Baked Salmon

Prep work takes about 10 minutes.

1 one pound salmon fillet (Coho Salmon if you can get it)
2 Tablespoons of a dry white wine
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper spice mix
a pinch of kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dill (dried is fine, fresh would be better)
a few grinds of black pepper
1 shallot, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 350.

Drizzle a little of the oil into a shallow baking dish. Wash and pat dry the salmon, then place it in the baking dish. Using small needle-nose pliers, pull out the pin bones. (Run your finger up along the thick part of the meat and you’ll feel them sticking out.)

Carefully pour the white wine and lime juice on top of the fish. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil on top. Sprinkle with lemon pepper spice mix and gently rub the oil and spices into the fish. Sprinkle on the kosher salt, dill weed and a few grinds of black pepper. Lay the shallot slices on top.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Originally posted December 15, 2003:

Slow Cooker Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This is a recipe that’s best made one day ahead of time. On day one you’ll need:

1 whole chicken
2 yukon gold potatoes
10 or so new potatoes
several pinches of kosher salt
several grinds of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon lemon pepper
1 large handful (several springs) of rosemary

Wash and trim the chicken of any extra fat and remove (and discard) all the innards. Pull back the skin. Cut the yukon gold potatoes in half and arrange all potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker. Set the chicken on top of them and stuff with the rosemary. Sprinkle salt, pepper, thyme and basil and replace the skin. Sprinkle with the lemon pepper. Cover and cook on low, 6 hours. When cooked, remove chicken to an oven-proof container. Remove potatoes to another container, and drain all the liquid into a third container. Place everything in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day you’ll need:

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 cup canned low sodium chicken broth
1 cup of the chicken stock from the previous night (skim the fat off of
the top and discard)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Place the chicken in the oven and turn it on to 350 degrees for the chicken to warm up while you prepare the potatoes. Cut all the new potatoes in half and then push all the potatoes through a potatoe ricer into a microwave-proof bowl. (Alternatively you can simply roughly mash them up and leave the skins on, or peel them all and roughly mash them up. Leave chunks.) Heat them in the microwave for three minutes, stirring every minute. In a pan on the stove, heat the other tablespoon of butter and four over medium-low heat until it has a light golden color. Remove from heat and add cream. Stir until it a smooth paste again. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock, then the broth. Remove potatoes from the microwave and sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir. Add one cup of the broth mixture and stir. Add another 1/2 cup or cup, depending on the potatoes and stir. (You want them to be thick and fluffy and not watery.)

Remove the chicken from the oven and enjoy!

I had two enormous jars of grape leaves, packed in acidulous water that I had bought from a Mediterranean grocery store. I’d intended to make dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) but never got around to it, then forgot I had one jar and bought another one! Naturally, when I saw a recipe for baking fish inside a pouch of grape leaves I decided to try it.

It is absolutely fantastic. If you can get grape leaves - fresh or in a jar - I highly recommend this approach; it was quick, easy and absolutely delicious and the fish was moist, tender and full of flavor.

Originally posted Friday, July 8th, 2003:

Halibut Baked in Grape Leaves

You can use just about any fish, but I used halibut as the recipe recommended.

2 boneless/skinless halibut fillets
3 or 4 fresh grape leaves (or 5 or 6 canned/preserved) for each skinless fillet
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then lightly oil a baking dish. Lay out the leaves on a cutting board, overlapping them to create an 8 inch round circle. Sprinkle with half the olive oil, the thyme, salt and fresh ground pepper. Place a fillet in the center of the leaves and wrap them around it in a clockwise fashion to close it up. Lay the package, seam side down, into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. (The grape leaves will crisp up.) Carefully transfer to a platter and peel away the leaves.

I cooked mine for twenty minutes, then turned off the oven and let it sit in there until I’d finished some pasta (about another 5 minutes).

The fillets are delicious plain but the recipe also included a fantastic vinaigrette to serve it with:

3 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients together and pour about a tablespoon or so over each fish fillet

Still, it was so very worth it. I spent an absolutely gorgeous morning riding horseback through a Texas Hill Country ranch with my best friend Valerie and I can’t wait to do it again.

Valerie and I have known each other since we were in junior high school - I think that’s been about twenty-eight years now (my mother calls Valerie her “other daughter”) - and in all the time I’ve known her, Val’s always been an avid horse fan. From collecting Beyer horse models, to reading every fiction and non-fiction book about horses to her jacket full of patches of the different breeds, horses have always been a passion for her. She even manged to live her dream and own several horses, including seeing one through a pregnancy and then raising the foal to a healthy, lively adult mare.

