Playing With Fire - Kebabs and Fire-Starters

Yesterday I experimented with some kebabs and barbecued chicken. I'd marinaded the chicken for 16 hours then used a spicy brush-on sauce that I applied frequently while the chicken was cooking. It kept everything moist. Paprika, cayenne, cumin, fresh oregano, fresh lime juice, pineapple and cilantro - all worked together to add punch and zing.

While the fire simmered down and the last stages of my cooking remained, I prepared a few more kebabs to grill over the fire. Then, I placed all of the meal in my tagine, to simmer in chicken broth flavored with a small amount of coconut milk and roasted Panch Puran seeds seared in a little pan. This cracks the spices open, and activates the flavors at the end of cooking. Some east-Indian spices deteriorate quickly once activated, so are added at the end of the cooking, just as an enhancement to the flavors.

I set out a tray of garnishes - cilantro and limes. (My tagine is getting ready to be placed on the grill.)

The coals in the grill were spread out so everything simmered gently, creating a wonderfully aromatic rich sauce. I kept the meal warm until it could be served with black beans, a basmati rice-red spring wheat blend, and the rich coconut-pineapple tagine sauce.

Earlier in the day I came across an article on 'Fire-Starters' that can be a fun project for children in the summertime. They can be made from anything combustible - sawdust, clothes-dryer lint, grease-soaked paper towels, and stuffed into empty toilet-paper tubes.

When on excursions out in the woods many things can be gathered. Rolled up into a ball, they can then be coated with parrafin wax. I have collected dried elk dung, seeds and cones, moss and lichen, finely shredded rattan and cat-tail silk on our canoe paddles, so I experimented with some these.

This is finely shredded rattan rolled into a tight ball, and drizzled with parrafin.
Shredded material can be mixed with fresh seeds, like fennel, to create a fantastic aroma when the fire starter is burned.

The collection of fibers is placed in an egg carton to hold the shapes before the wax is dripped onto them. On the left is cat-tail silk, then elk dung and moss, shredded rattan, shredded paper, and a ball of tightly wound onion skins.

This is a little cast-iron pan that I use on my grill; it holds brush-on sauces. But here I'm using it to melt the parrafin wax over my stove.

I cut 4 inch fern-leaf stems and placed them vertically into the fire starter ball before I poured the wax on. This makes it easy to hold onto the fire-starters while arranging them on top of the charcoal.

After the wax hardened, I cut the individual cups out of the egg carton using a pair of nail-trimming shears that I once used on my Pygmy goats. The egg carton is a tough fiber, so they worked great, and the result was 12 pretty little baskets.

I placed all of my home-made fire-starters into this oblong basket. I also use paper wands in the bottom of the grill to help spread the fire around. The paper slowly burns, sending spirals of fragrant smoke up into the air.

Problem, though, is that these egg-carton fire-starters are just too cute to burn up. I'm tempted to put a few on my kitchen windowsill. The cattail silk, the elk dung, the wild seeds, the moss and lichen - I remember all the fun I had collecting these things. There is a wonderful memory in each one of them.

Someone Is Hiding In My Garden

When I saw the seeds for Rainbow Carrots I just had to try them. Not that we eat carrots that much; I just knew it would be fun growing them, then pulling them up to see what color they'd be. It will be a crop I'll always plant because it is fun. And, children love seeing the carrots.

My plot at the Franklin Park Community Garden is truly at it's peak right now, that time when most of the growth has occurred and it is time to anticipate pulling stuff - the cauliflower, beets, lettuce and kale, the carrots, onions, and celery.
My yellow zuchinni has spread out where the broccolini and lettuce were.
These orange, yellow and red nasturtiums are at the front border of my garden plot. When I pulled all my lettuce they took over the bare spots. That is a row of potatoes behind them, then a row of Sweet Peas and another row of Snow Peas. I've harvested most of the Snow Peas, using them in stir-fries and freezing some also.
This is a row of calendula at the back of my plot. I use the flower petals for salads and teas, and also freeze the entire flower heads for use later. Eggplant, hot red peppers, fava beans, squash and cilantro are behind the calendula.

