Canyon Life

Do you ever wake up early on a Saturday morning, when you really just want to sleep in, and then sluggishly make your way to a social outing that you thought you wanted to go to but then didn't really want to because sleep seemed more appealing the morning of?  And of course, as soon as you get to the event or friends house or whatever, you are super glad you went. Because friends are awesome and they have lots of coffee and teach you fun things. That's what happened to me yesterday.

For a few months now, my good friend Rachel has been trying to organize a morning of cooking. You know how that goes sometimes, you plan, stuff comes up, schedules change, kids get sick, we just couldn't seem to get it together and stick to a date. Finally, after a few failed attempts, we met up yesterday. It was just three of us, Rachel, myself, and another friend, Jasmine. Jasmine was the reason Rachel was trying to get this event on the calendar. Last spring, Jasmine got married to her long-time, long-distance fiance (when I say long distance, I'm talking AUSTRALIA. Wow.),  Alex. It was a mind blowing wedding, two beautiful Romanian families coming together, celebrating a couple of fantastic Christ-centered kids tying the knot. Have you ever been to a Romanian wedding? If you ever get the chance, make sure you go. They know how to put on a party! The food, the decor, the romance.... I digress. Anyways, Rachel gave Jas a really cool gift for her marriage, an ebelskiver pan. Seen here:

Jasmine and Alex are apparently big fans of this pan, because it makes these delicious Danish puffed pancakes they had in Australia. Rachel had learned to make them from her mother, so she offered to teach Jasmine the basics. She also gave her a cookbook on ebelskiver, from Williams-Sonoma. We used their basic recipe to get started, and here's the link to it from their website so you can do it too:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/jam-filled-pancakes.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH

The link is actually a jam filled recipe, but that's ok, you get the idea. 

Rachel had Jasmine make the batter, which is a tiny bit time consuming, because you have to separate the eggs and whip the whites to stiff peaks and all that. If you are making enough for a crowd, double the recipe. We ended up making four batches so we'd have enough to bring home and share, and also because we kept shoving them in our mouths as soon as they were cooked. It can't be helped.

The neat thing about these pancakes is that they can be stuffed with anything. Fruit, jam, curd, chocolate, or savory things, herbs, cheese, nuts, and meats. You really can't go wrong. Rachel had blueberry filling and chocolate chips, Jasmine brought berries of all sorts, and I brought the savory, prosciutto, gruyere cheese, and green onion.

We started making the sweet pancakes first, just a dollop of batter in the pan, flip with these nifty wooden lobster hand looking tongs, and then toss in powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar. Next we made jam filled, strawberry filled, and all the fruits we had. To fill you just put half a scoop of batter, spoon about a tablespoon of filling, then cover with another half scoop of batter. Very simple, but you have to move quick. Then we added chocolate to a few, testing the different combinations to see what we liked best. There wasn't a bad flavor among anything we tried. After all the sweet stuff was done, we switched to savory fillings and things got crazy. Cheese, prosciutto, green onion and a dab of stone ground mustard went into a few, then just cheese, then ALOT more cheese, then cheese on the inside and outside, and then and then and then..... we ate them. And they were good. I think I prefer savory over sweet. Needless to say we thought of a bunch of other things we could do next time, and I am currently adding ebelskiver pan to my Christmas list. Rachel says her favorite go-to gift is a Williams-Sonoma ebelskiver cookbook and pan. I may copy that idea sometime, it's not even expensive. I highly recommend trying this in your own home. Kids love it, husbands will feel like you made them something that was difficult which then makes them feel special. Get to it!

Yes. Dessert Nachos. That's what I'm talking about. Maybe you've seen them? I've found them at a few Mexican restaurants, seen them served at parties in various ways, and then forgot all about them. Until a friend of mine recycled the idea and used it at a few functions. I was hooked. SUCH a good idea! Serve yourself, personalize your toppings, it presents so beautifully. The above picture was taken at a retreat we did a few years back. The nachos were a hit. Fresh fruit, caramel, chocolate, shredded coconut, oh my word. Absolute heaven. 

