A Grand Day Out at the Sheepdog Championships

by Gabi // 2008/08/30

I know this is a cheat- I didn’t cook this- but it’s the best takeout around- my idea of the best last minute meal in Salt Lake. After a long road trip today it was great to pick it up and take it away home for a quick satisfying meal. It’s a roast smoked turkey breast sandwich with really great BBQ sauce and the best restaurant baked beans I’ve ever had. Where can you get it you ask? The answer is The Sugar House Barbecue Company– if you come to Salt Lake don’t miss it. I must say that I think a Hornsby’s Hard Cider is the perfect accompaniment to this meal.

And writing of things not to be missed… Rick surprised me with the idea of a trip to the International Sheepdog Championship at The Soldier Hollow Classic. It was a grand day with a trip in our Jeep about an hour up over the mountains by freeway to Heber City, Midway and finally Soldier Hollow. Soldier Hollow is where the Biathlon was held for the 2002 Olympics. This weekend they have a big sheep herding course set up for the sheepdogs, some Splash-dog competition in the water, a Navajo Rug sale, various dog related attractions and more. We really enjoyed watching those amazing dogs and their trainers. It’s still on through Monday so do go if you’re in the area.

Here are some of the Splash-dogs. Some didn’t want to jump in and some couldn’t wait…

The sheep dog course is a bit more complicated and situated on a giant hill with gates where the sheep must be located, collected and then herded through three gates and then cut out into groups of three and two sheep, put back together and finally penned into a corral at the bottom- all in a time trial. These dogs are amazing and I can’t even begin to fathom how their trainers get them to control those wacky sheep using whistles and calls from the bottom of the course. When a run is over there are plenty of helper dogs to get the sheep out of the way if necessary too. Most of the dogs are Border Collies and I have even more respect now for how hard they work and how smart they are. Sorry the pics aren’t great I didn’t have a telephoto lens and it’s a big hill.

Here’s an adorable little cowboy sitting in front of me in the viewing stands and watching so intently.

And after all the wonderful events we finally left -deciding to take an unpaved road known as Guardsman’s pass over the summit of the mountain and down the other side to Salt Lake City through Big Cottonwood Canyon…

This is looking back down into Heber Valley.

These are some of the Aspens in the forest along the way.

This is the summit of the mountain looking back towards Heber over that far mountain.

This is where you hit paved road heading down towards Brighton Ski Resort and Salt Lake through Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch National Forest. Still many more miles of beautiful country to go through before you open up into the Salt Lake Valley.

Well that’s enough of a travel log for one day- think? Thanks for coming on our journey with us- we hope you enjoyed some of it.

Shipping Some Home Overseas for Operation Baking GALS

by Gabi // 2008/08/29

If you haven’t heard of Operation Baking GALS let me tell you of a lovely band of bakers who have gathered together to ship a little taste of home to our men and women serving in the U.S. Military.

It all started when Susan of She’s Becoming Doughmestic asked for a little help to support her cousin in the JAG Corps who was missing his wife and new baby. She felt that a few packages of home made goodies might make him feel a bit more connected and supported. The response has been overwhelming enough to support the creation of Operation Baking GALS. I believe that there are hundreds of bakers who have now signed up to ship a little bit of home to the troops.

One of my own sons (bonus with marriage- as in stepson) Ryan is serving in Iraq, so I know how hard it is for someone to be stationed so far from home and how getting a little reminder of the love that is here waiting cheers the spirits and makes the long, hot, hard days a little more bearable. I also know that there are those who never receive any support or encouragement from their families and who have been stationed for months abroad without a single package in the mail. Whatever we may feel about the war- I feel it is a duty and an honor to support those who serve.

So I joined Team Barefoot hosted by Jayne at Barefoot Kitchen Witch to send some goodies to her nephew Joe in the Air Guard in Afghanistan. It was hard to choose just one team, but I loved this picture of him with this fish looking happy at home like life is good and decent.

I mailed a package of a couple dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and some Brazeli -Swiss waffle type cookies cooked in a Pizzelle iron. I also included a couple of books, some beef jerky, sunflower seeds, fruit leather and granola bars and Lifesavers since my own son likes these. I hope they arrive safely and that Joe and his pals enjoy them. We send our love and support and hope for a speedy homecoming and a safe tour of duty.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from the original Toll House)

2-1/4 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375F. Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside. Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well. Add the flour and mix in well. Add the chocolate chips and nuts. Use a 1″ scooper to place balls of dough a couple of inches apart on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes or so until golden and remove to a wire rack to cool.

