This week’s Photohunt theme is Balanced. Okay… I admit. I could not come up with something for jiggy last week. All I could think about was Getting Jiggy with it by Will Smith.
But no problems this week with balanced. I had a lot of ideas and decided to go with Orangutans that we saw in Borneo. They have a wonderful ability to balance while pausing on the branches and swinging between trees. It looks so effortless.
I’ve been reading about the ugly weather that has been happening this week in California. Heavy rain, wind, thunderstorm – so typical of an El Nino year. The storms that normally swing farther north to the Pacific Northwest come barreling into California and the Southwest. It is good for the drought but unfortunately, it seems to always come at once which creates chaos.
We have been having a ‘non-winter’ here in the Pacific Northwest. We got a freezing blast the first week of December while we were in Hawaii and then it turned to rain. This past week it has been rather warm and gray – highs in the mid 50’s. Quite balmy for this time of the year. I’m not really complaining but you don’t know if it is just a tease and it will turn cold and stormy tomorrow.
But I’ve also started to notice small signs of Spring. The sun is coming up a little bit earlier; buds are getting fat; winter flowering shrubs have started blooming.
We made a trip recently to the Witt Winter Garden in the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle. I blogged about it several years ago. A trip to the garden always cheers us up mid-winter. It is not a garden to rush through but instead take some time and stroll around. Perfume surrounded us as we got closer. Sweet smelling Sarcococca ruscifolia was in full bloom underneath the witch hazel. We were surprised to see the witch hazel in bloom. Typically we visit in February and did not expect to see much in bloom this early in January.
Some of the plants in bloom;
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’
Sarcococca ruscifolia
Daphne bholua
Daphne mezereum alba
Hamamelis mollis ‘Pallida’
Camellia japonica
Chimonanthus praecox
Lonicera Fragrantissima
Helleborus foetidus
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Tamales remind me of Christmas. They are a tradition in G’s family. My mother-in-law had 12 in her family. Every Christmas Eve all the brothers and sisters and their children and grandchildren would gather at G’s Grandfather’s on Christmas Eve. There were up to 100 people! His grandfather would dress up as Santa and pass out gifts to the children. My father-in-law would also put on Mitch Miller record of Christmas Carols and we would sign along. But the best part of the evening was the food. In the kitchen, there would be a huge pot filled with tamales. It was a homemade steamer. The bottom had tin cans and a rack to elevate the tamales. Then it was lined with a flour sack towel and in the towel were lovely nuggets of cornmeal wrapped in corn husks. In the center was shreaded pork cooked in a red chile sauce and a black olive. There was another pan of red chile sauce.
I loved taste of the sweet corn contrasting with the sharp heat of the red chile sauce. I’d sit in the kitchen and eat a half dozen. Later we moved away and I had to learn how to cook my own. I made a batch this Christmas. They are not hard to make but they do take time. It is easier when you break them out into different parts.
Soak the cornhusks
First thing to do is to soak the cornhusks. You can find dried corn husks usually in the Mexican cooking area of your supermarket. I put them in a large pan and cover with warm water. After they have soaked for a bit, separate the husks and continue to soak. It is best to soak overnight.
Masa
This is probably the most important part of the tamale. If you have a local Mexican grocer that makes corn tortillas, you can get fresh masa. The fresh masa will be lighter in texture. If not, you can use the packaged masa harina. That is what I usually use.
Most of the recipes have a 3 parts masa to 1 part fat. (6 cups masa, 2 cups fat) The liquid is usually about 1/2 the amount of masa or a bit more. (6 cups masa, 3-3/12 cups broth). Salt depends upon how salty the broth.
I like using lard because it adds extra flavor but G doesn’t eat meat. I don’t like the idea of using Crisco so checked my local grocer and found a wonderful organic vegetarian shortening. It is made of palm oil. I decided to give it a try this time. It was wonderful.
Have the fat at room temperature and whip it for lighter batter. Then gradually blend in the masa harina which has been mixed with broth. Try for a light and fluffy batter but not too moist. You will need to be able to spread it.
