A meeting of the minds...

This weekend, Justin and I took advantage of some unseasonably warm and sunny weather to explore our back yard. It has been especially striking to watch the Elwha River transform as two dams are removed from its vast and flowing body. The Elwha is so full of silt right now that it has taken on a milky gray color. We came upon a point where Indian Creek meets the Elwha....

A Meeting of the Minds

Eastern European Roots: the pierogi

Did you know that the city of Pittsburgh consumes 11% more pierogies than any other US city? I didn't, but my Pittsburgh-born-and-bred partner did. In fact, he probably contributed to that statistic during his youth and adolescence.

Wait. Let's step back. Do you know what pierogies are? Delicious..that's what. In other words, they are dumplings stuffed with potatoes, sauerkraut, onions, and, often, meat, fruit, or cheese. The dumplings are, then, baked, boiled, or fried up with onions. That's right, pasta stuffed with potatoes--hello, hearty cold weather food!

We've been looking at our giant batch at sauerkraut and pondering what to do with all of it. Suddenly, Justin suggested making a ton of pierogies that we could freeze an eat throughout the winter. A fine idea!

Pierogies!

Dough:
3.5 c. fine whole-wheat pastry flour
3 eggs
2 TBS. sour cream
1 c. water
1 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 lb. red potatoes, peeled and cut
1.5 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 c. cottage cheese
2 c. sauerkraut
1/2 c. shredded sharp cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1. For dough: combine flour, eggs, sour cream, salt, and 1/2 c. water. Gradually add the rest of the water and stir until combined. Turn onto a well-floured surface and knead until smooth on the outside and sticky on the inside. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

2. Put potatoes into a medium pot and cover with water--bring to a boil and cook until tender.

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until tender and turning brown.

4. When potatoes are done, drain and return to pot. Mash potatoes with cottage cheese, then stir in the onion, sauerkraut, cheese, and salt and pepper.

5. Roll 1/2 of the dough to 1/16 in. thick and using a glass (about 3.5 in. diameter), cut out dough.

6. Moisten the edges of each round with a bit of water and place 1 TBS. of filling in its center. Then, fold the round in half to make a half moon and seal with your fingertips. Using a fork, crimp the edges to finish the seal.

7. Place pierogies on a floured baking sheet. Now, you can either freeze them and put them into containers for later enjoyment or....

8. Drop them in boiling water in small batches and remove them with a slotted spoon when they begin to float.

9. Saute boiled pierogies with butter and onions until they begin to brown. Near the end, toss in some thinly chopped kale for good measure. Enjoy.

What's that rotten smell in our kitchen?

Oh yeah, it is sauerkraut time!

Time to get smashin'!

orange.

maybe it is because orange is my favorite color or because it is so gosh darn vibrant, but I am seeing it everywhere.....and I LOVE IT!

sweet potatoes.

my favorite orange scarf.

carrot and delicata squash tacos.

PUMPKINS!

Is it just me or do orange things make the best food too?

pumpkin cinnamon rolls

pumpkin whoopie pies

green soup with yams and sage

new season.

fall is here. its official. vine maple are turning fire orange. pumpkins and squash are showing up at the farmer's market. I'm craving hearty meals like tempeh reubens and roasted potatoes. Yet, its been quite warm and mostly dry. Bliss.

Fall, I love you.

And, Port Angeles has a new gathering spot: the next door gastropub, which will be cozy and delicious as fall turns wetter and darker. Fish tacos, sweet potato fries...oh my, how I love fancified pub food and a wide selection of local brews!

from our back yard.

dino kale with a side of sunshine

hop to it

the hearty meals begin

visitors.

view of big hump fire from mt. townsend

A few weeks ago, Justin's family made their annual late summer trek from Pittsburgh, PA to PA, Washington. We only get to see our families a few times each year, so we make the most of it when we get together.

