Camping with Quincy

This past week we took Quincy for his first camping trip in the North Idaho wilderness. Our trip took us up into the Coeur D' Alene National Forest to a campground named Kit Price (still have no idea who Kit Price was) where we stayed for six days and five nights. All five of those nights were spent in a tent, two of which we had NO airbed and one night rained.
We started our trip out by driving to my old stomping grounds of Coeur D' Alene, Idaho for one last night of good sleep in a motel and a good dinner before heading out to the campsite. We reserved a room at the Flamingo Inn, which was two blocks from where I lived when I was going to school at North Idaho College. The picture below is after we checked in, just hanging out in the room checking out the "Magic Fingers" machine that was super loud and barely moved the bed.

During the night it poured rain and we woke up to a weather forecast that included fog and rain for the first two days. After that, we had upper 80's the rest of the time so we new if we could tough it out for a couple of nights, we'd be in the clear. We made the drive up I-90 and headed out for our campsite at Kit Price. Once we arrived, camp was set up and we were good to go within 30 minutes.

Here is a view out from inside our palace...

After setting up camping and when there was a break in the weather, I went on a hike to check out the surrounding area. We camped on the North Fork of the Coeur D' Alene river, where there is world class trout fly fishing. All of the fishery is catch and release so the fish can reach over 20 inches, which is big for mountain trout. This picture is a view from above, which was very steep.

One of our adventures to us up to two different waterfalls. We ended up driving about 8 miles into a trail head and then hiked about 3/4 of a mile to both of the falls. The road in was really cool. These pieces of concrete rip-rap are to keep the stream in place in the spring.

The road was very narrow, with some cliffs sticking out right above our sun roof.

After we made the trail head, we began the hike and headed up to the first waterfall.

Behind Elaine is a creek that was draining from the first waterfall, Fern Falls.

Here is a picture of Fern Falls, with some good friends taking an even closer look...

The last fall we got to see was Shadow Falls, which is up above Fern Falls by about 1/2 of a mile. This was a gorgeous waterfall...The air temp plummeted by at least 15 degrees around the falls.

After taking in the falls we trekked back down to the car and passed quite a few people on the way up. Four wheelers are very popular up in the area and are allowed on the forest roads. We ran into some very nice people from North Idaho on the trail.

Here is Sydney holding her new dear friend, the butterfly.

Luckily there were a lot of butterflies about because that one did not live very long in those young hands. After we got back to camp, lunch and naps were in order. Quincy did great sleeping in the tent between mom and dad...Tough to get that sleep out of the eyes!

We also managed to just hang out and relax along the river as well. There were a couple of rock pools that were made so you could lay out in the water or small kids could have a place to play. The water was really warm and nice when the sun was out.

The North Fork of the Coeur D' Alene is probably the clearest river I have ever seen. You could literally see down 10 feet without a problem. No pollution and very well maintained. This picture shows how clear the water is. Note the tip of the rock just poking out of the water.

Here is another one.

One really cool thing about this trip was how much wildlife we saw. We were able to spot whitetail deer, blacktail deer, grouse, rabbits, snakes, frogs, and moose...This was a young cow and bull. A guy that was camping with his wife next to us told us he was charged by a female moose while in the river fishing. He was in water up to his chest so he couldn't run and he couldn't pick up any rocks to throw at it. Luckily she turned and went up the river about five feet from him. He was scared shitless. Female moose are known to have very, very short tempers.

After throwing rocks in the river, hiking, and enjoying all of this wildlife, people can get a little sleepy.

Another thing that can be addictive is building cairns. This was a pretty good one!

We were able to have full sun all day at the rock "beach" we had laid claim to. Everyone was reading, splashing, skipping rocks, watching the clouds, and just having a ball with the simplest things in life. It always amazes me how much fun you can have camping if you relax and take in everything and everyone around you.

When I was up here a few years ago I went horseback riding with some friends. We all had a great time except I left my saddle behind. Luckily they left it for me and even made me a sign!!!

