Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable and ancestor to the wild cabbage, which originated in ancient Asia Minor. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamins C, K and foliate. It is also a very good source of fiber, boasting zero fat and few calories. Cruciferous vegetables are often known for their pungent odor due to sulfur compounds released when heated. These vegetables contain thousands of bioactive chemicals that interact in myriad ways to promote health.

Cauliflower is delicious, either raw or cooked. A healthy, tasty alternative to shrimp cocktail incorporates cauliflower in this easy-to-prepare appetizer. – Suzanne Forsberg, RD/LD, CDE, St. John Healthy Lifestyles

Does Tulsa know how lucky it is? Bands like the Black Keys are out there playing the golden circuits of smaller venues witness to the new artists and sounds moving like deep undercurrents below a city’s surface. They stay on the move, building a faithful following if they’re any good, and sometimes ride out a career in these exciting strata. The duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been there with garage-band blues, shredded licks and singed beats. Since the release of the album Brothers in 2010, however, The Black Keys have gone to the proverbial mainstream, enjoying wide recognition from play on TV commercials and shows. The most recent Black Keys album, El Camino, was released in December. Why is Tulsa so lucky? T-Town has witnessed this act at various stages in its evolution in 2006, 2010 and next on April 28 at the only place that will do. Tickets for the BOK Center show are available at www.bokcenter.com

Bonnie Raitt, Slipstream – It’s hardly a comeback, but Raitt certainly took a break from the limelight, with only a handful of performances and no new material since 2005’s Souls Alike. The legendary blues singer-songwriter and slide guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee is set to release her 16th studio album, the first on her own Redwing Records label. The album includes 12 new recordings, including Raitt’s take on songs by Bob Dylan and Loudon Wainwright. Coincidently, Raitt kicks off a tour supporting the album in Oklahoma with performances at First Nation Casino in Newkirk on May 1 and Choctaw Casino in Durant on May 3.

Train, California 37 – The San Francisco pop trio has been a radio staple beginning with their 1998 self-titled debut and the single “Meet Virginia” through the inescapable “Hey, Soul Sister” from the multi-platinum 2009 release Save Me, San Francisco. Other than the debut single, “Drive By,” Train has managed to keep details of the album under wraps, but musically it would seem to be similar to Save Me, San Francisco. The wine enthusiast musicians will also release their third vintage, the aptly named California 37 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jason Mraz, Love Is a Four Letter Word – Thirty-four-year-old Mraz launched his career and honed his style at Java Joe’s, the legendary San Diego coffeehouse where Jewel made her debut. He quickly signed a record deal and released Waiting for My Rocket to Come and the breakthrough 2005 follow up Mr. A-Z. Mraz generally takes his time between albums, though, so fans are anxiously awaiting his fourth studio album, and if No. 1 iTunes single “I Won’t Give Up” is any indication, they won’t be disappointed.

Jack White, Blunderbuss – Primarily known as frontman for The White Stripes, White has worn a number of hats. He formed two other bands, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, produced three dozens albums, including highly acclaimed recordings for Loretta Lynn and Oklahoma’s own Wanda Jackson, and has collaborated with everyone from Alicia Keys to Danger Mouse to Stephen Colbert. The three songs we’ve heard from the album continue in White’s lo-fi style with deeply personal lyrics, which he says could only have been recorded solo.

The sound of home runs and fan cheers is back as Oklahoma’s pro baseball teams return to the diamonds this month. Oklahoma City’s RedHawks roost once more at RedHawks Field at Bricktown to the score of live music and foot traffic that has made it one of the city’s most popular summer attractions. The season for this Triple-A affiliate team to the Houston Astros begins with a home field advantage against Memphis on April 5. Nearer the Arkansas River, the Tulsa Drillers throw that first ball at its new home at downtown’s ONEOK Field on April 12 against San Antonio. Although the season begins April 5, the first home game for the Double-A affiliate to the Colorado Rockies is always special as new development continues to spring up in the Brady Arts District. Seasons continue through September. www.okcredhawks.com, www.tulsadrillers.com

As the weather turns warmer, thoughts inevitably turn toward enjoying outdoor grilling and dinner parties featuring your own home-grown produce or that from a local farmer’s market. But to entertain well, it’s also important as a host to be prepared for guests’ cocktail requests and many occasions call for more than just a case of beer (hopefully). Stocking your home bar need not be random or elaborate, as long as you have the standard bases covered.