I have a side row of dahlias, which have grown very tall. My tomatoes are tall too, with spooky pathways inbetween the tall plants. One of my garden friends has a four year old daughter who comes to my plot to play while her mother is working (against the rules, of course. Children should stay with their parents.) The child hides in the trenches and picks the calendula inside, making little bouquets. When her mother comes to find her, she hides among the Snow Peas, and crouches down, avoiding her mother's calls. I've created a special hiding place for her!

Little birds have come too, for the calendula seeds. I have a couple of poles stretched over the tomatoes, and they use them as a perch. I enjoy the sounds they make as I work, and I also enjoy the conversations of my fellow gardeners, many of whom are from the Ukraine. I wonder what they talk about as they hoe the dirt in their gardens and rinse their vegetables in big buckets of water. Even though I am a quiet person and don't visit much, I always greet them as I arrive.

The Russian women have a gardening style that they've brought over from the 'old country'. In spite of what they see being done, they keep their old procedures, some of which are not to their advantage. However, they collect all their own seeds, tend their plots with the utmost care, and make the most of the growing season, often planting and replanting if possible.

I've been busy with 'production', cooking and freezing what I grow. But mostly we've been eating everything, which is mostly in the form of salads and stir-frys. I made 'Beef Tagine with Onions and Apricots' a few days ago, putting it over a slow charcoal fire. It simmered, strengthening all the flavors until a rich sauce formed. I used spaetzel rather than couscous this time, just for a change. Each time I make a tagine I learn something new - this time I learned to leave the almonds out, as the stew begs for softness when using spaetzel.

Today I experimented with a Pineapple Upside Down Cake which can be baked in a Dutch Oven over an open fire, or in a barbecue with coals placed on top of the lid as well as below. My project was to test the ingredients, and create a cake that was full-bodied and flavorful but not too sweet. I used less sugar and added several tablespoons of molasses to the flour-cornmeal batter.
Chopped pecans were also added to the top, along with a nasturtium from my garden. When I cut this cake, I served it with a scoop of fig yogurt - Greek God's Yogurt, the best I've ever tasted.

Sojourn on Lake Wynoochee - Washington

When we plan our camping trips, replete with hiking and canoeing, we always factor in the weather, the driving distance, and the pleasure of finding a fantastic new location. So, when we decided to camp in the Olympic National Forest, we hoped for great weather - in the 70's, clear and sunny; a driving distance of only a couple of hours; and a lake that offered great paddling - 12 miles around the lake, five hours of paddling. 'Arms' that just invited exploring, beaches and bluffs that offered camping for those who wanted to portage their equipment.

We drove into the Lake Wynoochee Campground discovering that three sites remained available - two in loop A and one in loop B. We checked out the one site in loop B and found it cramped and dark, so we secured site #3 in Loop A. We unloaded the van and positioned ourselves in a sunny little nook...right between two sets of birthday crowds, three guys on one side and a woman at the other site. As we set up, about noon, the sounds were cheerful and fun. The three guys - Dave, Mickey, and Jet, were barbecuing burgers and telling fishing and hunting stories, each one out-shouting the other. They've known each other for years, and get together once a year to stay connected.

The woman on the other side of us was having a birthday celebration also but it had skidded into too many drinks, a surly boyfriend, and a birthday gift she didn't want - a ragged, second-hand boat that he'd bought 'just for her'. She let the whole campground know of her disappointment. Really vulgar words were exchanged, and he unhitched the boat from his truck and drove off, but not until after someone pulled a knife. The sheriff was called, and the birthday party ended on a real sour note.

