Wichita Eagle: Life

Veggies put the oomph in these burgers

Sharon K. Ghag — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:19 CDT

These veggie burgers draw their flavor from vegetables, and that’s the way it should be.

The most foolproof here are the grilled portabella mushrooms, so it’s no wonder Robin Donovan serves them up in “Campfire Cuisine.” They’re sturdy and so easy to prepare. Spray the caps with olive oil, shake on a little salt and pepper, and grill. They’re ready in about 15 minutes.

The rest of the recipes will require stovetop cooking, because the delicate patties won’t fare well on the grill. Flip them carefully, or they’re liable to fall apart.

Bonnie Aeschliman: We’ll all scream for this homemade strawberry ice cream

Bonnie Aeschliman — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:18 CDT

Recently I visited with executive chef Paul Freimuth at the Hyatt and toured his elaborate kitchen. What amazed me most was the technology he uses for freezing homemade ice cream.

He explained how, with a huge canister of liquid nitrogen, he can make ice cream to order for his customers in a minute or two. Liquid nitrogen vaporizes at such a low temperature, it flash-freezes the mixture almost instantly. That prevents the water from forming large ice crystals and gives ice cream a very velvety texture.

This method is not available for the home cook. But we do have electric ice cream makers that will churn a fresh batch in about 20 minutes. Many models do not even require ice, so we can have homemade ice cream, gelato and sorbets without much effort.

Preventive mastectomy simply a matter of life and death

Anna Gorman — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:12 CDT

Fear of cancer is a horrible thing. It stays with you all day long, and it wakes you up at night.

I didn’t want to live with that, especially when I knew I could do something about it.

Like Angelina Jolie, I have a genetic mutation that increased my odds of getting breast cancer to nearly 90 percent. Also like Jolie, I chose to get my healthy breasts removed to reduce that risk to less than 5 percent.

Drs. Oz and Roizen: Exploring nonmedical pain relief for endometriosis

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:11 CDT

Padma Lakshmi (“Top Chef”), Susan Sarandon (“The Big Wedding”), Whoopi Goldberg (“The View”) and another 100 million women worldwide contend with endometriosis, in which endometrial cells that line the uterus grow outside the uterus, causing adhesions, scarring, severe pain and a 30 to 40 percent risk of infertility.

Even though 10 percent of all women develop endometriosis, we’re just beginning to understand the causes: possibly a combination of immune-system misfires, exposure to environmental toxins (such as hormone disrupters in plastics), plus a genetic predisposition. Effective nonmedical treatments are emerging, but until recently, only hormone therapy, pain pills and surgery were offered, at a cost of $22 billion a year.

Our suggestions:

HPV-related throat cancers multiplying; vaccine can help prevent them

Andrea K. Walker — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:09 CDT

It is well known that HPV (human papillomavirus) can lead to deadly cervical cancer in women, but the virus is causing cancer in men as well. Throat cancers caused by HPV are showing up typically in men with little or no history of smoking, said Kevin Cullen, an oncologist who specializes in treating head and neck cancers. Cullen, the director of the University of Maryland’s Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, talks about the growing cases of HPV-related throat cancers.

Q: Why are we seeing an increase in head and neck cancers related to HPV?

A: The reasons aren’t entirely clear but may be related to changes in sexual practices over time. What is clear is that head and neck cancers due to HPV are rapidly becoming more common than cervical cancer in the U.S. In less than 20 years, there will be four times as much head and neck cancer in men due to HPV than there will be cervical cancer in women.

Doc Talk: There are a variety of ways to manage labor pains

Hilary Rainbolt — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:08 CDT

Many women have fears about pain during childbirth. It is important for a woman to discuss her concerns with her obstetrician during pregnancy. There are several different options for managing and controlling pain. These options include both nonmedical interventions as well as medications. Often, a combination of pain control strategies is used.

Nonmedical ways to manage pain during labor include walking and changing position, breathing techniques, showering or bathing, using massage, applying hot or cold packs to the lower back and distractions such as listening to music. Many patients use a combination of these methods during early labor. Childbirth preparation classes, such as those offered at Wesley Medical Center, teach methods including breathing techniques.

