It was a really busy week.
We got a lot done . . . except content for a blog post.
This morning we woke to snow. It looks like March is starting out white . . . oh well.
We’re back next week, thanks for checking in.
Winter’s End . . . maybe
This week the weather warmed and our colds waned.
It looks a bit like spring outside. Most likely a late winter melt is underway. Could be a ‘false spring,’ but we’ll take what’s offered.
While winter was losing its grip, we continued homebased projects.
One of those was trying a simple oven baked pizza.
Using a cast iron skillet to magnify the oven’s heat, this was a resounding success. America’s Test Kitchen recipes rarely fail.
By weeks end the day temperatures had moved into the low forties and we headed off to the river for a long awaited escape.
River levels were up . . . putting grass and willow banks under a few inches of water . . . plus the heavy flows brought turbidity.
Fishing wasn’t great, but the weather is supposed to stay clear and warmer so there is hope for next week’s trip.
Cast Iron Pan Pizza
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 2 cups bread flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm water 105 to 110 degrees
Sauce
- 1 cup tomato sauce
PIZZA
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 oz Monterey Jack Cheese shredded (1 cup)
- 7 oz Mozzarella cheese shredded 1 ¾ cup
Instructions
DOUGH
- Mix flour, salt and yeast. Add warm water and mix until most of flour is moistened. Using hands knead dough in bowl for 1 minute until dough forms a sticky ball, about 1 minute.
- Spray a 9 inch pie plate with oil spray. Transfer dough to prepared plate and press dough into a 7-8 inch disk.
- Spray top of dough with vegetable oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.
- 2 hours before baking, remove dough from fridge and let sit at room temp for 30 minutes.
PIZZA
- Coat bottom of cast iron skillet and use your fingertips to flatten dough until it is 1/8 inch from edge of skillet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest until slightly puffy, about 1 1/2 hours.
- 30 minutes before baking adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Spread 1/2 cup sauce evenly over top of dough, leaving 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese evenly over border. Press cheese into side of skillet forming 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch wall. Evenly sprinkle cheese over sauce.
- Bake until cheese at edge of skillet is well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer skillet to stovetop. Let cool for 3 minutes. Check bottom of pizza crust. Place over medium high heat and cook until crust browned. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes.
Having The Time
This week we both came down with colds. Then, in addition to sub-zero temperatures, the snows returned . . . so there were no excursions.
On the upside, the greatest luxury of being retired is you’re no longer enslaved to the clock. There are no places we have to be, meetings or work that demands our attention.
This means that our week consisted of a tissue box, cup of hot tea and a good book, all nestled in front of the fire.
I guess if you’re going to have the sniffles it’s best during a winter storm. We’ll have to see what next week holds, but already cold symptoms are abating.
Snow Days
Once again weather dictates plans. A winter storm watch that didn’t materialize last week, showed up this week and brought along a foot of new snow.
Central Oregon winters are a mix of clear cold, then broken when a front shoves storm clouds across the Cascade range. Last week started almost spring-like and then came this week and a return to shoveling snow.
It’s not impossible to travel in these conditions, just easier to wait for the inevitable string of clear days.
In that waiting we managed to accomplish a few home based projects. Starting with the pantry.
Cold winter days are a perfect time to start up a canning operation and restock soups, sauces, stews and chili.
We’re also trying to put up some late season vegetables, like broccoli and carrots. Found a good price on sliced mushrooms, so they got piled into half pint jars and loaded into the canner as well.
Little offsets cabin fever better than a warm meal, good book and comfortable chair. We enjoy that while we wait for the skies . . . and roads . . . to clear.
Winter Fishing
Weather finally softened this week and we headed to the river to fish. Fishing doesn’t stop in winter it just takes a different form.
The Crooked River is a ‘tailwater” . . . that is, its flow is regulated by a dam. On a tailwater, levels can fluctuate dramatically, sometimes in a matter of hours.
This inconsistent flow is offset by more constant water temperatures. The mix is good for the aquatic insects, fish food, that cling to the rocky stream bottom.
In winter months a fish feeds mostly on small aquatic invertebrates, most of them less than a quarter inch long. For that reason one employs a different method casting to winter waters.
The Canyon walls can close off the sun by early afternoon. But on days where the wind is light a few hours of midday sun will temper the air over icy river water.
Tying winter fly patterns is simple but not easy because the materials are wrapped on very small hooks. To get these bits of thread, fur and wire down to the fish a tungsten bead adds some weight sitting just behind the hook’s eye.
Adornments of silver wire ribbed over purple, red or green thread and topped with a collar of dyed rabbit fur . . . midge patterns . . . . are the choice for this day.
But nothing I attached to the end of my line enticed any takes. Getting on the river and taking in it’s sun glazed surface was reward enough. There will be other days to ply the river with my handspun offerings and pretty soon winter will pass.