Category: home

Posted on

Winter’s Return

 

Winter’s start is always messy. The warm days of fall still linger and melt early winter snows. This week we’ve had a mix of weather … most of it wet … much of that snow.

The week ended with a winter storm watch for the Cascades making passes un-passable. We’re not looking to get far. At present we will enjoy a crisp morning stroll that includes untracked powder.

The snow fall we got at the beginning of the week came under a cold front and frocked pine bows.

However, by the end of the week the temperatures warmed and the snow it brought was deeper but also heavy and hard to shovel. By afternoon the city plows were clearing the rutted streets of a slushy mix.

 

The shift to consistent cold is coming, but for now we have to contend with this snow and rain mix.

Posted on

Nothing typical about this week

This week has been interesting to say the least.

For the last six months we’ve been observing pandemic guidelines. Now to be honest, I rather like the whole social distancing part. It’s nice not having someone crowd you at the checkout, so waiting 6 feet away is actually preferable.

But then,  just after Labor Day came the  wildfires. Oregon was hit with a series of blazes on the west side of the Cascades. Large fires, unlike anything that side of the state has seen.

 

The result … air quality at hazardous levels.

For the past week, or more, we’ve been inside, unable to spend any time outdoors. There have been small breaks with the worst of the smoke coming late afternoon and evening.

An eerie haze hangs over the landscape. Face covers, mandatory for interior travel, are now necessary outside as well.

Just taking Tip for a walk brings tears to our eyes.

Friday finally brought a shift in the weather. It rained for the first time in weeks. Wind direction shifted and moved dense smoke out of the Willamette Valley and into Central Oregon. Hopefully it will keep moving east and while the fires still burn the really bad smoke / air quality is on the way out.

In the meantime, we are getting caught up on reading, cleaning and home organizing projects.

Posted on

Oregon’s on fire … Lets have Tea

The perfect storm hit the west side of our state early this week and started what is likely to become a record breaking wildfire season.

Towards the end of the week, smoke from the thirty plus fires had put Portland and many parts of Oregon at the top of the list of the world’s most hazardous air quality.

We were just thinking about the Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing when proposing to host our annual Pumpkin Tea … Virtually.

It seems to have been a good choice, given the current state of the state.

Making use of Zoom (an online streaming site which has gained users with the pandemic), we got together with family members on Saturday morning.

The menu was simpler this year. In a package we mailed earlier in the week, we shared orange zest sugar cookies and a lemon pound cake, as well as TyPhoo tea.

We also included flashcards for a little bit of virtual fun. Everyone whipped up a batch of scones and gathered in front of their computers to share a cuppa.

Saturday morning came and it wasn’t as chaotic as feared … the one slight hiccup came in the actual invitation to the meeting that needed to be sent from the same computer hosting.

We chatted for about an hour, got caught up on the family news, and set up a repeat meeting for next month. So I guess in the overall craziness that is 2020, this year’s tea offered a moment of calm and normalcy, despite the smoke and chaos outside.

Print Recipe

Chewy Sugar Cookies

A quick and easy sugar cookie recipe with an orange / citrus flavor

Ingredients

  • 2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 16 Tbsp unsalted butter soften but still cool
  • 1 cup sugar plus 1/2 cup for rolling dough
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp Fiori di Sicilia optional: Vanilla Extract for vanilla flavor.

Instructions

  • Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 375º. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
  • Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter, the 1 cup sugar and the brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed. Add the egg and Fiori di Sicilia; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
  • Place the ½ cup sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold tap water. Dip your hands in the water and shake off any excess (this will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that the sugar sticks to the dough).
    Roll a spoon full of dough into a ball in the sugar and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, moistening your hands as necessary and spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.
    Using the butter wrappers, butter the bottom of a drinking glass and then dip the bottom of the glass in the sugar. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of the glass until they are about ¼  inch thick, dipping the glass in sugar as necessary to prevent sticking.
  • Bake until the cookies are golden brown around the edges and their centers are just set and lightly colored, 12 - 13 minutes, rotating the sheets from the front to back, halfway through the baking time.
    Cool the cookies on the baking sheets, about 3 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Print Recipe

Ultimate Lemon Cake

The best lemon cake ... ever.