Several recipes suggest testing to see if the masa is light enough. After beating and mixing, take a small piece (1/2 tsp) and drop into a cup of cold water. It should float if enough air has been whipped into the batter. If not beat more with a bit more broth. I tried it but had no luck getting mine to float.
4 cups masa
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1 1⁄3 cups vegetable shortening
In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder and salt. Pour the broth into the masa a little at a time, working it in with your fingers.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the vegetable shortening until fluffy; add the masa and combine until just mixed.
Filling
Typically you roast and shread pork, beef or chicken for the filling. I wanted a vegetarian filling so I used a mixture that I’ve used in enchiladas using mushrooms, roasted green chile, onions and zucchini. The mushrooms provide a meaty flavor and texture and are a good substitute for meat.
1 poblano chile, fire roasted, skin and seeds removed
1/2 onion diced
1 lb mushrooms sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped.
1 zucchini, sliced into match sticks
Roast the chile over a flame or under a broiler until charred. Put in a paper bag for about 5 minutes to steam. Remove the skin. Slit and remove the seeds. Chop the chile.
Saute the onion in oil for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften, add the mushrooms and a bit more oil. Cook for about 10 minutes until the mushrooms cook down and start to brown. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook for a bit longer until the zucchini is cooked.
Red Sauce
My red chile sauce is similar to gravy – a thickened sauce flavored with red chile powder. The secret is to toast the flour.
4 Tbs flour
4 Tbs vegetable oil
4 cups water or light vegetable broth
1/4 cup New Mexico ground chile powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
Over medium heat, lightly toast the flour to a tan color. Wisk in vegetable oil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Combine water, chile, salt and cumin. Add to flour oil mixture. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes until thickened.
Assemble the tamales
Spread about 1-2 tablespoons of masa in a rectangle on a corn husk. Spread about 1 tbs filling in the center of the rectangle and a spoon a bit of sauce. Fold the husk together and press the edges of the masa togther on the side and bottom. Fold the bottom of the husk up. Tie with a strip of corn husk and stand.
Stand tamales in a steamer and steam for 45 minutes. If you don’t have a big enough steamer, you an stand a rack on some cans with the tops removed. Line the bottom of the steamer with additional corn husks to prevent the water from splashing on the tamales.
You can also freeze the tamales. Put in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze before cooking. You can steam them frozen – just add an additional 10-15 minutes.
The tamales are ready if the corn husk peels easily from the cooked masa. Enjoy!
I’ve been a long time beer aficionado. Several Washington companies started up microbreweries in the mid-80’s. Groups of co-workers used to go to the local bars to try the latest brews. It really opened my taste up to the wide variety of beers. In the 90’s, several co-workers brewed their own beer and led me to try brewing my own based upon recipes in the Joy of Brewing by Charlie Papazin. I’ve also spent several weeks or months living in Holland which has exposed me to a wide variety of different styles of beer beyond the traditional lager brewed here in the US. We explored beers during our stays in Holland.
One thing that is very unique about the beer in Belgium is the use ‘wild yeasts’. Certain beers are fermented with wild yeast. Basically, it is exposed to open air to let the natural yeast and bacteria ‘infect’ the beer and spontaneously ferment the beer. If you have made a sourdough, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. The taste is influenced by the environment. It is kinda freaky at first but once you taste one of these beers – you will be a convert.
Lambic is the name used for the beers that are naturally fermented by wild yeasts in Belgium. It produces a slightly sour but very dry beer. Lambics are frequently flavored with fruit or sugar. Kriek is a Lambic that fermented with sour cherries. We had a home brewed Kriek at Christmas. We had to add a simple syrup to sweeten it but it was so tasty with our ham.
Gueuze is another type of lambic. It is made by the blending of several different lambics. It is called the “Champagne of beer” since it is aged and bottled and corked in champagne style bottles.
10 years ago while G was selling plants at a local farmers market, another farmer bartered a bottle of Lindemans Gueuze Grand Cru “Cuvée René in trade for some plants. The bottle has sat in our downstairs pantry for over 10 years. I’ve avoided it mainly because it would be sour and also because I’ve never really tried it.
