Family Reunion - Lake Wenatchee

This is Lake Wenatchee in a good mood early Saturday morning. Perfect for a canoe glide!

But, don't let the calm fool you...when we arrived Wednesday morning for five days of camping the weather was windy, cold, and unpredictable. We set up rain canopies over picnic tables in both camps, and put tarps over some of the tents. We were expecting rain and cold temperatures. (Those first few days I wore seven layers to stay warm, including a double set of pants - jeans and fleece.)

My sister Bonnie, her husband Frank, and daughter Mel joined George and I and all our kids for an annual family reunion at Lake Wenatchee. Annie's parents (Tim and Kathy) joined us on Saturday. So, we had two large adjoining camps in the woods at the south end of the lake.
The first two days it was cold and windy, so all of us huddled around the campfire to stay warm. I really enjoyed this as it allowed for a lot of conversation, plenty of food and hot drinks.

The wind blew something fierce Wednesday and Thursday but the remainder of the week was gorgeous - shirt-sleeve weather. We went for a hike, relaxed, and everyone took turns canoeing.

Annie and Ruhiyyih followed us in their canoe.
This is Frank, my sister's husband, keeping watch, like an ole bucckaneer.

I didn't take many photos, as I was busy the entire time cooking and tending camp. This is something I enjoy doing, and I had an opportunity to experiment with some new recipes. One meal was a tomato-meat-onion sauce over gnocchi (potato) dumplings. Another was 'Bao', a Vietnamese steamed bun filled with meat and onion which was added to hot vegetable soup. We cooked steak, burgers and brauts over the fire and on the grill, and I served up some rice blend stir-frys and salads. And always a few treats - chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and cornbread.

I cooked so many different things (emptying out my freezer of all my culinary left-overs), that I cannot remember all the different meals I served while my sister and her family were here. I served Cauliflower-Leek Soup when they first arrived; Pizza with shredded phyllo mixed in with cheese and vegetables; a strawberry crepe; and brushetta and feta grilled on crusty bread.

This was a lemon creme pie that was just slightly sweet.
Apple pie with a crusty topping of phyllo rather than crust.

However, the most memorable moment on the trip was when everyone sat down with my 'Polenta and Eggs Breakfast'. I fried left-over sliced brautwurst with garlic and onions, steamed some asparagus, and fried up the polenta with tomatoes and orange peppers. Then I cracked some eggs over the top to poach them until they were cooked. When the eggs were done, I piled it onto paper plates, which George passed around to our family. As everyone took their first bite they all looked puzzled, paused, looked at the food and spit it out.

Ruhiyyih looked up and said, "MOM, there is SOAP in this food!"

She put the meal down, came over and put her arms around me, laughing and consoling me at the same time. I couldn't figure it out until I realized that I had two plastic bottles filled with what I thought was olive oil. One was labled with O for oil. The other was left-over Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid from last fall and wasn't labeled. When it poured slowly from the bottle, I just thought it was due to the cold weather; when it bubbled, I figured moisture in the onions.

What a disaster! I had to send them over to Rue's cook station for breakfast. He put together a meat-egg breakfast in a flash! I had to clean up my camp, the pots and pans, anything that had a soap residue.
Thanks to Kathy for these last two photos...More here, in Kathy's gallery. Annie, at Earthen Vessel, has her video's and slides up.... and Ruhiyyih will post when she recovers from jet-lag.

Fragrance in the Kitchen: Coriander Bread

This is my kitchen table, one of the most heavily used places in my house. It is the focal point of my kitchen: I display a portion of my rock collection here; display my mail; do all my art and writing projects; lay out my garden projects and read my cookbooks here. And, this is where I roll out the dough for my home-made bread.

Recently my gardening friend Steve gave me 9 cups of coriander seeds (left-over from his backyard garden last summer). He didn't want them, saying he 'has gallons left at home'. I was very happy to get them, as one small bottle of coriander at the store can cost up to $3.00. I was thrilled - I could make coriander bread!