Brazeli (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cookies Bratseli)

3 cups all purpose flour (plus see below)
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup softened butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon orange extract
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
zest from one orange
2 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream at room temperature
4 – 6 more cups of all purpose flour, added 1 cup at a time

Whisk the flour, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Add the extracts and zest and mix well. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the cream and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add additional flour as needed to make a dough that holds together but is still soft and a bit sticky. Roll bits of dough into ping pong or walnut sized balls. Preheat a Pizzelle iron and place a ball on each side just rear of center so that you get a nice round when the iron is closed. If you are using a nonstick you don’t need to add any oil. If not you should probably brush with oil for the first batch but then probably won’t need to again. Cook the Brazeli for about 90 seconds each batch, until just golden and remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Thanks to Susan, Jayne and everyone at Operation Baking GALS and Team Barefoot for letting me be a part of this effort and most of all thanks to Joe and our other serving troops.

Hope you enjoy!

Fresh Peach Amaretto Jam

by Gabi // 2008/08/28

Okay so I admit it- sometimes my eyes are bigger than my energy. I can’t seem to go to a fruit stand and just buy enough peaches for one pie- I buy a whole box- a half bushel. With visions of bottled peaches, jam, dried peaches, pies and more I personify greedy guts. So, now I have to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I’ve got 4 trays of peach quarters in the dehydrator and I made some easy Peach Amaretto Jam. A couple of hours of work (other than finding all of the equipment in the basement ) 🙂 and there are now 8 lovely jewel-like jars of golden peachy goodness- enough to last us until the next harvest- almost. Here’s what I did and it’s not intended to take the place of proper canning procedures for your area. For a good source of information on canning and preserving I’ve found the Ball Blue Book of Preserving to be very helpful. I also enjoy Well Preserved a Jam Making Hymnal and The Complete Book of Small Batch Preserving. This recipe is my adaptation between all the peach jam recipes I’ve read and so isn’t in any of these books.

Fresh Peach Amaretto Jam

4 cups peeled, pitted and chopped fresh peaches
8 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon butter
1 packet of liquid pectin
1/3 cup Amaretto liqueur

You’ll need a water bath canner with a lid and basket/lifter, a clean funnel to fill your jars, (7 )eight ounce glass canning jars, screw bands and inner lids, plus probably another jar to put in your fridge or can in a separate water bath. Wash all of your equipment. Sterile equipment in a clean environment is your best friend when preserving any food.

Wash your jars, lids and screw bands in hot soapy water. Fill your canner with hot water, put the lifter in and cover and heat on high to boiling. Fill a tea kettle or other pot with water and heat in case you need to add water to the canner once the jars are submerged and also for some boiling water to soften the lids. Put your jars in the lifter and submerge them until you are ready to fill them. Dry the screw bands and place the lids in a small pan. Once the kettle is boiling pour some boiling water over the lids to soften the rubber seals.

In a large non-reactive pot mix the peaches, lemon juice and sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved add the butter which will reduce foaming. Heat over med-high to high heat stirring constantly until it reaches a boil that doesn’t stop when you stir. Stir in the pectin and boil one minute. Add the Amaretto and stir in. Remove from the heat and skim any foam off with a metal spoon. Remove the jars from the canner and invert on a clean dish towel to drain. Turn over and fill to within 1/4″ from the rim. Wipe the rims with a clean hot dishcloth and put the lids on rubber seal against the clean jar rims. Add a screw band and tighten just until you get resistance- finger tip tight. Put the jars in the lifter of the canner and then submerge them. Add boiling water if needed to cover the jars by 1-2″ of water. Return the canner to a gentle rolling boil and process for 10 minutes if sea level. I have to add 10 minutes for altitude. Consult an altitude chart on your pectin package to adjust for your altitude. Once the process time is over turn off the heat and leave the jars submerged for another 5 minutes. Lift the lifter out of the water and transfer the jars without touching the lids to an clean towel on your counter or other heatproof surface. Leave for 12-24 hours for the jam to gel and the lids to seal. You should hear a soft “plonk” when each seals (it’s usually within a minute or two of removing them from the water) Label and store. Refrigerate and use immediately any that do not seal.

Hope you enjoy!

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The Feast Within

Recipes for Loving Life in our Kitchen, Home, and Garden

A Grand Day Out at the Sheepdog Championships

Shipping Some Home Overseas for Operation Baking GALS

Fresh Peach Amaretto Jam