Luckily, they brought some sunshine and heat with them, so we got to play outside nearly their entire visit. We ate great meals, we hiked, we biked, we even tried out kayaking in Freshwater Bay, and enjoyed the face-to-face time along the way. Jim and Joann, thanks for the great company and for making our own back yard feel like a vacation!

a snack and a view from mt. townsend.

blackberry break along the Galloping Goose Trail on Vancouver Island


high class at high tea


a bustling alley in Victoria

preservation.

Our kitchen has been quite steamy. It's just that time of year--if you know what i mean.

Gardens and farms and trees around here have begun to explode with tasty tasty produce. I would love to just sit and eat it all day long, savoring the flavors of summer, and I do--I have had many a contented belly ache in the past few weeks. However, I would like to continue to enjoy these summer flavors as the daylight passes, the leaves crumble, and the temperatures drop.

So, following the lead of my grandparents, parents, and many food loving friends, we have been canning like mad. Apricot butter, pickled beets, canned peaches, dilly beans, and canned plums. Thus far, the only failure has been an exploding jar of honey'd plums, which was quite sad because these green gage plums from our friends, mark and heidi, really are tiny mouthfuls of delicious sunshine.

What flavors are YOU preserving for the winter?

two years.

Two years ago today, Justin and I got married in front of our loved ones. Thanks for the continued support, loved ones! We feel so lucky.

To celebrate, we went for a hike through Badger Valley. There were no badgers in sight; instead, lots of flowers and Olympic Marmots enjoying some warm sunshine.

native thistle and gleeful pollinator.

Badger Valley and Indian paintbrush, monkey flower, and more!

Blueberry Bonanza!

So, Dungeness Meadow Farm finally opened its doors (okay, netted gate) for blueberry u-pick on Saturday morning at 8:30 am. Justin and I showed up at 8:45. We were there past noon. We couldn't stop. We envisioned enjoying organic blueberries the size of grapes well into the darkness of winter--a little something summery to go with all of the winter squash that we will, likely, be enjoying for every other meal.

We picked 50 lbs. Shortly after, we bought our first appliance--a deep freeze to house our bounty.


Of course, there are still plenty to enjoy fresh. We've been eating them by the handful, in pancakes, in breakfast bars, and in a blueberry swirl loaf that was baked in our solar oven! Oh, my! Yeah for late-summer blueberries!

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
adapted from Local Vegetarian Cooking by Debra Daniels-Zeller

crust:
1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. honey
1.5 c. whole wheat flour
1.25 c. rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

filling:
2 c. blueberries
2 TBS. brown sugar
2 TBS arrowroot powder
2 TBS lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cream together butter and honey. Add remaining crust ingredients and mix well.
2. Pat half of the mixture into a 9x9 pan and set aside.
3. Combine blueberries and sugar in a saucepan with 1/4 c. water and heat over medium. Cook and stir until blueberries are broken.
4. Combine arrowroot powder with 1 TBS of water--mix well. Add it to the blueberry mix and cook on low until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
5. Spread filling evenly over the crust. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over the filling. Sprinkle an additional handful of of rolled oats on top.
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned on top. Cool before cutting.

sun-baked blueberry swirl loaf

Devil's Shoelace Handpies: a piece of pie that you can hold!

Oh, yes...the time has come....
Washington's own native trailing blackberries (Rubus ursinus) are ripe ripe ripe for the picking! Woot.

Also known as devil's shoelace, this plant makes you work for its little juicy gems of yum. The best patches that I've found are in old clearcuts, where walking around brings out your natural clumsy. The devil's shoelace is great at tripping you while camouflaging the giant mountain beaver hole that you're about to stumble into. Totally worth it!

Last weekend, Justin and I ventured to the most bountiful trailing blackberry spot that I've ever seen. In about an hour, we stained our hands, lips, and clothes a satisfying shade of red and collected about a gallon of berries. Since they take a long time to collect, we didn't want to blow them all in one pie--though that would have been quite joyfully glutenous--so, we decided on something even better-- Handpies!