We had hoped for a little peace and quiet, but as the night wore on the party crowd at the far end of the campground got more wild and loud. The camp host didn't intervene, and the music and racket lasted until 3:00 a.m. Well, I slept through most of it since I've got some hearing loss. But, George laid awake for several hours listening to the music and the guy's stories - stuff about fishing, hunting, bear stories, guy stuff. The following evening he went to bed early and I tended the campfire for several more hours. Dave, Mickey, and Jet had a few more beers, stories got louder, more dramatic, and again packed with so many adventures that I had to stay up - just to hear how the stories ended! Fishing in the Bering Sea, working the container ships, working heavy duty equipment in the mountains, outwitting the cops, all the pranks they did when they were younger - why, these guys could have written a best-seller.
There are campsites all around Lake Wynoochee, however you have to portage your stuff by canoe or backpack in on the trails. Given the noise in the campgrounds, this would have been a better choice (if we didn't have so much stuff).
Wind along the shoreline.
Resting after lunch.
Afternoon shadows.
George took a wrong turn on the way home, and we discovered this logging road. It sure was better than the dirt road we came in on - a road that was having major repairs, with all kinds of big earth-movers and bulldozers lining the shoulders.

The campground host said more people will be able to drive up to Lake Wynoochee once the repairs are made. George and I will not return - we prefer solitude, the open vista of eastern Washington.

When we left for our camping trip, I wondered what would be the most memorable, the hiking, the canoeing? The food? (Moroccan meatballs on a rice-blend; gnocche with onions and sauce; strawberry crepes, pizza.) Pancakes, bacon and eggs, lots of vegetable hash, sliced apples, grapes. Hot cocoa.

But, none of that was as memorable as those campers who brought the intimate details of their lives to the campground. Dave, Mickey, Jet. I still think about them, the guys telling their stories.... and the blond gal getting picked up the next morning by her dad. Later, when we left, that ragged boat was still parked in campsite #1, and not a soul around.

Baby Back Ribs and Grilled Chicken

There is nothing like the taste and aroma of barbecue! It just evokes life at its best in the summertime - grilled onions, kebabs, savory ribs and chicken - all of it causes me to stop in my tracks and breathe in the aroma of charcoal, marinades and sauces. I can only imagine the mouth-watering goodness erupting in every bite.

Everyone has their own favorite way of grilling and barbecuing, depending on cuts of meat and resources at hand. My goal was to barbecue some baby back ribs (beef), and grill some chicken with a sweet 'n' sour glaze....and cook them at the same time on my charcoal grill.

What's the difference between grilling and barbecuing? Time. Barbecue is a gentle heat that can last for hours; grilling is a higher heat, and the process takes only a few minutes. Both processes have different outcomes.

When I considered cooking the ribs, I wanted rib meat that was juicy-moist, lightly enhanced with a honey-smoked sauce, and so tender it could drop off the bone by itself! Since my husband is a diabetic, I do not want layers of thick rich sauce, which can be too sweet. However, I do want tender meat packed with that rich savory barbecue flavor.

The usual mistake in barbecuing baby back ribs is cooking it so fast over the grill that the meat gets tough, retains some of the gristle and fat, and the outside gets dry and burnt. To compensate for flavor the cook will daub on abundant sauce in a effort to camouflage the poorly cooked meat.

The secret to really good ribs is not the sauce, as most sauces work quite well. The secret is to BAKE the ribs slowly in a 225 degree oven for four hours: The first hour rub the ribs in oil and place on a rack in an uncovered pan. The second two hours keep the ribs covered, wrapped in tin foil, basting them in olive oil occasionally. The last hour take the foil off, baste the ribs in olive oil, and then baste them several times with your favorite barbecue sauce (Honey Smoke, for me). This low-heat process seals in the juices, keeps the meat from drying out, and tenderizes it. All it needs then is to sit on the edges of the charcoal grill while the chicken is cooking. The highest heat in the center of the grill will cook the chicken, and the diffused lower heat along the edges will glaze your ribs to perfection.

Be sure to grill your chicken over a MEDIUM heat (hold your hand over the top of the grill for 5 seconds - that's medium heat). I marinate my chicken for five hours (while the ribs are in the oven), then brush them with Asian peanut sauce when they are ready for the grill. Put the skin-side down first, for 70 % of the cooking. This will cause grease to drip from the skin, so you'll have to move the chicken away from the flame to keep it from getting charred. I actually split the chicken breast the last few minutes, to sear the inside saturating it with the Sweet n' Sour sauce. At the very end I add salt and pepper, and remove all the meat immediately from the charcoal grill so it will not dry out.

