Doggy Yoga

Weather continues to be beautiful here in Alaska!  In order to enjoy it to the fullest, Jason and I headed out on a hike.  As the day started out a little overcast and rainy, we enjoyed a late breakfast and pot of coffee.  Because we were able to enjoy breakfast together (a rare event!), I decided to make something special.  Being a true pinterester, I chose to use one of the many recipes that I have pinned but never tried, Smoke Salmon Croque Madames.  It was surprisingly easy and turned out delicious.  Mr. Hollandaise (aka Jason) said the only thing that would make it better would be to substitute the bechamel sauce with hollandaise sauce.  Keep in mind that he tends to be slightly bias toward anything hollandaise!  The recipe is provided below.

Smoked Salmon Croque Madames

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2/3 cup whole milk

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

8 slices white Pullman bread, or thinly sliced sandwich bread

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

5 ounces smoked salmon

1/4 cup small dill sprigs, plus more for garnish

2 cups grated Comte cheese

4 large eggs

 

Directions

Make the bechamel sauce: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking, 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk; cook, whisking, until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Using remaining 4 tablespoons butter, butter 1 side of each piece of bread. Set aside 4 slices. Spread unbuttered sides of remaining 4 slices with mustard; top with salmon. Scatter dill over salmon. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Sandwich with remaining bread, buttered side up.
Preheat broiler. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add sandwiches; cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Spread 2 tablespoons reserved bechamel sauce on top of each sandwich; sprinkle each with 1/4 cup remaining cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack eggs into skillet. Cover, and cook until whites are set but yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place 1 egg on top of each sandwich, and serve.

After stuffing ourselves, we decided we should probably work off some of the calories!  We headed to Bear Point.  I had not been there before and found it to be breathtaking.  Perfectly positioned over Peter's Creek, you can see from the Anchorage to the Sleeping Lady to Denali to the Valley.  Definitely recommend it to all those in and around Eagle River/Anchorage.  We had some slight inclement weather but set up a tarp, took a little nap, and awoke to blue skies and sunshine. 

Monkshood was everywhere!  One of my favorite wild flowers, it is a beautiful deep purple with delicate stem and distinctive petals.  Jason and Tacha enjoyed the serene atomsphere with some doggy yoga (ha ha!).

Monkshood flower

After enjoying the amazing scenery and weather up top, we began our descent.  On our way down, we encountered these happy little birds who did a little posing for me.  Looks like they even caught a few bugs to snack on!

With blisters on my feet and happiness in my heart, I hope that everyone is able to enjoy the beauty around them! 

Alaska Fun Fact: Alaska is the United States’ northernmost, westernmost and easternmost state. While most Americans ready identify Alaska as the most northern and western state, it also contains the U.S.’s easternmost point by longitude.

Ode to the Salad

"If you have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say Kool Whip on the side, you might be a redneck." - Jeff Foxworthy

What is salad?  As I prepared dinner, I pondered this question.  The word salad has far reaching implications.  From meat to veggies, fruit to pasta, the options are limitless.  I think that being raised in the Midwest has given me a unique perspective on salads.  In North Dakota, bringing a salad to a potluck meant so much more than running to the store for a bag of chopped up lettuce.  Every gathering was bursting with a colorful display of fruity concoctions, sugary delights, and savory salads.  Salads were not diet food.  They were (and probably still are) the refreshing treat between the "hotdishes" and potatoes.

Salad has a complex history.  (For an interesting history on salad see: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsalads.html#fruitsalad).  From the ancient Romans and Greeks to modern day chefs, salads have become an integral part of our diet.  This left me once again pondering, what is salad?  The definition of salad, interestingly, is as follows: 

1. : any of various usually cold dishes: as

              a : raw greens (as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing

b : small pieces of food (as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin

2.: a green vegetable or herb grown for salad

I guess those of us in North Dakota who ate of plethora of fruit in jello, cookies and mandarin oranges in pudding, and fruit cocktail in cherry pie filling (this ones for you Dad!) were doing it right all along.  One of my favorite "salads" is in a league with these greats.  A combination of jello, cottage cheese, pineapple, walnuts, celery, and a handful of other ingredients, its green goodness a combination of sweet and savory that always makes me smile.  

