Mushroom and Crab Casserole

On my last trip to Powell River, my good friends Dave and Marg had me over for dinner. Marg is a great cook and she made a scrumptious casserole that really hit the spot on a cool winter evening. I asked if she would share the recipe and I made it last night for our dinner. Now I would like to share it with you.

MUSHROOM AND CRAB CASSEROLE

1 small onion chopped
2 cups white mushrooms sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons spreadable cream cheese
2 cups imitation crab (or the real deal)
1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion crystals
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
sprinkle of ground pepper
sprinkle of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon dill
2 1/3 cups small shell pasta (or rotini)
2 quarts boiling water
1 tablespoon oil (optional)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese grated
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated

Saute mushrooms and onion in a large non-stick frying pan for 7-8 minutes until liquid is evaporated. Add wine. Simmer about 1 minute until liquid is almost evaporated. Measure flour into small bowl. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Add to mushroom mixture, stirring constantly until boiling and thickened. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Stir in next 8 ingredients. Remove crab sauce from heat.

Cook pasta in boiling water, oil and second amount of salt in a large uncovered pot for 4 minutes. Stir frequently. Pasta will be slightly firm. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Add to crab sauce. Mix. Pour into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheeses.

Bake at 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until hot and bubbling. The recipe says it serves 4, but I would say more like 8 unless they are really hungry lumberjacks. Thanks Marg and Dave for the good eats and great recipe. -- Margy

Breakfast for One

What do you make for breakfast after boiling potatoes to get water to refresh you sourdough starter? Hashbrowns of course.

Last August I dug the potatoes out of their barrels and stored them individually wrapped in newspaper. The open sided plastic trays help keep them from sweating and spoiling. This year I grew both Norland Reds and Yukon Gold potatoes. So far the Yukon Golds are staying firmer. This wouldn't be a good solution for a large crop, but for my small one it's perfect.

The potatoes were already diced and cooled from the night before, so in the morning I gave them a slow cook in butter until they became brown and crunchy. With a few strips of bacon, a crispy fried egg and a dollop of ketchup, I was in breakfast heaven. Cabin cooking is the best! Yum. -- Margy

Refreshing Sourdough Starter

Another thing I found when I got to my float cabin after a four month absence was my sourdough starter. I was afraid it might be dead. But rather than add some commercial yeast, I took some advice that Sue G gave on my January 2 post. She uses natural yeast from the environment, flour and water. So while I was working in the garden, my starter was "working" on the front deck hopefully gathering spores.

I knew my starter also needed feeding. I usually use skim milk, flour and a bit of sugar. But there was no fresh milk at the cabin. I remembered reading another recipe that used potato water. So I got some of my potatoes out of storage, diced them up and put them on the woodstove. I strained the liquid and let it cool to lukewarm. I then mixed in approximately 3/4 cup potato water, 3/4 cup white flour and 1 tablespoon sugar.

When the sun went down, I put the starter next to the woodstove and left it there overnight to stay warm. I was careful to use non-reactive plastic utensils (glass and wood are also good choices). When I went to bed, there were only a few bubbles so I was doubtful it was going to work. My only recourse would be commercial yeast in the morning.

But when I got up, the starter was working like crazy. Way beyond what I had hoped for. The result was more starter than I could put back in my refrigerator container. So I had enough to take home to Jeanne as a thank you for her help with Mom while I was gone. -- Margy

Surprising Snow

This winter has been surprisingly mild. We had a cold blast with lingering snow in November, but it has been pretty docile since.

This morning I woke at the cabin to an unexpected snow storm. Not the bitter kind, but a warm, wet one.

It lasted until noon, then turned to rain, washing the lovely white mantle away. -- Margy

What I Found

Wayne and I left Bellingham at 10:00 a.m. so I could catch the Pacific Coastal flight from the South Terminal at Vancouver Airport to Powell River. Twenty minutes later I was on final approach for a pretty emotional homecoming. I drove straight to the Shinglemill Marina and was up the lake and in my cabin by 2:00 p.m. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to get from one place to another.

I immediately did a walk around the decks and out to the garden. It was almost like I had only been gone overnight rather than four months. And thanks to Wayne, everything was ready for me to enjoy three days of relaxation.

Yes, my garden needed work, but Wayne had helped by cutting down my asparagus last fall. My strawberries were still okay. Their dead leaves were acting like a natural mulch. My carrots, chard and a bit of spinach were doing so well I decided to leave them in at least for now. Only the woody beets had to go.

I didn't see any birds or squirrels, but I put out some seeds and peanuts just in case. Then this morning I woke to a surprising snow storm. A beautiful way to end the short stay in my little home up the lake. Thank you to Dave and Marg for a lovely dinner back in town. And thank you Jeanne and Wayne for making my whole trip possible. -- Margy

Home Again Jiggity Jig

YEA! Today I get to go home. Homecoming is always sweet, no matter how long the absence. Don't you feel that way? Wayne and I discovered our float cabin by chance in 2001 and haven't wanted to be anywhere else ever since.

