Our House: Then & Now

I originally started this blog with the intent of writing mostly about our house and the long, crazy process of renovating it. Since we had been working on both this house and our previous one pretty much non-stop for nearly a decade, we decided to take a well-deserved break this year. We're still doing little projects here and there, but I haven't really posted any house-related content in a while. I've been off enjoying life....traveling, cooking, kayaking, and hanging out with friends.

While I was writing up an article about our house for a local zine that a friend of mine is publishing, I decided that I would share this trio of photos that I was submitting.

The first one shows its house as it was originally built. Our friend John at the Polson Museum estimated that it was probably taken in the 1940s:

The next photo was taken right before we purchased it, in the fall of 2008:

The last photo was taken in June of this year. As you can see, we've tried to replicate a lot of the original details. The windows, for example, look much better now than they did when we bought the place. (That upstairs one especially....the awful slider is gone!) The porch still maintains its side entrance, and we go back and forth over whether we want to chop down that beautiful red Rhody in order to replace the original front entrance. At the very least, we would like to replicate the tapered porch columns and replace the two missing side brackets.

Overall, we're happy with the progress, and people constantly come up to us and compliment us on the work we've done. We're just happy that we could restore the dignity to this nearly-century-old craftsman.

The LWBs are here! (an adventure in urban foraging)

As a lifelong Washingtonian, the delicacy known as the "Little Wild Blackberry" holds a special place in my heart. As kids, my brother and I would hunt for them each July and emerge with limbs full of scratches, stained fingers, and purple teeth. But oh, was it worth it! Of course, at the time, we didn't know that this humble little berry had turned into a culinary darling, commanding prices of $50 a gallon and up. All we knew was that they were insanely delicious, and unlike any other berry out there. So, each year since, I've staked out patches around our neighborhood and scratched the living #@$% out of myself trying to pick as many as I could before the short season ends.

Last night, armed with the plastic baggie I always keep in my pocket this time of year, I managed to find about a pint of berries while walking the dogs around the neighborhood. The season is just starting, but this small harvest provided enough berries to make some delicious Wild Blackberry Muffins. If you're not wishing you were at my house right now....you should be.

A Tale of Two Salads (More CSA Goodness)

It's Wednesday, which means that in a couple of hours I will be picking up a fresh new CSA box. Since my produce bin was still bulging with goodies from last week's delivery, I set out in search of a couple of salads that I could make and store in the fridge for some quick lunches this week. I had arugula, beets, and green garlic on hand, so I came up with these two delicious recipes.Combining both salads made for a refreshing and light lunch. And best of all, having leftovers on hand will give me a few more precious moments to enjoy this beautiful weather!

WARM ORZO SALAD WITH BEETS AND GREENS & POTATO ARUGULA SALAD

      Potato Arugula Salad (adapted from Allrecipes.com)

• 1 1/2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional- I used green garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 bunch arugula - rinsed, dried and torn  

  

  

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, and cool. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, mix vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking until mixture thickens. Toss potatoes with vinegar and oil mixture and arugula. Serve at room temperature.

  

     Warm Orzo Salad with Beets & Greens (adapted from Food52.com)

• 3/4 pounds beets, with greens attached
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced ( I used a sweet Walla Walla)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced ( I used green garlic)
• 8 ounces orzo pasta
• 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper 

Peel the beets & chop them into bite-sized pieces. Remove the stems from the beet greens & slice the leaves into strips. Wash the greens thoroughly to remove any grit.Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced onion & garlic. Cook until the onions are tender & golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low & add the beet greens. Cover & cook, tossing occasionally, until the greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the beets in a pot of salted water, until just tender, about 10-12 minutes. Remove the beets from the pot using a slotted spoon & set aside. Return the water to a boil & add the pasta. Cook, according to the package instructions, until al dente & drain. Add the orzo to a bowl, along with the beets, beet greens & crumbled feta. Toss, season with salt & pepper to taste & serve.

Adventures in Astoria

Waking up on Saturday morning to a bright, cloudless sky meant that I automatically thought of one thing...let's head to the BEACH! Since we've spent a fair share of time so far this year at Westport and the north beaches (Ocean Shores/Copalis Beach/Pacific Beach), we decided to venture out a bit farther.

Astoria, Oregon is about an hour and a half from our house, and makes for an excellent day trip. The town is chock-full of history (it's the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi) and boasts beautiful old houses, lots of antique shops & cute boutiques, and (perhaps most importantly)...a couple of awesome brew pubs!

Our first stop was Vintage Hardware, a unique architectural salvage shop housed in the soaring lobby of the old Astor Hotel. The building exists in a semi-deteriorated state, with crumbling plaster and peeling paint, which adds the perfect atmosphere to the nicely-curated selection of old house parts and vintage collectibles. There are some "new-old" items mixed throughout, such as cabinet knobs, house numbers, and "Astoria 1811" souvenir shirts. I could spend hours in here...it's one of those places where there seems to be interesting little things tucked away in every corner.

Across the street from VH sits Fort George Brewery. We grabbed a seat at one of the big shared tables out on the patio, and ordered a sampler tray of the 9 beers on tap. There were several standouts here....I loved the 1811 Lager, Vortex IPA, and Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale. Honestly, I cannot think of a better way to spend a warm, sunny northwest afternoon than on a patio drinking beer out of mason jars!

 They also had a non-alcoholic Wasabi Ginger Ale, which sounded interesting although I didn't get a chance to try it.

We decided to do a "mini pub crawl" on continue on to the Wet Dog Cafe, which is home to The Astoria Brewing Company. This place is more of an actual restaurant, as opposed to Fort George's more casual public house vibe. It does, however, boast AMAZING views of the Columbia River from its huge dining room windows.