Now, I tend to stick to a healthier salad variety when preparing meals.  Fresh greens, a good variety of chopped veggies, and a little salad dressing is the go to.  Add in a little feta or blue cheese and maybe some nuts or dried fruit and you have a delicious side or light entree.  Mmmm mmmm good!

But what would a salad be without the dressing?  From balsamic vinaigrette to creamy ranch, it's all in the dressing!  However, I don't wish to consume my days worth of calories in 2 tbsp of dressing so finding low calorie options always appeals to me.  Though I love a good balsamic vinaigrette, sometimes I need to switch it up.  Here is a recipe for Honey Apple Cider Vinegar salad dressing that is low calorie and absolutely delish!  It is easy to prepare and stores well.

Honey Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 small shallot, minced
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

 Directions: 

Whisk together honey, apple cider vinegar, shallot, lemon juice, mustard powder, and dried basil.  Slowly pour in olive oil while whisking to emulsify.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour into jar with lid and refrigerate. Makes about 1-1/2 cups or 24 one-tablespoon servings.

Pondering the meaning of salad has left me with an appetite.  So for now, farewell.  May all your salads be cool and delicious!

Alaska Fun Facts: Giant vegetables are common in Alaska due to the extremely long days in summer. Alaska has grown a record cabbage weighing in at 94 pounds.

Here Fishy Fishy

I'm back!  Sorry for the long absence but between family visiting, work, and fishing there has not been a lot of time to blog!  Jason and I have had a great time with Grandpa & Grandma Kottsick, Roger, Krista, Dory, and Kevin visiting.

It is fishing season here in Alaska and we have been busy getting our fish for the year.  Jason was able to dipnet most of our fish this year but we also were able to do some lining on the Kenai River.  Lining is much more fun than dipnetting!  For those of you who are not familiar with this, let me explain.  Salmon are moving up river to their breeding grounds.  As they travel, they have little else on their mind but their final destination.  For this reason, they do not eat and will not bite bait (disclaimer: I am not a biologist.  This may not be true of all salmon species and locations).  Therefore, to catch them you must line them.  This involves some skill but mostly luck.  You cast a line upstream into the river and allow it to float with the water.  As it drifts, you pray for it to float into a gaping salmon mouth.  After your line has drifted downstream a ways, you pull the line to set the hook into what is hopefully said salmon mouth.  A lot of times you end up with the hook in a fin or body of the salmon.  While this makes for a more exciting reeling process, you cannot keep these fish.  I seem to have a singular talent for lining salmon anywhere but the mouth :)  About my eighth salmon, I finally got a keeper.  Here are some pictures from our trip.  CAUTION: Some pictures contain images of dismembered fish and fish blood.  I doubt any of my readers will mind but here is your warning.

To my good fortune, I often get to travel with a talented fish filleter.  Here he is in action!

We had absolutely beautiful weather!  It was so sunny that I actually got a sunburn.  I wasn't the only one enjoying the weather though . . .

On our way back to Eagle River, Jason and I were able to get some pictures of the wildlife and scenery.  Thankfully I married a eagle-eyed zoologist who not only spotted most of these birds but also knew what they were!

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane

Juvenile Mew Gull ("seagull" for us non-zoologists)

Arctic Tern, this guy swooped and tried to poop on me so not a very good pic :(

Trumpeter Swan

After enjoying the great outdoors of Alaska, I also came home to some beauty!

Peoni

Until next time!

Alaska Fun Fact: A salmon can detect one drop of water from its home stream mixed up in 250 gallons of sea water. Salmon will follow this faint scent trail back to their home stream to spawn.

God Bless the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave

Happy (late) Independence Day!  On this day, I feel a pride and love for the nation that I get to call home.  Thank you to all who have sacrificed for our freedoms, both past and present!  I love quotes so here you go.

Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty.  ~Louis D. Brandeis

Due to inclement weather, Jason and I decided to spend our Fourth making fireweed jelly/syrup.  Step 1: pick fireweed.  The fireweed here is just starting to bloom so it seemed as good a time as any.  We jumped into our rain gear and headed up the road.  We decided to try the ridge behind our house to gather our flowers.  As we climbed, soaked, up the ridge, I reminisced about the fireweed that we had seen by the side of the road, vowing to return if the climb did not pay off.  We found a small area of fireweed and stopped to pick flowers near the top of the ridge.  As we picked, I heard a noise in the distance.  Jason was busy enlightening me on some topic and did not notice the noise until I asked him what "that" was.  Though we never saw the bear, we managed to get down the mountain in record time!  After that, we were more than happy to gather our flowers by the side of the road :) 

Tacha, my little helper

 For those of you who may also want to try your hand at fireweed jelly, pick only the flowers.  Apparently, including the stem will cause a bitter taste.  You need several packed cups of flower but it actually can be obtained fairly quickly in a couple good patches of fireweed.  It took us 2 hours to gather about 12 packed cups.  Rinse flowers and then pack flowers into the bottom of a pot.  Add enough water to pot to reach just below top of packed flowers.  Less is more with the water.  You can add water after boiling to dilute the fireweed juice if needed.

