Foods from the Ivory Coast (Cote d Ivoire) will be featured at African Lunch Hour Buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 at Marsyl s restaurant at 2633 West Bancroft St. The menu includes peanut butter stew with smoked turkey, chicken yassa (chicken marinated in lime juice with onions), and dried okra powder stew with beef. All entrees are served with rice and fufu (semolina powder or African yam powder).

Cost is $10, or $8 for students with a student ID. Tickets should be purchased in advance; call 419-531-8327.

May is the month to hunt morels in Walloon Lake, Mich., with Joe Breidenstein, who has been leading mushroom-hunting expeditions for 30 years. He is booking two-day weekend packages for May 5-7, May 12-14, and May 19-21. A fee of $179 per person includes two nights lodging plus meals. Accommodations are generally in private vacation homes on-site. For reservations, call 231-535-2227.

The National Cornbread Festival will be April 29-30 in South Pittsburg, Tenn. Savor the smells and tastes of everything corn bread from the championship cook-off to corn bread eating contests. Sample hush puppies, corn bread dressing, corn bread, and more. For information, visit www.nationalcornbread.com.

Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina, which its owner, Bigelow Tea company, says is America s only tea garden, will open May 11 for free tours. Visitors can see how tea is made, from raw leaf to finished black tea. The plantation is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. It is located at Wadmalaw Island, S.C., 25 minutes east of Charleston on U.S. Route 17. Information: www.bigelowtea.com.

The Castroville (Calif.) 47th Artichoke Festival will be May 20-21. Visitors can sample unusual flavors of artichoke in a fiesta atmosphere with foods, musical entertainment, arts and crafts. Information: www.artichoke-festival.org.

It s not too late to enter the Rice to the Rescue recipe contest. If you have a great-tasting, creative, and easy-to-prepare recipe that features American-grown rice, you could win a $5,000 grand prize in the USA Rice Federation s 8th annual contest. Also, five finalists will receive a $1,000 cash prize. Only original and unpublished rice recipes (including appetizers, soups, salads, side dishes, main dishes, and desserts) are eligible. Deadline for recipes is May 1. Visit www.usarice.com/consumer/rescue2006 for contest rules.

Enjoy delicious dishes featuring ham morning, noon, and night.

For breakfast, make a ham and cheese omelet, or stir small cubes of ham into scrambled eggs, or add ham cubes to diced potatoes and onions for a delicious hash.

For lunch, make a ham sandwich, add chopped ham cubes to soups or salads, or add a slice of ham to your grilled cheese sandwich.

For dinner, make Ham Jambalaya or ham and scalloped potatoes.

1 cups cubed ham

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

cup chopped green sweet pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 14.5-ounce can stewed tomatoes

1 14-ounce can reduced- sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 cup quick- cooking rice

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, sweet pepper, and garlic in hot oil about 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in undrained stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, ham, and Cajun seasoning.

Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Stir in rice. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: National Pork Board

First Published April 16, 2006, 9:30 a.m.