When she was a horse owner, she took me out riding a handful of times and I learned how to (mostly) handle myself (western-style) on a horse. I even did a trailride in Cuero, Texas back in 1999. But since her Raindancer passed away Valerie hasn’t been around horses much. Cloudjumper (Raindancer’s foal) has a new home as do many of the other horses I remember Val fostering for brief periods of time.

So, naturally, it had been a while since she’d been riding and she was really missing it. That’s when she called me up and invited me to ride with her at the Bar M Ranch in Bandera, Texas:

Located just 55 miles northwest of San Antonio in the midst of the majestic Texas Hill Country, the “Bar M” ranch is situated on a hilltop plateau offering 360 degree panoramic views of the neighboring Bandera countryside. Just 2 and 1/2 miles from the historic town of Bandera, we’re only minutes away from the festivities of the “Cowboy Capital of the World,” where rodeos and horses are a way of life.

The “Bar M” is comprised of scenic mountain views and has over one mile of wooded trails along the picturesque San Julian creek. The ranch provides a safe haven for an abundance of wildlife including whitetail deer, the exotic axis deer and blackbuck antelope, Russian boar hogs, mountain lions, bobcats, wild turkey, the elusive fox, the adorable armadillo, ringtails, coyotes, jack rabbits and, of course, the curious raccoons.

The Bar M offers private and personalized horseback rides tailored to different experience levels. We chose a three hour morning ride along prepared trails through the ranch, up and over some of the hills and through different kinds of terrain.

It was early enough to be a bit nippy at first. In fact, the drive into the ranch from Bandera was so foggy we weren’t sure we’d find the ranch entrance! Still, the fog in the hills was breathtakingly beautiful and it burned off quickly to become a beautifully sunny day.

Our wrangler started by talking to us about the horses, and the specific personalities of the ones we were about to ride - Gus and Reny:

She asked about our backgrounds and experience. Since I was not that terribly experienced she took some time to show us how the bit worked, how to approach the horse, mount, dismount, sit on the saddle, handle the reins and guide the horse. None of it was unfamiliar, but the refresher was much appreciated and I did learn several new things.

After the lesson we gave the horses some treats and pats, then got our gear, mounted up and got going. The two ranch dogs, Chula and Paris, joined us for the whole trip, trotting alongside, charging up the hillside and splashing in the water. They were pretty tuckered out when it was all over.

I was carrying along a Canon Rebel in a backpack that I only pulled out when we were stopped and off the horses. Next time, I might leave the backpack behind and simply take two lenses and the camera body in the saddlebags. The smaller Canon Elf was a lot easier to whip out with one hand and take pictures of the scenery, myself and Valerie behind me.

We rode single file, in a specific order - horses do have a pecking order that has to be respected or there can be biting and kicking. Our wrangler reminded us that a little space between riders is also a good idea, especially since Gus was a bit of a prankster and liked to nip the butt of the horse in front of him if he could.

The property itself is a good example of every kind of terrain you might see in Central Texas, from flat meadows with grazing cattle and deer, to rocky hillside slopes covered in oak, mesquite and cedar. Our wrangler pointed out the creek, which unfortunately was pretty dry due to the severe drought we’ve had. Still, a few spots had some water, and she pointed out her “redneck jacuzzi” - a spot on the creek where water would normally rush over the rocks into a small pool before bubbling out, very much like parts of Perdenales State Park.

At one point in the ride the sounds our horses hooves made changed dramatically, as if the ground they were walking on was hollow. In fact, it was! We were riding over just one of the many caves on the property and the sound was especially hollow sounding because the caves were drier than usual. One cave, high on the hill, was used by the turn-of-the-century owner to store the bootleg hooch that he made with his own still. I found all the cave info especially fascinating because my sister-in-law, Jessica, is now a cave biologist who was extremely active in Texas caving when she lived here. The ranch also has evidence of its geologic past, when the Gulf of Mexico covered this part of the state.

Other historical tidbits included evidence of Native American use from long ago, from the arrowheads found on the property, to evidence of encampments, use of the caves, a pecan grove that was obviously planted, rather than natural and one oak burl carved into a bison head. The original homestead, dating back to the late 1800’s is still on the property as were two hand dug wells that dated back about a hundred years.

We saw cattle, hawks and antelope, and our wrangler pointed out a watering hole that she’d spotted a black cougar (either a black panther up from Mexico or maybe a jaguarundi) drinking from not too long ago.

In the end it seemed like the time just flew by. This ride was so very different from the trail ride I’d been on in Cuero with its hundreds of people and horses over wide open spaces, stopping every twenty minutes for a break to drink and socialize. This ride was a level of magnitude nicer, just the three of us women riding through a much more interesting countryside, at our own pace on a peaceful morning. When I wanted to stop and take a picture we could, and we could just keep going if no one wanted a break.