Liquors: Vodka, rum, whiskey, tequila, bourbon, Scotch. Go for the baseline premium brands like Absolut or Skyy for vodka, Jack Daniels whiskey and Jim Beam bourbon, for example. Consider, though, perhaps one higher-end option like a Sauza Comemerativo or nicely aged Scotch for the sipping crowd.

Liqueurs: Among myriad options, a peach schnapps and perhaps a melon variety; an orange liqueur like Triple Sec or Grand Marnier; Crème De Menthe, Cacao and Banana; a flavor or two of brandy; Kahlua; Frangelica and Chambord, should be more than adequate.Beer and Wine: Red and white wines should suffice, and a mix of domestic and imported beers and light beers should keep guests happy.

Mixers: Cola and diet cola; Sprite/7 Up; ginger ale, tonic water and club soda; orange, cranberry, pineapple and grapefruit juices; and possibly bar mixes like sweet and sour and a Bloody Mary mix.
 

John Frank’s pottery is said to possess Oklahoma’s frontier spirit in every piece of fine tableware, vase and figurine that came from the Frankoma Pottery factory in Sapulpa. A new exhibit on the University of Oklahoma campus examines the unique story, properties and qualities that made the brand beloved by collectors and admired by consumers. Oklahoma Clay: Frankoma Pottery opens April 20 at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and runs through Sept. 16. The exhibit focuses on the local clays, colors and designs evocative of the Southwest and Great Plain prevalent in the many unique pieces Frank and his artisans created as far back as the 1933, the official beginning to his smart, beautiful and affordable lines that most families could own and admire in their own homes. www.ou.edu/fjjma

“I’m just a gawking spectator,” says fifth grade teacher David Nichols of the astounding success of the chess club he helped found at Ida Freeman Elementary School in Edmond.

How astounding? In the club’s 14 years of existence, it has won the state championship every single year, and according to Nichols, that the club exists at all is mostly attributable to the students at Ida Freeman.

“It was 1996 or ’97, and I noticed a lot of the kids at school playing chess during inclement weather,” Nichols recalls, “and while they played, there were always several more waiting to play.”

The students’ widespread interest led Nichols to wonder if there would also be interest in a school sponsored chess club, so he posted a signup sheet. By the end of the first day there were 50 names on the sheet. Back then, the club was limited to fifth graders who would give up their recess twice a week in order to learn and play chess. The students soon began asking Nichols about playing outside competition, and after competing in a handful of tournaments that first year, the Oklahoma Junior Chess Association, the state’s governing body for scholastic chess at the time, crowned the club state champion.  

“David Nichols has done a tremendous job. He’s a great friend to chess,” says Chuck Unruh, president of the Oklahoma Chess Association, the parent organization of the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization, which governs scholastic chess in the state today.

“We’re there to help coaches and teachers of chess,” Unruh says of the OCA’s charter. “Our goal for students is for them to allow chess to help organize their thoughts in life, math, music and whatever they approach.”

Nichols sees the effect chess has on his own students. Not only does chess help them focus in the classroom, but it also brings them together for a common goal as they strive to become the latest in the long line of champions at Ida Freeman. The bond for many is so strong that there is a regular contingent of Nichols’ former students who attend the chess club’s meetings, now held once a week after school, as mentors and assistant coaches.  

“One of the amazing things I’ve seen in the club is the peer to peer teaching that goes on,” Nichols says. “A student might learn a certain zap over the weekend and bring it to chess club. Before long the entire club knows it. And by the next week they all know how to defend it.”

The desire to become better as a program serves the Ida Freeman Chess Club well during tournaments, where “The Blue Horde,” as they are known because of their blue team colors, regularly brings more than 60 players. And it’s only likely to grow, as the club, which once was open only to fifth grade students, is now represented by members from grades two through five.  

“I really, really like it,” fifth grader Emily Ogletree says of the club. “If I can focus on chess, I can focus on anything.”

Ogletree’s classmate, Shane Keathley, feels the same way about the club, but for slightly different reasons.

“I just like to be there with my friends,” Keathley says.