First, I ground all the seeds in my coffee grinder to make a powdered spice. This spice is similar to cardamon, with a fragrance that is absolutely heavenly. So, I found a recipe for Finnish Cardamon Bread, and made a few changes. I made my bread with a bag of spelt flour which is an ancient nutty-flavored flour. To this I added a half cup of wheat germ, cinnamon, brown sugar, and about 1/4 cup of the coriander powder. I had some coconut milk left over, so I added that too, along with the yeast and a couple of eggs.
Since I warmed the milk-eggs-oil mixture before adding the flour, it was a soft warm dough when I began kneading it.

Once the dough was kneaded, I split it into two sections, then split those into three more sections which would be the basis for the 'braids'.

I mixed almond paste with crushed walnuts and spread it on top before rolling each section into a braid. This provides a flavorful nutty streak inside each braid, slightly sweet.

Then I took the braid strands, wove them together and put the two loaves into a long pan. I brushed the top with egg, brown sugar, and crushed almonds.

This is the finished braided bread, after it has risen in the pan and ready for the oven. I put my dough in a lightly warmed oven for all the risings.

Baking coriander bread is a good way to make the entire house smell good! As you can see, spelt flour has a wholesome texture, a heartiness of flavor and color. I sliced up one loaf with 1" slices which I plan to dip in batter for French Toast. I'll fry it early, wrap it up tightly in foil, and pack the prepared slices in the cooler for our camping trip next Wednesday. They can be laid on a baking sheet over the morning campfire for a quick, nourishing taste-thrill while enjoying morning coffee. Cinnamony, slightly sweet, this coriander bread is a 'poor man's substitution' for cardamon bread.

When my friend Steve gave me the 9 cups of coriander seeds, he was unaware of how useful this spice could be - many gardeners use only the plant (Cilantro), and ignore the value of the ground seeds. He'd never heard of it being used in cookies and breads. Here are some Flickr sets showing additional ways to use coriander in breads and other dishes, like beer bread with gruyere cheese, ham and coriander; camote bread with coriander spread; rye and coriander sourdough bread; and carrot and coriander soup.

Today I plan to put my tomato sets into my garden, about a dozen plants, Roma, which is an determinate strain that cause all the fruit to ripen at the same time rather than over a succession of weeks. I make my own spaghetti sauce from these pear-shaped tomatoes in the fall using all my own home-grown spices. Then I process the sauce in Kerr jars over the stove. Yes, it is labor-intensive, but very rewarding. The flavors are simply outstanding when produce is home-grown.

Since I'll be gone five days on our camping trip, I plan to heavily mulch my tomato plants. I've got some of my seeds planted, and have yet to put in my eggplant and celery starts. This year I'll try fava beans, as I like broad-beans in rice casseroles; however, the poor soil at my plot will have to have some compost hauled over to it for this plant to do well. All of it will be an experiment, just like my coriander bread. I like the element of surprise!

With company coming on Sunday and a Baha'i Feast here Saturday night, I suspect I'll not be posting until we have returned home from our camping trip to Lake Wenatchee, sometime after Memorial Day. I just have too much to do. Until then, here's wishing everyone a memorable Memorial Day weekend. Take care...

Exploring the Hong Kong Market

Soup Bun Bo Hue, Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam, Bun man Soup Seasoning, Cuttlefish Balls, White Fungus, Gia Vi Nau Pho, and Vegetable Chicken Bao are some of the items I brought home from the Hong Kong Market just around the corner from Vien Dong, our favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

For the last 20 years we've gone to Vien Dong for all our family celebrations. It is a restaurant that consistently offers exceptional Vietnamese food at a very reasonable price. It is always packed with people, lively and cheerful, and the same family - about 3 or 4 generations - prepare the food, cook it, and serve it.

Lately however, I seem to be more sensitive to the monosodium glutamate, the MSG, that is used to enhance the flavors of Vietnamese cooking. It just seemed too salty, and the aftertaste lingered long after the meal. Yet, I wanted the wonderful soup with the bean sprouts, fresh mint and basil, the dash of hot red pepper and fresh lime juice. It is especially good for colds and flu.

