Early American Food Culture

I just finished this book on our recent trip to Europe. I had ample time to read on the flight. I've really been enjoying the food history books as of late. No exception with this book. This outlined the food practices that existed in turn of the century American culture, before the installations of the freeway super-structures, and the modernization of convenience and/or processed food and microwaves. Back when local and seasonal was the norm and expected. It was fantastic reading the various historical aspects of each region in the US. The Writers Projects program that kept authors employed after the war. In my perspective, it was very interesting to learn this food history of our disparate food culture in this country. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone.

Pinakothek Der Moderne

I loved the modern art museum in Munich. Particularly, the industrial design section. Holly and I both, took a lot of photos here and were enthralled by the exhibits.



Outdoor approach to main entrance.



Another angle.



The room of designer chairs.



Cute Holly Honey.



Original fiberglass Eames. I love these chairs and rocking chairs.



Tea Kettles throughout the decades.



A beautiful triptych in primary colors.



Outdoor sculptures and lawn area.



Juxtaposition of building types.



Peek-A-Boo, I see you...!

Fashionistas of Germany/Switzerland/Austria

Since we have WAY too many photos for me to sift through from our trip, I thought I'd start with a fairly small category from our trip. Not that there weren't more photo opportunities, but these are all I was able to capture. Enjoy!!

Munich was ripe with entertainment, even the pets were unique. Check out that lady's bag!



Love these shoes, they actually do look pretty comfortable. What you can't really tell here is that the green thing in the back goes almost 1/4 of the way up his calf.



Black and white overload.



They really do wear Lederhosen.





It's okay to dress your kids in traditional dress, this little girl on our Sound of Music tour was adorable.



Even their accessories are extreme!



And crocs! Here's Dan sporting the biggest croc I've ever seen...



She must be from the northwest.



Some of these gems I captured by accident.




At first I just thought they didn't want to lose each other so they wore matching jackets, then I saw her pants and had to take a photo.



Of course no one is free from criticism. Dan should NEVER have put this hat on. I had to capture it from Patrick's camera.

My Turning 36 Bucket List

So in my quest for constant self improvement, I've been thinking of a few things that I'd like to accomplish by my 36th Birthday next spring. Some of these are already in progress, but others look fun to enjoy.

In no particular order, or rank of importance:

1) Continue to run 5K's and get my time to <30 minutes. So I can sustain a solid 10 minute mile non stop. Build up to an eventual half marathon.

2) Ride a fork lift around a warehouse somewhere and use the giant lifters to maul and mutilate a giant box full of packaging peanuts.

3) Take up cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

4) Lose my last 35 to 40 pounds and be back to my size that I was in High School. 110 pounds and counting, down numerous sizes and at the healthiest I've been in over a decade.

5) Buy that Audi once and for all and quit talking about it.

6) Drive a Semi Truck on the freeway, and an old country road.

7) Continue developing our incorporated business, "Craven Design," and think of some sort of gourmet food product to sell on the side via the Internet.

8) Take up golfing and biking with Holly, and get out and enjoy the beautiful PNW on an ongoing basis.

9) Plan a time with a bunch of people to toilet paper a row of houses, just like we did in junior high and high school.

10) Be happy with all the progress and accomplishments I've made in my life thus far.

Forever Families

This past weekend our friends had their adopted baby sealed to them in the LDS temple. It was such a beautiful ceremony where the family was blessed to be eternal, going beyond this life, binding them together as if they were a biological family.

I was very excited but nervous to be invited to witness this ceremony. I was excited because I'm so happy for our friends and I know how long and hard the road has been to get their new baby into their family. Nervous because I didn't want to be a bawling wreck and make a spectacle of myself. I managed to do both.

I cried because I was happy, for them, and for knowing this will be Dan and I and our child when she arrives. I cried because I don't understand why my sister doesn't have this same blessing now, even though I know it will be sorted out later. I cried because our adoption is taking forever and feels like it will never get here. I cried because this is what life on this earth is all about, families being created and helping each other learn and grow so that we can all be together beyond this existence.

All in all it was a good cry. I loved seeing their two little boys (one biological and the other adopted) dressed in white and both being so reverent, in complete awe of the beauty and spirit felt in temple. And to see the glow on our friends faces was absolutely amazing.

I know our road is long, and I know our time will come. I have continued faith that the Lord will provide a family for us when the timing is right. At least this is the mantra in my head.

Santa Rosa Plum Preserves

Canning with fresh farm produce form Yakima Valley will be an annual tradition. The plums that I picked up were no exception to the organic quality I was looking for. I had a conversation with the farmer's wife about their practices. This will make a nice addition to home made scones, pancakes, waffles or biscuits.



Fresh Plums from Yakima Valley.



Measuring out the cut up fruit.



One of my favorite canning books. Every recipe comes out perfectly.



Adding sugar to the fruit to macerate for a while before the cook down.



Prepping the lids.



