wonderful gifts.
Author Amelia Painter will be on hand to sign copies of her popular book Opening and Operating a Bed and Breakfast in the 21st Century and take orders for her upcoming books Discover Iowa: Cooking with Iowa Wines, Meats and other Iowa Products and Discover Oahu: A Pictorial Guide to a Tropical Island Paradise. Amelia Painter and Mary Nichols compiled Discover Iowa: A Culinary Journey Through Iowa and it will be available for sale.
Also on hand will be Alan Oppedal of Ruthven, author of The Inevitable Triumph, the story of a northwest Iowa community; Jim Oleson of Milford, who wrote In Their Own Words: True Stories and Adventures of the American Fighting Ace; Helen Augustine of Emmetsburg, who wrote They Opened the Door and Let My Future In about the country school teachers of Palo Alto County; and Julie Schmidt, author of Conflagration: The Great Spencer Fire of 1931. Other books of reminiscence are also available, including My Grandma Always Told Me … by Patricia Phipps and Snapshots: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl by Verna Hanson.
Among the books available will be the recently published Walking Beans Wasn’t Something You Did With Your Dog, stories of growing up in and around the small towns of the Midwest. Compiled by Jean Tennant of Everly, the book includes stories by members of Arts on Grand’s writers group, several of whom will be on hand to sign copies. Hartley artist and writer Katie Thompson will be present for the event. She is the author (using the pen name Kate Iola) of Deadstock, a novel that deals with agricultural terrorism in northwest Iowa.
Arts on Grand has a number of books with whimsical illustrations for young children, including A Mutt Wutter’s Tale and The Muttwutter in a Storm at the Zoo by Marjorie Ilich, illustrated by Mark Ilich, as well as a series books of animal books by Ina Faye Underwood with illustrations by P. K. Streets. Amy J. Maurer will be at Arts on Grand to autograph her book, A Purple Hippopotamus and Pink Penguin Sheets, which was illustrated by Rachael Smith with a cover design by Gina Bailey. Marjorie Roelofsen of Spirit Lake will also be on hand to autograph her children’s book, Sam.
Arts on Grand
408 N. Grand Avenue, Spencer, IA 51301
Phone (712) 262-4307
Fax (712) 264-0430