Handpies. Not only do they travel well--we took a few up to Hurricane Ridge to devour while we checked out the stars--but they extend the supply of berries. I made about 12 pies and used only 3 cups of berries. We had many left to eat naked (the berries, of course), with yogurt, or tossed in smoothies.

Happy berry season, folks!

Devil's Shoelace Handpies

crust:

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 TBS sugar
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 c ice water

In a bowl, combine flour and salt with a fork. Add butter, and mix it by smashing the butter and flour between your finger tips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining.

Add water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together without feeling sticky.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Filling:

3 cups of trailing blackberries (or other seasonal fruit)
1/4 c. sugar
1 TBS. arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Mix together with a fork.

Assembly:

1 egg, beaten
sugar in the raw

Set oven to 425°F.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the first ball of dough to about 1/4-inch-thick. Using a 4 to 5-inch cookie cutter, cut into rounds and transfer to a greased baking sheet.

Place about 1.5 TBS of blackberry mixture onto one-half of each round. Lightly brush egg around the edge of the covered half of each round. Fold remaining dough over to create a half moon. Gently press edges together to seal. Brush the tops of each pie with egg. Slash the top of each pie to make vents for cooking berries. Sprinkle with sugar in the raw or another coarse sugar.

Repeat this process with second half of dough and remaining filling on second baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

Do it! Don't delay!

Feedback! Pretty please, with cheese on top!

Hello, out there. If you're there, I have a really important question for you...

WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH?
type of bread. type of cheese. toppings. methods.

Thanks for your help. Details to follow...

my favorite includes bread and butter pickles...and, if i'm lucky---velveeta!

do you slice it or shred it?

Hottt for 'cots!

Oh, sweet apricot, how I love thee!
Against my cheek, you are like a soft baby's bum. With my hands, I can split you perfectly in half. You are glowing orange...sometimes, you blush (you make me blush too). As I dress in wool socks and many layers on a July day, one nibble on you and I know its summer.

But how do I love thee?
First and forever, I love you fresh. Yet, you are so versatile: dried, as a tart, a "breakfast" crumble, cooked down into butter, grilled....oh, my!

*A special thanks goes out to my friend, Neil at Cloudview EcoFarm, for offering up my first taste of apricots this year*

fresh, juicy and in full sun.

as a "breakfast" crumble--capable of getting you out of bed in the morning

dried--to preserve the taste of summer...just a bit longer

cooked down into the most intense of forms: apricot butter!

Crock Pot Apricot Butter

40 apricots, halved and unseeded
2 TBS. lemon juice
pinch of salt
1/2 c. sugar for every cup of puree
optional: 1-2 TBS grated ginger

1. Put 'cot halves in a pot on the stove with 1 cup of water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook until fruit is soft enough to smash with a wooden spoon (20 minutes).
2. Puree cooked fruit with an immersion blender or in a blender in batches.
3. Transfer puree to a crock pot and add lemon juice, salt, and 1/2 c. sugar for every cup of apricot puree.
4. Cook on low for many hours with the lid slightly ajar so that the water will evaporate out. The puree should reduce by about 1/2.
5. Funnel into jars and boil them in a water bath for 20 minutes.

The Great West

We took a road trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see our dear and awesome friend, Greg, marry his love. It was awesome.

We traveled from spring to SUMMER. We soaked in hotsprings. We saw prairie dogs and real live cowboys and cowgirls with spurs. We drove a lot. We saw the night sky light up with the moon from our tent windows. We got devoured by mosquitos. We met up with friends that got even more devoured by chiggers. We ate delicious roadside BBQ. We danced. We explored the streets of Cheyenne at night. We were revived from hot hot heat by ice cream and snowcones. We danced. We swam in a pool. We laughed. We bought many lbs. of apricots.We were reminded how lucky we are to have such great friends. We made memories.

tri-tip tacos--santa maria-style in idaho.

prairie dog family among the balsamroot.


booty-licious.

dancing hard.

stylish exit.

love.

coolin' off at Lickity Split in Buffalo, WY.

got the 'cots!