So, I visited the market, determined to find the ingredients so I could prepare my own broth. I purchased a big soup bone with plenty of marrow, simmered it for three hours, then strained all the broth into my kettle. I added two of the Bun Man bullion cubes (which do have some MSG in them) to add flavor to the broth, then I added scallions, onions, celery and a big thin-sliced turnip. Then I added thin-sliced stir-fried beef and Asian zuchinni.

When I served the soup, I let George and Rahmat add their own noodles, cilantro, basil, hot sauce and lime as these are optional. The broth was the most important to me - flavorful, but not salty. It turned out perfect, fragrant, fresh, a simple easy preparation.

When we'd have a meal at Vien Dong all of us would get spring rolls and dip them into the most wonderful peanut sauce. I bought some of the spring roll wrappers, but they were the wrong kind, a wheat wrap rather than rice. So, I had to fry them and serve them with a sweet-sour sauce. Next time, I'll take my reading glasses to read the fine print as it is the transparent rice wraps that we especially enjoy. They don't require frying. I still have to perfect my 'packaging', as these wraps are not real tight.
I had some additional beef stock left over, so I made some east-Indian curry that I placed around rice tadig, an experiment that I took to a potluck Saturday night. There isn't a name for this dish but it was sure fun to prepare.

The curried meat sauce and vegetables also went good over these thin noodles, as left-overs. I cannot recall all the spices that went into the sauce, but anise, tarragon, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, fresh basil and hot red peppers provided the flavors. I've gotten so accustomed to making my own blends that most meals are now experiments, none of which are like anything I've cooked before.

I also purchased a slightly sweet Japanese sweet-bread, similar to pound cake, and put a tumble of strawberries over it for shortcake. I keep Greek-style vanilla yogurt on hand just to add a little cream to berries. One small scoop is all it takes to make this shortcake simply divine.

I'm headed over to my garden plot now, to transplant some of my dahlias, plant some seeds:carrots, cilantro, leeks, beets, lettuce, oriental peas, basil and 'rapini zamboni a flowering broccoli that is really good in stir-fry.

When I worked in the garden yesterday, a friend Steve dropped by, and gave me some of last years coriander seeds he'd saved from last summer - about 9 cups of seeds. I'll plant a row, but have ground all the rest and put them in a big pickle jar. I'll make coriander bread today during my coffee break!

One Egg Too Many, One Bug Too Many

I'm a person who 'watches cholesterol', so have eggs only a couple of times a month for breakfast. But, our market had a 'buy two cartons and get one more free' sale so I walked away with three cartons of eggs.....now, what to do with them! Usually that will imply custards and some baking. However, sometimes it is just enjoyable to have regular ole' poached eggs on shredded wheat. Or fried eggs in a nest of hash-browns.
To make the best hash-browns, I bake the potatoes the day before, let them cool in the fridge, and then shred them the next day. Then I pan-fry them in a heavy cast iron skillet until they are crispy brown.

Speaking of fried potatoes, hashbrowns are different from 'Home Fries' which can be made from raw potatoes, cut into large cubes or chunks and usually cooked with onions, peppers, herbs and spices. We also make 'Potato Pancakes' by shredding raw potatoes that are mixed with onions, eggs, flour, milk, baking powder, herbs and seasonings. The mixture is spread out in a pan and fried until crisp. I've also used this mixture and baked it.

My sister taught me to put eggs with shredded wheat - the large ones work best. However, I've used some of the spoon-sized, and added fried celery and onion to the poached eggs. With a cold glass of orange juice, this is a hearty meal.

When I was at our organic food market the other day they had a promotional on a drink called a micronutrient fruit juice drink. Free samples were given, so I took one home. The focus is "get a green routine", and the blend included micro-nutrients beta-carotene, vitamin c, iodine, manganese and potassium. It looked impressive, and I checked out the ingredients: apple juice, peach, mango, strawberry and banana purees, Spirulina, soy lecthin, ascorbic acid, wheat grass, barley grass, wheat sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, lemon bioflavonoids and Nova Scotia Dulse (a sea vegetable that is a natural source of essential vitamins, ions, sea salt, and roughage.) This super-drink was then flash pasteurized, bottled with an expiration date, like milk, and has to be stored in the refrigerator.

