Joyeux Noël

For the holidays this year, Bill and I packed up our skis and headed East to spend some time with mère et père' Daigle in Fort Kent, Maine.

We were spoiled by the miles of groomed cross country trails at the Biathalon Center, just up the road. Bill even found the "Moat" that was named after him when he was a ski racer in high school.

I got to work on my French Canadian, and came away with some pretty good insults. Bill's French Acadian uncle was my tutor and pumped up my ego. Ja'i le front tout le tour de la tête. Right, mon oncle?

This is a new mural, painted on a building near downtown Fort Kent, that pays homage to the potato farmers in Northern Maine. Bill and I both worked in the spud fields growing up, even though we lived on opposite sides of the country. We each had two weeks of "vacation" during potato harvest during each school year. And still, after 8 years together, we have not yet had a taste-off of the Idaho vs. the Maine potato. Regardless, I'm pretty sure my high school mascot (The Mighty Russet) is tougher than his. Attache ta tuque!

For New Year's we drove up to Quebec City, one of the oldest European cities in North America. Established in the 1600s, this cool, very French, cobbled city was built as a fort on the Saint Lawrence River. As we walked along the foot-ball-field-sized boardwalk overlooking the river, we were shocked when a canoe full of paddlers launched out into the ice ridden water. They managed to break through the ice chunks with their paddles and feet, to maneuver to the other side, over half a mile away. I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would do that? You have to check out this video, courtesy of the land of You Tube, to fully appreciate what it means to paddle across a moving river of ice chunks. We land lubbers were plenty cold as it was, without a dip in the Saint Lawrence.

The Quebec humidity made it feel 20 degrees
colder, and while I tried to stave off frost-bite, this
tiny Québécois handled the cold like it was child's play.

 

Bill's dad, Ron, had the right idea for a head warmer, which doubled as a fashion statement. He bought his bonnet from a little shop where the hats were handmade.

Of course, once we made it back to Maine, we left a little time to indulge in some great "Downeast" seafood. We highly recommend the Lobster Diavolo at Portland's Street and Company. Delicious!

Third Time's a Charm up the Grand Tetons

The French know how to name mountains: The "Big Tits".

After a three-year quest of trying to climb a mountain (strike up "Chariots of Fire"), we finally did it. The first attempt was cut short by a lightening storm. The second attempt happened to be a good water year, and we couldn't find a way to forge the raging creek/river early on in the ascent. But this time, we made it up the mountain of Table Rock...and finally saw the Grand Tetons, up close and personal.

Table Rock, on the Idaho side of the Tetons, is a 14 mile trek (roundtrip), with over 4000 foot elevation gain from the trailhead. If you plan on going, take more water than you think you'll need and a camera. And, of course, a dog to pose for you.

Thanksgiving 2011

My younger twin brothers brought their families to Montana this year for a Blue Cloud Thanksgiving celebration. We smoked one of our turkeys and my brother Jake brought a 13-pound prime rib. My nieces and nephews livened up the place, and Stewie-dog was in heaven with all the attention. 

Here are some our favorite recipes to share from the feast.

"How do they taste? They taste like more." -H.L. Mencken

BBQ Rub

Adapted from Steven Raichlen's fabulous Barbecue Bible series. We rubbed this on our turkey before smoking; we used about half the recipe for an 18 lb bird. The rub can be used on anything, ribs, pork, chicken, turkey, steak. It's pretty awesome.

Just combine the following in a bowl:
1 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup course salt
1/2 cup paprika (we used smoked paprika)
3 Tbls dried parsley
2 Tbls dried basil
2 Tbls dried oregano
2 Tbls dried thyme
2 Tbls dried onion flakes
1 1/2 Tbls dried worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbls lemon pepper
1 Tbls garlic powder
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Gingered Cranberry Raspberry Relish

from Eating Well

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, minced, (choose soft nuggets over disks, if possible)
3 cups raspberries, (2 pints), fresh or frozen (not thawed)
Preparation
1. Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in sugar and
crystallized ginger. Gently stir in raspberries, it's fine to crush some of them. Cover and refrigerate for at
least 3 hours to let the flavors combine. Can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.


Horseraddish Sauce

Again, adapted from one of Stephen Raichlen's mouth-watering cookbooks.

1 thick piece, about 2 inches long, horseradish root, grated. You may add more to taste.
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbls chopped mixed fresh oregano, rosemary, basil and/or parlsey
1 Tbls lemon juice
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 to 1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled


Mix everything except the cream. Beat cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the sour cream mixture. Add more salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste. It only keeps a couple of days, so eat up!

Apple Pie

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen. This pie slices up beautifully. We own the 10th Anniversary Best Recipes collection from these authors and would recommend anything they create. If you're looking to expand your cookbook selection, grab one of theirs!

1 recipe of crust (see below)
2 1/2 lbs firm tart apples (about 5 large), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (we used Honey Crisp but some other options include: Granny Smith, Empire, or Cortland)
2 1/2 lbs firm sweet apples (prepared same as above) (we used Golden Delicious; other options include: Jonagold and Braeburn)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp grated zest plus 1 Tbls juice from 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon


1. Roll out the two pieces of dough into 12 inch circles. Place one in pie dish, the other on wax paper. Refrigerate both until ready to use. 
2. Put the apples, both sugars, zest salt, and cinnamon into a heavy pan (we use our stove top Dutch oven). Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 15-20 minutes. Dump apples and juices into a pan and let cool to room temp, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425.
4. Drain cooled apples, and reserve 1/4 cup juice, Stir lemon juice into the reserved 1/4 cup apple juice.
5. Put apples into the pie plate and drizzle with lemon-apple juice mix. Cover with 2nd piece of dough. Trim, fold, crimp edges. Cut vent holes in top. Brush the dough with lightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with the 1 tbls granulated sugar. 
6. Bake about 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Reduce heat to 375, and continue to bake about 25-30 minutes longer, until bubbly and deep golden brown. Cool about 2 hours to let set. Serve with vanilla ice cream!


Crust (makes one double crust 9 inch pie): 
2 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for the work surface
2 tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
12 tbls (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled
6-8 tbls ice water


1. Using a food processor, mix  flour, sugar, salt. Add the shortening and pulse until finely mixed. Add butter pieces and pulse a few more times. Put in large bowl. 
2. Sprinkle 6 Tbls of ice water over the mixture. Press dough together, until sticks. Use up to 2 extra Tbls of water if needed to make it stick.
3. Divide into two pieces and flatten slightly. Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling the dough out, let sit on the counter for a few minutes to soften up. 

Happy Thanksgiving!