Spring floods, summer droughts and temperature extremes take their toll on gardens and the gardeners who tend them. Help your gardens recover from the crazy temperature and moisture extremes that seem to occur each year.

Start by assessing the current condition of your landscape. Remove dead plants as soon as possible. They can harbor insect and disease organisms that can infest your healthy plantings. Consider replacing struggling plants with healthy plants better suited to the space, growing conditions and landscape design. You often achieve better results in less time by starting over rather than trying to nurse a sick plant back to health.

As always, select plants suited to the growing environment and that includes normal rainfall. Every season is different, but selecting plants suited to the average conditions will minimize the care needed and increase your odds for success. Roses, coneflowers, sedums and zinnias are just a few drought tolerant plants. Elderberry, Ligularia, Siberian iris and marsh marigold are a few moisture tolerant plants.

Be prepared for worse case scenario. Install an irrigation system, such as the Snip-n-drip soaker system, in the garden. It allows you to apply water directly to the soil alongside plants. This means less water wasted to evaporation, wind and overhead watering. You’ll also reduce the risk of disease by keeping water off the plant leaves.

A properly installed and managed irrigation system will help save water. The convenience makes it easy to water thoroughly, encouraging deep roots, and only when needed. Turn the system on early in the day while you tend to other gardening and household chores. You’ll waste less water to evaporation and save time since the system does the watering for you.

Capture rainwater and use it to water container and in-ground gardens. Rain barrels and cisterns have long been used for this purpose and are experiencing renewed interest. Look for these features when buying or making your own rain barrel. Make sure the spigot is located close to the bottom so less water collects and stagnates. Select one that has a screen over the opening to keep out debris. And look for an overflow that directs the water into another barrel or away from the house.

Add a bit of paint to turn your rain barrel into a piece of art. Or tuck it behind some containers, shrubs or a decorative trellis. Just make sure it is easy to access.

Be sure to mulch trees and shrubs with shredded bark or woodchips to conserve moisture, suppress weeds and reduce competition from nearby grass. You’ll eliminate hand trimming, while protecting trunks and stems from damaging weed whips and mowers.

Invigorate weather worn perennials with compost and an auger bit. Spread an inch of compost over the soil surface. Then use an auger bit, often used for planting bulbs, and drill the compost into the soil in open areas throughout the garden. You’ll help move the compost to the root zone of the plants and aerate the soil with this one activity.

A little advance planning and preparation can reduce your workload and increase your gardening enjoyment.

Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio segments and is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. For more information, visit: www.melindamyers.com

Ultimate Peanut Butter Brownies

Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes

Bake time: 30 to 40 minutes

Yield: 32 brownies

 4 ounces semisweet chocolate

 1 cup canola or vegetable oil

 2 cups sugar

 4 eggs

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 2 cups M&M'S Peanut Butter

 Candies, divided

 Preheat oven to 350∞F.

 Lightly grease a rectangular 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan

 In 3-quart saucepan, gently combine the semisweet chocolate and oil over very   low heat until melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

 In separate bowl, combine sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until blended. Add in chocolate mixture. Slowly sift in remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

 Fold in 1 1/2 cups candies.

Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup candies and press lightly.

Bake until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Simply Sweet Cannoli

Prep time: 20 minutes  Yield: 24

1 cup Snickers Bars, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups part skim milk ricotta

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

1   resealable plastic bag

24  mini cannoli shells, unfilled

1/2  cup M&M'S Chocolate Candies

Combine chopped candy bars with ricotta, sugar and orange zest.

 Spoon mixture into resealable bag and snip off a 1/2-inch corner. Fill cannoli shells by squeezing in filling from each end.

 Decorate both ends with chocolate candies.

With a few expert tips from Buddy Valastro, author and star of TLC's "Cake Boss," you can take your sweet treats from good to great in no time.

(Family Features) You might have a favorite cookie or brownie recipe - but did you know you could make it even better by adding a simple, familiar ingredient? With a few expert tips from Buddy Valastro, author and star of TLC's "Cake Boss," you can take your sweet treats from good to great in no time.

