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LifeThis is a famous northern Chinese dish from Tsinan, in Shandong province. The fried croutons should be added just before serving because you don't want them to soak up too much of the sauce.
You'll need a thermometer for the frying oil.
Make ahead: The shrimp need to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.
Adapted from "Florence Lin's Chinese Regional Cookbook," by Florence Lin (Hawthorn, 1975).
Diced Shrimp
with Croutons
For shrimp and marinade:
1 pound raw medium-size shrimp
1 large egg white
2 teaspoons cornstarch
The undead strolling down Kansas Avenue once again will liven up downtown as the Topeka Zombie Walk returns as part of the spring edition of the Slash and Bash Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival.
Although the bulk of the festival will take place Friday and Saturday with free movie screenings inside The Break Room, 911 S. Kansas Avenue, activities will spill outdoors with the Topeka Zombie Walk at 6 p.m. Saturday and the showing of two movies after dusk on an outdoor screen in the 900 block of South Kansas Avenue which will be closed to vehicle traffic from 5:15 p.m. to midnight.
Paired with a salad and/or fresh fruit, this crostata featuring spinach and feta makes a delicious lunch. Or cut it into smaller slices and serve it as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.
Bake only one crostata at a time, unless you have two ovens. The dough won't brown as well or cook as evenly if you put two trays in the oven at once.
Spinach and
Feta Crostata
11/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
1 pound baby spinach, washed and left damp
1 large egg, beaten
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Milkshakes are gloriously frosty, creamy, sweet concoctions made from ice cream, syrups and other empty calorie delights.
They're the sort of thing you want to indulge in all the time, but shouldn't. So we set out to make one that would not be quite so bad for you, but still satisfying.
Of course, the obvious route would be to go directly to milkshake's sometimes healthier cousin, the smoothie. Made from yogurt and fruit, this blended beverage lives in gyms and health clubs. But while smoothies are fine, they aren't "real" milkshakes. We really wanted a milkshake.
Todd Mildfelt, an author and teacher for Greenbush Unified School District 609, will present "Underground Railroad on the Western Frontier" at 7 p.m. June 1 at The Little Red Barn, 410 Liberty in Oskaloosa, according to a news release.
Although he describes his playing as "a work in progress," jazz pianist Kenny Barron is in a class of his own. Transcending all categories, Barron is a well-traveled veteran whose scintillating yet sensitive stylings have lifted bandstands with jazz icons ranging from the flame-throwing bopster Dizzy Gillespie to the smoldering melodist Stan Getz.
At once ‘hot’ and ‘cool,’ Barron’s sound-of-surprise pianistics spring from an uncommon artistry rooted in an ability to spontaneously compose with an architectonic finesse and boundless inventive power that are sheer genius.
Dogs may be considered man’s best friend, but in these books, dogs are the stars.
■ "Pick a Pup" by Marsha Wilson Chall, illustrated by Jed Henry, Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2011, ages 2-5.
The end of the school year means free time for youngsters, which the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library will help fill with its summerlong Friday Flicks series.
The free screening of recent vintage G- and PG-rated movies at 2 p.m. Fridays in The Edge Teen Room of the library, 1515 S.W. 10th, is part of Summerfest, which includes free performances, activities and classes, as well as a summer reading program starting May 28.
More information about Summerfest can be found in printed material at the library or on its website at www.tscpl.org.
PAXICO — During his 35-year career with the Wildlife Management Institute, Dick McCabe collected American Indian and wildlife art.
When he retired in January, he and his wife, Jami, talked about their dream to open an art gallery to exhibit and sell some of the pieces. On May 7, they opened the doors to the Prairie Ghost Gallery in downtown Paxico.
"We were driving through Paxico and saw a ‘For Rent’ sign," Jami McCabe said.
Cars and more — The Glory Days Festival and Car Show, featuring a parade, car show and crafts booths, will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 26, on the Jackson County Courthouse lawn in Holton. Free. Information: (785) 364-3963.
Small-town fun — Waterville will have its Wooden Nickel Day, featuring a car show, beer garden, parade and children’s games, on Saturday, May 26. Information: (785) 363-2515.
The story of a Cambodian woman sold into slavery and prostitution as a child inspired a former Topeka woman to establish a nonprofit organization to help prevent human trafficking.
Amber Barron, the executive director of Freedom’s Promise, will speak at 6 p.m. Saturday at a Human Trafficking Awareness Seminar in the Antioch Family Life Center, 1921 S.E. Indiana Ave. Also speaking is Vicky Luttrell, who works at the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment.
After Topeka-born actress Jayne Houdyshell takes her last bow in the West Coast run of the Kennedy Center production of "Follies," she will board a red-eye flight to New York City to be in the audience for the 66th annual Tony Awards, where for a second time she is a nominee for Broadway's top prize.
Music helped bring a Topeka couple together in 2011.
Now, the pair is diving into a full-time ministry in which they put their musical talents to use for the glory of God.
Terry and Melissa Wright both were known in Topeka circles for their musical skills, but they didn’t know each other until their paths crossed by chance in the Kansas City area.
Terry Wright, 44, performed gospel music in the Topeka area for several years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, playing everything from praise-and-worship songs to covers of songs by groups like the Newsboys.
A special parking lot worship service will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Bridge, located at S.W. 8th and Clay.
The event will get under way with a hot dog dinner, followed by a worship service featuring preaching, testimonies, music and Holy Communion.
The event is sponsored by Central Park Christian Church, the Bridge and students of the Urban Ministry Institute of Topeka. For more information, call (785) 431-6000.
In other religion news:
Last week, we thanked our mothers on their special day, grateful for all they mean to us.
This weekend, with graduations in full gear, it might be a good idea to thank teachers for all they do for us.
I can remember when I was a kid at the old Central Park Elementary School — how great it felt to go home on the last day of school.
The sheer joy and freedom was almost more than I could handle. Three months of nothing to do except what I wanted to do. And what my folks occasionally made me do.
