Thanksgiving Herding Photos!

Diane Pagel boarded the border collies while we went to NJ to visit family. She took some beautiful photos of both Indigo and Epic in action with Janet working them.

Catching up.....Fall and Early Winter

For Thanksgiving this year Ben and I went to New Jersey to visit my family and friends. It was a great trip! We only had a few days but packed in a lot of fun. My grandmother is temporarily living with my parents, so we had a chance to catch up with her and keep her company while my parents were at work. We drove to Sussex County NJ to visit my fathers sister and pick up some apple cider donuts, apples and pies for Thanksgiving at Windy Brow Farm





We were able to meet up with our good friends Rachel and Teddy for some Korean BBQ in Fort Lee, NJ. It was interesting, but not my favorite Asian food. It was more like Chinese food, which I really dont like at all. Give me Thai or Vietnamese any day though!




For Thanksgiving dinner we went to my Uncle Jesse's house with my parents and grandmother. It was a really big group of us including my grandmothers 3 children and all but one of her grandchildren. She was overjoyed to have us all in one place at the same time for the first time in over 15 years. Unfortunately I didnt get any great photos. Here is the best one.....

Seth, Fran, Anne

We also had a chance to visit with my good friend Carly at her parents house in NJ and go for a nice long hike. I enjoy hiking in the Northeast in the Winter. Eventhough everything is brown and compared to Washington looks mostly dead, the crisp, dry air is very refreshing. The large boulders and little streams are beautiful when covered in ice. Maybe its just nostalgia. Either way Im going to have to take some more photos next time I go back.

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On to December......For Christmas this year we decided to keep it low key and stay in our home state. We didnt go against our tradition of traveling for Christmas to the point of staying home though. This year we rented a "cabin" in Packwood, WA near Mt Rainier. I put cabin in quotes because they use the term cabin very loosely. It was more of a luxury home that happened to be in a wooded area.






We did some serious relaxing there. Our four day trip consisted of cooking, taking baths in the jacuzzi tub, hiking with the dogs, playing games and watching movies. And Ben went skiing while I relaxed at the cabin.

Ive really been wanting smores for awhile. I havent had them since I was under 10 years old and always LOVED them. I couldnt resist with the pile of dry fire wood and a fire pit and lots of time on our hands. I ate a lot of smores and they were awesome! I even used high quality imported chocolate and organic graham crackers. Ben was a star smore maker.



We had very little snow at the cabin, but as soon as we drove up a few hundred feet there was just enough on the ground to need snow boots for our hike. We had the trail completely to ourselves. It was unbelievably quiet and peaceful.

We left on the 24th to have a Christmas Eve dinner at home and wake up at home on Christmas morning. We spent Christmas day relaxing around the house. Ben made pancakes for everyone for breakfast and we opened presents for awhile in the morning. We went for an afternoon walk at Marymoor dog park in Redmond. For dinner we went to one of the only restaurants open in Seattle called Andaluca, a Spanish restaurant. After that we went to a late showing of Avatar in 3D IMAX. By the time we got home at 1:30 am, we were exhausted and slept very late the next morning!

Local Fall Cooking and Native Plant Landscaping

We decided to try out a new farm for a winter CSA (community supported agriculture) share. We are sharing it with some friends and still getting lots of fresh vegetables and fruit and even eggs. I love having a CSA because the contents of our weekly box is always a surprise and always inspires new recipes and cooking adventures.

Here are some of the things I've been making this fall:

Pumpkin Ice Cream (adapted from a recipe by williams sonoma)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh pumpkin puree or canned
  unsweetened pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1 1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar. Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat. Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it, 4 to 6 minutes. Do not allow the custard to boil. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Place the bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool. Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer-safe container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days, before serving. Makes about 1 quart.

Pot Roast (adapted from a recipe from Cooks Illustrated)

1	1 bottom round rump roast (2lbs)
2	tablespoon vegetable oil
1	medium onion , chopped medium
1	small carrot , chopped medium
1	small rib celery , chopped medium
2	medium cloves garlic , minced
2	teaspoons granulated sugar
1	1 cup beef broth
1	sprig fresh thyme
1	cup water
1/4	cup dry red wine
1/2	pounds carrots (about 8 medium carrots), sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/2	pounds small red potatoes , halved if larger than 1 1/2 inches in diameter
1/4	pound large parsnips, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Instructions

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees ; sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

2. 2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Brown roast thoroughly on all sides, reducing heat if fat begins to smoke, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer roast to large plate; set aside. Reduce heat to medium; add onion, carrot, and celery to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beef broth and thyme, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Return roast and any accumulated juices to pot; add enough water to come halfway up sides of roast. Bring liquid to simmer over medium heat, then place large piece of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid; transfer pot to oven. Cook, turning roast every 30 minutes, until roast is almost tender 2 hours. Add carrots, red potatoes, and parsnips to Dutch oven, submerging them in liquid. Continue to cook until vegetables are almost tender 15-20 minutes.

3. 3. Transfer roast to carving board. Allow liquid in pot to settle about 5 minutes, then use wide spoon to skim fat off surface; discard thyme sprig. Add wine and salt and pepper to taste; boil over high heat until vegetables are fully tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to warmed serving bowl or platter. Using chef’s or carving knife, cut meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices or pull apart into large pieces; transfer to bowl or platter with vegetables and pour about 1/2 cup sauce over meat and vegetables. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

Ina Garten's Carrot Pineapple Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

nocoupons

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
• 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 pound carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

For the frosting:

nocoupons

• 3/4 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted

For the decoration:

nocoupons

• 1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

For the cake:

Beat the sugar, oil, and eggs together in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light yellow. Add the vanilla. In another bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, the cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Toss the raisins and walnuts with 1 tablespoon flour. Fold in the carrots and pineapple. Add to the batter and mix well.

Divide the batter equally between the 2 pans. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the pans set over a wire rack.

For the frosting:

Mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until just combined. Add the sugar and mix until smooth.

Place 1 layer, flat-side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with diced pineapple.

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My friend Kate and I went shopping at an amazingly affordable native plant nursery call "Go Natives" in Shoreline, WA. I was overwhelmed at this this place because of the selection and prices. I could have bought way more than I did, but decided to keep it to a minimum on this trip. I ended up with several Oregon Grape (the type that can handle deep, dry shade), a small Goats Beard, Ocean Spray, and several Sword Ferns. We already have a lovely Red Flowering Currant, some Native Columbine and of course 3 very large Douglas Fir Trees. Hopefully over time we can make our backyard a native plant and wildlife urban habitat.

Here are images what our new plants will look like:

oregon grape

goats beard

ocean spray

sword fern

I'll post photos after we plant them!

Our New Truck and Fall Gardening

It was a nice sunny fall day today so we took advantage and did some yard work. We had to take out all the spent vegetable plants and clean up the beds for fall and spring planting

Here we planted garlic around the edges

Garlic from Sky Nursery

Here I planted Freesia, a bulb that blooms in the spring. I love the smell of the flowers!

My 3 New Blogs

I started three new blogs! Check them out!

Every Dog Has Its Day - about our experiences with fostering dogs

The Jet City Jumpers Blog - to record our training progress and tournaments and other fun stuff

A Nutrition Blog - I havent posted to this one yet, but I will. I plan to write articles about popular topics in nutrition.

Our LIfe: September - October

A Random Selection of Photos from the Past Few Months.......

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