SHE | March 2017

March 2017

Jill Tasker

The Big Apple and Back Again

Also Inside

Hotel Chic at Home Flying in Good Health The Heart of Su Casa

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March 2017

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»

Feature Profile

Jill Tasker

8

Community

Ivy Tech Comic Con, CAP Adult Prom

10 Name Change 12 Friendly Flying 14 Useful Storage 16 Hotel Chic 22 Su Casa Columbus 24 Janie Gordon 28 Cheesy Lasagna, First Comes Love

health and beauty

She Designs

Home Trends

Feature

5 Questions For ...

cuisine

Breakfast Pudding

32 Raising a farm girl The Farmer’s daughter

4 Editor’s note 6 Things to Do 2 She Magazine // march 2017

Above and on the cover Jill Tasker photographed at her home in Columbus by Ali Hendricks.

»

EDITOR

march 15, 2017

Almost famous?

Here are some of our celebrity encounters

©2017 by AIM Media Indiana.

All rights reserved.

Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited.

Stock images provided by © iStock.

Advertising art direc tor

Jenny Elig Designer

Mr. Rogers and Hillary Clinton

Amanda Waltz

Joe Cross, wellness guru and founder Tonya Cassidy, of Reboot Julie Daiker, Cassie Doles, with Joe

Singer Chris Isaak

Margo Wininger COPY EDITOR

Katharine Smith Contributing WRITERS

Katie Glick, Catherine Winkler

Garrison Keillor. He was wearing the same red sneakers he always wears.

Advertising Design

Kassondra Hattabaugh, Josh Meyer ADVERTISING INFORMATION

(812) 379-5652 SEND COMMENTS TO

Contributing photogr apher

Ali Hendricks

Jenny Elig, The Republic, 2980 N. National Road, Columbus, IN 47201.

Call (812) 379-5671 or email shemagazine@aimmediaindiana.com

SIOBGYN

march 2017 // She Magazine 3

» editor’s note

What went right

A

As our primordial ancestors popped their heads out of the cave and ventured into the fields and onto the hunting grounds, the ones who focused on all of the risks, all of the things that could go wrong in each venture were the ones who made it to see another day. Their lives were fraught with peril, and those who went skipping merrily into the side of a wooly mammoth were likely to get trampled.

It’s human nature to focus on what went wrong.

Our tendencies to lie in bed at night as the blooper reel of the day plays in our minds, well, in many ways that’s what propels us. That negative focus has kept the human species alive and thriving.

That ability to recognize and zero in on threats is what ushered us out of the Stone Age, through several millennia and into the technological

Kids’ Jungle Treatment Room

wonderland that most of us inhabit today.

On days that go really wrong, the days when my feet hit the floor and every event that follows is crummy, I remind myself of the wondrous technology of the modern age. I think of smartphones, I think of cable television, I think of the Internet. In doing so, I feel a bit like Dr. Manhattan, one of the protagonists of the 1980s comic book “Watchmen” (you might also remember the 2008 movie adaptation). The entire book has a tone of cynicism, an air of sadness for

Now that is conv en

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the superheroes, who seem to be fighting a lost cause in saving a selfish and cruel human race.

Midway through the book, Dr. Manhattan has exiled himself to the planet Mars; he can do this because, having been exposed to a nuclear blast, he is super human. He’s a blue, glowing man who can grow to incredible heights, and he can see the future. He’s been accused of being radioactive, of giving people in close contact with him cancer, but he knows he has to save the human race that he’s been accused of harming. He’s psyching himself up, reminding himself of just how wonderful the world is.

“But the world is so full of people, so crowded with these miracles that they become commonplace and we forget … I forget,” he says.

“We gaze continually at the world, and it grows dull in our perceptions. Yet seen from another’s vantage point, as if new, it may still take our breath away.”

Familiarity does breed contempt, but if we back up from the mundanities of our lives, we can see our days for the miracles that they are and for all of the things that went right: The alarm clocks that went off on time, the automatic coffee machines that started, the hot and clean water for bathing and the cars that take us to our jobs. And those miraculous events happen in the first hours of our days.

Even if it’s only for a few minutes a day, focus on the many things that went right. You’ll find that they add up to a miracle.

Jenny Elig

jelig@aimmediaindiana.com

Tipton Park Plaza 380 Plaza Drive, Suite D Columbus, Indiana 47201 812-372-7892 l 800-444-1854 march 2017 // She Magazine 5

24 Hours in a Day

Things to Do Compiled by Jenny Elig

1

“Not all foods are equal in how long their energy lasts,” says Harriet Armstrong, Purdue Extension educator. “Foods high in added sugar and low in dietary fiber, protein and fat will give you a quick boost of energy, but it won’t last long.

For sustained energy, eat foods with a combination of fiber, lean protein and healthy fat. Fuel your body regularly — about every three to four hours — to keep energy levels stable throughout the day.”

2

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on skates at the Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena’s Shamrock Skate, 1 to 3 p.m. March 17. Cost: $4.50 adults, $4 kids, $2 skate rental. Information: (812) 376-2686.

3

If you want to start investing in the stock market, but you want to start small, try out the Stash app for iOS and Android.

Stash, which offers theme-based investment guidance, will have you up and investing for as little as $5.

6 She Magazine // march 2017

4

In 2014, celebrity fitness guru Richard Simmons abruptly disappeared from public view. The documentarystyle podcast “Missing Richard Simmons” sees filmmaker Dan Taberski on the hunt to find him.

5

LIFE HACK

Earbuds always getting tangled up? Repurpose an Altoids tin and use it to keep your headphones in mint condition.

6

Dress as your favorite Disney princess, enjoy tea and cookies, make your own crown and skate with Hamilton Center princesses, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 16 and 23.

Cost: $15, ages 4 to 12. Register for Princess Tea at (812) 376-2686.

7

LIFE HACK

Do your leather boots need some TLC? Using a clean rag, gently rub some inexpensive hair conditioner onto them. Do not try this trick on suede.

8

Take the kids to Learn to Play Hockey, 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

March 18 and 25 and April 1, 8, 15 and 22, Hamilton Community Center and Ice Arena, 2501 Lincoln Park Drive.

Information: (812) 376-2680.

9 Don’t miss the First Presbyterian Music Series show, 3 p.m. March 26, featuring the Anderson University Chorale, a 50-voice choir directed by Richard Sowers.

10

Check out the Little Hikers: Night Experience for Kids, 8 to 9:30 p.m., April 15, Touch the Earth Natural Area, located at North Country Club Road. Experience the outdoors using all of your senses and learn about adaptations of animals that inhabit the night.

11

Make sure to catch “A Tribute to Women in Jazz,” at 7 p.m. April 1, with Monika Herzig and female IU musicians at the Harlequin Theatre, Fair Oaks Mall.

Tickets: $15 advance, $20 at the door, $10 students at the door. Information: (812) 343-4597.