Since we've been retired, we've been there almost year-round. Well, that is until this year for me. Mom's back surgery and recovery have kept me away from home for over four months. She is doing much better, so this homecoming will be especially sweet!

Wayne is going to drive me to the South Terminal at Vancouver Airport to catch the Pacific Coastal flight to Powell River. From there it's only a 25 minute flight up the Sunshine Coast, a fifteen minute drive to the Shinglemill Marina, and a 25 minute boat ride up Powell Lake to my cabin in Hole in the Wall.

What will I find? I know my floating vegetable garden needs some attention. I never got it put to bed for the winter like last year, so I will need to pull all of my old root crops and chop everything up for the compost pile. I hope my strawberries have survived the cold without being mulched. Maybe I'll use some of my carrot top clippings to cover the roots for the rest of the cold season. Will our resident squirrel still be hanging around looking for peanuts? Will any of the birds returned yet? What will I find?

Actually, it doesn’t matter. I'll find the best place in the whole world. Our cabin on Powell Lake inspired my husband Wayne to write the Coastal BC Stories series. You too can head Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake through his books.

Do you have a place that inspires you? Maybe it is where you live, or a vacation home or destination. Maybe it is that special place to sneak away to when you want to be alone. Let us know about it and why you like it so much. -- Margy

Border Songs

I like books that are situated in places I know about topics I am familiar with. Border Songs is such a book. I think it will appeal to people who live in the Pacific Northwest, the Vancouver area and Fraser Valley, or anyone who has crossed the Canada/U.S. border. That's quite a broad audience for this novel by award winning Washington State author, Jim Lynch.

The main character is Brandon Vanderkool, the son of a dairy farmer turned U.S. Border Patrol agent. Brandon is an unlikely individual for Border Patrol service. He is a large, physically able man, but has a gentler side for nature. He is especially adept at bird identification, counting his encounters daily. While Brandon takes his job seriously, he is often distracted by the sight or song of an intriguing specimen as he wanders the farms and forests along the border. During some of these diversions, he encounters and captures unsuspecting smugglers and illegal immigrants.

Brandon's father Norm runs a struggling dairy farm right on the border. This week I drove Zero Avenue, and you can see that all there is between our two countries is a shallow ditch and marking posts. On the U.S. side is Boundary Road, the address for Norm's farm. Wayne, a retired professor who is trying to reinvent Edison's light bulb, lives across the ditch in Canada. Wayne's other favourite pastime is yelling at Norm about "Americans" and their political differences.

Wayne's daughter Madeline, a cross-border childhood friend of Brandon's, gets involved with the marijuana trade. One dark night she loads up her racing Laser sailboat and smuggles a package across the open bay to Semiahmoo Spit. Wayne (mine that is) was intrigued by the easy to manage sailboat, so he did some investigation and lots of pouring over copies of Buy, Sell and Trade. Now my Wayne is the proud owner of one. All he needs is some warmer weather (and water) to give it a try.

Border Songs has lots of twists, turns and U.S. vs. Canadian humour. It was an enjoyable read for me, especially because I knew a bit about it's setting, people and issues. If you do read it, let me know what you think. -- Margy

Start the New Year with Easy Sourdough Starter

What better way to start the year than with some good, old fashioned sourdough starter. I always keep a jar of sourdough starter in the refrigerator. I got mine "started" over three years ago and it is still going strong. Here's a recipe from Sourdough Cookery by Rita Davenport. It's available at Amazon.com for over $10.00, but maybe you can find one at your favourite used book store like I did. It's a great little paperback with 220 recipes from starter to breads to cakes to main dishes.

SIMPLE SOURDOUGH STARTER

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water

Do not use metal bowls or utensils. Mix dry ingredients. Add lukewarm water (I used skim milk) and stir to a smooth paste. Cover with a towel and set in a warm place (85°F/30°C) to sour. Stir several times a day. In 2-3 days, the starter will be ready. Store in a heavy plastic container with a hole in the lid to allow gases to escape (I use a small plastic bag instead). I also use a bowl underneath to catch any drips. Wayne says my starter is "alive" (actually the yeast is), especially when it bubbles over in the fridge.

When using your starter, always reserve at least 1/2 cup. Replenish it with 1/2 cup water (again, I use skim milk for a tangier flavour) and 1/2 cup flour. Leave out overnight, stir down and return it to the refrigerator. They recommend "feeding" your starter once a week if you don't use it, but mine has remained in the fridge for 3-4 weeks and still revived. If it doesn't bubble enough, add a little extra dry yeast and lukewarm water for a boost. Sometimes a clear liquid will form on top. This is OK, just stir it back in. If the starter or liquid turns pink, it needs to be discarded.

I like to add starter to my pancake mix for an extra special taste. Also, here are two of my recipes that use sourdough starter:

Sourdough Biscuits
Sourdough Wheat Bread

Do you have any favourite sourdough recipes? I'd love to hear them. -- Margy