Author: jq

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Obstkuchen


This cake has so much going for it. It’s quick, easy, versatile and not overly sweet.

Obstkuchen or German Fruit Cake is a light sponge cake used as a base to hold fresh or canned fruit. It’s a terrific food canvas.  Mix and match fruit, then place in patterns or a generous mound.

You can put fruit directly on the cake, but be sure to pat them dry before placing on the cake base. To help keep the base from getting too moist, spread a filling, before adding the fruit. Experiment with flavored pudding, whipped cream, or even Nutella.


We topped our cake with a whipped cream mixture, then added a mound of blueberries. Obstkuchen is delicious as a dessert, snack…and even breakfast!

Print Recipe

Obst Torte

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped Cream Topping

  • 1 cup whip cream
  • 4 tbsp vanilla pudding mix or flavor of your choice
  • 3 tbsp powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp milk, as needed

Fruit Glaze

  • 3 tbsp seedless jam
  • 1 1/2 tbsp hot water

Fresh Fruit

  • 2 cups fresh fruit

Instructions

Obstkuchen

  • Beat 3 eggs on high until foamy.
  • Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Beat high for 8 minutes.
  • Whisk 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
  • Sift dry mixture, then add in thirds to eggs. Fold after addition.
  • Once mixed, add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
  • Line a springform cake pan or flan tart pan. Don't grease sides.
  • Bake for 25 minutes at 350. Let cool.

Whipped Cream

  • Chill bowl for 15 minutes. Add whip cream and beat 1-2 minutes.
  • Gradually add pudding mix and powder sugar until stiff. Set half aside for pastry bag, the other for smoothing on top of cake (only to edges).

Fruit Glaze

  • Stir 3 tablespoons seedless jam with 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water.

Assembly

  • Spread whip cream mix on top of cake (only to edges)
  • Leave 1 inch border open to pipe whip cream. Add fruit in pattern or in a generous mound.
  • Brush fruit with fruit glaze until shiny.
  • Fill pastry bag with the rest of the whip cream. Using a star tip or tip of your choice, pipe frosting around edge of cake.
  • Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

 

 

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Summer Lake on a winter’s day

In 1843, John Freemont discovered a valley with an alkali lake. On a December day, Freemont’s survey team clammered down a snow-covered cliff they would name Winter Ridge, into a temperate green valley.

Fed by a small spring, Summer Lake has been as long as 15 miles and 5 miles wide.  However, demands from irrigators and dry Oregon winters have left a much smaller lake and large stretches of muddy shoreline.

Like the Klamath basin 80 miles west, Summer Lake valley is home to a wide variety of migratory birds. This was one of the reasons we drove down Highway 31 past Fort Rock, Silver Lake, Summer Lake and finally to Paisley, Oregon. That day there wasn’t an abundance of birds but we were treated to awesome views of the valley. It was a gorgeous day, kind of summer-like.

 

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Clean that produce

Fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, make up a major part of our diet. No shopping trip is over until the produce is rinsed, because along with dirt and general produce department grime, even the stuff marked organic might still hold trace chemical residue. We’ve discovered a simple method to ensure a clean rinse on all the raw fruit and vegetables going into our next meal.

Citrus essential oil, vinegar and water make up the initial bath, you then rinse with water and give veggies a quick spin. Finally, we pack everything in “Debbie Meyer’s” green bags to get a longer fridge life.

Print Recipe

Essential Oil Fruit and Vegetable Wash

A simple, cheap way to remove dirt and pesticides from fruits and vegetables.

Ingredients

  • 1 quart filtered water
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 2 drops Lemon essential oil Use citrus essential oil of your choice.

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients in bowl.
  • Place produce in cleansing bath and let sit for approximately 5 minutes. 
  • Slightly agitate veggies to help knock loose any dirt clods and debris.
  • Rinse produce well in colander.
  • Dry. (We use a veggie spinner.)
  • Place clean produce in green bag or container. (Debbie Meyer GreenBags)

Notes

Optional: Store mixture in squirt bottle to spray on produce. Then rinse and dry.

 

 

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Nutty twist

We frequently look for new and healthy ways to eat. Finding a way to enhance fresh fruit, without adding sugar, seemed like a worthy challenge.

We found a simple, easy way by adding one additional ingredient.

We selected a mix of fresh berries and made it even more delicious, with the addition of toasted unsweetened coconut.

Stovetop toasting is remarkably quick and easy, and it has the added benefit of leaving your kitchen smelling great. It only takes a few minutes and is well worth the effort.

 

Print Recipe

Berries with Toasted Coconut

A healthy, refreshing treat.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Keyword: berries, fruit
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup berries mixed
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes lightly toasted

Instructions

  • Select your choice of fresh berries. Rinse, dry and place in serving container.
  • Warm a pan on medium heat and measure coconut flakes into pan. Lightly stir until flakes begin to brown and you smell warm coconut. 
  • Sprinkle toasted coconut onto berries. Enjoy!
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Roadside geology


 
It’s a bit of an understatement to say Central Oregon has a unique geological history. Nearly every hillside and canyon in the region tells a story, exposing a variety of volcanic eras. According to “Roadside Geology of Oregon,” we live on the volcanic plateau. Walking ancient lava flows is so cool!

Northwest of Bend, a man-made lake occupies a space made up of igneous rock, once cut into by three rivers. This is where the Metolius  and Crooked join the Deschutes river. The waters of Billy Chinook draw hundreds of power boaters from May to November, however in the winter months, the canyon walls are quieter and we can indulge our geological interests in relative peace.


 
Mountain View Drive, a few miles off Highway 97 and northwest of Culver is a good starting point.  From it’s many overlook pullouts, you get a “whole picture view” of the plateau and canyon walls.

Next it’s down to the floor and the Crooked River Day Use area.  The deserted boat ramp is a nice place to stop for some lunch by the lake. The sun has made it to this level by noon and is warming huge boulders that serve as picnic site buffers.

Drive up the Crooked river branch and you are able to see textbook examples of columnar basalt that lava flows laid down millennia ago. Cross over the lake and stop to see one of the more recent rock formations in the area, a Petroglyph Rock.

We are now on the Metolius River branch and climb out of one canyon, across a flat, and drop into Fly Creek, where at USFS road 1170, the pavement ends.   A short distance farther and you pull into a turnout on the right. Down the gravel path is the Balanced Rocks, another geological oddity with Lake Billy Chinook and the snow covered peak of Mt Jefferson in the background.