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12

Discover the charm of marbles at the Southern Indiana Marble Show, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 15, Comfort Inn & Suites, Jonathan Moore Pike. Free admission. In-room trading from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. April 13 and 14. Information: marBLesNFS@hotmail. com, Bob Cunningham, (812) 498-5410.

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13

Need a pick-me-up? Enter search terms “Grover Dances” into YouTube and see your favorite old school “Sesame Street” monster get down.

Get an eyeful of art at “Favorable Impressions,” a show of contemporary printmaking from the 67th Street Printmakers through April 18 at the Columbus Learning Center.

Information: (812) 314-8509.

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15

LIFE HACK

Did you lose something small?

Find it by rubber banding pantyhose around a vacuum cleaner hose. Run the hose around the spot where your small item was dropped. The suction should catch it, and the pantyhose will trap it.

16

The April installation of the popular First Fridays for Families series is “Alice in Wonderland.” These free shows, geared toward children in kindergarten through third grade, happen at 6 p.m. the first Friday of the month at The Commons.

Get all weepy over “Romeo and Juliet,” April 28 and 29 and May 5 and 6 at Jackson County Community Theatre, Royal Off-the-Square Theatre, 121 W. Walnut St., Brownstown.

Information: jcct.org, (812) 358-5228.

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s season powers on with “Music Americana,” 3:30 p.m. April 30 at Columbus North High School auditorium.

Information: csoindiana.org.

19

The Columbus City Winter Farmers Market continues from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Fair Oaks Mall.

20

If you were a fan of the original, check out Netflix’s updated version of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” available for streaming on April 14.

21

Join hosts of “The Bechdel Cast” podcast for a womancentric look at your favorite movies. The podcast is available through iTunes.

22

The Columbus Farmers Market returns from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

May 6 on Brown Street between Fifth and Eighth streets. Information: columbusfarmersmarket.org.

23

LIFE HACK

Tired of losing bobby pins to the vacuum cleaner? Tack up a magnetic strip and use it to keep your hairpins safe.

24

Get to know your town all over again by taking a Columbus Area Visitors Center Architecture Tour.

Information: (812) 378-2622.

Got an item you’d like to have featured in 24 Things?

Email it to shemagazine@aimmediaindiana.com.

march 2017 // She Magazine 7

» community

l e n a p y b l Pane

W

Get on board for Iv y Te

With a “pow!” a “biff!” and a “bam!” Ivy Tech Community College’s first Comic Con pounds its way into existence from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 6. Organized by Ivy Tech librarian Abigail Hilyard, the event will feature an assortment of comic book-related delights. Vendors will peddle all things nerdy, and attendees can gather over various board games.

The day will culminate in a panel discussion between Ivy Tech alums Yukimi Wintel, a digital illustrator, and Mikinna Jo White, a tattoo artist.

Hilyard has been to several comic book conventions in Indianapolis; she decided to draw together like-minded folks to raise awareness about the Ivy Tech Community College library and to foster a sense of community within the college.

“Not many people know it, but the library here is open to the public,” Hilyard says. “I want to bring everyone together, to show them the library and to show them this is a safe place where they can learn and be a community together.”

Panel guest White opened her Martinsville tattoo shop five months ago; although comic books are not her focus, at Maiitsoh Art

Illustration by Yukimi Wintel.

Above, Mikinna Jo White.

8 She Magazine // march 2017

ch’s inaugural Comic

CoN

and Tats, White often finds herself embellishing a client’s skin with Marvel or Pokemon characters. At Ivy Tech, she focused on photography and graphic design and plans to use a portion of her time on the panel talking about her journey from fine arts to the art of tattooing. Both comic books and tattooing, she say, require a lot of passion.

“You have to be really passionate about art and the art that’s going on your skin,” White says.

Using a technique she developed during her time as a student, digital illustrator Yukimi Wintel crafts fantasy landscapes, complete with dragons, giant cats and women warriors. “I’m into the high fantasy-type genre for games,” Wintel says. Dreaming up her illustrations provides an opportu- University Library of Columbus presents nity for escape, she says. “You can create Comic Con 2017 a story that’s an adventure you couldn’t When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 6 have otherwise.” She wants comic con Where: Library and attendees to take away a sense, not only of the industry she’s working to break Summerville Room, Ivy Tech Community College, into and the hard work that she puts into her pieces, but also Information: (812) 372-9925 of the notion that anyone can accomplish their dreams.

“I was really getting into my art when I was 21, then life happened. Last year I was working in a factory,” Wintel says.

“In the last seven months, I’ve been able to turn out a lot of work. I’ve gotten a lot of commissions, too, and I put them out with a little more confidence than I used to.”

Hilyard hopes her event will highlight an expansion in the audience for comic books and related entertainment. “I think comic books in general are a kind of creative space to work with,” she says. “The protagonist can be anything. It’s a good way to explore facets of ourselves as women, as heroes, as protagonists. It’s not just for boys.

Women want to be heroes, too.”

When

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Whether you attended your prom or skipped out on this American rite of passage, CAP Adult Prom can offer a do-over or a re-do of your high school experience. Now in its fifth year, CAP Adult Prom benefits Family Service Inc. The event funds and helps support the nonprofit’s early childhood services and focuses on child abuse prevention.

CAP Adult Prom Your high school prom probably When: 7 (doors open at 6:30 had a court; so does the Adult p.m.) to 11 p.m. April 22 Prom. The prom court is where Where: The Commons, Adult Prom really raises funds for 300 Washington St. Family Service; for this prom court Information: you vote with your dollars. You familyservicebc.org can vote for your king and queen in advance online, or you can vote during the event. If you’re headed to the prom, dress accordingly. This is your chance to go all out with a Cinderella-style ball gown.

Can’t attend the event, but still want to support your favorite prom court member? You can cast your vote at familyservicebc.org. Each vote will cost you a dollar. Unlike your high school prom, you won’t have to sneak in any booze; the CAP Adult Prom is a 21-and-over event, complete with a cash bar.

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Watch as a team of local notables puts on karaoke-style performances, all in the name of helping children.

That’s the concept behind Crooners for CASA, an annual event that benefits Advocates for Children, the nonprofit organization that Crooners for CASA provides help for children When: 6:30 p.m. April 9 who are victims of abuse and neglect. These court Where: The Commons appointed special advocates Information: apowerfulvoice.org/events are volunteers who serve as officers of the court and represent the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes due to issues of abuse and neglect. Advocates for Children trains and supports these volunteers.

Last year’s event drew an audience of 350 people and raised roughly $60,000 in admission, cash and inkind donations.