I enjoyed it so very much. I know both Valerie and I will be back there, perhaps several times.

Check out the whole photoset of our ride at Flickr.

Originally posted Friday, October 31, 2003:

Sweet Potato Pie

1 lb sweet potatoes
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
3/4 c heavy cream
1 T butter
1 pie plate lined with pastry crust (I used Mrs. Smith’s 9″ deep dish home style pie crusts.)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Poke a bunch of holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, then microwave on high for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Cut in half and scoop out the meat inside into a large bowl and beat till smooth. Blend in the brown sugar, salt and spices. Beat in the eggs, milk and heavy cream and then beat in the butter. Pour into pie crust, leaving about a half inch space from the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

I think the cream is important and I use one type in all my ice creams and in this pie. It’s a product of Holland, “Dairytime” or “DairyLand” pure cream. Since I get mine from
Phonecia in Houston it’s got Arabic writing all over it.

So, here’s my version:

Broccoli-Parmesan Pasta

1 cup broccoli florets (1 head)
4 handfuls of dry rotini pasta, the colorful kind if possible
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use the ready-minced-garlic-in-a-jar for this)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Steam the broccoli for 10 minutes - or until just tender (don’t overcook). Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, in another very large pot, boil a large amount of water, salt well, then add pasta and cook until tender (about 10 minutes, see tip below). Drain and add to the broccoli in the large bowl.

In a small saute pan, heat the butter and oil over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, letting the butter brown, but not burn. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Pour this over the broccoli and pasta, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add grated parmesan and toss well.

It’s very important to use a large amount of water and salt the water WELL (if it tastes like seawater it’s great) when you cook pasta. Try it sometime - boil some pasta in just enough plain water to cover it, then cook the same kind of pasta in another pot with triple the amount of water and a few tablespoons of salt. Drain, rinse and taste ‘em. Big diff.

The Kromski Polonaise

The Kromski Symphony

My very first spinning wheel was the Kromski Symphony, a present to myself in 2004. I chose the Symphony because it looked the closest to the old antique Finnish spinning wheels that I so wanted. It’s a gorgeous device, all clear lacquered wood, and an absolute joy to use. It’s also a slightly “fast” wheel, meaning that it’s very easy to get it to spin fast, which can be a bit difficult for the beginner. So far I’ve stuck with using the largest whorl and treadling slowly.

The Polonaise is a single treadle wheel and runs a little slower. Even so, it took me a while to get used to because the flywheel can be adjusted at an angle. I didn’t realize this at first and had a really had time keeping it spinning. Once I’d figured it out I was able to get the flywheel inline with the mother-of-all and now it spins smoothly.

Spinning wheel terminology is kind of funny. The various parts of a spinning wheel have specific names, some of them quite … suggestive. There’s the obvious kinds of names, “flywheel”, “bobbin”, “whorl” and “treadle”. But then there’s also the “footmen”, the “maidens”, the “mother-of-all” and the “orifice”. Let no one ever tell you that a bunch of old crones don’t have just as dirty minds as a bunch of old men.

Handspun, handknit, wool.

I taught myself how to spin, using a book and the video that came with my wheel. I started with some roving from an abandoned craft kit that I had (a dream-catcher I’d never completed) and later some prepared roving that I bought on eBay. By February of 2005 I’d spun up enough - about 4 ounces of natural wool roving - to knit into a small rectangle. First I spun it, then I plied it into a 3-ply yarn using a technique called Navajo-Plying as described on The Joy of Handspinning web site. Finally I knitted a small sampler rectangle.

As I mentioned, I used the wool from an old dream-catcher kit that was falling apart for my first attempt at spinning. I hadn’t finished the dream-catcher and the bit of wool had gotten dirty enough that I was going to toss the whole thing out. Luckily the wool was essentially a coil of prepared roving - perfect for my first try on the spinning wheel. As you can see, I spun really fine and thin in some areas, very thick and fluffy in others and the whole thing is full of lumps and bumps.

The next attempt was with a batch of Corriedale wool roving generously donated by owner Judith and The Lovely Ladies of Sithean at  Sithean Fiber and Gifts. I’d heard that Corriedale wool was an easy fiber to spin for beginners and, now that I’ve tried it, I heartily agree. By this time I was spinning with ease, even though I’d as of yet had no hands-on instruction from any other experienced spinner. It was neat to feel the natural wool slip through my fingers into the spindle in a nice, neat single. The result was a much finer and much more even single ply yarn.

My first attempt at spinning my own wool yarn.

My second ever attempt and hand spinning my own wool yarn.

The nutmeg handspun yarn, before I turned it into a wiry mess.