One morning Quincy woke up super early...Like 5:15AM early. So Elaine and I got up and hopped in the car with him and some food for a little road trip up into the hills to find a fire lookout. In Idaho the Forest Service rents out a lot of the lookouts for camping in the summer. We ended up going up a super steep hill for over 10 miles to find the lookout. The road started out going over Shoshone Creek, pictured below.

We worked our way up, up out of the fog on the valley floor below.

When in the wilderness, one must truly expose themselves to the wilderness...

We finally arrived at the lookout but it was booked and had someone staying in it. The cool thing is, they gate off the road one mile below the lookout for ultimate privacy. This lookout was at about 6,500 in elevation.

The weather ended up getting quite hot one day so Elaine and I were able to have her mom watch Quincy so we could drive up and then float down the river in inner tubes. Mary drove us up and dropped us off and Elaine and I headed down...

It was a lot of fun as you can see.

On the way home we had to stop in Quincy, where my grandparents lived for many years and where my mom and aunt grew up. There are two signs the City of Quincy has always had up and I am sure this isn't the last time we will stop here...Grandma and grampa would love this picture!

One recipe that I did manage to make was my stir fried broccoli. It is a great side dish for a lot of meals and I have had people who do not eat broccoli not only eat it, but like it and ask for more. This went over great and was super easy to prep air in camp.

QUICK STIR FRIED BROCCOLI

1) 3-4 heads broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
2) 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
3) 1 1" piece ginger, chopped
4) 1/4 cup or so of soy sauce
5) 3 T honey
6) Red pepper flakes to taste

Start with a little oil in a saute pan large enough for the broccoli and saute the broccoli over medium high heat for about five minutes, turning from time to time. Once it has cooked some, add the ginger and garlic and continue to saute, moving the pan so you do not burn the garlic. When it starts to brown some, add the soy sauce and honey and continue to cook until the broccoli is cooked to your taste. Unsually takes about ten minutes. Sprinkle with red pepper and enjoy!

Crabbing 2013

Crabbing has opened up on Puget Sound again and I have attacked with a vengance!!! I have been putting my crab pot out via kayak in about 100 feet deep of water. Chicken parts and salmon are the preferred baits of choice. So far, I have done pretty well. On the opener I had so many crab in the pot I couldn't lift it onto the bow of the kayak! So here are a few pictures of the crabbing operation. I will be posting a couple of crab recipies in the next few days so stay tuned...

Pictured above is right where I put my pot down. I just re-baited this pot with chicken. In the white bucket are the crabs already caught.

Elaine bought a license too...At $32.99 for lump Dungeness crab meat, a $25.00 license is worth it! You can keep up to 5 crabs per day. The larger ones yield about 1 pound of crab meat.

This is right after I came out of the water...Note the crabs to the right of the kayak.

Three Dungeness crabs and one rock crab.

As you can see, crab is my favorite seafood to eat...Dungeness crab that is. Stone crabs? CRAP. Blue crabs? CRAP. King crab? OVERRATED. Snow crab? WE WON'T EVEN GO THERE!

Quincy getting his first taste of Dungeness crab...

Note the crab t-shirt...

Razor Clam Farters...I mean, Fritters

My mind was aglow the other night trying to come up with ways to prepare all of these razor clams that we just harvested off of the Washington Coast at Grayland. I then remembered the crab fritters I made this summer (sorry, no pictures for those so they are not up...Maybe this summer though) and that was enough: clam fritters it was. I used my great grandma's cast iron skillet to fry them in and I also used Crisco to fry them, which I had never used before. They turned out great - not one fritter left over.

The first thing I did was take the whole clams and put them in the Cuisinart and pulse them about 4 times, each pulse about one second. I wanted the clam meat to stay a decent size but not too big. Above equals about 10 razor clams.

The trusted cast iron skillet, seasoned for over 50 years now...The white in the corner of the skillet is the Crisco melting.

