Iowa farm fresh strawberries!!!

We keep hearing and seeing the ads that Gettings Garden has strawberries ready, so Okoboji Country Inn Innkeeper, Donna Muilenburg wanted to share a great recipe utilizing this berry.

3 Layer Strawberry Dessert

1 cup flour                                                  1 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter                          4 T. cornstarch

1/3 cup chopped pecans                     pinch of salt

8oz. softened cream cheese               1 1/2 cup 7 Up (regular, not diet)

7/8 cup powdered sugar                     1/2 cup water

1 cup whipped topping                          1 (30z.) package wild strawberry jello

1 quart fresh strawberries (save a few for garnish)

Mix flour, butter and pecans and press into a 9×13 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Don’t over bake.  Cool.  Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and whipped topping.  Put this over crust.  Combine in pan, the sugar, cornstarch, salt, 7 Up, and water.  Cook until thickened.  Add 1 (3oz.) package wild strawberry jello.  Refrigerate until it gels.  Add about 1 quart fresh strawberries and spread over second layer.  Refrigerate and garnish with whipped topping and a strawberry on each piece when serving. 

This recipe is great because it gives you that fresh strawberry pie taste. 

Creative Roots, the theme for this year’s Des Moines Arts Fair, will be held on the river front and on the brides over the Des Moines River this weekend, Friday June 26 through Sunday the 28th.

Gavin DeGraw and Collective Soul
will headline a FREE concert on Friday, June 26, 2009.

Juried visual art pieces will be showcased and for sale. Hours of live music, street acts, stage acts and tones of yummy food will be available to attendees. Don’t miss this annual event, considered one of the top art shows in the country.  For nearby lodging, check out the Garden and Galley B&B located in Indianola, only minutes away from the festival. www.gardenandgalley.com

Classic Rock & Roll with some Country. Friday June 26th.

Enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of Elkader and Cedar St. Suites with friends! We have two bedroom full suites to accommodate a fun weekend.

Check us out at www.elkadersuites.com or call Rebecca to reserve the weekend. 563-880-1233. Music by Midlife Crisis.

The Des Moines Metro Opera opened its “09 season with Puccini’s TOSCA at the Blank Performing Arts Center in Indianola, Iowa. This year’s other offerings are Webers DerFreischutz and Rossini’s The Barber Of Seville. The season runs through July 12th and tickets are available online at www.desmoinesmetroopera.org. A stay at the Garden and Galley B&B is the perfect pairing with an opera! View available rooms at:  www.gardenandgalley.com

Yesterday one of the guests at the Garden and Galley Bed and Breakfast in Indianola Iowa went for an eventful walk on the property’s woods. Bill, our guest,  found a fawn with a leg bound up in the wire fence. As the fawn screamed he untangled it’s leg. Than for added drama, the fawn’s mother ran around him, roaring as it did so. That’s gratitude for you!

Wild life abounds at the Garden and Galley.  Visit our website and plan your stay with us at:  www.gardenandgalley.com

The Book: Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations

Charlie Jane’s Bed and Breakfast is a few miles from Tedrow Cemetery! Yes, Ringgold County, in Southern Iowa, has one of Iowa’s most haunted locations.  Our guests, Lacey and Christi can contest to that! They took pictures of their experiences when they stayed with us last weekend. They wanted us to share with you their experiences and we will when we get their pictures.  If you don’t believe them check out the book “The Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations” and websites:  Unexpained Research.com and The Shadowlands.net.

Tedrow Cemetery, a few miles southeast of Mount Ayr is out in the country, on a dirt road, and after visiting with our guests we have decided not to venture out there on our own. We will leave the lights on for our guests instead. Visit our website, www.Charlie-janes.com, for accommodations!  (We’ll post the photos from Lacey and Christi here when we receive them, so be sure to check back here in the near future.)

Southern Iowa Lodging & Couples Golf Package is one of the summer specials now being offered at Charlie-Jane’s Bed and Breakfast, the weekend of July 11, 2009.

You can find a GREAT place to stay and a GREAT place to play golf all in one package! Worried about getting a tee time? Let us worry about that. The 9-hole semi-private Mount Ayr Country Club facility features 2,975 yards of golf, from the longest tee for a par 35.

The course rating is 33.8 and it has a slope rate of 172. Carts are allowed on the fairways, and one has been reserved in your name! Charlie-jane’s offers 2 queen size bedrooms and spacious suite with AC, TV, and a full breakfast of your choice. Yes, that includes homemade waffles, pancakes or french toast, plus eggs, meat, muffins and fruit! You can get more information at www.Charlie-janes.com and golflink.com.  Get your reservations now!

When: June 21, 2009: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Price: $29.95 each for adults, includes meal, wine and admission to Sunday Tunes
Where: Summerset Winery in Indianola, IA
What: Delicious BBQ and great music! Your dad will be LOVE his day at the winery, then pamper him at the local B&B: Garden and Galley!

Show how much you really appreciate him by spending a fabulous day enjoying delicious BBQ catered by Shane’s Rib Shack. Check-in to your room at Garden and Galley, then return to the winery for the Sunday Tunes from 3-6 p.m. performed by Tony Valdez & the Retro Rockets.

Buffet style meal includes:
* Shane’s Ribs with assorted sauces (original, spicy and hot)
* Pulled pork
* Chopped brisket
* Baked beans
* Potato salad
* Coleslaw
* Buns
* Fresh baked peach and apple cobblers
* Chocolate brownies
* Assorted cookies
* Ice tea
* Sweet tea
* Lemonade
* Glass of Summerset wine or sparkling juice

Reservations required for BBQ, call 515-961-3545 .

Father’s Day Lodging
Just minutes from the The Garden and Galley B&B will have your room ready and waiting to celebrate Father’s Day up right. Room rates begin at $90 per night. Select your room or check for availability by clicking here or call 515-961-7749.

*Pictured to the left is Garden and Galley’s Simpson Room.

Bird watching is amazing at InnSpiration B&B this spring. Viewing the birds from a distance is best so bring binoculars or your long zoom lens, as most birds will usually will fly away when you get too close.

The majority of NW Iowa birds begin their nesting season in early spring. Male and female birds form pairs for nesting on the basis of courtship behaviors. Many birds sing as a means both of declaring their territory to rival males and to solicit the attention of arriving females.

InnSpiration B&B is a birder’s paradise in the spring.  With the woods and water, songbirds, ducks, geese, and hawks are in abundance.

Linn Grove, Iowa  is located on the Inkpaduta Canoe Trail, a 131-mile-long historical river trail, so the spring birding activities can easily be enjoyed from a canoe. Take a timeless birdwatching trip on the Little Sioux River during your stay at InnSpriation B&B. Rooms available starting from $65.00.

InnSpiration Bed and Breakfast
1790 510th Street
Linn Grove, IA 51033
USA
Phone:     +1-712-296-4966
Cellular:     +1-712-390-4966

www.innspirationbandb.com

The State Capital grounds in Des Moines, Iowa will be the site of the Iowa Asian Fest on May 16th. First stop and enjoy the Des Moines Farmer’s Market on Court Avenue and than head over to the capital for a fun and food filled day at the Asian fest. Music, dancing, crafts, world market, and many different cuisines will make this an event not to be missed. The Garden and Galley B&B in Indianola is a short drive South and would be a great way to make it a weekend! www.gardenandgalley.Com