 -Start with Quality Ingredients - When you start with better ingredients, you end up with a better cookie or brownie. Use real butter, high-quality vanilla and great tasting chocolate. Here, Buddy shares some of his favorite recipes that use M&M'S candies to add an extra special touch to family favorites - making them even better.

 -Chill the Dough - Leaving cookie dough in the refrigerator gives it more body and results in a fuller and better tasting cookie. Plan ahead so you can refrigerate your dough at least one hour - or, even better, overnight.

 -Keep It Uniform - Use a small ice cream scoop to keep your cookies the same size. This not only helps them look professional, but bake up evenly and consistently.

-Pans Matter - Bake cookies on light-colored, non-insulated cookie sheets without sides. Metal pans will cook brownies faster than glass pans, which means cooking times will vary. Start checking your brownies early to test if they're ready and prevent over baking.    You can find more sweet baking tips and recipes at www.facebook.com/mms.

It is true that every family has its secrets, but every secret isn’t equal. It is the content of the secret that really counts. Secrets can be small and insignificant, such as planning a surprise birthday celebration for a loved one, or concealing the fact that it is actually mom and dad, and not Santa Claus, who buys and wrap the kid’s holiday gifts and place them under the tree. In such cases, secrets and those who keep them cause no harm. On the other hand secrets that are traumatic, painful for any number of reasons, or life changing can be potentially damaging to the mental health and well being of an entire family, both in the present and for many years in the future. The most frequently kept secrets within a family include, but are not limited to, finances, serious health issues and death and impending divorce. Keeping family secrets from children may be the most harmful practice of all. Here are five reasons why:

1. Keeping Secrets Can Destroy Relationships— Keeping secrets can cause a breakdown in communication and trust. The result is that the bond between parents and children can be weakened permanently. “If you didn’t tell me about X, then why should I believe you about Y? And why should I bother telling you about Z?” That’s the question you’ll face when your children are young, and even as they grow into adults, if you choose to keep important secrets from them.

2. Keeping Secrets Can Impact the Lives of Children— Children are extremely perceptive and may become alarmed or anxious if they sense something of a serious nature is being hidden from them. The most damaging scenario, as is sometimes the case, would be if one or more children in the family believe that they are somehow personally responsible for whatever undercurrent is going on in the home.

3. Keeping Secrets Can Cause Suspicion and Resentment— Keeping secrets within a family can ignite feelings of suspicion and resentment among family members. We would all like to believe that the adults closest to us can be trusted, that those we love and

respect say what they mean, and that what they say is truthful. Trust is severely compromised when younger family members learn that a secret, especially one that is compounded by a lie, has been hidden from them.

4. Keeping Secrets Can Create a False Sense of Reality— Keeping secrets within a family can create a false sense of reality, especially among children. Children learn about the world from the adults in their lives. When a parent, or someone outside the family, eventually tells children the truth, their world may feel shattered. Regardless of the child’s age, it should not be overlooked that the impact of secrets on children can be profound. Parents who habitually keep secrets from their children should keep in mind the possibility that they’re modeling behaviors for their children that can affect future generations, as well.

5. Keeping Secrets Can Cause Illness— Keeping traumatic secrets can result in excessive stress and guilt for the person carrying the burden of knowledge, even when that silence is thought to be the best possible option for all concerned. Physical symptoms such as anxiety, headaches, backaches, and digestive problems can often occur when disturbing secrets are internalized, rather than shared, especially over a long period of time. Persons harboring such discomfort often turn to alcohol, or other addictive substances, to mask their pain. It is important to remember that both the person keeping the secret, as well as those who live with the secret-keeper, including young children, can experience similar physical and mental health issues.

Choosing the right time and place to reveal a devastating or painful family secret is a difficult task for most parents and must be carefully done, ideally with the help of a mental health professional. In the case of very young children, they need not know the details of long-held secrets that don’t directly involve them until they are capable of understanding exactly what they are being told.