I also did a nice little pile of nutmeg dyed Corriedale. I tried ply this one into a two ply yarn, using another technique that involves two bobbins of yarn coming off of a lazy kate, but didn’t watch to make sure than my ply twist was in the opposite direction as the spin twist. I ended up with the kinkiest yarn you’ve ever seen.

A basket full of roving.

Since then I’ve learned already that one cannot have too much roving. I’ve got everything from several different kinds (different breeds of sheep) of wool roving, camel, buffalo, llama and alpaca, Mongolian yak, silk, and various plant fiber rovings, including flax, corn and bamboo. I even got to visit with a really nice lady in Boerne, Texas who owned a lot of alpaca and llama, and came away with lots of raw wool to clean, card and then spin. I also learned that unprotected roving is like crack to kitties - utterly irresistible to pounce on - so it all rests safely inside an antique toy rest.

Want more?

Have a look at the pictures I took at Kid N’ Ewe - a fiber festival in Boerne, Texas, last November.

Here’s a cool video of a woman explaining how to spin on a Great Wheel. It’s such a graceful process - almost like learning a dance - since you are standing and moving back and forth in front of the wheel instead of remaining seated.

Here’s another wonderful video: Amanda shows you how to spin cotton sliver on a great wheel. (Embedding is disabled on this one, but it’s well worth going over to YouTube for a look-see.) I swear I could just watch and listen to this woman all day. I think of her as the Bob Ross of spinning.

Here’s a video of a more modern-style wheel:

And here’s one that explains how the spinning wheel works:

And finally, here’s a video of Andy Pankso’s stunninly beautiful all-glass peice of art. Yes, that’s a fully functioning spinning wheel made of hand blown glass. Be still my heart:

I used to post them to my blog: (The originals are from 2002 and most of the quiz links no longer work so I’m not including them here.)

How British are you?
Jolly good, wot! Anyone for tennis? That’ll be ten ponies, guv. You’re the epitome
of everything that is English. Yey :) Hoist that Union Jack!

Find your inner PIE
Apple pie.
[Jeff's favorite!]

Take the Enterprise Quiz!
You’re T’Pol. You are very analytical and logical, as any good Vulcan is, but this makes you stick out like a sore thumb. You’re cold and calculated, but there’s a softer side to you that you tend to keep under wraps.

Star Wars Twin
The test you just took has been broken down into five different categories. For each category, your score has been matched against a database of personality profiles for characters in Star Wars. For example, your openness to new experiences is similar to the openness to new experiences of Wicket.
[ Agreeableness = I'm Darth Vader.]

Where Do You Belong?
You Belong In Hell!! You are bad. No. you are EVIL! You like violence and death. Little children are annoying little shits who need to be struck by lightning, in your eyes.
[Hah! I know it was the "you'd be gluing pennies to the ground at the mall and seeing how many people try to pick them up" answer. Between this and Darth Vader is it apparent I shouldn't be taking these things while under the influence of PMS.]

What Fantasy Race Are You?
Wood Elf
[Yeah. The the wood elf FROM HELL.]

Check out which fruit you are
A peach.
[Well isn't that just peachy. C'mon, You knew I was going to say it.]

Take the non-offensive quiz
Mewing cat-in-a-basket.
[Hrm. Lessee, I guess at this point this makes me a peachy British cat from Vulcan snuggled up in a soft fluffy basket. IN HELL. God I love these tests.]

Which finger are you?
You are the good ol’ thumb! You are the family one, the one who not necessarily everyone loves but the one who everyone can’t live without. Always willing to lend a hand or comfort a friend when they need it.
[Hrmph. Darth Vader is not pleased.]

Which Furry Woodland Creature Are You?
A Chipmunk
[Great, I'm roadki..., er, a chipmunk. ]

I don’t post these to my blog anymore, even though I still enjoy taking the blasted things. I’m making an exception today, simply because the images on this quiz were so darn pretty. And because I seem to have strayed from my earlier Darth-Vader-Kitty-In-Hell persona:

Your result for The Elemental Test…

Earth, The Protector

Your nature is Earth. You are protective and nurturing to those close to you and appreciate nature for it’s own sake. Though violence and morbidity may disturb you, you have become accustomed to them being a part of everyday life and are perfectly ready to protect yourself from being included in these events.

How zen.

Original posted Monday February 10, 2003:

Coconut-Steamed Mussels

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
a pinch of kosher salt
1 pound mussels
a few grinds of fresh black pepper

In a large pot, heat the olive  oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the  water, wine and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add salt and red pepper  flakes. Insert a steamer basket and add the mussels. Cover and steam for 6  minutes. Remove mussels to a lareg bowl, discarding any that haven’t  opened. Add black pepper to broth and pour over mussels. Garnish with  chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!