I cooked a pot of basmati rice, lightly singed some onion rings, and fried up some panko bread crumbs to sprinkle over everything. I served our evening meal on these old enamel camping plates - I've had them over 35 years. They just add a rustic touch to outdoor eating, and bring back so many wonderful memories of cooking outdoors.

When grilling or barbecuing, it is always a good plan to cook more than you can eat at one meal. That means sandwiches the next day! The meat will still be incredibly tender and juicy. Warm the chicken 15 seconds in the microwave and then grill under the oven-broiler for a minute. That activates all the flavor. I like sourdough bread, frying both sides in olive oil. Then I lay a thin covering of mayonnaise on top of the bread, then the chicken. A sprinkling of red onions and any other finely chopped vegetable or herbs can make this sandwich very festive. Hot from under the broiler, and ready in 3 minutes - you can't beat that! And, it will taste like you've been in the kitchen all morning.

Left-Overs: Polenta and Tomato Soup

We are getting ready to camp for a few days over the weekend, so I'm cleaning out my refrigerator. That means using up odds and ends so they will not go to waste - left over polenta; broccolini-onion-garlic-cauliflower slaw; stewed tomatoes and corn; ground saussage; one pita bread disc; and buffalo wing cheddar cheese curds (Yancey's Fancy's New York Artisan Cheese). Odds and ends just waiting for an experiment.

I had a small amount of left-over gravy made with pan-drippings, nutmeg and coconut milk so I made that the base for the Tomato Soup. Then, I added parsley, oregano, sauteed onion and sausage, a bit of fresh sauteed garlic, and croutons made from pan-fried cubes of pita bread. Those were great paired with the cheddar cheese curds and I put them on top of the bowls of soup.
The polenta (on the far bottom left) fries up within minutes, leaving the tops browned and flavorful.

The vegetable hash also is fried in olive oil, and seasoned with oregano, sage leaves and flowers from my garden, garlic and bacon. I get all the ingredients chopped before I stir-fry.
Green onions, parsley, oregano, broccolini and calendula blossoms all add fragrance and color to stir-frys and salads.
These are oregano blossoms, which are beautiful in a salad.

We've been enjoying beet greens on a daily basis, picking only the leaves so the root can stay in the ground and get bigger. Next week I'll pull quite a few of them, and pickle them with a Harvard Beet Sauce. Years ago when I had a surplus of beets I used to can the beets in this sauce. Now, we just eat them up every day!

My garden plot is a five-block walk from the house, at Franklin Park Community Garden. I go over daily to water and to pull lettuce, snow-peas, broccolini and kale. This year I've used every bit of my produce with nothing going to waste. These broccolini were chopped into salads and stir-frys. I made a large bouquet with them, keeping it on my patio until I was ready to use it. As the flowers faded the seed pods developed and elongated - I chopped them up to use as a sprinkling over rice.

Not to see a good thing go to waste, I picked a huge bouquet of sweet peas that were growing down in a ravine at Franklin Park. Mostly pinks, but a few whites were there too. I couldn't help but enjoy their effulgence in a big bouquet for my kitchen window. This last shot is one of their backsides, turned toward the light. Ah, the colors of summertime!

Comfort Foods: Couscous and Black Eyed Peas

We hosted the Feast of Kalimat at Franklin Park and I prepared two cold salads: 'Couscous with Nuts and Fruit', and 'Black-eyed Pea Salad'. Both these salads served together provide all the essential amino acids necessary to create a complete protein. So, they enhance each other, working together. Add a few seeds and nuts and you've got a meal. Couscous is exceedingly easy to prepare if purchased parboiled. I buy it in the bulk section of my market, and have served it hot with meats and veggies and also cold as a salad. (The Sweet Pea pictured here as a garnish is not edible. However, the nasturtium leaf underneath the salad is quite peppery, edible. )

Couscous Salad With Nuts and Fruit:

