So Many Ways to Make Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing pg 70 Tastes & Treasures is a favorite of mine.

Here's a new twist with barley.
Spinach Barley Salad with Gorgonzola and Toasted Walnuts
4 cups quick-cooking pearl barley
3 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 ounce gorgonzola cheese, finely crumbled (about ¼ cup)
6 cups baby spinach leaves, shredded
¼ cup sliced red onion
2 tablespoon toasted chopped walnuts

Cook barley according to package instructions. Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar and mustard. Whisk in oil until well blended, then whisk cheese into mixture.
Put cooked barley in a serving bowl. Add remaining ingredients, plus salt and pepper to taste, then toss gently. Stir in vinaigrette; cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to mix.
Note: Quick cooking pearled barley cooks faster than regular barley. Any soft, crumbly cheese such as feta, blue or goat cheese is good also.

Sneak Peek at New Exhibit

Plans are underway for a new exhibit at the AHS Museum at Papago Park. The storage area is filled with wonderful artifacts hidden from the public. Soon visitors will be able to view many of the items in these collections through a "Visible Storage" exhibit. Zona Lorig enjoys a sneak peek at this Open Shelf Exhibit organized by Ashley Smith, Museum Collections Registrar.

Cherry Mango Salsa

Salsas are a wonderful way of spicing up foods and creating dips. Tastes & Treasures has Cowboy Caviar, page 180, and Corn Salsa, page 33.

Cherry Mango Salsa from Coup des Tartes Restaurant in Phoenix adds a new dimension with fruit.

½ pound pitted and coarsely chopped sweet or sour cherries
½ lime, juiced
½ red onion, minced
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 mango, diced
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir until blended. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
Makes 2 cups

Grilled Tuna Jalapeno Sandwich

This tasty grilled sandwich was served at the historic Cozmic Cafe in Placerville, California (aka Hangtown). Whole wheat bread was loaded with tuna, tomatoes, monterey jack cheese, red onion and guacamole; then grilled to a golden brown. Shelley and Candice enjoyed the stop outside Sacramento built in an old gold mine carved inside the mountain. The National Historic Registry building gets cold as you walk back into the mine. Kids love it. Just remember that it takes a while for your order to appear. The staff work at their own pace but worth it.

Historymakers Gala Work

Thanks to a wonderful staff at the AHS Museum (photos of Megan Gately and Jeff Hotchkiss) for their help with the preparations for Historymakers Gala and Recognition Program. Jeff has spent hours researching, documenting and editing photos of our honored Arizonans. Zona and I were thrilled to get the CD for volunteer Joan Robinson-Blumit to upload to the website and to use in the upcoming Gala Centennial book. This enables teachers, students, researchers, family historians and more to access the information about some of Arizonans most celebrated people.

Culturekeepers Award goes to Reba Wells Grandrud

It is no surprise that Historical League member Reba Wells Grandrud will be honored this year for making a positive impact on the state's history. Arizona Culturekeepers are a varied group and they all support the state's culture, environment, history or economy. Reba is a past National Register of Historic Places co-ordinator and has taken an active role in researching, preserving, teaching and publishing state, local and regional history in Arizona and New Mexico.

She will be in good company with former Governor Rose Mofford, theater owner Dan Harkins, historian Frank Barrios, cowboy artist Bill Owen, the Scottsdale Charros, historian Aaron Cohen, performer and songwriter Sue Harris, Tohono O'odham basket weaver Annie Antone and cultural preservationist Roxanne Knight.

The inductees will be honored at noon on September 19 at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa. $45 per person. Proceeds benefit the Arizona Historical Society and Sharlott Hall Museum in Prescott.

For more information 480-624-1356 or RSVP info@kierlandresort.com

AZ History Convention proposals

October 1 is the deadline for 2011 Arizona History Convention presentation proposals. The Tastes & Treasures cookbook has submitted a proposal about historic recipes, historic hospitality venues and Historymakers food memories.

The program committee for the Arizona History Convention is inviting proposals for presentations on any aspect of Arizona history for delivery at the 52nd Annual Arizona History Convention, which will be held April 28 - 30, 2011, at the Hilton Garden Inn & Pivot Point Conference Center, Yuma. We encourage both individual submissions and proposals for complete sessions. Proposals must be submitted by October 1, 2010, to Bruce J. Dinges, c/o Arizona Historical Society, 949 E. 2nd St., Tucson, AZ 85719. Only one proposal per presenter. Include name, address, phone number, and biographical information, along with title of presentation and no more than one page of description.
Information on convention meals, tours, and lodging will be mailed in February, 2011. For more information, contact Bruce Dinges, AHS Publications Director (phone 520-628-5774; email bdinges@azhs.gov ), or visit the convention website: www.arizonahistory.org.