Ingredients

Citric Sugar topping

  • 3 Tbsp bakers sugar (fine sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp citric acid powder

Cake

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese room temp
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 pkg lemon instant pudding 3.4 oz
  • 6 Lrg eggs room temp
  • 3 cups cake flour sifted
  • 3 1/2 tsp lemon zest

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325, grease a 12 inch tube pan or bundt and sprinkle with about 2/3 of the sugar glaze on bottom and sides of pan.
  • Add room temp cream cheese, butter and salt to large mixing bowl, cream until smooth.
  • Slowly add sugar and instant pudding to bowl and cream until light and fluffy about 5 min.
  • Lower speed of mixer to medium and add flour one cup at a time until just incorporated. Do not overbeat. Add lemon zest and incorporate.
  • Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 min. or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • While still warm out of the oven, sprinkle top of cake with remaining citric sugar topping (you may have to make more) and allow to cool completely.
Posted on

The Morning Ritual

 

Wild fires have wreaked havoc on the west. Even without a fire burning in your area, the smoke from a regional blaze has likely drifted over your house.

A smoky haze obstructs views and along with acrid air, you’ll swelter in the summer heat. All this makes being outdoors difficult. We’re constantly checking the air quality alerts before going anywhere.

Regardless of the reduced outing schedule, we don’t miss the morning walk. Typically in Central Oregon, even a blazing hot day starts with temps in the low 40’s.

The neighborhood remains in a perpetual state of construction. There are dirt roads linked to paved paths, all of which run through forest and fields.

We’ve settled into a route that takes nearly an hour, stretches our old legs and gives the pup plenty of sniffing time.

While it is a developed neighborhood, we’re still treated to encounters with wildlife, mostly deer, rabbits, coyote, and a wide variety of birds. And while there is highway din, the forest is relatively quiet at dawn.

Posted on

The devil you say

We’ve been out of sorts lately. A recent encounter between a deer and our car (the deer survived, our car not so much) has us sans our all terrain vehicle. With the car at the body shop for 4-6 weeks, our normal schedule has been slightly upended.

Luckily for us, a recent trip to our local grocery store provided inspiration. Several items which have been out of stock since March suddenly appeared … namely, pickling salt and cake flour.

Bread and Butter Pickles

This is a staple in our pantry and unfortunately, we are on our last jar! The timing couldn’t be better. The pickles are used in our homemade potato salad and extra juice is used for brining hard boiled eggs.

Devil’s Food  Cake
A mix of dutch-processed cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate and hot water enhances the chocolate flavor. A combination of cake flour (tender crumb) and all-purpose flour (structure) create a melt-in-your mouth texture.

Jack recently put in a request for cake. It needed to be chocolate, packed with flavor and easy to freeze.   I went to the experts of food alchemy, Cook’s Illustrated, and found what I hoped was the perfect cake … Devil’s Food Cake.

The essence of this cake is a very moist, velvety texture, combined with intense chocolate flavor. Sounds perfect. We baked it in a sheet pan to help meet the freezing requirement. The cake itself is so rich in flavor it doesn’t need frosting. What you say? No frosting? Yes, it’s that good.

Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Devil's Food Cake

An extremely rich and tender cake, that if baked in a 13x9 pan, will NOT need frosting to be a great treat.
Servings: 10 people

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
  • 1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa
  • 1 1/4 cup boiling water
  • 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 16 tbsp unsalted butter 2 sticks / softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar packed
  • 3 large eggs at room temp
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Adjust the oven racks to the middle position; heat the oven to 350º F. Meanwhile, grease a and line the bottom of a 13x9 pan with parchment. Combine the chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl; pour the boiling water over and whisk until smooth. Sift together the flours, baking soda, and salt onto a large sheet of parchment paper; set aside.
  • Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer at medium-high speed until it is creamed, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatual. With the mixer at medium-high speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Reduce the speed to medium; add the sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, about 10 seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. With the mixer at low speed, add about a third of the flour mixture, followed by about half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture; beat until just combined, about 15 seconds. Do not overbeat. Remove the bowl from the mixer; scrape the bottom and sides with a spatula and stir gently to thoroughly combine.
  • Pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan on the middle rack. Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen. Invert onto a large plate; peel off the parchment paper and reinvert onto a rack. Cool completely. Sprinkle a light dusting of powdered sugar on top or apply your favorite frosting.