10 ounces of parboiled couscous, cooked

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs olive oil

3/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 sweet apple, finely chopped

1 cup chopped snow peas

1/2 cup golden raisens

1/2 cup currantsdried cranberries

1/2 cup mixed nuts (sunflower, peanut, almond)

2 green onions, sliced

finely chopped parsley, cilantro, oregano

Dressing:

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Black Eyed Pea Salad:

5 cups cooked and drained black-eyed peas

4 slices crumbled, cooked bacon

1/2 cup olive oil mixed with 1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 Tbs chopped green onion

2 Tbs chopped jalapenos

2 Tbs parsley

1 1/12 tsp garlic

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

brown sugar (to taste)

Mix together all items, and chill until ready to serve. This salad also benefits from a garnish of fresh mint and looks sweet with a few nasturtium blossoms hugging the serving dish.

Black Bean Waffle With Poached Eggs

When I think of waffles I imagine something light and sweet, embellished with berries and syrup. So you can imagine my surprise when I was reading "Red Sage - Contemporary American Cuisine" and saw a recipe for waffles that included beans (white and black), kernel corn, and green onions. I had to give it a try, see how it would taste with a few poached eggs.

To make a gravy for the eggs, I fried up some hot Mexican sausage, then used the pan-drippings with coconut milk, nutmeg and salt to make the gravy. I sprinkled a few finely chopped blossoms on top - calendula, broccolini, and oregano - and breakfast was served. It was a hit. Substantial, flavorful, and fun. There were a few left-over waffles, so I dried them in the oven, and they turned out similar to Rye-Crisp wafers, perfect for a snack on the trail during a hike.

It is innovation that makes "Red Sage" a remarkable cookbook. Mark Miller, the author, has been in the vanguard of American chefs, revolutionizing the way food is prepared, perceived, and enjoyed. He has several restaurants, one called the 'Coyote Cafe' in Santa Fe, and 'Red Sage' is in Washington D.C. He uses all the practical food of the Native American, European, and Latin American traditions. The result is a delightful surprise, with recipes like 'Cider-Glazed Rabbit Loin with a Wild Mushroom Quesadilla', 'Roasted Stuffed Pheasant with Fresh Corn Sauce', and 'Campfire-Baked Pineapple Upside-Down Cake', which can be done in a Dutch oven over the grill.

I've been reading "Red Sage - Contemporary Western Cuisine" out on my patio during the afternoons when the sun is at it's zenith, and it is too hot to do anything but relax. In addition to over 100 recipes, there are essays featuring western history, the birth of the cattle culture in Texas, and the migration west from Independence, Missouri, by thousands of people looking to improve their lives. This resonates with our family's history out on the homestead in Montana where my grandparents raised five children. GrandDad embarked on that journey, leaving St. Joseph, Missouri behind, hoping to carve out a new life in eastern Montana.

I also barbecued some chicken breasts over the weekend, marinated in a hot southwestern brine and brushed on while the chicken was grilling. Brown sugar, chiles, garlic and onion, soy sauce - it all imparts a wonderful flavor to the meat.

Ciabatta Rolls are sliced and grilled, slathered with a bit of mayonaise, then the chicken is placed on top. A layer of Mozzarella cheese is often placed first on the roll, then the chicken, but I used only shredded cheeses here. Then, I poured a Tomato-Relish Sauce over the chicken. It had chopped black and green olives, hot peppers, parsley, basil and oregano in an olive oil base.
Once the sandwiches were built, I laid them on a plate of garden greens, and put out a few tomato slices, a long dill pickle slice, and some red-onion rings. It was some good eatin'!

Oh, and for dessert: Fresh strawberries and apricots for dessert, topped with Greek God Honey Yogurt. It is so rich it is like ice cream, so I drizzled chocolate syrup over the top and shaved a few layers of chocolate off a truffle.

The thin drizzle here is super sweet Hershey's, and the other a rich semi-sweet ephermere sauce by Dana Taylor Davenport. This is an excellent chocolate sauce for a Caffe Mocha as it is super rich! It even goes great spread on a graham cracker. But watch out - two ounces are 199 calories. Now, really, when chocolate is concerned, who thinks about that!

