Seafood

We have been getting absolutely amazing seafood from a place in town called Port Orford Sustainable Seafood. Everything is line caught and wild. The King Salmon is fantastic. I've made several things from it:

 

Sushi:

 

 

 

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowls:

 

 
 

 Smoked Salmon Spread:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bowl Recipe:

SERVINGS
Makes 2 bowls

INGREDIENTS
1 cup brown rice
5 baby red potatoes, quartered
8 oz. smoked salmon
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Butter
Salt
Pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring rice, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes. Turn off heat and let rest, with the lid still on, for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
2. Meanwhile preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Toss potatoes with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread across baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, tossing them half way through to ensure even cooking.
3. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add one tablespoon of butter. Swirl the pan to ensure the melted butter coats the bottom. Add sliced mushrooms in a single layer, trying not to crowd them. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook for 3 minutes, until browned and then given the a quick stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl. Return pan to heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add spinach leaves, lower heat to a simmer and cook until leaves have wilted. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
4. Add 4 cups of water to medium-sized, deep-sided saucepan. Bring water to a rolling boil and gently lower the eggs into the pot. Lower heat to a simmer and cook eggs for 6 minutes. Remove the eggs and rinse under cold water for a minute to shock them. Carefully crack and peel the eggs. Set aside.
5. Whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice and smoked paprika until thoroughly combined. Season with salt, to taste.
6. To assemble the dish, spoon 1 tablespoon of the sauce on the bottom of two bowls. Distribute 1/4 cup brown rice into each. Top each with mushrooms, spinach, roasted potatoes, and 4 oz. smoked salmon. Place the eggs in a bowl and, using a sharp knife, cut them in half, lengthwise. Garnish with chopped parsley, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Smoked Salmon Spread Recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon dried dill (or fresh if you have it)
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 oz. smoked salmon, minced
1/4 cup finely minced red onion

DIRECTIONS:
Add Cream cheese, sour cream, dill, horseradish, salt, and smoked salmon in an food processor mix until creamy. Add the onion and stir. Chill and serve with crudités or crackers crack fresh pepper over top.

 

 

2019 Garden Area

We will eventually build raised beds and a greenhouse type of area. For this year I believe I'll just be gardening here. It's the only place I could easily secure that gets full sun. I've put in brown plastic mulch to warm up the soil (which warmed it from 55 to 68 degrees), amended the soil, and put up a deer fence.

Eventually we will build something like this:
















I am accustomed to gardening in a different region so I started my seeds two months to early, but that might mean healthier tomatoes. Let's see! They only started to take off this month. I planted them at the end of January. I'd Normally be putting them in the ground at the end of this month. The chart I downloaded online says for our region tomatoes should be planted mid May.

I have a few of these I'll be planting my "herb garden" in. Hopefully it works out they fit on the deck railing perfectly.













I have to say I'm very excided for spring! There are so many signs it's here from Robins working the yard, to flowers:

Neighbors - Ranch

We also have a neighbor who has a cattle ranch. This is why our "backyard" is so unspoiled by houses. We have a great view of their multiple pastures, cows, and horses. The pasture nearest us usually has approximately 7 horses in it which we watch them feed every morning at around 9 am.

 

This morning we saw cows running through the pasture the horses usually occupy. It's baby time on the farm and they are SO cute!!

Some or our other neighbors are more rambunctious like the hummingbirds. This is a very rare picture with everyone sharing instead of fighting.

Relocation

Hi All!

We have relocated to Southern, Costal Oregon. The climate is much different here. No more 100+ degree days. So far (since August) we've had 98% sunny days. I'm looking forward to putting raised beds in and getting gardening!! That's going to require a bit of work though.

For now I'll show you a few things I'm working on. The neighbors have several fruit trees and are willing to share. The most abundant thing is apples! They also have figs, blueberries, pears, grapes, and plums. We also have wild blackberries in the yard.

Blueberries

Apples



Pears



Plums

I've put away several pounds of apples (over 20lbs):



Apple Pie Filling

 

Apples Ready for dehydrating

Dehydrated Apples





Applesauce

 

Blackberry Applesauce
 

Apple Fruit Rollups

Herbs from the garden

Nothing quite beats being able to go out the kitchen door and pick fresh herbs for the dish you are cooking. I already had: rosemary, german thyme, Mediterranean oregano, sweet basil, Thai basil, chives, lemon balm, and mint. This year I planted sage and it's growing beautifully. Hopefully it will overwinter well. I've been picking and drying them lately:

Sage

Mint, thyme, oregano 

Bacon and cheddar chipotle burgers

This is a recipe I put together. I was trying to blend a few of our favorite things and it came out fabulous! Time consuming, but fabulous. Please ignore the calorie count, you really don't want to know.

Bacon & Cheddar Chipotle Burgers

★★★★★

Burgers

prep 20 mins ∙ cook 10 mins ∙ makes 2 ∙ source Food.com

INGREDIENTS

• 4 slices red onions, finely sliced
• 6 slices tomatoes
• 6 slices bacon
• 4 slices sourdough bread, toasted
• 2 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• Mushrooms:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup shiraz wine (syrah)
• 1/2 cup portabella mushroom, sliced
• Meat mix:
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from can of chipotle in adobo)
• 3 chipotle peppers, diced (from can)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 cup toasted wheat germ
• Spread:
• 1/4 cup ranch dressing, I used Hidden Valley Ranch
• 1 tablespoon dried chipotle powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all ingredients for meat together in a medium sized bowl. Allow to sit while preparing other items.

2. Mix all ingredients for dressing. Place into refrigerator until ready to use.

3. Slice tomatoes, onions & mushrooms.

4. Melt butter under medium heat, add olive oil & syrah, saute mushrooms until cooked & slightly browned. Set aside.

5. Cook bacon. I prefer to fry it but use whatever method you prefer. Set aside.

6. Toast sour dough bread.

7. Form meat into two large patties the same shape as your bread.

8. Place patties on pre-heated grill & grill until moderately charred on the outside and medium or medium rare on the inside.

9. When patties are almost done place cheese on patties. Cook until melted.

10. Spread dressing on bread, to the thickness you prefer.

11. Place patty on bread along with all toppings (mushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, & onions.

12. Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Calories 1594.4
Calories from Fat 966
Total Fat 107.4 g
Saturated Fat 37.4 g
Cholesterol 253.2 mg
Sodium 2188.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 82.3 g
Dietary Fiber 7.9 g
Sugars 5.7 g
Protein 72.4 g

Great fish soup recipe!

My father always requested fish soup.y mother didn't like making it and she and I never ate it. She would make a separate meal for her and I. So when I saw this recipe I was very disinterested, then I read the ingredients and decided to give it a try. It's delicious and even better with a crusty bread to dip into it. I scaled it down, it normally makes 6-8 servings. Way to much for the two of us.

Fiskesuppe (Norwegian Cod and Root Vegetable Chowder)

★★★★★

Soup

makes 3–4 (Scaled) ∙ source Saveur.com

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 small leek, sliced ¼" thick
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 medium carrots, sliced ¼" thick
• 1/2 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 small celeriac, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium new potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fish stock
• 1 cups milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless cod fillet, cut into 2" pieces
• 1/6 cup dill, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1/8 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Crusty bread, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Heat butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, celery, onions, peppers, and leeks, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add carrots, parsnips, celeriac, potatoes, stock, milk, cream, and Worcestershire; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add cod, and continue to cook, stirring gently, until fish is cooked through, 6–8 minutes. Stir in dill, parsley, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Serve with bread.