There are a few ways you can make them, and some ways are easier than others. For starters, the cinnamon chips; you can make them yourself, or if you know of a place, you can buy ready made ones. I have a place down here that sells bags of fried tortilla chips tossed in a cinnamon sugar mixture. Great in a pinch. There are a few different methods to make your own, baking or frying. You can use corn tortillas or flour. I like flour. To bake, you cut the tortillas up into bite sized triangles or strips, brush with butter on top side, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on buttered top, and bake at 350 degrees for about ten minutes or until crisp. You can always deep fry, which is my favorite way, by heating vegetable oil at medium high heat, placing cut tortilla strips into hot oil, and removing when lightly browned. They puff up a bit too. Then you can just toss them in cinnamon sugar. If you go the baking route, the chips come out thicker and a little chewier, fry them and they'll be crispy and light.

After you get your chips figured out and done, you can start prepping your toppings. Here are my favorites:

Warm Caramel

Hot Fudge

Whipped Cream

Marshmallow Fluff

Sliced Banana

Diced Strawberries

Nuts of All Kinds

Shredded Toasted Coconut

Mini Chocolate Chips

M&M's

Warm Apple Compote

Candied Pecans

Really, you can use anything. Any fruit you like, any candy crushed up. My favorite topping combo is banana, crushed peanuts, mini chocolate chips, little drizzle of caramel, and whipped cream. My kids like to top them with everything, some people like strawberries and cream, one kid I know just likes the chips plain. Arrange the toppings just like you would regular nachos! If you want to get fancy, make your own hot fudge or salted caramel from scratch.

SO DREAMY.

Serve this dessert in classy bowls, dress it up, you'll have a hit on your hands. Serve it at a BBQ on paper plates. Doesn't matter!  It's probably one of the most requested desserts I do. Get creative and see what you can come up with!

Fall Fall Fall Fall. I love the autumn weather. The autumn weather that comes and goes. Today was almost 90 degrees, which is ridiculous. I left the house in a scarf and had stripped down to a tank top by noon. RIDICULOUS. Such is life. I'm sure I'll complain when its really chilly in a few months too. Isn't that we are all about? Complaining about everything. Too hot, too cold, too rainy, too dry, blah blah blah. I really do think I prefer the fall season overall. I love the colors, I love the holidays, I love the wearing of pajamas with feet.... Yes. I love my footie pajamas (and I can't find where I stored them from last year, PANIC!). And hot drinks. I love coffee and tea and cider and hot chocolate, all cozy next to a fire. Yes! Fire in the fireplace. I love that too. Ahhh... go away hot weather!

In the fall we start the run of holiday get togethers. We've been with the same bible study group for a few years now, and we usually do a Thanksgiving or Christmas party type thing, but this year we did a bit of a fall party too. Which was great fun. Food and fellowship and a pumpkin carving contest. Each family worked together to do a jack-o-lantern and then we were judged. Things got heated fairly quickly, I never realized how competitive our group could be. Luckily, no fist fights broke out and the night ended peacefully. Even though we didn't win. Ha! Good times.

The night of Halloween we did things a little differently than we normally do. We usually go to our church's Fall Fest event, but my husband decided he'd like to stay home this year. He did go and help with the set up for the event at church the night before, but then we ended up having a few people over for a little soiree the night of Halloween. Actually, a lot more people than I expected ended up coming over. And it was great. Even the adults came dressed up. We blew up pumpkins with potato cannons (we live in the forest, that's what you do here!), had some games, and lots of yummy food and dessert. Everyone brought candy so the kids walked away with full bags of loot.

Lisa came as a Stepford Wife. Kind of. Katie and her husband dressed in Renaissance. There was a Power Ranger, flapper girl, Clark Kent, knights, dinosaurs, Laura Ingalls, a mermaid, Iron Man, a zombie type thing, and a few other costumes I can't recall. I think the adults outdid the kids.

My oldest son really did a good job with his costume this year. He ran out and got a white morph suit, put a black dress suit over that, and voila! He was Slenderman. If you don't know who that is.... You should google it. Download the game. Turn out the lights. Put your headphones on. Prepare for fear.