A Surprising Delight: Lettuce Soup

I really hesitated describing this soup as 'lettuce soup', as it includes leeks, a fennel bulb, onions, garlic, yellow split peas, fava beans, carrots and green peas. But, my garden-grown lettuce in the broth made it simply amazing!

When I went to my garden this morning, I culled out a lot of the mature lettuce, many different varieties of red, bronze, light and dark green. All of the plants were getting ready to bolt, and the leaves were developing a strong flavor. I had to use everything up - quickly.

I was determined to experiment, by grinding up all of the plants in my blender with a bit of organic chicken broth. It made the most beautifully colored broth! When placed in the sunlight on my kitchen counter I noticed translucent shimmering bubbles, all of which had glistening sunshine throughout. They seemed to dance together as I tipped the bowl of lettuce broth, reminding me of some of the algae bogs George and I have paddled through. Some bogs have so much organic matter in them that they develop little streams of bubbles that float from the bottom up to the top of the water and pop on the surface. So mysterious, almost breathing with vitality and life!

I had to chuckle at what I'd concocted, in an effort to maximize the production from my garden. So often, the leavings just get turned into the soil, as often we plant too many rows and cannot eat everything fast enough. But I'd been watching a BBC program on nutrition and the segment was on organic nutritional drinks that are 'light', and I decided that I'd give Lettuce Soup a try.

The strongest aroma is not the lettuce, but the sliced fennel root, fresh oregano, and minced garlic. Split peas and other legumes, like the fava, are simmered with carrots, onion and leeks in chicken bullion. I placed the pot to simmer on the back of the stove for an hour and went for my late morning jog. By the time I returned home, my lunch was ready! I took some banana bread out of the freezer, sliced some lime wedges and hot red pepper, and my meal was ready in a flash. It was so good, so refreshing and light, that I ate one bowl, then another.

Lettuce Soup is new to me, but people have been making it for years. I've just never heard about it. This recipe is a variation on the theme, using less-than-perfect romaine, bok choy and some completely wilted radish leaves. It looks yummy. However, I will always blenderize my lettuce as it gives the broth that deep green color, and I prefer to pick the lettuce in the morning before it looses its freshness and vigor.

Well, I can't believe the weekend is over. It just seemed to fly by. We'd planned to go camping for 3 days, possibly in eastern Washington at Sun Lakes. But, when I checked out the weather there, it was simply too hot, in the 90's. I couldn't imagine having any fun camping. I'd just want to lay down and try to breathe.

So, I checked out western Washington, Ocean Shores. There, it indicated rain all weekend with temps in the upper 50's! I could just imagine trying to stay warm and dry while trying to cook a meal. Rain would mean putting up canopies, tarps. Just so much work.

That left going south toward Portland, and I recall most of the campgrounds along the way were packed with people, noise, overflowing garbage receptacles, and reservation-only camping. That is not our style - we prefer wide-open spaces, no fee-camping, and plenty of solitude.

I called George with the weather reports on Thursday, and we decided to stay home. The temperature for Tacoma was just perfect - mid 70's, overcast with a bit of morning rain, then sunshine. We decided to settle for good weather here, and just be spontaneous, see what we could come up with.

I closed the door to the garage (and all the camping gear waiting to be loaded up), and I drove down to Ruston Way on Thursday. The Tall Ships "Parade of Sail" was just about to begin, and I had a good view from one of the piers. The ships would sail by within one hundred feet! (I didn't take my camera. Didn't want the distraction of picture-taking.)

It was a parade of vintage sailing craft, such as the Bounty and the Eagle and other famous sailing ships. Two canoes from the Puyallup Tribe, the "Thunder Spirit" and "The Spirit of the Wolf Protects", offered an exchange of gifts in a ceremony in Quartermaster Harbor. Then the Tacoma Fire Department fireboat crossed Commencement Bay and entered the Foss Waterway, where many of the sailing vessels were moored. There, they were available for tours.

