jstv – Page 2

October 27, 2024October 26, 2024

Another Trip to the River

Rain, marking a transition between fall and winter, started up this week. But it didn’t stick around long.

We headed up to the Crooked River to take advantage of a perfect fall day. Morning starts with a dusting of frost and fog obscures the view. We just add an extra layer of flannel under the vest and venture out.

By midday the frost is gone and the fog has burnt off. October skies are typically clear and the sun feels warm, even if there is a bit of chill to the wind.

This time of year migration is in full swing, which boosts the variety of bird sightings. JQ’s camera is kept busy with the renewed activity.

The Kestrel has come back along the river and is hanging near their old nesting site. Hours pass watching the comings and goings of all the different critters.

Another seasonal shift on the river is water levels. As irrigation needs subside, the reservoir restricts flow to start the process of resupply.

These lower flows are matched with temperature shifts, which in turn trigger bug hatches. This is good for the fish and the fisher.

All too soon shorter days will bring cold days and hard frosts. Snow is not far behind which will cause a shift to our travels.

But for the present we’ll add warm shirts to the packing and shift from iced to warm drinks. There is still plenty of sunny fall days to enjoy.

October 20, 2024October 19, 2024

A Hint of Winter

Today saw the season’s first hard frost that glazed pine boughs and sage leaves. Winter announcing it’s arrival.

Before the snows come, we made one final trip to Cottonwood Canyon.

This last camp of the year is a bourbon and hot cocoa sipped on the porch kind of stay. The temperatures require layers and socks in your sandals.

But the weather only threatened rain as we were leaving and with a sweater, the porch offered ample cover from the canyon wind.

Our evening was highlighted, literally, by a break in the clouds as the Hunter’s Moon rose over the hills.

We didn’t get to do much star gazing with this bright object in the night sky. On the other hand, a flashlight wasn’t necessary for the evening toilet.

A pair of mule deer joined us for morning coffee and scones.

A nye of ring-necked pheasants occupied the field just to our north. However, that was only evident when they flew in and out of the tall grass.

Grain fields were mostly fallow or brown with this year’s stubble. Occasionally there would but a plot that showed the short green sprout of winter wheat.

It still turns, but not sure it draws water anymore.

A series of storm fronts kept the wind farms active and presented us with a grand show of cloud formations.

It’s a pleasant drive through the rolling hills along Highway 97. We’ll not venture this far north after winter comes full on, but likely be back in the spring.

October 13, 2024October 12, 2024

Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

Nearly ever Sunday morning we have waffles.

This is a breakfast ritual that has been part of our menu plan for a long time. A couple of weeks ago the old waffle iron finally gave up. Well, it still made waffles, but not consistently.

While pancakes filled in for a bit, they never really offered a proper platform for seasonal fruit and syrups. This week we broke down and replaced the old Oster Flip Waffle Maker model F10W . . . truth is I never really liked that thing. It only did a mediocre job at making crisp brown waffles.

What took the Oster’s place was a Breville Smart Waffle Pro model BWM604.

This stainless steel enrobed beauty took us from turning out a round pale limp waffle (one at a time), to producing four golden brown squares of crispy delight.

It was a bit more spendy, but worth every extra dollar.

Interestingly enough, breakfast waffles are only the beginning. JQ uncovered a myriad of recipes utilizing a waffle iron as the baking instrument. The future has expanded from cozy Sunday breakfasts into other culinary arenas.

At this point I should confess my addiction to snack cakes. I’ve regularly consumed individually wrapped carbo-bombs from those hallmarks of healthy eating, Hostess, Little Debbie, and Tastee Kakes. JQ has made numerous attempts to offer something far less harmful, but was met with little success.

Cake batter in a waffle maker worked too well.

This waffle iron might present the perfect alternative to long shelf life snack cakes. Our first foray was a chocolate waffle built on a Greg Patton recipe. It’s crevices filled with chocolate buttercream. This checked all the snack cake boxes, with none of the chemical additives.

Cakes: Lemon; Marble Pound Cake; Chocolate Frosted Snack Cake

If you do even a cursory search of waffle iron cooking, it will become apparent that we’ve only scratched the surface.

Some of these waffle iron productions don’t even utilize batter.

We’ll keep you informed of the hits, as well as misses. We’re pretty sure Hostess is history.

Print Recipe

Buttermilk Waffles (and Pancake)

Ingredients

1 cup sifted flour 150 grams
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted

Instructions

Preheat waffle iron.
In a 4 cup glass measure whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a 1 cup glass measure, whisk egg into buttermilk and then drizzle in the melted butter.
Add wet to dry and combine. Use a wooden spoon or spatula, but don't overmix as the waffles will be flat and tough.
Cook according to your iron's instruction - for pancakes drop ¼ cup measures on a lightly greased griddle.

October 6, 2024October 6, 2024

Some Fall Color

Fall has descended on Central Oregon.

The high desert isn’t known for its foliage displays, but there are spots of color. Morning temperatures have dropped to near frost level chill, but the skies are clear, and by noon we are in the mid-seventies.

It’s a great time of year.

Early in the week we headed over to Summer Lake only to find that it’s locked down in preparation for waterfowl hunting season. Didn’t really see many birds, wonder why?

Undaunted we swung up to Winter Ridge for the trip home.

A favorite pull off on the Chewaukan River

Large swaths of the forest were ravaged by wildfire three years ago and yet some sections were untouched. Wildfire is a tricky beast.

Aspen leaves hold a distinct shade of yellow/orange in the falll

The area is peppered with marsh land, which in turn is home to numerous Aspen groves. This was our fall color and while mainly just shades of yellow. It was beautiful.

Later in the week, we headed back to Maupin for an additional attempt at Summer Steelhead.

This week’s trek began at first light . . . or at least early morning.

My cast count must be getting close to that magic “1000” number and still no steelhead. Instead, I settled for a stand in the river, taking in the wildlife and practicing those casting moves.

It’s the height of apple season and we were hoping to get some more cider.

There are around a hundred boxes of different apples and pears at Kikawa Orchard

If apples with redish flesh are pressed you get red cider … tastes just as good.

From the Deschutes River it’s a short jaunt to the orchards in Hood River.

On the slopes of Mt Hood there are a great variety of deciduous tree species and thus more fall colors.

Trees are still loaded with fruit, though mostly pears and the harvest is in full swing.

We did find some cider, as well as a few different variety of apples and pears to complement a growing fall fruit basket. Ladened with seasonal fruit, we headed home.

September 29, 2024September 28, 2024

Kind of a Sad Week

This week we had to say goodbye to Lewis, an 18 year old, long hair, black cat. He was sick first of the week, and then by mid-week he wasn’t eating or drinking.

He’s had some kidney issues, but this was not a good sign.

By Thursday we knew what had to be done.

He was kind of a pain in the butt. He liked to jump up on the counter and chomp fresh herbs (chives being his favorite). But he was the best ‘in your lap while reading cat’ we’ve ever had. Now, we have just one cat left.

The excursions we did make this week were up to the Crooked River. We really needed the peace of a sit-along-the-stream.

The fishing wasn’t very good, clouds and wind took over one of the days . . . but a bad day on the river is still a good day.

Thursday was much better. We had the place to our selves and while the fishing didn’t improve, the weather did.

Fall is definitely here.

Day temps are down and there is a crispness to the air. Plus, the migration is starting up so bird activity is increasing.

We’ll likely make a trip out to Summer Lake this coming week, and maybe have another try at Summer Steelhead. The weatherman suggests we’ll have good days ahead.