Brett and I just wore what we had in the closet. Of course he has cowboy clothes and hats. And I had a suede fringe poncho just hanging around. For reals, I actually did! Been in the closet for a few years from a friend.  Last minute costumes are always the best. Ty and Matt dressed as medieval knights. I love parties that just sort of come together at the last minute, always a bit different than you planned.

 Can you spot Slenderman?

Halloweiner Dog.

I love to cook. I have for years now. I've worked in restaurants, catered, and have always been involved in some sort of food service since I was 18. It's a big part of my life. I think most people in my little world know that if they come to my house for any reason, they will be fed well. Let me be clear, I love cooking. BUT, I don't love baking. Don't ask me to bake cookies. Or cakes. Or any kind of pastry. I can swing a few dessert recipes, but not many. And I finally figured out why. Chemistry. Baking requires a certain amount of chemistry. You have to measure exactly, follow a recipe without improvising much. Because if you mess up the balance of baking soda, baking powder and lemon, you get a disgusting chemical reaction that tastes AWFUL. Guess what? I stink at following directions. (I think it's my rebellious nature) I like to add, subtract, pinch, guesstimate, all that jazz. That's why I love cooking, you can do that. You can be creative without fear of upsetting that balance of chemistry. Someday I hope to correct this handicap, but I'm in no hurry. I will stick with the art of cooking. 

During the summer, right near Labor Day weekend, I get nostalgic for my hometown of Reno, Nevada. I have lived in lots of places, but I consider Reno my hometown. First off, my dad and brother still live there, and also I spent my high school and early adult years in that area. I got married there, had my second son there, and lots of other milestones. It's the place I remember best with fondness. 

Reno has a small town mentality, it's located in a basin, surrounded by mountains, and everyone knows everyone. I love that, I miss it. During the summers they have a great line up of events. Farmers markets, concerts, art shows, Hot August Nights, Street Vibrations, and cook-offs. My FAVORITE cook-off, John Ascuaga's Nugget Best in the West Rib Cook-off. Oh my word. I die. Ribs. For. Days. A full week of people coming from all over, even Australia, making ribs. The smell is amazing. We managed to get up there in 2012, and it was still awesome. More crowded, but still fantastic. You can buy samplers of all the vendors participating, or full and half racks. I love the samplers, trying out every idea of what they consider the best rib in the west. Dry rubs, sauces, meat falling off the bone, pork, beef, slow cooking, smoking, so many different ways of making ribs. I think over the years we tried most every kind available.

ANYWHO, when Labor Day comes around, my mind turns to barbeque. If I can't be in Reno, we do our own rib cooking. I have found that the ribs I make are better than most I've found in restaurants, and of course it's cheaper to make at home. It's ridiculous how much we pay when we dine out. Same with steak, I will put my filet mignon recipes up against most any steakhouse in the area. My husband will back me up on this, he's pretty snobby when it comes to steak or ribs. Over the years we've come up with some favorite ways to prepare both. We'll talk about steak another day.

When it comes to ribs, I try to stick to pork, and I prefer the baby back cut. I've tried the St. Louis style, they tend to be cheaper and there's a lot more meat on them, but there's also a lot of weird bone and cartilage. I don't like dealing with that. Just a personal preference. The first thing I do is remove the thin membrane from under the rack, you can look up how to do that on YouTube. The membrane is not fun to eat through and the texture is gross to me. Also, the flavors you add to your ribs can permeate the meat better if you remove it. Then I cut the ribs into portions, three or four bones per section. At this point I have also set my oven to 250 degrees. I prepare a big roasting pan, with a rack placed on the bottom, and pour my favorite liquid of the moment into the bottom. Sometimes I use apple juice, sometimes pineapple juice, or even cherry coke. Coke is one of my favorite things to use. Oddly. I only use about a half inch of liquid in the pan. Just enough to cover the bottom really.  Then I start preparing my dry rub!

Dry rub is my favorite thing about ribs. It adds so much flavor to the meat, you might not even want sauce. I like to use brown sugar as a base for my rub. I usually have two or more racks of ribs to cook, so I start with one cup of brown sugar to build my rub on. Here's the full recipe, but keep in mind that you can tweak it to add and subtract the spices you love:

1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
3 Tablespoons Onion Powder
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons Dry Mustard
3 Tablespoons Lawry's Seasoning Salt
3 Tablespoons Black Ground Pepper
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 Tablespoon Ginger
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
Mix well.