We ordered a sampler flight of 6 beers. Henry really enjoyed the Volksweissen Ale, a wheat beer- although I think he was mostly captivated by the creative name. I dared to try the intensely hoppy Bitter Bitch IPA, which was actually quite good but probably not something I could drink an entire pint of.

We did a few other fun things during our stay in Astoria, including climbing 164 steps to the top of the historic Astoria Column for AMAZING views....and, of course, strolling around the neighborhood obsessing over the beautiful old victorian and craftsman homes.

We capped off our evening with a sunset at Fort Stevens State Park, with the Peter Iredale Shipwreck serving as a stunning backdrop. The dogs got to enjoy one of their very favorite things.... running around in the sand!

As the sun set on our amazing day, we headed home inspired to make our own town as fun and lively as Astoria. Aberdeen definitely has the potential, with the same stunning waterfront location and beautiful old buildings. Hopefully one day, that potential will be realized.

Dinner from my Helsing Junction Farms CSA Box: Week 3

Week 3's delivery was quite similar to the first two, with the addition of beets, shell peas, and bok choy. The weather is just now starting to warm up here in Western Washington, as the 4th of July always seems to signal a shift towards balmier days. The farm's newsletter is taunting me with the progress of their slowly-ripening tomatoes, and I suspect it will be a few more weeks before I find some in the box. In the meantime, these early-summer greens are lush and vibrant, and consuming them seems to put a little extra zing in my step (much appreciated, as I've been busier than ever lately).

The return of the sun this week left me craving a simple, quick stir-fry that would minimize kitchen time, while maximizing alfresco eating (and wine-sipping) time. I found this recipe, which utilized the snow peas, radishes, chives, and cilantro that I received. Tossed with soba noodles and tofu in a peanut/ginger/sesame sauce, and topped with a few dashes of Sriracha, this was the perfect meal to enjoy out on our deck, and mark the end of a hectic (yet fun) holiday week.

Soba Noodles with Snow Peas

• 1 tablespoon peanut butter (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 -2 teaspoon chili oil (to taste)
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 1 pinch salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 lb snow peas, strings and stem ends removed
• 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only (Didn't get these in the box, so I used chives)
• 1/4 lb firm tofu, diced
• 8 ounces soba noodles, cooked
• 4 large radishes, trimmed, cut in half, and thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the peanut butter for 10 seconds in a microwave to make it easier to mix. Combine with the soy sauce, vinegar, hot red pepper oil, cayenne, half the garlic and ginger, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Whisk in the sesame oil and broth. Set aside.
2. Heat the canola or peanut oil in a wok or a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, and add the tofu. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add snow peas, stir-fry for one to two minutes, and add the scallions and remaining garlic and ginger.  Stir-fry for one to two minutes, then stir in the noodles and sauce. Toss together until the noodles are hot, and remove from the heat. Add the radishes and cilantro, stir together, and serve.

Ahoy, Mateys!

I've been kayaking a lot lately. In fact, Britta and I even started a canoe & kayak club to increase awareness of the sport and hopefully meet a few fellow paddlers. Our first group paddle is scheduled for Monday, July 9 at the 8th Street Landing in Hoquiam. We plan to paddle up the Hoquiam River to the East River confluence, with John Larson from the The Polson Museum adding some historical narrative to the trip.

Yesterday, Britta and I took our kayaks out for a test paddle of the route. Here are a few photos she snapped along the way.

A Pilgrimage to the 'Ring

As a grand finale to our honeymoon at the end of April, we flew from Dublin to Germany and headed out on the glorious Autobahn in our Opel Astra rental car. Our destination? The town of Nurburg and its world-famous Nurburgring race track.

We checked into the Hotel am Tiergarten , which is run by the Schmitz family and serves as headquarters for the grassroots Save The Ring campaign, which aims to protect the historic track from recent "NüroDisney" type overdevelopment. We also enjoyed dinner in the hotel's Pistenklause Restaurant, where the walls are slathered with decades of racing memorabilia.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to go pick up our race-prepped Suzuki Swift track rental car at Rent Race Car.

At the track, we purchased a 6-lap ticket and headed out on our first run. After you scan your ticket, it's pedal-to-the-metal as you begin a 12.9-mile race to the finish, with Porsches and Ferraris passing you around tight corners at lightning speed. To be honest, it's quite terrifying. The track is full of ridiculous elevation changes and blind corners as it meanders through the Eifel mountains. Not to mention, once you get ON the track, you can't get OFF until the finish.

After Henry ran the first two laps, I managed to calm my nerves enough to drive a lap. It's actually LESS terrifying to be the driver than the passenger, as the little car was surprisingly agile when thrown into the corners (all 73 of them....yes, SEVENTY-THREE). After a white-knuckle, heart-pounding ride, I made it to the finish line....yippee!

After Henry ran the last couple of laps, we turned the car in and headed out to spectate. The atmosphere is quite festive at the various spectating points along the 'ring, with people barbequing, drinking good ol' German bier, chatting with other spectators, checking out each other's rides, and just generally having a good time. Unfortunately, accidents on the 'ring seem pretty common, which would result in the track being shut down until the damaged vehicle could be removed.

The track seems to attract some interesting characters as well, just proof that motorsports enthusiasts are a diverse bunch!

Overall, our pilgrimage to the Nurburgring was an amazing experience, and something else to scratch off the bucket list! And perhaps the best part of the trip? Henry actually "earned" the requisite Nurburgring sticker for his Subaru back home!