My Kind of Place - Near McMurray, Washington

This is a little cabin near McMurray. As soon as we saw it, both of us laughed, and George said, "There's your place!" I wanted to stop and photograph it, but we were driving too fast. Found a photo on Flickr!

Tiny Bites - Apple Pie With Orange Rind Crust

Ful Medames and Pita - Spicy and Substantial

In Egypt Ful Medames is a working man's breakfast - fava beans in a spicy sauce, often mashed like hummus, and served with lots of olive oil, lemon, sliced eggs and pita bread.
I spiced the ful with home-canned harissa and ras el hanout. Side dish of rice and red beans, cornbread and Greek pita, and coleslaw.

A typical ful medames breakfast served by an Egyptian street vendor will have pita bread, pickled vegetables and fresh rocket leaves on the side.

Southern Cooking: Red Beans & Rice, Cornbread

Anthony Bourdain recently featured the cooking of New Orleans. I was inspired to cook red beans and rice, and some cornbread.
A few eateries down south on Flickr.

Zucchini Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

Topped with mozzarella cheese, this flavorful zucchini lasagna was layered with lots of labor to enhance flavor and texture - two layers of sliced zucchini, a layer of black beans, two layers of zucchini spread, the bechamel sauce, chorizo and onions, and a bottom crust to hold it all together!

Zucchini slices were boiled for only 4 minutes then cooled in ice. I made a simple butter-flour crust, rolled it out, then pressed 'Ancient Grain' tortilla crumbs into the rolled dough. 'Ancient Grains' uses a blend of whole grain wheat, amaranth, millet, quinoa, teff, and sorghum. I fried and seasoned the tortillas, put them through the food processor, then pressed them into the butter crust. This would provide a flakey crunch to the casserole.

A layer of black beans was spread out, then covered with the bechamel sauce.

Zucchini spread and bechamel gave the flavor to this dish - no salt was used.

The zucchini spread - I canned 52 pints this year - is made with carrots, kale, onion and garlic, tomato, mashed garbanzos and black beans, and spices. It is so flavorful! Perfect as a spread for toast or as a filling for burritos.

After layering the zucchini, spread, beans and bechamel, I fried a small amount of chorizo and onions, and put them on top.

Mozzarella on top, with toothpicks, so the cheese will not stick to the foil when this is baking.

This casserole held up beautifully when served, keeping its shape when cut into squares, which can be a problem with some lasagna casseroles. I didn't salt the zucchini so juice wouldn't seep throughout the casserole, and I cooled down the bechamel so it would thicken slightly, and remain so even when baked.

The flavor comes from the bechamel sauce, the chorizo and onions, and the zucchini spread, all of it quite flavorful. The crust added a crumbly texture, and made it easy to serve without falling apart.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Caramelized Pecans

... and banana chips, fresh peaches, and mango syrup! (Recipe here.)
Want it crispy like a waffle? Use a grill pan, oil spray, then toast.

Quiet Rural Water - Sloughs on the Willapa River

What a gorgeous Sunday - full sun and 75 degree temps! We spent the day hiking and canoeing, and enjoyed a picnic lunch on one of the sloughs draining into the Willapa River. This river drains an area of low hills and coastal plains into Willapa Bay, a large estuary north of the mouth of the Columbia River in southwest Washington.

Its convoluting sloughs offer an opportunity to explore dense forest and abundant vegetation. We spent several hours slowly paddling through snags and overhanging tree limbs.

It was fun, seeing how far we could go until we could paddle no further. George checked the tides, and we went up on one, and returned on the other.

Management of the Willapa Watershed

It may look like a peaceful place, but the Willapa Watershed is seriously managed! These are the activities that are undertaken to help improve overall stream health and lower stream temperatures: • Plant native riparian vegetation near streams. Consult with conservation district staff or other experts to determine what native riparian zone vegetation is best for the land. • Fence livestock away from as much of the riparian zone as possible, or use grazing and watering methods that minimize livestock contact with surface and ground water. Consult with conservation district staff, NRCS staff or Washington State University Cooperative Extension grazing experts for help with this. • Locate roads away from the riparian zones. • Convert irrigation systems to more efficient systems wherever practical. • Allow woody debris to stabilize streambeds and stream banks as possible, practical, and as would naturally occur. • Re-vegetate, and where appropriate re-shape, stream banks. • Develop farm plans that address temperature as part of their water quality component. • When possible, use reduced-till or lower-impact farming and livestock grazing practices that reduce runoff rates during rapid snowmelt and rain runoff. Not only does this protect cropland soils, but also by creating a more natural runoff rate, it keeps stream banks stable and minimizes flood damage in the near stream disturbance zone. • Provide off channel water sources for livestock. • Close non-essential roads near streams.

After Canoeing For Hours - Stretch at Rose Park

This little trail can no longer be funded or managed, but access is available 'at one's own risk' - a .04 mile hike, with fitness embellishments along the way - places to climb, pull, stretch and bend.
We enjoyed the shade and the climb, but it was altogether too brief.

Rainbow Falls State Park on the Chehalis River

We had hoped to hike here, but extensive storm damage closed some of the trails. We had to climb down a steep embankment to get to this swimming hole.
The ravine is dramatic, with old volcanic sludge, and lush with cedar, hemlock, Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce. I dropped a stone into the water here, to see how deep it was, and couldn't see it after awhile - a very precipitous drop.

Foraging From The Garden

Fava beans, cilantro and parsley, dill and leek seedheads, camomile,
nasturtium, borage flowers, chicory, lettuce, chard, kale, snow peas, brussel sprouts, new potatoes, carrots and celery, red and yellow onions, kale, zucchini, corn, turnips and rutabagas, fennel and oregano, mustard, and calendula flowers.
Foraged blackberries and store-bought cherries - what a salad!

George Did The Grilling - Garden Stuff

I'm exploring ways to use fava beans, as most of them are ready for grilling or braising for stews. The sauce is applied to the bean at the time of grilling then the bean is squeezed out of the pod.

This meal was finger-lickin' good - the juice of the crayfish, a garlic/pepper sauce on the steak, the butter on the corn, and the olive oil and salt coating the fava pods.

Picnic Devotional At Point Defiance Park

On the BBQ - Corn, Fava Beans, Crayfish Tagine

Roasted Garden Veggies on Raw Fava Leaves

Carrots and Fava Leaves

Fava leaves have a buttery flavor - wonderful sauteed or raw in salads.

Camomile, Parsnips and Brussel Sprouts

Fava Beans, Corn and Turnips From the Garden

The Naches Loop Trail on Mt Rainier

Snowfields still blanket many areas of the Pacific Crest Trail along the Natches Loop on Mt Rainier.

This trail is one of the most popular hikes in the park, with views of Tipsoo Lake, Dewey Lake, and Chinook Pass.

Although the trail gains only 700 feet in elevation I found hiking to be precarious in places due to melting snow and slushy paths. I used poles and went slowly - our daughter-in-law, Annie, sprained an ankle here last week. Ice over creeks was melting, thinning out, creating holes along the trail.

There were a lot of families on this trail, some carrying babies in backpacks, or walking with young children.

Looking down on Dewey Lake - we met backpackers who planned to camp there. (Photo set in Flickr).

The earliest flowers are now in full bloom in the dryer meadows.