812-376-8868

If interested, apply in person or mail resume to: Developmental Services, Inc. 2920 Tenth Street Columbus, IN 47201 Attention: Lisa Guckenberger Email: lguckenberger@dsiservices.org Or visit us online at: www.dsiservices.org EOE

march 2017 // She Magazine 9

» first comes love

CBHW

Name game

B

By Catherine Winkler

By the time this column is published, I’ll be married. More than seven months (though let us be honest, more like a lifetime) of planning, preparation and anticipation will be over. I’ll be back from my honeymoon with wonderful memories and, I hope, a golden tan. It’s strange

House

10 She Magazine // march 2017

to write a column about my wedding knowing it will be over by the time you read this, so I’ll instead write about my marriage, something I’ve been looking forward to even more than the wedding.

When we get home from Hawaii, I’ll be navigating life as a married woman for the first time. Though Jordan and I have been in a serious relationship for over two years, everyone has told me things are “just different” when you’re married.

We’ll be legally bound together, officially sharing everything from a home to finances — and eventually a name.

I always planned to change my last name when I got married, provided I actually liked my husband’s name. Thankfully, Winkler is adorable, and I’m very excited to be one. But as I approached my

wedding, I was surprised at how sad I felt at the prospect of changing my name.

I was talking with a married friend about taking her husband’s last name. She asked if I’d keep my current middle name or make my maiden name my middle name. My reaction was neither; it’s always been my intent to have the same last name as my husband, but I can’t imagine just ditching one of my names.

I didn’t always like my full name. My middle name, Becker, is my mother’s maiden name. All my friends growing up had Marie or Anne or Elizabeth as a middle name, which as a child struck me as prettier, simpler options. When I got older and wiser, I learned to love my full name. It’s tied me to my beloved grandparents, three of whom are no longer

alive. It’s been what I signed and later typed at the top of every test and school paper. It’s on my degrees, my driver’s license and my birth certificate.

Names have always mattered to me.

I have several future children named already (you’re welcome, honey); to me, my name is an inherent part of my identity. And while my name won’t immediately change after I get married, I will start the legal process to change it. I plan on keeping my maiden name as my second middle name because it’s still an important part of who I am. And though it’s a lot of paperwork, I am excited to start the process of adding a new name to mine.

Catherine Winkler — that does have a nice ring to it.

Catherine winkler is a Columbus resident.

She has published three books under the pseudonym Cate Dashwood. You can find out more about her books online at catedashwood.com

march 2017 // She Magazine 11

» health and beauty

Fly into

Friendly Spots

»

Yoga rooms, walking tracks and even vegan food have turned up at airports as demand for health and fitness services has grown

By Kelli Kennedy, Associated Press

Work out while waiting for your flight? That’s an option now at Baltimore Washington International Airport, where the only gym at a U.S. airport past security opened recently with plans to open 20 more at airports by 2020.

It’s the latest example of how fitness and health trends have started showing up at airports. Yoga rooms and walking tracks have opened at airports around

12 She Magazine // march 2017

North America over the past few years, and healthier food options are also easier to find in airports now. You can even get a kombucha to wash down a salad made with locally sourced produce.

The ROAM Fitness gym at BWI includes an attendant who monitors guests’ flights and will alert them if there’s a delay. There’s even free luggage storage, options for renting workout clothes and shoes, and showers. Fees range from $40 a day to $175 a month.

The concept was initially envisioned for international travelers and others with long layovers, but research revealed that many other travelers wanted to squeeze in a workout before or after landing.

“A lot of people coming from the West Coast taking red-eye flights are going straight to their business meeting, but they land at 6:30 in the morning. They can’t check into their hotel yet ... so it just gives them the opportunity to clean up before they head to that meeting,” said ROAM Fitness CEO Cynthia Sandall.

Roughly 4,000 travelers a month use GoodLife Fitness’ gym at Toronto airport, a 33 percent increase from when it opened in 2014, the company said.

ROAM Fitness CEO Cynthia Sandall. Opposite page, ROAM Fitness gym at BaltimoreWashington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Linthicum, Md.

But the concept may not work everytions in their own right include movie theaters, more fine dining and better where. The airport at Las Vegas had a shopping, says Lorraine Sileo, a senior gym that closed. Christopher Berger, who vice president with the travel market chairs the American College of Sports research firm Phocuswright.

Medicine task force on healthy air travel, But fitness and wellness offerings says the gyms’ success may depend on may be especially appealing to travelers the destination. He thinks they may be getting on or off cramped planes. best suited for hubs with long layovers.

At Dallas-Fort “You take someplace Worth International like (Chicago) O’Hare, The concept was Airport, there’s a yoga Minneapolis, Portland, initially envisioned for studio with free mats, a Seattle ... I think you’ve international travelers walking path and two got a real chance of and others with long 55-foot staircases for an selling it,” he said. layovers, but research extra cardio challenge.

San Francisco airrevealed that many Minneapolis-St. Paul port’s yoga room has other travelers wanted International Airport been so successful that to squeeze in a workout before or after landing. has a 1.4-mile walking a second one opened in path. Philadelphia’s 2014. Airport officials airport had a temposay it’s used daily. After a few downward dogs, yogis can also rary program where passengers could order a green juice or curry bowl at The cycle on stationary bikes while waiting Plant Cafe where everything is made with for their flights. Baltimore Washington local and organic ingredients. There’s also International also offers bike rentals and Napa Farms Market, Joe & the Juice and a 12.5-mile trail just outside the airport. new vending machines offering organic, While airports still sell plenty of gluten-free and sugar-free snacks. greasy fast food, many airport eateries Other amenities in the pipeline as also now feature local, organic ingredimajor airports look to become destinaents and vegan and gluten-free options.

Icebox Cafe at Miami International Airport, which uses locally sourced food, reported above-average sales of $3.1 million last fiscal year. Other examples of vendors bringing healthier fare to airports include Nature’s Table in Atlanta and Orlando, Elephants Delicatessen at Portland International Airport in Oregon, and French Meadow Bakery, in four airports including Minneapolis and Salt Lake City.

Ann Gentry, founder of the popular vegan eatery Real Food Daily, has an airport location in addition to two others in the Los Angeles area.

“I knew it was going to be a hit because in our (two other restaurants) people were coming in getting bags of food for the plane, so we were very accustomed to packing up food for the plane,” she said.

But not everyone who patronizes Real Food Daily at the airport location realizes it’s vegan. Some order a spicy lentil burger and bring it back complaining they didn’t know it wouldn’t have meat.

On the flip side, some travelers say they enjoyed her airport grub so much they sought out the restaurant while in town. march 2017 // She Magazine 13

Designs

Indispensable Craft a useful bag dispenser Created by Jenny Elig

I

I love making She Designs projects each month, but I recognize that, for the most part, I’m highlighting bits of ephemera. I usually offer you fluffy little tchotchkes that, cute or not, are one more thing to sit around your house.

And, my friends, the tchotchkes are one more thing I need to avoid.

Spring cleaning is in the air at the Elig house, and I’m trying to purge knickknacks, craft items, clothing and accessories. Now is not the time for me to generate more junk. I wanted to create a project that would repurpose and/or upcycle something I already had.

I also have a sizable pile of material that needs to be recycled.