I don’t really do New Years resolutions but I have been starting to pull out items from my pantry and cabinet that have been setting around for years. Kinda like cleaning out my closets except these are my food closets. I’m going to try to use it or toss it. I saw the bottle of Gueuze and decided to open it. I would taste it and if it wasn’t any good – I would toss it.
Wow! what a great beer. The top was wrapped in foil and had a typical metal beer top. We took it off and found a cork underneath. We slowly screwed the cork up and off. A light whiff of smoke swirled up from the top of the bottle. We poured a small amount. It was a lovely amber color with a good light head of foam. Smell was of very ripe apples but the taste was sour and light – dry and crisp with the flavor of apples. It wasn’t sweet like a hard cider but sour acidic from the aged hops. Fortunately, it is a beer that can be aged. And I can see why it is compared to Champagne. We loved it.
The sun was supposed to grace our presence today so we planned a hike. I had heard from friends and NW Hikers forum about Lord Hill Regional Park near Snohomish. It sounded like a great place for a walk in the woods so we bundled up and headed out.
We decided to explore the backroads instead of taking the faster highway. We took Hwy 524 across from Lynnwood. It was interesting and went from new housing tracks to double-wide trailers set back in the woods. It ended up at Malby and the cafe was busy as to be expected on a Sunday Morning. We headed up Hwy 522 to Monroe and took the old Monroe-Snohomish Highway through the farms along the edge of the Snohomish farming valley.
The road to the park and up Lord Hill was lined with large houses designed as a horse farm. Many had magnificent views back across Monroe to the Cascade Mountains. The parking lot was rather full but we were able to find a parking place.
The park was once the farm of Michell Lord. He purchased 80 acres in 1879 and later expanded on it. He was mostly a dairy farmer but he also raised other animals and had 100 acres in cultivation. Later the area was logged in the 1930s and again in the 1980s. The park is 1,300 acres above the Snohomish River and is criss-crossed by several trails.
We decided to head to one of the view points and make a loop. We stayed on the main trail and then turned off on one of the pipeline cutoffs to point 630. Here we were treated to a view across the farms along the river with the Olympics peaking up above the horizon. We returned a short ways and then headed over to the Pipeline trail to Temple Lake. We returned by lugging up Pipeline trail to Beaver Pond and the parking lot. It took us about 2 hours and we did maybe 3-4 miles. Not much but a great start to the New Year.
When I first read this week’s theme – I said “What?!!” Bulky – another theme that I just don’t think of when I take photos. So off hunting I went. I came across several pictures from a family reunion – camping trip that we took in 2008 to Eastern California. Camping – it seems like everything you need for camping is so bulky when you try to pack it up in the car or assemble it.
I had this series of photos of the group putting together a canopy. This was not one of those ‘Easy-up’ brand but instead a $10 canopy that my niece got at ‘Big Lots’. It seemed to take most of the group to put it together and it was soooo bulky to move. Once it was up it was fine and stood up to a Sierra thunderstorm. I do wonder if she has been able to use it again. It was one of those items that you use once and it never is as good the second time.
Hope everyone has a great weekend.
Now which part goes where?
Let’s see.. I think the last part goes here?
Easy now..
Almost in place
Maclellanara Pagan Lovesong “Ruby Charles”
It can be so dreary, dark, gray, cold here in the Pacific Northwest in winter. You get occasional days of sun. But so often it is depressing. The current temperature is ‘warm’ – 45°F or 7°C. Today it is a steady beat of a light rain. I have to turn on the lights in the afternoon. The warm glow of a candle can give a cozy feeling but otherwise it is just damp and cold.
But one thing that does add joy and warmth to the winter are orchids. Many of the species bloom in the winter and their blooms can bring joy to a room. Our local supermarket has had many on sale for around $10 – $12 US. That is almost less than a bouquet of flowers – and they last much longer.