After I made up the batter, I let it sit in the refrigerator for about an hour to set up before I fried them. Once they were done frying - about 2 to 3 minutes per side - I put them on a wire rack and then on a sheet pan. I used a wire rack because paper towels will make the fritter turn soft and it will lose it's crunch.

The first fritter...

The inside of said fritter...

RAZOR CLAM FRITTERS

1) 12 cleaned, whole razor clams
2) 1 cup sifted flour
3) 1 teaspoon salt
4) 2/3 cup clam nectar or a combination of nectar and a little milk
5) 2 eggs well beaten
6) 1 teaspoon pepper
7) Crisco or your favorite oil to fry in.

First take up the clams and pulse them in Cuisinart or chop them up to a medium dice; you want chunks of clam but not too bit. Sift the dry ingredients together into a bowl and then fold in the clams and nectar/milk to form the batter. You want the batter sticky and able to hold together easy. To help with this, I suggest letting the batter sit in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Heat up a large skillet with about 3 inches of oil in the bottom. I try to keep the oil at about 350 degrees. Then drop them into the skillet with a measuring cup and cook about 2 - 3 minutes per side, flipping once. When they are done, spread them out on a wire rack and keep them warm in a 250 degree oven. They are really good with tartar sauce and a little lemon juice.



Razor Clams!!!

Last weekend was Quincy's first trip to the ocean to hang out and dig for clams. We stayed in Westport on Saturday night and then dug for clams on Sunday morning. We were finished in about 45 minutes! Each person is allowed 15 clams but you have to take the first 15 you dig, regardless of size or if you broke them. We used clam guns to get to them so we only had a handful that were broken but they turned out just fine. Quincy was very much in shock and awe at the water, sand, and just scene as a whole.

Above is Quincy and I Sunday morning at Grayland for the razor clam dig.

Mike and Mary gunning for clams...They are about a foot and a half under the sand.

Elaine and Quincy. We thought Quincy looked like Ralphy's brother from "A Christmas Story" with his little suit on.

A surf board will be next...

Since Mike and Mary had clammed the day before we got there as well, they gave us their share of clams for a grand total of 60 razor clams...Which had to be cleaned. So I set everything up to be as organized as possible (insert joke about Jordan's organizational skills now) and get them done as fast as possible and into the freezer.

Here is a view of my operating room...

I started cleaning the clams at 9:30PM on Sunday night. I cleaned the first three clams and then looked at the bucket and put my hands down in it to feel and see all the clams...And at that point I knew I was seriously fucked and in for a long night but I had to get them done and into ZipLock bags! I ended up finally cleaning the last clam at 11:45PM. With clean up, I was in bed at 12:15AM. Then the alarm woke me up at what seemed like five minutes later. It was a great weekend and it was worth staying up and cleaning all of those because they are so good! Tonight we are having clam fritters for dinner (recipe will follow tomorrow) and I will report how they are.

To see smiles like this...You know you've had a good weekend!

When we did get home and settled down, we decided to have King salmon for Easter dinner in true heathen fashion and bail on the ham and lamb. Ham doesn't even hold a candle to this and I don't care what anyone says.

Quincy cleaned his plate...

The Alternate Recipe For "Calf".

That's right, calf. In other words, veal. I know a lot of people do not like veal and that is completely understandable. Veal is generally a male calf that is slaughtered after 24 weeks but sometimes they are slaughtered earlier than that - say 18 - 20 weeks. The animals are generally kept in hutches or special stalls to keep movement to a minimum. The reason veal is so tender is because the animal is not allowed to move like a free-grazing animal would so it does not develop the tough connective tissue and muscle. Yes this sounds awful, horrible, etc. and some people refuse to eat veal and I totally understand and accepts this. But if you have not had a good veal cutlet perfectly sauteed, you are really missing out.

So since this is titled "The Alternate Recipe For "Calf"" we will move on with the pork cutlets instead of the veal. I used a decent-sized pork loin roast. This is the cut that is larger than the smaller loin, which comes in pairs in a vacuum sealed pack that you see in the meat section. The cut I used was from a long, full loin of pork that was bought on sale and then cut up into roast-size portions and frozen. I also used Panko for the breading, which makes the crust super crispy and does not get soggy.