There are many different pain medicines and ways these medicines can be administered to manage pain. Methods commonly used in our community include intravenous or intramuscular pain medicines and epidural or spinal pain medicines.

Eye exams can reveal diseases

Leslie Barker — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:07 CDT

An eye exam, at its most basic, determines how well these miraculous little spheres look out on the world. It can also spot medical issues going on inside the body.

“People need to realize that looking into your eyes is more than checking your vision,” says genetics counselor Linda Robinson of the University of Texas Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center. “Your eyes can tell us so much more than if you need glasses.”

Most notably, they can show signs of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular problems. An eye exam can also reveal lupus and multiple sclerosis as well as various kinds of cancer.

Healthy barbecue, all summer long

Mike Lee — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:06 CDT

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial kickoff to summer and with that, barbecue season. It can be tempting to load up on all your favorite calorie-laden barbecue staples – cheeseburgers, chips, dips, potato salad, pies and cakes – but there are ways to indulge while also keeping your calorie count in check. After all, with summer also comes swimsuit season.

You can enjoy yourself at every food-filled barbecue this summer without sacrificing flavor or fun. Here are some tips for satisfying food swaps, alternative ingredients and easy, refreshing seasonal recipes.

• Get creative with the grill: Instead of the predictable burger or ballpark hotdog, try marinating chicken breasts in a homemade dressing and toss those on the grill instead. Or try grilling portobello mushrooms, sliced zucchini and even eggplant for any vegetarians.

New fashion cycle: Ditch the spandex for stylish commuter clothes

Aimee Blanchette — Sun, 19 May 2013 20:50 CDT

Johnny Woodside’s cycling clothes are almost as cool as his name. The 30-year-old Minneapolis hydrogeologist dons flannel shirts, Red Wing boots and has a tapered mustache. Forget the blinding neon spandex get-up.

“The last thing I want to do is walk into the bar and hear, ‘Lance Armstrong’s here?’ ” said Woodside, who bikes to work, to happy hour and everywhere in between.

As more people trade four wheels for two, retailers are courting bike lovers by tapping into the cycling lifestyle.

Summer whites by Kate Hudson

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:51 CDT

Actress Kate Hudson is taking a natural step in the evolution of a celebrity spokesmodel, going from appearing in ads for Ann Taylor to designing a collection for Ann Taylor. The first Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor collection, including white dresses, white tank tops and white skirts for summer, is described by the company as inspired by her “red carpet glamour and her love of fashion.” (Most of the clothes in the collection are priced less than $128.)

Hudson, in a phone interview, was quick to point out that the collection was really designed by Lisa Axelson, the creative director of Ann Taylor, but she enjoyed having input.

What, Versace wasn’t available?

Woody Guthrie’s great American voice gets a new home in Tulsa

Steve Paul — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:46 CDT

TULSA — The woman in the wheelchair and headphones is watching pictures go by and hearing a narrator speak about a place and a moment long ago.

On the screen a typewritten love letter appears and the words scroll down and you can imagine the woman when she first laid eyes on those words. It was 80 years ago in Pampa, Texas, when Mary Jennings, then 16, succumbed to the sweet words and married Woody Guthrie. Here she was, reliving the memory.

Behind her was her daughter from a later marriage, Anne Jennings, who wiped away tears, and on the woman’s right side watching the screen was Nora Guthrie, daughter of Woody Guthrie and his second wife and a driving force of the Woody Guthrie Center, which opened April 27.

Rethinking the doctrine of atonement

Tom Schaefer — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:22 CDT

“Healing the Gospel: A Radical Vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross” by Derek Flood (Cascade Books, 108 pages, $17)

Is God an angry God who requires sacrificial appeasement, or is that idea not only in error but ultimately destructive of people’s well-being?

Iconographer paints images to inspire faithful

Colette M. Jenkins — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:22 CDT

COPLEY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A plain white wall rose above the altar in the sanctuary at St. Demetrius Serbian Orthodox Church.

That was before its transformation.

Now that wall is covered in a brilliant blue that serves as a backdrop to a vibrantly colored icon of the Virgin Mary Mother of God with the Christ Child.