When I opened the bottle and poured it into a little glass, it looked like swamp water, as if it could start bubbling any minute! So, I called Rahmat over to try it (he'll eat anything), and after he furrowed his brow at the awlful color he took a swig. His face brightened and relaxed and he said, "That's GOOD!" So, I shook it up again and poured a small glass, and you know, it is good. Odwalla puts out this 'Super Food', a pureed super-blend of Washington state orchards, meadow-grasses, and the seaweed in the North Atlantic. However, when I researched the company, and this drink, I learned that it suffered a serious setback - E. coli bacterial poisoning in '96. All the contaminated products were recalled, and now flash pasteurization is used to purify the blends. (Any time a food product is packaged 'raw', like some types of honey, there can be risk factors.)

There is a wide assortment of exotic fruit drinks prepared by Odwalla containing passion flowers, pomegranates, mangos, and a colorful array of berries, carrots and other vegetables. I can see why they can become an ADDICTION - just smoothe, nutritious, heavenly beverages. (flickr photo by peefy)

Whew! How'd I Get Myself Into This?

Well, the question above is answered with, I said "Yes!"

The garden coordinator for Metro-Parks called me and asked me if I still wanted a garden plot - they had one available! It was just an old weedy plot, previously tended by an elderly Ukrainian who worked it to death then abandoned it.

I'd had experience with these Ukrainian gardeners, who manage to eek beets, sorrell, potatoes, onions and tomatoes out of DIRT. They somehow make things grow, mostly in miniature, and with the utmost dedication. However, since they do not have transportation, they cannot haul grass clippings, autumn leaves, or any other type of soil amendment to their plots. So, the soil gives out after awhile, with the plants just barely being sustained. This is the plot being offered to me, something that looks beyond any kind of repair. Dusty, pebbly, full of crabgrass, shallow....like a gravel pit.

When I greeted some of the other gardeners at Franklin Park Community Garden, they all looked in dismay and said, "You've got your hands full with THAT plot", and I just nodded an abysmal agreement. While they planted their corn sets, and watered their seedlings, digging in the most wonderful rich soil, I headed over toward the gravel pit. There was no moisture in the soil. It was just dust. No worms. No organic material. Just a few bold weeds, which I figure had every right to be there if they actually could grow. Oh, and crab-grass, tons of it, which had to be pulled.

George helped me dig trenches, then pile the dirt up onto berms. We pulled out all the crab-grass and then I worked in sphagnum moss and chicken manure. I lined the walking paths, the trenches, with straw, then covered that with grass clippings. Looking at my plot now, it has five large growing berms surrounded by trench-filled organic matter. Over the summer I'll add more weeds, grass, leaves - anything I can scrounge to put into these trenches, composting it. By late summer it should be available to work into the soil to provide nutrients when the plants (I hope) are larger and need more nutrients.

It took three days just to prepare the growing berms, to lay out the trenches and to fill them. I took a serrated knife yesterday and spent four hours cutting grass from a nearby 'bog', an area of the garden that cannot be used because it is too wet. It will provide green organic material. I'll also use it to camouflage anything that is growing, as the crows here pull up anything that looks tasty. When we are on our week's vacation I plan to mulch everything with sphagnum moss, to hold in the moisture while I'm gone.