Make sure you slice the pork thin to about 1/4" and then pound it down a little more with a meat mallet. Look carefully above and you can see the pork is about 1/8" and uniform so it will cook evenly. To cook this properly, have the flour in one pie pan, the Panko in another, and the egg mixture in yet another. Dip the pork in the flour first, then the eggs, and then into the Panko and press down firmly to get the Panko to stick evenly.

While you are preparing the pork, make sure to have a large saute pan to cook the cutlets in...One that is large enough so they are not crowded. Heat the pan with equal parts olive oil and butter.

Then add the cutlets to the pan and space them out evenly...Do not crowd the pan though or it will take longer to cook and make them tougher to turn.

Cook the cutlets about 4 - 5 minutes and then turn (check them though because the time can vary) when they are brown. As Martha Stewart would say, "these are perfect".

Once you have cooked them on the other side, take them directly to plates that have already been served up with warm German potato salad and sweet and sour red cabbage with caraway.

Proof that it was good...

Now, if you are lucky enough, you will have one of these that can do all the dishes for you! He even wears a tie with his uniform and has a smile!!!

PORK SCHNITZEL

1) 2 - 4 pieces of pork tenderloin, pounded out
2) 1 - 2 cups Panko
3) 1 cup flour
4) 2 eggs
5) pinch of Marjoram
6) salt and pepper
7) 2 Tblsp. butter
8) 2 Tblsp. olive oil
9) lemon wedges

If you haven't done it, put the pork between sheets of plastic wrap and pound it out with a meat mallet until flat and even across. Put a large saute pan on over medium high heat. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth; set aside for dip #1. Put the flour into one pie pan and set aside for dip #2; put the Panko in another for dip #3, the final dip. Take a few pinches of the Marjoram and add that to the Panko and mix it up well with your fingers. When everything is ready, dip a cutlet into the flour and coat it, then shake it off and dip it into the egg mixture. Remove the cutlet from the egg mixture and then add it to the Panko, pressing down to get it all on there good. Add the oil and butter to the hot pan and when melted and turning brown, add the cutlets and saute for 4 - 5 minutes per side, then turn. Cook 3 - 4 minutes or until done and set in a warm oven until you are ready to eat.

WARM GERMAN POTATO SALAD

1) 3 - 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
2) 5 slices thick bacon
3) 4 Tblsp olive oil
4) 2 Tblsp minced shallot
5) 1/2 clove minced garlic
6) pinch Marjoram
7) 1 Tblsp. Dijon mustard
8) 1/4 cup parsley

In a pot, boil water and cook the potatoes until done, but still holding shape, about 18 minutes. Cool the potatoes and then roughly slice them into a bowl, splitting them in half with your fingers into edible pieces. Slice the bacon into thin 1/4" wide strips and saute over medium-low until nice and crisp. Do not eat bacon.
Add the shallot, garlic, mustard, pinch of salt, pepper, and Marjoram to a bowl and then slowly whisk in the oil until well mixed. Stir in the bacon and then toss the dressing with warm potatoes and parsley and serve.

SWEET AND SOUR RED CABBAGE

1) One bag of cut up red cabbage or half a head of red cabbage, shredded.
2) 1/8 cup brown sugar
3) 1/8 - 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4) 1 Tblsp. caraway seed
5) 2 Tblsp butter
6) Salt and pepper to taste.

In a saute pan, add some olive oil and heat over medium high. When hot, add the cabbage and cook down for 10 - 15 minutes, adding just a little water so it does not dry out. When it has wilted some add the brown sugar, vinegar, caraway, and salt and pepper. Cook until boiling and then reduce the temperature and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes. I should look like this when cooking down:

Continue to cook until the cabbage is wilted down. Make sure to taste it along the way and adjust the seasonings. You may want more vinegar or more sugar. Some people add Cayenne pepper for a kick...Do whatever sounds good.