What! Cardboard Boat Race???

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Setting The Record Straight On Eisenhower

Ike 125 Series: John Robert Greene Sets the Record Straight on the '52 Presidential Race

The third program in the Ike 125 lecture series commemorating the 125th anniversary of the birth of Dwight David Eisenhower will be presented by John Robert Greene, Cazenovia College history professor and noted presidential scholar. The title of Greene's program is "Liking Ike and Adlai: New Thoughts on the 1952 Presidential Election."

Greene in Abilene Kansas on Wednesday, August 5 at noon for a Brown Bag Lunch program, including light hors d'oeuvres, at the Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium.

Many myths and legends come out of presidential campaigns. Greene refutes the myth that neither Eisenhower nor Stevenson really wanted to run in '52 but were talked into it by supporters and then were less than fully engaged in their respective campaigns. According to Greene, Ike was an adept and effective campaigner, and Stevenson was also in control of his campaign.

The author of "The Crusade: The Presidential Election of 1952," Greene is a specialist on American political history, especially the presidency. He has written or edited 17 books and served as a commentator and script adviser for PBS and the History Channel.

Ike 125 is made possible by the generous support of the W.T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee. The Ike 125 series examines the legacy of the greatest soldier-statesman of the 20th century - from his unquestionably brilliant wartime command to two terms as U.S. President that are viewed with increasing favor by historians and political scientists. It was a time of momentous change, bringing historic civil rights legislation, the Interstate Highway System, space exploration, and a prudent foreign policy that gave the country eight years of peace and prosperity. The series lends fresh analysis and new views of the plain-spoken Kansan who became a model of leadership.

Future programs in the six-month series will be held Sept. 17-18 and Oct. 13-14.
Additional details of the Ike 125 series may be found on www.eisenhower.archives.gov.

The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, a nonpartisan federal institution, is part of the Presidential Libraries network operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. We preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.  

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Abilene Launches 5 Star Arts Festival

Abilene Launches 5 Star Arts Festival

The Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau plans a fun-filled weekend September 25-27, 2015 with the 5 Star Arts Festival. The festival will highlight Kansas artists in both local businesses and tents in downtown Abilene. Festival goers can expect to see art of every medium represented and meet new and emerging artists along with well-known professionals.
 
Activities kick-off Friday, September 25 at 6 p.m. with live music at the main stage on 2nd Street with a full line up of family entertainment. Saturday morning includes a free pancake breakfast hosted by Eagle Communications beginning at 7 a.m. Artists open their booths at 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and again on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bright balloons will signal the local business featuring an artist. Other artists will display their works in tents around the 2nd Street vicinity of Broadway and Spruce Streets.

A full schedule of live entertainment on two stages downtown will be released in the coming weeks. A tent filled with children's activities will be hosted by Frakes & Co on Saturday and Sunday. Food vendors will be set up for the entire weekend.

The "Taste of Abilene" which debuted last year will return Saturday, Sept. 27 with doors opening at 6 p.m. Tickets may be purchased for $20 at the CVB office. The "Taste" will be held in the historic depot on 2nd Street providing a chance to sample delicious dishes from local Abilene restaurants.

Special thanks to the Community Foundation of Dickinson County for their generous support. Additional sponsors include Eagle Communications and Rawhide Portable Corral as well as several other local businesses and individuals.

The mission of the 5 Star Arts Festival is to celebrate the arts with a 5-star experience bringing together a community of artists and audiences to educate and cultivate the development and understanding of diverse art forms.

The CVB is the marketing arm of the City of Abilene promoting all Abilene has to offer and attracting visitors to this community. The CVB located at 201 NW 2nd Street, Abilene, is housed in the restored 1928 Union Pacific Depot along with the Abilene Visitor Information Center and 160-person meeting room.

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A Traditional Farm Life - German Chocolate Cake

A Traditional Farm Life

By Shasta Hamilton

 

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!   It’s the dog days of summer, and I’m dog-tired.  Triple digit temperatures coupled with additional duties at the restaurant have left me dragging at the end of the week.  There simply aren’t enough hours in the day!

I spent several mornings this week teaching my husband Michael the finer points of making lunch specials.

We are bringing back a daily lunch special Wednesday through Friday.  Instead of trying to make a completely different stand-alone meal each day, we will prepare an entrée that can be served with our regular array of sides.  Not only will this bring an additional choice to those not hungry for a sandwich, it gives our own family some more variety as well!

Fresh tomatoes are also adding a little variety to our diet these days.  The boys took some beautiful slicing tomatoes to the Enterprise Farmer’s Market Friday afternoon.  I wish I had time to can the extra ones they brought home, but, alas, there are just too many other things ahead of them on the to-do list.

Here’s one of them.  Our oldest daughter was recently asked if she could bake a German Chocolate Cake from scratch for a friend.  She loves baking cakes, but there was one small problem:  We’ve never made a German Chocolate Cake before.

We aren’t big coconut fans around here, so this time we were really starting “from scratch.”

In typical Hamilton fashion, I put the cart before the horse and started with the frosting recipe. It was easy to come by, as my brother requests German Chocolate Cake for his birthday every year.  My mother was more than willing to share her recipe.  She uses a cake mix, so it was time to choose the right “horse.”

First I consulted our “Fanny Farmer” and “Better Homes and Gardens” cookbooks.  Fanny Farmer’s recipe required separating the eggs and beating the egg whites--something I avoid at all costs.  The Better Homes and Gardens recipe looked like a possibility. I was hoping to find a recipe that used cocoa, but each one I found used Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate instead.

Since this was to be a learning experience, we went ahead and bought the German sweet chocolate.  Wonder of wonders, there was a recipe right on the back of the box! 

Now we were really getting somewhere.  It looked a little short in the salt and vanilla categories, so after consulting a chocolate cake recipe in my King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion, I increased the salt and vanilla, and our oldest daughter rolled up her sleeves and got mixing.

The results far exceeded our expectations.  The moist chocolate cake coupled with the silky caramelized Coconut-Pecan Frosting was outstanding.  Our oldest son declared it his “new favorite cake” and requested another in a few short weeks when he has his next birthday. 

Because both the cake and frosting are from scratch, I’ll share the cake recipe with you this week, and keep you on the edge of your seat until next week for the final installment!

German Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. (4 oz.) sweet German baking chocolate

3/4 cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk*

Coconut-Pecan Frosting (next week)

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Cut parchment or waxed paper to fit the bottom of two (9”) round cake pans or three (8”) cake pans.  Spray pans with non-stick cooking spray, place paper on bottom of pan, and spray paper.

3.  Place chocolate and butter in a saucepan and heat until butter melts.  Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Move chocolate mixture to mixing bowl.

4. Add sugar and beat with mixer until blended.

5.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Blend in vanilla.

6. Combine 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add to chocolate mixture; mix well.

7.  Add remaining flour alternately with buttermilk, mixing well after each addition.

7.  Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

8.  Bake 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Carefully loosen edges with a table knife, turn out from pan, remove parchment paper, and finish cooling on a wire rack.  Fill and frost with Coconut-Pecan Frosting.  Yield:  12 servings.

*To sour milk, place 1 tablespoon vinegar in a 2-cup measure.  Add enough fresh milk to equal 1 cup.  Stir well and allow to stand at room temperature 5 minutes before using.

Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.