As I gathered up TV dinner boxes and old newspapers to trudge the material down to the recycling center (Columbus Recycles does not extend services to my apartment building), I cast an eye on an empty kitty litter jug. Surely this sturdy container could be repurposed. And it can be; in fact, a cut-up kitty litter jug can find plenty of new incarnations.

Is it the most beautiful project ever? No. But it is one of the more useful projects I’ve ever come up with. In a snap, I found a home for all the plastic grocery bags that have been hanging out in the cabinets under my kitchen sink.

14 She Magazine // march 2017

Step 1: Think twice, cut once. Survey the kitty litter jug and, using your marker, draw a line that goes around the top of the jug and deeps dip on one skinny side.

Dissect your litter jug with your cutting tool.

Put the bottom part aside; it’s the perfect size for storing and/or displaying your back issues of She Magazine.

What you need: Kitty litter jug (make sure you hang onto the cap, too) Shipping box (Size is up to you, but we used one 8 inches wide, 3½ inches deep and 14 inches long.)

Duct tape Cutting implement Marker

Step 2: Prep your box. Lay the cut edge of the jug top onto a flat side of the box and trace around it.

Cut the traced section out of the box. Cut off any box flaps at the top.

Step 3: Using duct tape, tape the jug top of the hole you just cut. I recommend starting by taping the bottom tab to the box bottom.

Finish your box with duct tape, if you want your dispenser to be pretty. Once the jug top is well anchored, trim the extra tab at the bottom. inspiration photos from elle.com

Thick yarn or twine (optional)

Step 4: If you want to hang your dispenser, affix some twine to the back with strong duct tape.

Step 5: Feed plastic grocery bags into the top, one at a time. Place the dispenser in your litter box area or by your dog leash area so you can grab a bag before you and your pooch head out.

march 2017 // She Magazine 15

» home

Boutique critiques New book offers home decor tips gleaned from stylish hotels

I

By Katherine Roth, Associated Press

Inspired by the interiors of boutique hotels around the world, author Sara Bliss wanted to share easy and affordable tips on how to bring that style home.

In “Hotel Chic at Home” (The Monacelli Press), she tries to capture the transformative power of travel and that moment in a stylish hotel when you say to yourself, “Why can’t my life be more like this every day?”

Bliss, author of seven books including “Exotic Style” and “The Thoroughly Modern Married Girl,” gathers design ideas from innovative small hotels, from Marrakech, Morocco, to Palm Springs, California, and talks with some of the designers. She has chapters on subjects including foyers, lighting, dramatic walls and floors, and setting the scene with art.

“Even the chicest hotels have the same issues as most homeowners — awkward spaces, cookie-cutter architecture, lackluster views or dark rooms,” Bliss writes. “The difference is that hoteliers have figured out how to use design to solve those dilemmas — after all, they have to book every room, every night.”

Here are highlights from an interview Bliss gave to The Associated Press:

16 She Magazine // march 2017

What is it about these hotels that caught your imagination?

BLISS: Boutique hotels have become incubators for new interior design trends that not only transport visitors to Thailand or Tuscany, but solve familiar design challenges on a budget, while setting an unforgettable mood. It’s a magical mix of feeling both transported and at home, and there are plenty of ideas that can easily be adapted at home.

One of the things I love about these hotels is that they are pretty fearless in their design choices. We could all get more comfortable with the idea of having confidence in our design choices.

Is it important to stick to a single theme throughout when planning a design redo at home?

BLISS: Mixing up inspiration from Africa and France and Morocco is perfectly OK. It’s coolest when it’s organic and reflects things you love. Big, crazy design ideas are sometimes too fun to talk yourself out of, and they’ll always be memorable and meaningful.

Left, Casas Del XVI in the Dominican Republic. The space is a great example of how to make a bold color statement work for real life. The conversation-starting poppy red hue avoids being overwhelming by pairing it with shades of brown. Below, Paris’ Hotel Henriette features a dramatic modern dining space which has a dark graphic wallpaper from Arte. The tone-on-tone pattern adds visual interest without the distraction of multiple colors.

Left, The Viceroy Santa Monica, in Santa Monica, Calif.

While cabanas are usually set up poolside for lounging, one could be set up in a backyard with a table and chairs to enjoy outdoor meals.

Can you suggest some quick and affordable ways to add glamour to a room?

BLISS: Cubes painted shiny gold would glam up any room as side tables. And for walls, I love dark colors. So many of the hotels I visited feature a beautiful dark space lit by candlelight in the evenings. If painting an entire room is too much, employing stencils or graphics, even on a single surface, like a wall or ceiling, can have big impact.

Any suggestions for making garden spaces more inviting?

BLISS: Consider colorful blankets or poufs and also eye-catching cabanas to create an inviting seating area. And lining up lanterns with tiny candles inside makes everything look magical, especially at night. A row of lanterns along walkways or at entrances, or even along tables as a centerpiece, really sets the mood.

What about jazzing up powder rooms?

BLISS: For bathrooms, you always want to have fresh flowers and maybe a votive or two, and fragrant little soaps. A fabulous and unexpected light fixture can instantly transform a bathroom into a memorable space. Consider a crystal chandelier, framed art or velvet curtains. Be brave. Don’t be afraid to go for that extra dash of glamour.

march 2017 // She Magazine 17

Coming home

W

How Jill Tasker traded in her New York state of mind for the Columbus way

By Jenny Elig

Photography by Ali Hendricks

18 She Magazine // march 2017

When Jill Tasker was about 9 years old, her mother took her to see a play. What play it was, Tasker does not remember, but she does remember thinking that the people in the play were not actors.

“I thought those characters were really people,” she recalls. “My mother said, ‘No, no, no, those people aren’t those characters in real life. Those are actors.’ And I said, ‘What’s an actor?’ and my mother said, ‘That’s someone who gets paid to play pretend all day.’”

Jill Tasker

Tasker was sold on the idea.

She was born in Columbus; after her father, Jim Tasker, finished his degree at Franklin College, the family moved to Massachusetts. Tasker was 8 years old when her father died; and she and her mother, Sandi Hinshaw, moved back to Indiana. Hinshaw went back to work, and Tasker became a latch-key kid. Every afternoon after school, she’d let herself into the house and tune into the “Million-Dollar Movie.” Tasker delighted in these classic films, studying the moves and mannerisms of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and — the person who in Tasker’s

flat-out comedy before, but I remember mind was the best entertainer of the 20th sitting there and I said to myself, if I century — Judy Garland. pause for a split second between this She started doing community theater word and that word, I’ll get a laugh on and took acting lessons in Franklin. She that line. And I did,” she recalls. “I startattended Columbus East High School, studying with the legendary local drama ed exploring those instincts. Comedy instructor Ray LeBlanc. is math. Everything is very precise. The “He really stressed the idea of preparatiming has to be split second. I found that so stimulating.” tion and professionalism, and he always As her class neared graduation, said being a professional isn’t based on students from industry preparatory whether or not you’re paid,” Tasker says. programs headed to New “It’s a state of mind. It’s York for an audition. an attitude.”