‘Glee’s’ Lynch and dog go to bat for shelter mutts

Sue Manning — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:22 CDT

Jane Lynch doesn’t mind being upstaged by her latest co-star, Olivia – after all she “has no bad side, she is always ready to pose and she sits perfectly still when you put her in your lap.”

“I’m much more temperamental,” Lynch said.

Lynch’s dog Olivia is her co-host for “Shelter Me: Let’s Go Home,” the second installment in the PBS series “Shelter Me.” The “Glee” star also has a canine companion on Broadway, where she’s filling in as Miss Hannigan in “Annie.”

Adopt a pet (May 18)

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:23 CDT

Dove the Constant Companion, a 7 1/2-year-old female Newfoundland-Labrador mix, 82 pounds, is available for adoption from Kansas Humane Society.

Hi, I’m Dove. I’m a big fan of spending time with people. I think they’re fun. They love watching the coolest movies and going to the most awesome parks. My tail is wagging just thinking about all the fun we are going to have together. You should come to KHS and meet your new best friend.

Also available:

Gardener’s almanac (May 18)

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:30 CDT

Are we caught up yet? – For the most part, the forecast calls for lows in the 60s next week, a far cry from the recent days when we were having a hard time seeing a high in the 60s. Our fears for going from winter to summer were at least temporarily realized. The soil should be nicely warming. Assuming we’re on schedule …

Planting calendar, plus a pepper tip – Beans, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, peppers, okra, pumpkins (wait until late June for a Halloween-timed harvest), sweet corn, squash, tomatoes. One reader recommends Fooled You peppers, which he’s bought at Hillside Feed & Seed in the past. It’s a jalapeno without the heat.

Warm-season grasses – If you’re planning to put in a warm-season lawn this spring, you can plant seed now. Otherwise wait until June to plant vegetatively by sprigs, plugs or sod, extension agent Rebecca McMahon says. Buffalo grass seed is slow to fill in, so you might want to go the vegetative route with that, she says. Otherwise, the variety you want to plant also has something to do with what form you choose to plant. Some are available only by seed, others only vegetatively. For zoysia, K-State recommends only Meyer, and it’s only available vegetatively, she says. As with fescue, sod is the fastest to establish and also the most expensive, she says.

The Grapevine (May 18)

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:30 CDT

Hostapalooza next weekend

You can learn about hostas and find unusual plants and garden accessories for sale at Hostapalooza on May 25 at the Extension Education Center, 21st and Ridge Road. There will be hostas, Japanese maples, dwarf conifers, caladiums, hypertufa pots, daylilies and art for sale; food; and speakers, including “Hosta Guy” Rob Mortko. The garden celebration will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is sponsored by the Wichita Hosta Society. Admission is free. Pictured above: the Hosta of the Year, Rainforest Sunshine.

Mugo pine trim

Get ideas for your yard on garden tour

Annie Calovich — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:21 CDT

When a large Alberta spruce died in the heat and drought last year in Bill and Kathy Ethridge’s front yard, they replaced it with a Horstmann Atlas blue cedar – one of the evergreens that still makes the recommended list for Kansas.

The Ethridges are on the master gardeners’ garden tour that continues Saturday and Sunday. Their house at 5709 N. Sullivan sits on two acres leading down to the river, two-thirds of it in soothing green fescue.

“It’s so exciting not to be flat for Wichita,” Kathy says.

In search of evergreens for Kansas

Annie Calovich — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:13 CDT

There’s nothing like a couple of years of drought to get us wondering just what kind of evergreens we can plant in the Wichita area.

Blue spruces have fried in the past couple of years; pines have been hit by disease.

But this is the prairie, after all. Kansas is the only state in the Lower 48 that doesn’t have a native pine tree. We’re not the icy-cold tundra of the Upper Midwest, where native pines can take the cold winters, and we’re not the desert Southwest, where native pines can take the hot wind.

Bunny TNT to hold ‘Hop In’ social event

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:23 CDT

Bunny TNT, an organization for people who own and love bunnies, is having a “Hop In” social event at 2 p.m. Sunday. The event and club meeting will be at Avita Health and Rehab, 2114 N. 127th Court East, just south of 21st Street.

The event is a social time for bunnies and their people. Bunnies that participate must be spayed or neutered.

The club hopes to have the event outside in a fenced area, but an indoor room will be available if needed.