Clam chowder. Homemade deliciosity in about an hour. I am a weather-based cook. The minute I can see my breath, I'm making those cold-weather comfort foods: Soup. Chili. Meatloaf. Hot cocoa. Clam chowder. Or rather, chowdah. This week, our little band of intrepid mushroomers headed back up to the soggy logging trails, looking for late-season treasure. The Northwest's [...]
Grizz can unmake a bed faster than lightning. So far he has it to himself; it's too high for Thor. How many critters can fit inside one small house? We seem determined to find out. (BTW, did you get the reference in the title? Lemme know.) Meet Thor, the newest addition to our household A few [...]
We spent the spring and early summer waiting for these beauties to ripen. When they did--BANG--they needed to be used immediately. The realities of summer for a backyard farmer: Pick it or lose it, babe. Gardeners probably roll their eyes at that, in a "well, DUH, dummy!" kinda way, but it's caused some significant changes in this citygal's [...]
"Where can I find a good book/video/website on casting glass?" I'm asked that a LOT, so I thought I'd save myself some time answering by cobbling up this post. This list compiles my most-informative references garnered through my years of casting glass. The first two are specific to glass casting with a strong focus on moldmaking (the most confounding part [...]
Twistbox, one of the four silver, enamel, and gemstone boxes I'm working on. Here, I'm starting to refine the dried clay, trimming and sanding until it's as perfect as possible before firing. "Ever hear of 'crawl, walk, run?'" an exasperated instructor once asked, "Ever TRIED crawling first?" I can hear her now, over my latest fiasc...er, learning experience: [...]
The view as you walk up to Heceta Head Lighthouse is absolutely stunning Last Sunday, we walked up to Heceta Head Lighthouse. It's beautiful, with amazing views from the summit, but I damn near didn't see them for the tears. Happy tears, but tears. Near the summit, looking down on the sea The path is [...]
Yachats bay in a rainstormStorm-tossed Sunday morning, and I'm watching the leaping whitecaps prey on seagulls, tucked snugly under a blanket in a tiny cottage, waiting past the drip-drip-drip of coffee to a full cup. Yesterday I walked more than two miles on the beach. The Resident Carpenter-Blacksmith and I clambered through leg-dragging sand, seeking shells and laughter and solace. [...]
Nathan's famous wild mushroom spaghetti sauce, with about two pounds of fresh-picked chanterelles, hot Italian sausage, ground beef, crisped bacon, and a boatload of tomatoes. Incredible stuff. My friend Carol says that New York Italians don't call that rich, red-and-meaty pasta topper, "spaghetti sauce." They call it "gravy." Ooookay...whatever the semantics, I make a mean spaghetti gravy-sauce. However, [...]
"Mmmmm," sighed The Resident Carpenter-Blacksmith in happy satisfaction, "That's the sound of mushrooms growing." The blessed rain was finally FINALLY coming down, spattering windows and clearing the obnoxious, lung-clogging firesmoke that's turned Oregon breathing into a cautionary tale. And it has an added benefit: Rain grows mushrooms. "Bring on the RAIN!" I gleefully agreed. On my first [...]
Nathan and Grizz are inseparable, or at least Grizz thinks so... If Nathan does anything, from putting on clothes to sitting in a lawn chair on the back porch, Grizz wants to do it, too. "Can you believe it?" I chortled to the Resident Carpenter-Blacksmith, "They said to get a SECOND dog, it would calm Grizz down! TWO [...]