Young hopefuls strutted This hard-charging “Comedy is math. their stuff upon the attitude helped the Everything is very Lincoln Center stage as young actress craft precise. The timing casting directors and memorable perforagents made their picks. mances. “I knew that has to be split Tasker’s name apshe was going to be second. I found that successful in drama peared on the notices of so stimulating.” because she just had this actors the casting direc— Jill Tasker incredible flair about tors wanted to interview. her,” says Diane Doup, “For a short, funny-lookalso an East alum. ing girl, I got a lot of “The one thing that struck me so much, attention, which was wonderful,” she says.

I remember when she was in high school “But instead of acting while the iron was and she portrayed Helen Keller. I was so hot, I moved to Seattle for the summer to taken aback and in awe. I can almost go be with my boyfriend. I didn’t understand to the seat where I was sitting, because it that there’s that tiny little window.” was such a striking moment to realize her When she returned to New York after level of talent. I had never seen someone her summertime in the Emerald City, portray a character in such a moving way.”

Tasker dialed the first agent who had Taking the sum of her high school really liked her. She got a definitive reply: experience and lots of practice, Tasker The agency was full and didn’t need any auditioned for Boston University’s College more actors. of Fine Arts, then known as the School of Tasker found a job as a receptionist Fine Arts. “It was a very intense experiat an ad agency on Madison Avenue, and she sent out postcards bearing her ence,” she recalls. “We started out with headshot to casting directors. As fate a class of 75, broken into three groups of would have it, her postcard landed on 25. They made cuts at the end of every sethe desk of Daniel Swee, who sent Taskmester. By the end of the year, we were cut down to 50. By the end of my sophomore er off to audition for a play called “Tiny year, we were cut down to 18.”

Mommy,” part of the Young PlayIt was at BU, during a production of wrights Festival. She would audition for “The Art of Dining,” that Tasker discovthe director seven times before she got the part. ered her flair for comedy. “I’d never done march 2017 // She Magazine 19

Above, during a Long Wharf Theatre production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” Tasker, left, worked with actress Joanne Woodward, center. Below, Tasker’s headshot, circa 1989.

“She was testing me to see if I’d break or lose my temper, and I’m not stupid, so I didn’t,” Tasker recalls.

She was cast alongside Cynthia Nixon; the show garnered Tasker a spot in the Actors Equity Union and a slot in an agency. That agency had a commercial division, and soon she found herself appearing in television commercials and doing voice-overs.

Commercial success Picture it: Tasker walks out in a ’60s-style bathing suit; head topped with a hyperbolic beehive, drink in hand. She sets the drink down, dozes off, and her neighbor accidentally cuts off the top of her bee20 She Magazine // march 2017

hive. Tasker wakes up and fumes silently.

It was a commercial for Fairfield Inn. “I don’t remember what the tag line was,” Tasker says. “But commercials made money. Back then, you’d get residuals, and if it went national, you got money. I think I made $15,000 off that one spot.” She did a few commercials and appeared on sitcoms and an episode of the long-running TV crime show “Law & Order.”

An expert at accents, Tasker shone in voice-over work. “I liked doing the voice-overs because they take up very little time,” she says. “Usually you’re out of there in an hour and a half.” In 1999, Tasker would also get one memorable voice-over gig: that of the news anchor in “Grand Theft Auto 2.”

She continued with stage work, auditioning for a Long Wharf Theatre production of “Arsenic and Old Lace,” helmed by famed Broadway director John Tillinger and starring Joanne Woodward.

“I went in to audition, and I wasn’t keen about it,” she says. “Everybody is funny in ‘Arsenic and Old Lace’ except the girlfriend, Elaine. She’s the only straight character, and where’s the fun in that?”

Despite her misgivings, Tasker was offered the role; she seized the chance to work with Tillinger and Woodward at the theater in New Haven, Connecticut.

She didn’t know it yet, but the play would yield another opportunity.

She made friends with the actor playing the role of Teddy, Doug Stender.

“Here comes this guy, and I think, ‘Oh, he looks way too young for this part,’” Tasker says. “I find out that he has a car, and he commutes.”

On their way to performances, Tasker rode shotgun with Stender. “We became really good buddies,” she recalls. “We were really good buddies for probably about two months.” After opening night, Tasker, not wanting to go back to her dull,

Tasker and Doug Stender at their Columbus home.

temporary apartment in Connecticut, got her good buddy out for a drink. Every Saturday night, they would share a drink, until three weeks later. “We were sitting at the table, and he threw back his head and laughed,” Tasker recalls. “My hand started shaking and my stomach got all jittery and butterfly-y, and all I could think was, ‘I have to have this man.’”

Tasker swapped out her big baggy sweaters and leggings for tight dresses and skirts and started making moony eyes at her co-star. Some two weeks later, he noticed. “That was on February 18, 1995,” she recalls. “We just celebrated the 22nd anniversary of our first kiss.”

The couple married and settled into a large apartment in Sunnyside, Queens.

Foreshadowing and flashbacks In 2001, Tasker headed off for a commercial audition. It didn’t go well, and she decided it was time to move away from acting. “I wanted to do something where I had some control,” she says.

“That’s the downside of the business. Everything, unless you’re a huge star, is out of your hands. You can’t cast yourself.”

She was accepted at Brooklyn Law School. She finished in 2004 and volunteered at the Office for the Aging.

Tasker and Stender would make regular visits to her hometown, and both saw Columbus grow over the years. As an adult, Tasker was adopted by her mother’s husband, Tom Hinshaw, in a celebration of their strong family bond, a bond that drew Tasker back to Columbus. One day, Stender and Tasker realized they were fed up with the New York lifestyle.

“I was tired,” Tasker says. “You have to put on this game face every time you go out the door. I was surrounded by all of this hostility.”

They packed up their four cats (they are now up to five plus a toy poodle), sublet their apartment in Queens and headed to Columbus. Tasker immersed herself in volunteering, working with the Columbus Indiana Food Co-Op and Yes Cinema’s annual YesFest, and serving on the Lincoln-Central Neighborhood Family Center board. She was president of the now-dormant Pride Alliance, a coalition made up of members of the LGBTQ community and their allies dedicated to promoting inclusiveness and acceptance.

It was through Pride Alliance that Tasker met Sondra Bolte, who was impressed by her work in curating an art exhibit on behalf of the organization.

When state law threatened existing human rights legislation that protects the LGBT community, Tasker spoke at the hearings, urging the city to maintain the protective legislation.

“Jill was there,” Bolte says. “She spoke her heart. She has such a big heart. She’s talented, she’s passionate and she’s committed to things she believes in. And if she

tells you she’s going to do something, she’s going to do it and do it well.”