We have a greenhouse which helps to grow them but in the winter once they have come into bud or we purchase them, we move them into the house. The cooler species such as Oncidiums, Miltassia – we can have in the living room. Others that take a little bit more humidity such Paphiopedilum and Phalaenopsis, we keep up in the bathroom. It has a skylight and high humidity and they bloom throughout the winter months. Their beauty brings us joy on the gray days.
Colmanra Wildcat
Miltassia Dennis Kleinbach ‘Crowhurst
Oncidium Sweet Sugar
Paphiopedilum hybrid
Phalenopsis hybrid
Phalenopsis hybrid
Phalenopsis hybrid
Our orchid greenhouse in the gray
This is a test
I’ve been craving Asian noodles after the excess of the holidays. Yesterday, I made Chow Mein which was very yummy. I had half of the noodles left over so I decided to try a new recipe. I looked over the noodle recipes on Rasa Malaysia – my go-to website for SE Asian dishes and found a recipe for Mee Goreng. We saw this dish at all the hawker stalls when we were in Kuching. I had a similar dish made with just prawns which was quite tasty.
I looked over the recipe and I had most of the ingredients. I did have to purchase a bottle of Sriracha which I had planned on trying. I did not have the thicker steamed noodles – the steamed chow mein noodles are thinner. It would be easy to adapt – just prepare the noodles according to the chow mein recipe but use the sauce from the Mee Goreng. I also had some pea pods so I added this although this is not typical of the dish.
The sauce is interesting. It uses oyster sauce and ketchup in addition to the chili sauce. The ketchup gives it a slightly sweet taste to contrast with the heat from the Sriracha. The noodles end up dark with tinge of red.
First step – prepare all the vegetables and combine the sauce. Next soak the noodles for 5 minutes. I like cooking the egg separately so I scrambled the egg and created an egg pancake which I sliced up to add at the end.
Ready to go – heat the oil, saute the garlic, shrimp, cabbage. Add the drained noodles and bean sprouts – stir to coat with oil. Add the sauce and cook until dry. You might need to add a little bit of water since the sauce is thick. When completed, add the wine and scallions. Serve. Enjoy!
If this sounds good – check out the recipe and great photos on Rasa Malaysia
I’ve had a bit of cabin fever. The holidays are over. The weather has been dreary and stormy. I really have needed to get out of the house and go someplace different. Fortunately a friend called yesterday and asked if we wanted to go birdwatching on Spencer Island. It was a great idea. He got a spotting scope for Christmas and this would be a good place to practice using his new scope. It is also not far and it would be easy to get to. There was no rain in the forecast – just a typical cool gray day.
We parked near the Everett Waste Treatment plant. We could hear the gun shots as we put our boots on. We did not expect share the island with hunters but on hindsight – we should have expected it on a Sunday early in January. We headed down the road towards the bridge to the island. The island is located in the Snohomish River Estuary in Everett. Originally it was a farm but over the years the island dikes have been breached and it is becoming a marshland.
We crossed over the bridge and met several hunters who had finished for the morning. The northern part of the island is run by the Washington Fish and Game and is open to hunting. The southern portion of the island is owned by Snohomish County and hunting is prohibited. We turned South.
We stopped along the way to watch the birds. The tide was high when we arrived and we did not see much at first. We meandered along the dike and across the island towards the river. We had gorgeous views across the marsh to the surrounding mountains. Mt. Baker glowed in the sun. Misty fog hung along the river shore.
We slowed down and let the morning progress. The tide retreated and more and more ducks arrived to swim the muddy ponds among the cattails. We started to see more raptor birds in the trees – a pair of red tailed hawks surveyed the fields, a peregrine falcon swooped along the river and a harrier hawk flew low through the reeds.
We completed the loop and started back to the car. We heard the cry of a kingfisher and saw a beautiful young bird perched on the snag swooping down for fish in the pools. We spent about 3 lovely hours in the cool winter day – enjoyed the beauty of the wildlife.
Bridge to the island
Flooded marshland
Misty fog along the river
Mt Baker
Path Across the Island
Falcon in the trees
Ducks in the marsh