However, they should also be given age-appropriate information as soon as they’re old enough to understand. That way, they won’t be shocked or disappointed later on. By adolescence, details about some family secrets can safely be revealed, depending on the maturity level of the young person in question. And certainly by the time children reach adulthood, they are entitled to know most of the family secrets that have been kept from them, yet have influenced their lives in ways both known and unknown.

Suzanne Handler is the author of “The Secrets They Kept: The True Story of a Mercy Killing That Shocked a Town and Shamed a Family.” Visit her online at http://www.suzannehandler.com.

Just in time for Mother’s Day, over 1000 adults, teens, and children expected to attend this 8th annual free and fun-filled financial fitness fair

Baltimore— The 8th Annual MONEY POWER DAY® hosted by the nonprofit Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign and its partners as a free financially focused community event designed to provide access to high-quality financial services and education for adults and children alike will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Poly-Western High School located at 1400 W. Cold Spring Lane in

Baltimore City.

It’s the day before Mother’s Day, and we know that moms are often the financial managers at home. Bring your Mom to this energy-packed day filled with exciting activities designed to inspire and inform people of all ages and income levels on how to be financially secure! Money Power Day® is fun for the whole family! – Moms, Dads, singles and kids alike!

The opening ceremony includes Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot; Baltimore CASH Campaign’s Meghann Shutt; other elected officials; Platinum Sponsors: Associated Black Charities, M & T Bank, MECU of Baltimore, and Wells Fargo; exhibitors; participants including families, children and individuals

For more information about Money Power Day: www.moneypowerday.org or 443-692-9488.

(BPT) - Parents have never been more crunched for time. Balancing work demands with parental duties is complex— 56 percent of working moms and 50 percent of working dads say they find it very or somewhat difficult to balance these responsibilities, according to a 2013 report about modern parenthood from the Pew Research Center. But just because you're time strapped doesn't mean you need to stress when it comes time to host after-school activities or weekend gatherings with friends and family. With a few key strategies, even impromptu parties are a snap to pull together.

Did your teen just call to tell you he's having the baseball team over for an Xbox live tournament tonight? Whatever the reason, embrace spontaneous gatherings and go from zero to party in 30 minutes or less with these ideas:

Astounding activities

Great parties make everyone feel included, no matter how young or old. For spur-of-the-moment parties, gather your favorite board games and a few decks of cards to spread around on various tables. For outdoor gatherings, nothing beats classic lawn games like Frisbee, bocce, ladder ball or horseshoes. Groups are sure to gather to indulge in the fun, and lively conversation will inevitably follow.

To appeal to younger kids, create a makeshift theater stage with a blanket or shower curtain, and pile up costumes, hats and props. Even wallflowers are sure to bloom during this fun activity that inspires make-believe.

For teenagers, video games are ideal— just make sure your system, game options and high-speed Internet are ready for intensive group play and there are plenty of snacks on hand. Add some comfy pillows and throws so everyone can spread out and enjoy the friendly competition. Ask friends and neighbors to bring over their games too for even more variety.

Fantastic food

Time-crunched parents don't have to worry about fancy food when parties suddenly pop up; guests don't expect an elaborate meal. Take a no-nonsense approach by serving flavors everyone will love. Frozen appetizers you can pop in the oven and serve beside fresh seasonal items are ideal.

Bite-size foods are best for easy snacking. Bake some Farm Rich Mozzarella Sticks, which are made with 100 percent real mozzarella and lightly seasoned. Kids and adults alike will devour these snacks with a crispy coating and warm cheesy center. Add some zesty Farm Rich Jalapeno Peppers and everyone's taste buds will be dancing. These snacks, available at Walmart and other grocery stores, pair well with fresh seasonal fare, so set out fresh grapes or strawberries, juicy sliced melon or chopped veggies with dip— whatever you have on hand or can get quickly at the local market— and you'll have a spread that will disappear almost instantly.

Set the scene

If you have time, decorate for your last-minute shindig with simple yet clever decor. When really strapped for time, skip decor and focus on the music - play songs everyone will enjoy and that reflect the theme of the party. Upbeat songs that embrace the warm weather always set the right mood. From the Beach Boys to the most current chart-toppers, some toe-tapping tunes will help guests get in the party groove.