Most recently, she’s been working on an initiative based on the Music & Memory Project. “My project supplies iPods with personalized music to Alzheimer’s patients,” she says. “I am mentoring two students who are helping me with this as their senior project, and the program is being sponsored by the philharmonic.

This has been one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done in my life.”

Although both retired from acting, Tasker and Stender appeared in Harlequin Theatre’s 2016 production of “Love Letters”; this month she appeared in the Harlequin production of “Grace and Glorie.”

A move from New York City to Columbus might seem like a jarring change, but Tasker quickly realized it was a move for the better. “We are so in love with Columbus,” she says. “We love the people. The people here are friendly, but they are also kind. I love this community. I love it very much, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life here. I don’t take one single day being here for granted.” march 2017 // She Magazine 21

Speaking from the Heart

Su Casa Columbus provides community connections

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By Jenny Elig

From its office space in the United Way building, Su Casa Columbus staff members work to dismantle a wall that many community members might slam against every day. It’s not a physical wall that they are breaking down; it’s a language barrier.

Each day, the four Su Casa staff members meet with members of the Latino community to answer questions, to serve as translators, and to put their customers in touch with the resources they need, whether it takes the form of assistance from Love Chapel or merely help in filling out an application for utility services.

“We want to effectively integrate our Latino community,” Su Casa Executive Director Sylvia Babcock says. “We have

22 She Magazine // march 2017

fabulous, vibrant, talented students and adults that have so much to offer.”

The organization was founded in 1999 with the goal of serving Columbus’ Hispanic community. In concrete terms, Su Casa’s aid comes in many forms.

Community members can walk through its doors between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and receive help with English-language documents and translation assistance.

Su Casa offers English classes on a regular basis, as well as informational sessions for immigrants regarding their new country. The organization’s main objective is education.

In the wake of the economic downturn in 2008, Su Casa cut back its office hours and staff. In recent years, spurred along by community advocates, it has seen a surge in resources, Babcock says, including grants that kept the doors open and the proceeds of the annual Gala Latina (set this year for August). Su Casa has also benefited from Cummins’ Latino Affinity Group and its community involvement teams.

In 2016, the organization helped 2,228 customers, and in January, Su Casa Columbus opened a satellite office in Taylorsville. The staffers, called customer service representatives, speak both English and Spanish; they must

Sylvia Babcock

States offers a new, and also be empathetic, skilled communicaat times frustrating, tors. Because of those standards, it may scenario. “It’s very come as no surprise that all four of the different when you staff members are women. come here and have “I think that women are divine in to take your kids to nature, and with that brings a special Angelite Gonzalez the doctor,” she says. calling that’s ours, and that is to care, to “Imagine that for those that don’t speak have compassion, to nourish,” Babcock any English at all.” says. “To me it is a perfect fit to what we Magda Gamez, originally from San do: to sympathize and to do what we Luis Potosi, Mexico, moved to the Unitcan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a man couldn’t give that, but I do believe ed States in 2000, also with her Cuma woman has this God-given blessing mins-employed husband. Their first stop that she can endow others with.” was Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Julia Lopez serves as the organiza“I grew up in Mexico,” she says.

“We take English classes in middle tion’s office manager as well as a customschool and high school. I worked as an er service representative. She came to executive assistant, Columbus with her and supposedly I husband in 2010, knew English. When after he transferred I moved to South with Cummins from Carolina, it was so Juarez, Mexico. Lodifferent. When they pez, who meets with started saying, ‘Y’all, Su Casa customers hey y’all,’ I said, I from morning until have to study English mid-afternoon, says again.” She took Bershe was fortunate in that Cummins litz language classes Julia Lopez, left, and Magda Gamez provided an English and then became a tutor. The Latino community in ColumSpanish instructor for the company.

Mount Pleasant did not have much of bus has two segments, she explains. a Hispanic population. When her family “We have people who come to Cummoved to Columbus in 2008, Gamez mins to work,” she says. “And we have was overjoyed to be introduced to the Latinos who have come from the border Hispanic community. She heard about who don’t have a lot of the language.

Su Casa.

We are focused on that segment of the “There are people that don’t know all population.” of the services that Columbus offers,” Although Lopez lived in a city close to Gamez says. “I started researching the U.S.-Mexico border and could cross the places that people can go and the over to El Paso, Texas, to spend a day services that people can get, and I fell shopping, she says moving to the United

in love with it. I love the feeling of giving others what I have, to let people know the services they can take advantage of.”

Originally from New York City, Angelite Gonzalez made her way to Columbus from Logansport. Raised in a Spanish-speaking household, she learned English in school. After a few years working a factory job, she quit and took a breather in her parents’ home country, the Dominican Republic. She returned to Bartholomew County with a new mission: to help people. She emailed Babcock directly, looking for any opportunities at Su Casa, she says. She got a position as a customer service representative, overseeing the satellite office at Taylorsville Elementary School.

“It was perfect timing,” Gonzalez says. For her, the job has highlighted just how important communication is. “It sounds like common sense,” she says. “I want them to feel that they have a place to come to. I want someone to see this article and see how important (Su Casa) is. We’re here to help.”

Su Casa, in addition to tearing down walls, serves as a cross-cultural bridge between Bartholomew County’s Hispanic and non-Hispanic population “We’d like to be a bridge to help integrate more of our strength, our culture and our people into the greater community of Columbus,” Babcock says. “That’s what we want to do, and we hope that people can see that, not by what people read or what they hear, but by our actions.”

march 2017 // She Magazine 23

» 5 questions for ...

Knowing the score Janie Gordon celebrates a career to sing about

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Interview by Jenny Elig

A construction paper chain is draped neatly from the ceiling in Janie Gordon’s Columbus North High School office. The chain, made by her students, is something of a countdown for Gordon, who has spent the past 17 years teaching vocal music at North, her alma mater. At the end of each day, she tears off another colorful link. And at the end of this school year, she will retire and return to teaching private lessons.

24 She Magazine // march 2017

It’s been 17 years of making and fostering connections. And it wasn’t always easy.

“I remember my first day. One girl walked in and she said, ‘I heard we had a new choir teacher, and I’m not happy about it,’” Gordon recalls. “She threw her backpack across the room. I knew then that I had my work cut out for me.

My job was to be as approachable as I could be, share my love for the music and let that be the way that we connect.”

Music has long been her way of connecting with the world. Her parents and brother were also musicians, and Gordon doesn’t remember not singing. “My first memories of singing would probably be in preschool. I really remember getting my first record; it was The Beatles’ ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand,’” she says. “I remember playing that on my mom’s old 45 player, which was probably from the ’40s,” she says. “I remember dancing and pretending, in my basement, that I was a famous singer.”

1 That time spent making believe in her basement set Gordon on the path to a career that has influenced countless students. Before coming to North, she taught private lessons, and she plans to return to teaching one-on-one in her retirement.