 Next up, I drizzle a little olive oil all over the ribs and massage it in. Not a whole lot, just enough to thinly coat. Then we take our dry rub and sprinkle it on the ribs. I like to make sure they are covered completely, as much as the ribs will soak up, front and back. Then I stand the ribs up on the rack, laying them against each other. Tent with foil. I put them in the oven for about 4 or 5 hours, until the meat pulls away from the ends of the bones. It will look like its shrinking. Sometimes I even cook them 6 hours. Then I take the ribs out and let them rest for about 20 minutes while I heat up the grill to about medium high. The grill I really only use for the caramelizing of the sauce, and a few grill marks. Sometimes I use a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, sometimes I doctor up a bottle, sometimes I make my own. I've created a sauce using pineapple juice that has become my favorite, I'll share that another day.

Once you are ready to put the ribs on the grill, bring your ribs, barbeque sauce, and a barbeque brush out to the grill. Put the ribs on the grill bone side down and baste the tops with a few brushes of sauce. Flip, brush the other side with sauce, and put the lid down for about five minutes. Flip and repeat until sauce is coated to your liking. Serve on a platter with extra sauce on the side. Like I said, you don't have to sauce them at all, they will still be delicious, but I like sauce. Also, secretly, I like my ribs slightly burned. Just slightly! I don't know why. I'm just gross like that.

Here's a picture of the last batch of barbeque ribs I made. I also made grilled chicken and beef ribs using the same rub. It goes on most any meat. For sides I made sweet cornbread with blueberries, (Have you ever tried that??? I decided it might be good, I was right.) and a roasted corn salad with cherry tomato's, diced avocado, purple onion and cilantro, seasoned with salt, pepper, lots of curry powder and a splash of red wine vinegar. SO good. Looks like I had some hot links on this plate as well. Meat overload. We had friends over the night i made this, we called it "Plate O'Meats".

September, 2013

In September we finally got to go on a little family vacation. My summers are usually my busiest time, I work a lot of kids programs at church, so we don't usually have much time to go away. We planned this trip months ago, and had a bunch of families go with us. Even my brother and his daughter came down from Sacramento for a few days. It was a fantastic time. We headed up north to Shaver Lake, which is about six hours away, seven for us because we towed the trailer. It was beyond beautiful. There's a pristine lake, giant redwood trees, and a cute little mountain town. Camping is my husbands idea of fun, he loves this stuff. Being outdoors, campfires, hiking, fishing, kayaks. Brett's in heaven. I am not the biggest fan of being dirty, but since we got a trailer, it's now fast becoming a favorite thing for me, too. Yes, I know, a trailer is totally cheating, it's not REAL camping. I just don't care. Sleeping in a tent is not my idea of fun, and it's definitely not a relaxing time for me.

On the way up to Shaver, we stopped at this little place called Bravo Farms. I was so excited, they had a petting zoo of goats, chickens and turkeys, a shooting galley, gourmet cheese made on location, local wines, lots of yummy treats and delicious food. It was a great pit stop. We were able to stretch our legs a bit and pick up some yummy items for camp. I highly recommend checking in here if you are ever in the area.

We had so many kids on this trip. And they had a BLAST. Bikes everywhere, all of them learned to kayak, swimming, hiking, scavenger hunts, movies at night on a projector, fishing, gold panning, and so much more. We seriously had the best group of people. Great time of fellowship.

On one of our excursions we went to see the giant and ancient sequoias. There's a little area a few miles away from camp that boasts of two thousand year old trees near a place called Dinkey Creek. They were huge. We climbed all over this area for quite awhile, just in awe of God's creation. There was one fallen tree that had peoples names and dates carved in it, thousands of names. The oldest one I found was from the 1940's. So cool.

I am hoping that we can do this trip again next year. Maybe with an even bigger group. Well worth the drive. I think everyone who went will remember this trip fondly.

September, 2013