It took us about 25 minutes to boil and obtain the fireweed juice.  Our 12 packed cups yielded 5 cups of a deep purple juice.  We decided not to dilute our juice.  Next, strain the juice through cheesecloth to remove any flower parts/chunks.  I scooped and squeezed the flowers out of the pot prior to straining.

Then, just follow the recipe.  We were rewarded with a delicious, beautiful jelly.  We also made 2 jars of syrup by only adding only a 1/3 of the pectin called for by the recipe to one batch.  We are delighted with the results and definitely recommend the recipe (see below)!  

Fireweed Jelly

 For fireweed juice: Harvest about 8 packed cups of fireweed flowers. Rinse thoroughly and put in 2 quart pot. Add just enough water to make water level just below top of packed flowers. (Juice should be a deep purple color when finished. If too much water is used in boiling process, juice will be a brownish color. More water can always be added after flowers are boiled to increase amount of juice.) Boil flowers in water until color is boiled out and petals are a grayish color. Ladle juice into jar through cheesecloth to strain.

 

2 1/2 cups fireweed juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 (1 3/4 ounce) package dry pectin
3 cups sugar

Directions

Warm fireweed juice, lemon juice and butter on stovetop.
Add Sure-Jell, bring to boil and boil hard for one minute.
Add sugar and bring to full boil for one minute. Skim top of jelly.
Pour into pitcher(makes it easier to fill jars)and skim again.
Fill sterilized jars leaving 1/8 inch space at top. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

- compliments of Food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/fireweed-jelly-208809

Alaska Fun Fact: The population of Alaska is only 626,932 and compared to the population of bears in Alaska, there is 1 bear for every 21 people.  Alaska has the highest concentration of bears (Grizzly, Black and Polar), numbering at 100,000.

Tribute to All Things Green

It finally rained in Eagle River.  I don't get to say that very often!  This summer has been unusually sunny and hot with very little precipitation.  No one is complaining after the last few summers that we have had.  All the sunshine has left us in need of rain (especially in high fire areas).  Even I can appreciate a rainy day inside!

This year, I was able to plant a garden again.  I am mostly a hobby gardener and we do not rely on my produce to contribute greatly to our food supply.  However, I have had some good success in past years.  Each year, I have had a good crop of lettuce, spinach, peas, carrots, and dill.  I have also had some blunders.  Some things, despite my earnest attempts, will not grow.  Shockingly, zucchini is one of them.  Being from North Dakota, this seemed impossible to me.  But year after year, I attempt to grow zucchini and fail miserably.  Many other vegetables have also failed to produce.  Tomatoes, peppers, and onions remain illusive.  Perhaps with a greenhouse, I would be more successful.  Gardening in Alaska has its challenges but is always worth the effort in the end.  Here is a look at what is growing in my garden right now.

Lettuce

 

 

Cabbage

Carrots

Kale

Rhubarb

Chives (thank you Jason Gilsdorf!)

Peas

Rosemary

Along with my garden, Alaska has some beautiful natural vegetation that is beginning to flower.  We have been blessed to have some of these plants growing right in our back yard!

Blue Bells - Hosta

Fireweed

I have great aspirations of making fireweed jelly/syrup this year.  I say jelly/syrup because, as I have never done this before, the consistency remains to be seen!  Now that the fireweed is flowering, it won't be long!

One more thing before I go.  We have a good friend who is a photographer here in Alaska.  He has done some amazing work!  If you are looking for artwork for you home or maybe a gift for someone else, check him out.  His name is Kyle Waters and here is his website:  

http://kylewatersphotography.ifp3.com/#/page/home/

Alaska Fun Fact: Fireweed gets its name because it grows very well in areas that have been cleared of vegetation by a fire.