Her typical days as a public schoolteacher start at 7:15 a.m. and include leading five choirs, a piano class and rehearsals for school musicals and “American Pie,” North and East high schools’ collaborative performance. Gordon’s days run deep into the evenings and spread into the weekends. A second grandchild due in June and the desire to write a book — one that focuses on her experiences battling breast cancer — top her list of priorities.

“I’m only 58, so a lot of people are surprised that I’m retiring,” she says. “To be honest with you, I’m not ready to be doing nothing, but I’m ready to retire from the public school. Not because I don’t enjoy it; I love every second of what I do, but it’s just time to move on and do other things that I do.”

2

What will life be like after your last day, May 31?

(Teaching choir) is not like a job where you sit and don’t talk. I have to be an entertainer. I guess that’s why it works for me. I feel like sometimes, you know, I give a lot of time outside of the normal class day, throughout the year with the musical and competitions and “American Pie,” and the list goes on and on. It becomes so all consuming.

I’m going to teach privately, which I did before I started here. I’ve already got something like 30 people signed up for private lessons, some adults, too. I start in July. It will be nice to have less stress of getting up so early and having to be here and be on. I always knew, in my heart, I wanted to go back to one-on-one teaching.

How long have you been singing, and why is it the path you pursued?

I loved musical theater. My mom took me to an audition for the Arts Guild’s production of ‘The Music Man’ when I was 9. I got the part of Amaryllis, the little girl that has the piano lesson. I got the bug. I loved being a part of all of those people. It was magical to me. I loved putting on the makeup and putting on the clothes. I knew everybody’s lines. After that it was apparent to my parents that I needed to nurture this. I started with piano lessons; singing lessons came later. Mill Race Players became my second family. I performed every summer, every opportunity I could get.

I graduated in 1977, then on to college at Indiana University and became a member of the Singing Hoosiers and the Varsity Singers. One summer while I was doing that, I got the role of Ado Annie in ‘Oklahoma’ at IU, a big production at the MAC [Musical Arts Center at IU Bloomington].

I decided I wanted to go out there and see if I wanted to do that for a living — to be a performer.

I took that year off from school, and I got a job singing in Florida at dinner theaters and in night clubs and cruise ship entertaining. A lot of my friends were doing that, and I always thought my dream would be to go to New York and make it big on Broadway. But after a year of living that lifestyle, it kind of was a reality check for me in that I just didn’t think that was me. I didn’t feel like I wanted to live the vagabond life.

I knew in my heart I always wanted to be a mom and a grandma. I’m a rooted kind of person. I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl, and family is real important to me, and history and heritage. I came back, after my year away, and finished up the teaching degree in 1984. And then my husband and I met. We got married seven months later, and here we are.

march 2017 // She Magazine 25

» 5 questions for ...

4

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Who are some of your students who have gone on to have musical careers?

Early on, Marja Harmon was my private student.

She’s still on Broadway right now. Her sister, Chasten, did a little with me. Here at North, Mary Claire King was my student. She is getting ready to star on Broadway in ‘War Paint.’ I’ve had other students who have done their own things, like Kristen Wright, who went to Belmont University. She recorded her own CD and became her own kind of music maker. I’ve got some students who are music educators themselves, such as John Doty and his sister, Katherine.

It’s been a really big part of my career here to continue teaching the new music educators, like student teachers. They bring a whole new light to things, and while they’re learning from me, I learn from them, too. Plus it helps me on the daily grind.

26 She Magazine // march 2017

March is National Music in the Schools Month. Why is music an important part of education?

When I first started here, I was passionate about this place because this was where I learned. This was my alma mater. The passion was there. I really wanted to connect with kids. After teaching oneon-one for 17 years, prior to this job, I knew in my heart, after teaching 8-year-olds through seniors in high school, there was a connection that I had with teenagers. They felt comfortable talking to me.

The curriculum was set. There were certain groups that were auditioned and certain groups that weren’t, and I didn’t have any control over that. After spending a year here, I knew I wanted to revamp the curriculum a little bit to be a little more all-inclusive. What we had then was freshmen choir. That meant every kid who was a freshman that year could be in that choir.

I had kids who didn’t know what a treble clef was, couldn’t match a pitch, all the way to kids who had been studying privately for six years.

That was the hardest thing I had to teach.

I thought, let’s audition concert choir and see those that have had some experience and sight-read a little bit. I auditioned concert choir, which is freshman through seniors of kids who can read music and match a pitch. They do a little bit of an audition to get into that. Then I have something called ‘festival chorus’ for kids who don’t want to do the audition. It’s also open to freshmen through seniors. And in that class, talk about the light bulbs coming on; talk about making a difference to a kid. That’s the class I wish everyone could come and observe.

I had one girl from the special education class.

Her teacher said, ‘Would it be OK if she sat in on your choir class?’ She was so joyful, and she just loved it so much. All of the other kids embraced her. And she just never even worried about the fact that maybe she was a beat behind or she couldn’t learn the words as fast as everyone else.

I would say 35 percent of that choir is from our life skills class along with other kids who don’t have the capability of doing extracurricular activities like show choir. These kids come together every day to make music. I change lives all of the time.

5

What are they learning?

I have some kids that are at that fork in the road when they are 16 or 17. They’re like in this building and in every public school building and in every walk of life; kids are going to be influenced by one another. So many times, they’ll take the wrong road.

So many times, if they’ve got somebody to connect with, the way these kids connect with something personal to them gets them in the door, gets them to stay in school and to get their grades. Many times, it helps them graduate by having a connection.

Music, in the schools, from early on, is a way for kids to learn how to be disciplined enough to study. It’s kind of amazing, our top 10: Almost every one of those kids is either in band, choir, theater or a combination of all three. Music is hard. Yes, we can all sing. But some can sing better than others. When we start putting the sight reading to it, you have to be able to feel the relative pitch. These kids are learning relative pitch and how to find that musicality in their whole being.

The other side of this whole thing is a way of expression. Some of these kids, they can come in and have the worst day already. They may not have had breakfast. They may not have slept at their house last night. They may be in the same clothes they’ve been wearing for two weeks. But when they walk in this door, they know they can leave their troubles behind and make music together.

And that is a beautiful thing. They feel like they can express themselves.

march 2017 // She Magazine 27

cuisine »

Nice and cheesy Company coming?

Lasagna beckons

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By Katie Workman, Associated Press

In the quest for food that will serve a big crowd, lasagna reigns supreme. And as spring approaches, it’s still cool enough that a warm gathering of friends around the fire appeals. This lasagna is rich and creamy, absent the tomato sauce that anchors many lasagnas, filled with sautéed spinach folded into fluffy ricotta and a very simple béchamel sauce, rich with melty cheeses. The nutmeg is optional.

A little can add a nice flavor, but too much can overpower.

A few more notes on the ingredients: You may think that 2 pounds of spinach looks like an awful lot for one lasagna, but it cooks down to just a few cups.