With these tips and tricks, you'll throw a party or get together that'll make everybody happy. You'll stress less and no one will know you put the whole thing together in minutes.

(BPT) - The inspiration for a great taco can be found in many places - from farmers markets to food trucks to upscale restaurants. All across the country, chefs and home cooks alike are reinventing the taco with global flavors and fresh ingredients.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo and summertime celebrations, the Betty Crocker Kitchens partnered with Old El Paso to create five tacos with a twist.

"We were inspired by the creative tacos we've been seeing, and wanted to bring these global influences home with some simple ideas for fresh taco-and-margarita pairings," says Jennifer Kalinowski, Food Content Strategy, Betty Crocker Kitchens.

All suggestions feature the five elements that make an awesome taco experience: a shell + hot filling + cold topping + sauce + finishing touch such as a fresh garnish. Take this formula and customize and experiment— tacos are the ultimate fun, casual food.

This summer and beyond, enjoy a global taste experience at home with these taco and margarita ideas:

Tex-Mex inspired

Create your own puffy taco shell, widely served at restaurants. The make-at-home secret: flour tortillas transformed into puffy shells.

Chipotle Chicken Puffy Tacos: Puffy taco shells stuffed with pulled rotisserie chicken in chipotle sauce, topped with fresh guacamole, salsa and favorite toppings like lettuce, tomato and queso fresco.

Citrus Margarita with Smoky Chile Salt: A triple citrus (orange, lemon, lime) margarita with a smoky chile salt rim. Chile salt is hand mixed with fine sea salt, ancho and chipotle chile powders.

Mexican inspired

This fun mash-up of flavors plays on the wildly popular fish taco, paired with a hibiscus-infused margarita.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos: Crispy taco shells filled with Mexican beer battered fish, topped with shredded red cabbage, chimichurri aioli and fresh jalapenos.

Hibiscus Lime Margarita: Homemade hibiscus syrup adds bright flavor and vibrant color to a fresh lime margarita.

Thai inspired

Grilled, fresh and light, this taco features the unexpected flavor of green apple, matched with a margarita that's lighter on calories but packed with flavor.

Coconut Curry Chicken Tacos: Grilled tortillas filled with coconut curry chicken, green apple and Thai basil, topped with mango chile sauce and crunchy peanuts.

Mango Thai Basil Margarita: A mango margarita infused with the flavors of lime and Thai basil.

Vietnamese inspired

Try this combination of fresh flavors that takes its cues from the popular Banh Mi sandwich.

Banh Mi Pork Tacos: Spicy, honey-glazed pork wrapped in warm tortillas, topped with carrot daikon slaw, Sriracha mayo and fresh toppings like jalapenos, cilantro and cucumber slices.

Cucumber Cilantro Margarita: Muddled cucumber and cilantro add fresh flavor to a lime margarita.

Middle Eastern inspired

This gluten-free, vegetarian taco highlights spicy harissa and sweet potatoes, along with a "skinny" margarita.

Harissa Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos (Gluten Free): Warm corn tortillas filled with harissa roasted sweet potatoes, topped with herbed feta, Greek yogurt and crunchy quinoa.

Honey Lemon Margarita (Gluten Free): A fresh, light and lemony margarita sweetened with a touch of honey.

Try this recipe for Chipotle Chicken Puffy tacos. For more recipes and summer food and entertaining ideas, visit www.bettycrocker.com/cinco.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes  

Serves 8

Toppings

2 avocados, pitted, peeled and cubed

1 can (4.5 ounce) Old El Paso chopped green chiles

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1 plum (roma) tomato, seeded and diced

3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

Chipotle Sauce

 3/4 cup Old El Paso Thick'n Chunky salsa

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce (with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce) 1/4 cup water

Filling

2 1/2 cups pulled (not shredded) deli rotisserie chicken (from 2-pound chicken)

Puffy Tortillas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

8 Old El Paso tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (6 inch)

Instructions:

1. In medium bowl, make guacamole by mixing avocados, green chiles, lime juice, red onion and cilantro, mashing slightly; set aside.