It has been over 10 years since I worked in a Community Garden, and I've forgotten just how enjoyable it is gardening with other people. Some of the gardeners are with the Master's Gardener Program associated with the University of Washington. They are experimenting with straw bales, similar to what I've done, only theirs will not be torn apart. I find that straw bales and grass provide excellent insulation near a growing bed; they hold the berm upright, and hold moisture in. I've always had raised berms. They keep my root crops out of the water when spring rains are excessive, and I can flood them in the late summer to make a rich organic soup that is absorbed from the bottom up. That ultimately cuts down on the need to water everyday when it is hot.
The Franklin Park Community Garden Plots are about five blocks from my house, so it is a 2-minute drive. In addition to gardening, there are large open fields available for sports. There are tennis courts, picnic tables and restrooms, and bike and walking trails. During recess at the nearby Life Christian Center the kids come out to play, and I've enjoyed listening to them while I work. An old-folks home, an Assisted Living Building and an Independent Living Complex border the gardens, so we have many of the elderly sitting at their windows, watching us garden. They wave, come by to visit, or take their walks along the sidewalk that circles the Community Garden. There is this wonderful feeling of being connected to all segments of humanity - children, youth, families, the elderly, and other gardeners. You can't beat that!

One of the elderly gentlemen living at the Retirement Home came by and told me not to be discouraged by the poor soil. He said roots love pebbles and rocks. Just add a little stuff to puff it up. So, I did, and I hope it all works out. He also said that it is not only plants that grow in a garden. He said I will too, as I learn what works, or doesn't.

I love the sounds of the birds - we've got a pair of nesting Killdear nearby and many other birds in the trees and up on the hill. Just a delightful environment, peaceful just like a park should be. As I work the dirt, I hope by summer I'll have prepared viable soil, with worms, able to sustain my tomatoes. Meantime, anything I plant will have to have a shovelful of my own backyard soil to get it started. That means I'll be hauling bucket-fulls. Sounds labor-intensive, and it is. My hands are full of bandages (I always seem to remove my gloves so I can feel the dirt) and I ache all over, but it sure feels good.

George bought me a little tool-box wagon that I can use to hold some of my gear; it's got storage for all my water bottles, my hand tools and seed-packets. There is a cover that provides a nice place to sit, and a holder for my coffee cup. It's a cute little thing, and a nice gesture from George. I do have to laugh though, because on this plot I do not foresee any 'sit down time'.

Family Reunion - Tent Camping

Our family is getting ready for Memorial Day weekend. Every year now we hope to pick a different camping location. We pack up our tents, canoes, hiking gear, and tons of food and head out for the prairie, the wide-open spaces.

Ruhiyyih is flying in from Washington D.C., and my sister, her husband and daughter will drive over from Montana. My oldest daughter Laurel and her husband Mehran will join us, and maybe both of my youngest sons will attend (if they can get time off from work.) George and I arrive on Wednesday to select the best campsite, set up camp, and the others arrive the next day. We camp through the weekend.

George decides the location (must have water and toilets for family reunions), and it is up to all of us to bring the necessities. For me that is food, clothing and bedding. For our kids it is media - iPods, computers, boardgames, movies and music. Buddy, Laurel's dog, hopes someone will bring his ball, and leave the leash home.

Our oldest son Ruh has just purchased a two-room tent with a screened-in porch, and he's setting it up early so he can baste the seams with a water-sealant. Basting the seams will prevent moisture from leaking into the tent. (Rue is listening to some advice from his inlaws ...thanks to Kathy for the photos.

Wind, rain and unpredictable weather are always a concern to campers, and we've had our share of tents collapsing in the rain - and some even blown across the desert into the sagebrush. That time, the pegs had not yet been installed. Ruhiyyih had to run to catch her tent!

I remember one year I told George that I was going to secure our tent and a protective covering over it with heavy rocks. He looked around at the calm weather, no clouds in the sky, and thought I was wasting my time. Come midnight though, a violent storm broke out over the lake, and our tent was simply pummeled with wind. The rocks held the tent-stakes down, the liner down, and the canopy down. Ever since, I find big rocks and haul them down, secure them onto the tent, and then I can sleep easy. (I can just imagine how delightful it will be to sit with morning coffee inside this little porch - no mosquitoes.)