At the "Parade of Sail" I enjoyed listening to the cannons and whistles and watching the crowds scan the water for the next ship. Everyone would wave and hoot as the tall ship would approach, its sails so glorious, and the shipmates would wave and shout greetings. The excitement was so spontaneous and fun.

I decided that I wanted a closer look at those magnificent ships. So we went to the Festival of Ships the following day and milled around. There, the Maritime Museum was open, and we spent all afternoon touring the exhibits, listening to live music, and enjoying the ambiance of a summer festival. There were booths featuring crafts and food.

This ship is the USCG Eagle, a three-masted barque built in 1936. It is known as America's Tall Ship, and serves as a training vessel for the U.S.Coast Guard Academy. There are 20,000 square feet of sail, 5 miles of rigging, and 200 some lines to teach seamanship, leadership and teamwork.

The Bounty was my favorite - quite small I thought, but beautiful with it's green and gold, it's history as the ship built for the film "Mutiny on the Bounty" by MGM. She is set up with a full crew, and sails primarily on the East Coast.

The Marine Museum featured shipbuilding, with shipwrights building a boat on the premise. The woman who set up the display here was part of the crew, and had just finished putting these items on the wall days prior to the opening of the Festival.

All of the moored ships in the Thea Foss Waterway were open for tours, complete with crews. These guys were part of the music festival on the lawn. The young man on the left had a fantastic swagger that just seemed so in keeping with his buccaneer costume.

George and I enjoyed a barbecue on the 4th of July at my former husband's home in Gig Harbor. He and his wife had recently gone on a photography safari in Africa, and he had some 300 photographs to share. He and his wife went to Tanzania, had luxurious accommodations, met the local people, and got up 'close and personal' with a wide assortment of wildlife and birds. Just a fascinating photo-journey! My oldest daughter Laurel and her husband joined us, so we all had a chance to catch up on the latest news.

I'll have to admit that I had a few dollars burning in my pocket when I realized that we'd not be traveling/camping. I figured I could put it to good use - I bought this conical Tagine, a ceramic round grill, and a cookbook "Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes From North Africa" by Ghillie Basan. In addition to classic chicken pies, fava-bean dips, and flatbreads, there are essys on the Dadas and the traditional kitchen; Berber traditions and tagines; the art of making Couscous; souks and spices; and hospitality and the serving of teas.

I've been experimenting with Moroccan cooking and had read so much about the Tagine. It's conical lid causes a continual basting of the stew inside the pot, causing the flavors to intensify and the sauce to caramelize and thicken. I prepared a simple "Chicken and Lamb Tagine with Apricots, Prunes and Almonds", and added a few (American) vegetables. Then I let it simmer slowly over the charcoal grill. A thick tasty stew just packed with flavor was the result. I was simply delighted. I served warmed flat-bread to go with this stew.

We had time over the weekend to paddle a portion of Mason Lake up in Kitsap County, not far from where George works. The lake is huge, with a lot of big homes and powerboats (something we tend to stay away from). But, there are several peaceful 'arms' and offshoots that provide a gentle intimacy and interesting paddling. These homes were at the entrance to one of those arms. We paddled along the shoreline, passed submerged logs and noticed the deep sediment (a serious hazard for swimmers).

We took along ham and cheese sandwiches, some dessert, and a thermos of hot green tea, and ate lunch as we paddled along.
The end of this arm had lots of deadwood and submerged logs.

George suggested ending our weekend with a hike at Towano State Park, my favorite campground in this area. We hiked the trail through the forest. Last fall I camped alone during the day here and George joined me in the evening after work - this State Park is just a few miles away from his work. When I saw how the crowds had emptied out of the campground there Sunday evening, I will have to admit that I wondered if I'd made the best decision not to camp. I considered mid-week camping, though, acquiring reservations early in the day should we decide to camp here.

So, when our weekend drew to a close we had enjoyed local festivities and recreation closer to home, and, vicariously, a safari to Africa. I was able to do some fun cooking, and my little Tagine (George calls it a 'Ka-ching') is now resting over spent coals, ready for me to play with it again.