2. Place Chipotle Sauce ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover; blend on high speed until smooth. Pour half of sauce in 10-inch skillet over medium heat with chicken, reserving 1/2 cup for topping. Cover skillet; heat chicken and sauce until warm.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla. Cook until it starts to puff up, then turn over. Once second side is puffed up, remove from skillet; drain on paper towels.

4. Fold each tortilla in half, and top with slightly less than 1/3 cup chicken mixture. Top with guacamole, a drizzle of reserved sauce, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

For a zestier chipotle flavor, dust the puffy tortillas with chipotle powder after draining on paper towels.

The extreme heat and drought of 2012 was hard on lawns and gardens. “Many gardeners are facing a blank slate of bare soil, masses of dead patches that were once lawn or a bit of grass interspersed in a sea of weeds,” says gardening expert Melinda Myers.

Myers recommends following these steps to improve lawns this season.

Start this spring to renovate or improve your weather worn lawn. Remember that water is critical to get newly seeded and sodded lawns to survive.  So be prepared to help nature along with the recovery effort.

Evaluate the damage. Then use the checklist below to find the best course of action to aid the ailing lawn.

• If the lawn is more than 60 percent weeds or bare soil, it’s probably time to start over. Use this opportunity to create a great foundation for growing a healthy lawn.  Kill off the existing vegetation, add several inches of organic matter such as compost or peat moss and a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil, and rake smooth.
• Select more drought tolerant grasses like rhizomatous (turf-type) tall fescues, buffalo grass and Habiturf® native lawn mix. Make sure the grass is suited to the climate and plant according to the label. Then sow the seeds, lightly rake and mulch or lay sod.  Water often enough to keep the soil moist until the seeds sprout or the sod roots into the soil below.  Then water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil are crumbly, but slightly moist to encourage deep roots.
• Fertilize new, existing and stressed lawns with a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite. It won’t harm stressed lawns, young seedlings or newly laid sod.  It will encourage slow steady growth.  Southern lawns can be fertilized in April and again in early June. In the north fertilize around Memorial Day.  And if 2013 turns into another hot dry summer, it won’t burn the lawn.
• Mow high to encourage deeply rooted grass that is more drought tolerant and pest resistant. And mow often, removing only a third of the total height. Be sure to leave these short clippings on the lawn. They return moisture, nutrients, and organic matter to the soil.
• Repair small dead and bare patches as needed. Use a lawn patch kit, grass seed and mulch.  For small spots, loosen the soil surface, sprinkle grass seed and lightly rake.  Or mix a handful of grass seed in a bucket of topsoil. Sprinkle the mix over the soil surface.
• Do a bit more soil preparation when renovating larger dead areas in the lawn. Remove or kill any weeds that have filled in these areas. Till two inches of compost, peat moss or other organic matter into the top six inches of soil. Sow seed, rake and mulch or lay sod.
• Overseed thin and sparse lawn. First, core-aerate the lawn to improve soil conditions and increase seed-to-soil contact.  Spread grass seed over the aerated lawn and water as needed.  Or rent a slit seeder or hire a professional with this type of equipment. These machines slice through the soil and drop the grass seed in place, increasing the seed-to-soil contact, which is needed for good germination.
• Core aerate lawns that have more than one half an inch of thatch, those growing in compacted soils, or before over seeding. By removing plugs of soil you break through the thatch and create channels for water and fertilizer to reach the grass roots.
• Spot treat weeds on lawns that need minimal repair. Wait at least until fall to treat new and over seeded lawns. Spot treating minimizes the use of chemicals and reduces the stress on already stressed lawns. As always read and follow label directions carefully.
• Proper maintenance and a bit of cooperation from nature will help transform a lawn from an eyesore to an asset in the landscape.

Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening and The Lawn Guide – Midwest Series. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment segments, is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and has a column in Gardening How-to magazine.  Myers has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure. 
Her web site is http://www.melindamyers.com.