Last spring all of us went into an early spring camping trip knowing we'd have rain, but Rue was well prepared. He'd basted the seams of his tent, secured ropes carefully, and pulled a huge tarp over the top to keep the rain out. We put a huge canopy over the picnic table so our food would stay dry, and we stacked the wood under the table. It poured rain that night. Of course the sound is delightful, the patter of rain. But by morning some of our bedding was wet. Water had gotten into the tent. When that happens, you wake up cold, and you try to figure out how that had happened. We learned to pull a tarp over the tent - and beyond - to keep all of the tents out of the rain. (Rue's father-in-law, Tim, has done extensive canoeing and camping, and hopes to join Annie and Rue on some camping.)

Our tent gave out last fall and I purchased another one, the most inexpensive one I could find. The zippers give out every few years on these 'affordable' brands like Glacier's Edge or Coleman. They have plastic zippers, not metal, and the wear and tear takes a toll. The better tents are from REI and you pay several hundred dollars for those. We used the tent several times, but I was disappointed that it didn't have a back window right over the bed. I prefer to have at least two windows, front and back, so that if I need to check out back in the middle of the night I can do so without having to get out of bed. I just unzip the window. I also missed not having the view, as part of the fun of sleeping out under the stars is in being able to enjoy looking at them while you are laying in bed. So, I've purchased another one, which gives us that back window. We'll take both, as there is always a need for an extra tent when we camp - people who want to bathe at bedtime can use this old one for their bath. (Our grand-daughter Daisy is enjoying the tent's front porch.)

I'm still down with a cold and bronchitis, coughing and coughing. Just waiting it out. I loathe the energy lag that comes with this, as I have a million things that I want to do to get ready for this trip. If I'm up to it today, I'll go to REI and get the sealing baste, and we'll set the tent up outside on the weekend. We'll baste the seams of our new tents, just as Rue suggests. However important that may be, I plan to have tarps and ropes next time, just as a precaution. If I'm still recuperating from this bug, I want to stay warm and dry.

Spicy-Hot Foods From the East

It wasn't until George and I came down with colds that I figured it was time to 'blast our bugs' with some hot fragrant spices. I went to one of the local markets that features east-Indian spices and found chilli peppers, fenugreek, tumeric, sumac berry, and fennel packaged up in various blends. I picked up some moong beans, black lentils, and kallonji.(Seeds from 'Love in a Mist' plant.)

All of these come in exotic-looking packages, with unfamiliar words: Paunch Puran from India; Ethiopian Berbere, a spice that is pressed into meats and added to lentil stews; from Phuket, a green curry powder that has coriander leaf, ginger, lemon grass, cardamon, garlic, fennel and peppers. It is mixed with coconut milk, shrimp and vegetables, and makes a spicy broth.

Quatre Blend, from France, has black peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg and ginger, and is added to stews and soups. Garam Masala Powder's ingredients are corn, mung, masoor, moth, potato, rice, sago, raisen, salt, and spices. All these spices provide hot, pungent spices. Perfect, when you have a cold!

This is Moong Dhal, a vegetable soup made from mung beans and assorted chopped vegetables. I always have a bin of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onion and garlic, bok choy, peppers and kale ready for stir-fry, so I put these in, adding tomatoes, currants, orange zest, and tiny chopped yellow beets also. I used garam masala powder, salt, and kitchen bouquet for the broth.

Paunch Puran has yellow mustard seeds and fennel, so I added a touch of that. I made only enough for one meal, as the spices tend to loose their effectiveness after several hours. As you study east-Indian cooking you come to understand that some spices must be fried first to get them 'popping', and at other times they are added at the very end of the cooking period. This allows for a burst of aroma which is incredibly refreshing.

Although a good part of east-Indian cooking is vegetarian, I experimented with some of the spices, mixing some with onion, garlic, and fresh large shrimp.

Then, I fried up some onions, and mixed panko bread-crumbs into them. The crumbs were seasoned with honey mustard (like Gullah-Grub Chicken) and fried also.

These Greek butter-beans are incredibly good. I poured them over basmati rice when the meal was served. Basic recipe here:

Greek fassolia gigantes, or butter beans
Chopped tomatoes
Olive oil
Finely sliced onions
Tomato puree
Chopped cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper
Finely chopped pepper
Oregano and Thyme

This is the complete meal, followed by demitasse coffee and puff-pastry for dessert.