28 She Magazine // march 2017

No-boil, or oven-ready, lasagna noodles are a gift to the busy cook, and the reason I make lasagna more often. I have also made this recipe in a super-large lasagna pan and increased the quantities by half again. Then it will serve 12 to 16.

It is tempting to dig into a bubbling lasagna, but resist the urge. Letting it sit for at least 10 minutes will reward you with

slices that hold together, and it will still be perfectly warm — in fact, just the right temperature for you to enjoy the flavors without the pieces sliding apart on the plates.

This can also be assembled a day ahead, held in the fridge and baked before dinner. Or it can be baked up to two days ahead and reheated for about 20 minutes in a 375 F oven.

AP photo

RECIPE

CHEESY WHITE AND GREEN SPINACH LASAGNA

Serves 10 to 12

Spinach-Basil-Ricotta Filling: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter ½ cup minced shallots 1 tablespoon minced garlic Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 pounds baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped 2 pounds ricotta, preferably fresh 2 large eggs 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/3 cup for sprinkling on top ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Béchamel-Cheese Sauce: 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter ¼ cup all-purpose flour 4 cups (1 quart) whole milk Pinch ground nutmeg (optional) 1 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 (8 ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles (containing 12 noodles) Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Make the Spinach-Basil-Ricotta Filling: Heat the tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute for 2 minutes until tender. Add the spinach in batches and saute, adding more spinach as each batch wilts down, about 6 minutes in all, until all of the spinach is added and wilted. Adjust the seasoning, transfer to a strainer over a bowl, press down with a spoon to release excess liquid, and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl combine the ricotta, eggs, 1 cup Parmesan and the basil. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Make the Béchamel-Cheese Sauce: Heat the 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until the mixture turns a light golden color, about 3 minutes. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the milk. Continue to cook and whisk until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 4 minutes, adding the nutmeg, if using. Whisk in the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses until they are melted and season with salt and pepper.

If the spinach still seems wet, give it a squeeze with your hands.

Stir the drained spinach into the reserved ricotta mixture.

Lay out all of the lasagna noodles on a clean counter top.

Spread the spinach-ricotta filling evenly over all of the noodles, so that each is topped with about a 1/2-inch-thick layer of the spinach-ricotta mixture.

Pour a small amount of bechamel sauce into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan and spread it out. Place four ricotta-covered noodles in the bottom of the pan to cover it in a single layer.

Drizzle 1/3 of the white sauce over the noodles. Place another layer of the ricotta-covered noodles over the top, drizzle with another third of the sauce, and then repeat the layers once more. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 40 minutes until the top is golden and the lasagna is bubbling. If you want a more browned top, run it under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes, watching it carefully.

Let the lasagna rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving warm.

march 2017 // She Magazine 29

cuisine Âť

30 She Magazine // march 2017

The most important meal of the day Pumpkin Chia Breakfast Pudding offers a nutritious alternative that’s low in calories but packed with flavor

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By Elizabeth Karmel, Associated Press

Everyone I know is looking for a quick breakfast that is loaded with healthy ingredients and great taste.

A few years ago, when the chia seed became popular for something besides the “Chia Pet,” I started to experiment with them.

Chia seeds are tiny little powerhouses of fiber, protein and Omega-3 fatty acids that become swollen and gelatinous when you add them to liquid.

I made lots of different “pudding” concoctions, and my favorite is this Pumpkin Chia Breakfast Pudding.

Pumpkin is low in calories and loaded with vitamins and fiber. More importantly, it tastes great, especially with the addition of our much-loved pumpkin spice mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

I make this pudding with hazelnut milk and vanilla Greek yogurt, making it a high-protein dish. If you can’t find hazelnut milk, you can use any unsweetened nut milk. The extra yogurt gives the pudding added body so it doesn’t taste watery. It’s sweetened with maple syrup, the perfect pairing for the pumpkin and spices.

Serve the pumpkin pudding with your favorite fresh fruit, crunchy green pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of maple syrup for a happy awakening.

AP photo

RECIPE

PUMPKIN CHIA BREAKFAST PUDDING Servings: 8 1 cup hazelnut or other unsweetened nut milk 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt ¼ cup maple syrup 1 cup chia seeds ½ 15-ounce can of Farmer’s Market organic pumpkin pie mix with all the spices or 8-ounce can of pumpkin puree and 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.

Mix all ingredients well.

Refrigerate in a closed container overnight. Will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Place ½ cup of pudding in a bowl. Garnish as desired with a dollop of yogurt, a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds for crunch, a drizzle of maple syrup and your favorite fruit for serving.

march 2017 // She Magazine 31

» the farmer’s daughter

Glick’s daughter, Mae, is growing up on the farm.

A rural upbringing

S

By Katie Glick

She stretches her neck out to see what’s that way and is pretty low key and chill. He around the corner. I can see the green beans never bugs me with questions and curiosity. that got stuck in her neck rolls from dinner; Did she get it from me? Probably. Actually, she doesn’t seem to mind the leftovers so I yes she did. While I have always appreciated leave her be. I’m amused by her face and how my parents, motherhood has taken that to a she raises her eyebrows like she can observe whole new level, and I’m only a few months more if her eyes are bigger. into this deal. This is especially true now I live with a 7-month-old in an old farmthat little Mae’s personality is peaking and house, so the noises that come from inside her interest in everything “mommy” has and outside are never lacking. Is that her dad increased twofold. in the tractor on his way to feed the Miss Mae’s curiosity has led cows or is it the neighbor? Why do her to topple over, fall on her flies seem to buzz their way into side in that awkward position our house in the middle of winter she hasn’t figured out how to get and die everywhere? We’ve been out of and almost fall out of my lucky this winter: No mice in the arms. She will learn her limits kitchen, but they do scratch above someday. She will learn to be Katie Glick lives with our heads from the attic. And subtle and curious and not inher husband and my little girl sat still for several tense and nosy. However, I will daughter on their family minutes a few months ago trying take both ways at the moment farm near Columbus. to decipher what that digging noise because it’s entertaining and was outside; it was a critter trying she is learning and wandering to get into the house. her way through this world at her own pace, We live at the T of two roads in our counneck stretched out and eyes big and wide. tryside neighborhood, so I’m used to people When she gets older, I know her curiosknowing when we are home and what time I ity will turn into questions that start with leave for work. I wonder sometimes if people “Why?” on repeat. I think I’m ready for it, are nosy when they drive by or curious but when I need a break, I might tell her to go about our comings and goings. The good ask the cows. They will look at her with big, thing about this (curious or nosy) is the fact wide eyes wondering, “Why is this little girl that someone is always watching the house so nosy?” just as my cows did when I was a and checking on us. young girl. While she is with the cows in the But to now have a curious/nosy little thing pasture, the neighbors will see her as they in my house, by my side or on my hip at all stop at the T, and I will be at peace listening to times is a little different. My husband isn’t the noise of my curious little girl on the farm.

32 She Magazine // march 2017

Photos Submitted by Katie Glick

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