Prepping the jars.



Prepping the liquid pectin. I NEVER use the dried stuff.



Starting the cook down.



Starting to turn color during the cook down.



The finished product yielded 12 half pints of chunky plum preservers. Not only does this taste fantastic, the color is beautiful in the jars as well.

Chunky Garden Style Salsa

Labor Day weekend yielded many canning projects. With some of the 75# of tomatoes that I purchased, I made another years supply of salsa for our consumption. This recipe is my Mom's recipe. I've adjusted it over the years to to my liking, kicking up the heat a little bit, but not making it overpowering.



Prepping the tomato pulp after a whirl in the food processor.



Adding more peppers to the simmer.



Cooking it down.



The finished product, ready for water bath processing.

Dan’s Chunky Garden Salsa

16 C tomatoes, chopped and skinned
6 Red peppers, chopped
6 Green peppers, chopped
3 Anaheim peppers, chopped
3 Poblano peppers, chopped
4 Sweet Onions, chopped
12 Garlic cloves, minced
2 T Kosher Salt
1 T Cumin
3 T Dried Basil
1 T Dried Oregano
¼ to ¾ C Honey, add to desired sweetness to cut heat
3 C White Vinegar
16oz Tomato Paste

Prepare ingredients by roughly chopping in a food processor. Mix all ingredients in a large stockpot and gently simmer just below boiling point for 30 minutes. Ladle salsa into prepared sterilized jars and seal.

Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Potato-Corn Chowder w/ Bacon

With autumn approaching and the abundance of fresh harvested produce from the farms, this is the time of year for soups, stews, chowders and chili. I made this potato-corn chowder on Sunday evening with friends. Based loosely on an old Cooking Light recipe. I adjusted the heavy cream out for half and half, to make it a tad healthier. I also had a bunch of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, but any purchased stock will do. Broth does not have enough flavor.



Dan’s Potato-Corn Chowder

½ package bacon
1 large sweet onion
3 cloves garlic
3 & ½ C fresh corn kernels (7-8 ears)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
2 C half and half
1 & ½ C roughly chopped red or fingerling potatoes
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 T corn starch
3 T cold water
Fresh chives, diced

Slice bacon into thin strips. Render in large dutch oven over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and reserve for garnish. Add chopped onions to bacon drippings and sauté for eight minutes until onion is tender. Add corn, garlic and thyme stirring constantly. Add stock and half and half. Bring to a simmer and add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender.

Make slurry with the corn starch and water. Mix with fork until well combined and not lumpy and corn starch is fully incorporated into the water. Add to the chowder to thicken to desired consistency. If slurry makes chowder too thick, add a bit more half and half.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crumbled bacon and chives.

Chowder & Scones

We had friends over for dinner on Sunday evening, and I made up a big batch of these scones. I've been making these for years. Based loosely on a Martha Stewart recipe, I've adjusted it quite a bit to be a little easier to make and less labor intensive. This was a tasty side for the potato-corn chowder that I made with bacon and chive.

Dan’s Gruyere & Thyme Scones

2 C Flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ C butter, cut into small cubes
1 C gruyere or swiss cheese, grated
½ C parmesan cheese, grated
¾ to 1 C buttermilk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment or silpat. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, dried thyme and red pepper flakes. Whisk until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Add butter, and cut into dry mixture with a fork or pasty blender. I typically just use my hands and mix together until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add cheeses and mix until cheeses are covered with flour.

Add buttermilk and stir/mix until dough forms a ball. Adding more buttermilk if too dry, and more flour if too sticky.

Turn out dough onto floured surface. Shape into a circle about 1” thick. Cut circle into 12 wedges. Place onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, or until desired doneness.

Makes 12 scones

Sharolyn's Spicy Dill Pickles

I love this time of year. Harvest, the preamble to all the holidays. The nostalgic sense of preparing for the long winter ahead. The familiarity of family recipe favorites. Feeling a sense of connection to my mother who has passed away. I love Autumn for all these reasons. Our trip to Yakima was nice. Despite the hotel issues, as we were driving through the orchards I got a little emotional. Recanting memories of doing that with my parents, my mother in particular. Going up to Brigham City, UT to get peaches and pears. Layton, UT for corn and beans and cucumbers. Kaysville, UT for tomatoes and then spending hours in the kitchen helping make food for the entire family to enjoy all winter long. My parents loved doing that together. And Holly and I love doing this together as well and developing long standing traditions that bind and tie us to our ancestry. Generations old recipes have been made and adjusted. Sharing food with family and friends is one of my greatest joys in this life.



Prepping cucumbers for my mom's spicy dill pickle recipe.






Letting the slices soak in pickling salt overnight to draw the moisture out.






Prepping the brine for water bath processing.






Packed and ready for water bath processing.



Testing the seals post water bath processing.



24 pints of Mom's yummy pickles to eat all year long, until I prepare another batch next September.