Saturday, March 7, 2015

Winter a Few Highlights from 14_15 Season

I really like this photo. I found it on a google search. I found the site but can not the find the artist to give him/her credit.  If anyone knows who the artist is please let me know. 
I love both the winter and summer solstice.  Here in Alaska, where we live, the shortest amount of daylight is 4 hours and 17 minutes.  I enjoy the yearly journey to darkness and the climb out of darkness to the light filled day of the June solstice.  There is something magical about this epic natural journey that I adore and embrace yearly.

Winter Solstice Ski 12/21/14
My girl Sadie and I on the wind blown tundra.


Sometimes skiers fall!  I took a wicked crash skiing on 1/31/15.  It was one of those horrible standing on your skis and your feet go out from under you falls.  I slammed onto hard packed snow/ice.  The brunt of the fall was on my butt and right wrist.  The wrist got the worse of it!  Sprained badly but grateful that was it!  
2/25/15 one of our more desperate attempts to find skiable snow.  Really hard packed drifts on the beach.  You have to admit it is stunning!

Sadie letting it rip!  All 4 paws airborne!
Christian skiing away on the stone grinding surface.  People pay good money for this in ski shops!

We love our Ruffwear dog harnesses!

I love the sea ice . . .

Squash Soup: Zingy Chipotle Roasted Squash Soup


Zingy Chipotle Roasted Squash Soup


Modified from http://www.chow.com/recipes/30466-roasted-butternut-squash-soup to have a bit more zing & spiced flavor!

Prepare Squash
2 squash: we used a butternut and an acorn squash yielding approximately 4.5 cups, halved lengthwise and seeds removed.
(Save seeds: Wash, crack sea salt, and roast to use as a garnish or to snack on!)

1 teaspoon butter for each half and rub on each half, cut-side up, and place any remaining butter in the cup area of squash. On each half: season with cracks of sea salt, green pepper, and dashes of true lime or a bit of lime juice.

Bake in oven at 400ºF until very tender. Check after 30-40 min. with fork. Time will vary depending on squash being used.

Prepare Ingredients & Spice
1 large onion diced and sauté to caramelize with spicy red pepper olive oil in the same pan to cook with later. Add apples and pear below when onions are almost done.

2 apples (Fuji or Granny Smith), peeled and cored, tangy is better. Add to onions to soften, stirring often.

1 pear, pealed and cored, dice. Add to onions to soften, stirring often

Add vegetable stock, 2.5 cups with 2.5 cups of water

Once squash is cooked, let cool and scoop out squash.  Add squash to the onions and other ingredients.
1/3 cup heavy cream: Add to the soup mixture in large pot. Mix with immersion blender or blender until the desired smoothness.

Additional spices added (check flavor)
1 t ground thyme
1 t ground coriander
1 t smoked ground paprika
1 pinch of ground sage
2-4 dashes of cayenne
2 dashes chipotle flakes
Generous cracks of green pepper and dashes of True Lime as you like. May add crack of sea salt if needed.

Prepare Garnish
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)
or
1/2 cup pecans, broken by hand, and toasted in oven at 300ºF for about 5 min. Turn and check often until roasted evenly.

Serve soup with roasted nut garnish and bread or crackers of choice.

Knitting . . . oh yes I am a knitter!

No matter what once winter arrives my life gets rather busy.  Working, coaching skiing, taking time for my dogs and husband (not necessarily in that order-oops!)---life just takes up a lot of time!  Then there is reading, knitting, yoga, working out, skiing, cooking . . . . the list goes on just like it does for every one.

I do want to get my knitting updated and posted.

Here is Tomten #1 which I  loved knitting.  This is good as I have yes 3 more to knit.  This design comes from Schoolhouse Press, one of my very favorite yarn and knitting suppliers/designers.
This Tomten wasn't knitted for this cutie but she is trying it on for size as she will be Tomten #3.
Here is the proud owner of Tomten #1!  Fits perfect and the smile says it all to her Great-Auntie!


These two photos are Tomten #2.
I am working on adding little color into the garter stitch.  This yarn is a wonderful rich green color way named mountain green.  I must knit something out of it for myself when time allows.



How can an Great-Auntie not love an aspiring knitter!  I order her one of my favorite knitting books for kids.  I even used this book a lot when I was learning how to knit as well.  Kids Knitting is a great book and full of very kid-doable projects!

The next project, I worked on this winter is an all time favorite of mine.  Felted Baby Booties that are wonderful to knit and every new mom I know requests a pair.  A long time friend of mine designed this pattern. The pattern can be purchased  at my very favorite local knitting shoppe in Montana.  If they don't have it please bug them about getting it republished!

I knitted this pair for a friend here who recently adopted a little boy.  The color combo is a mixing of the 2 Scottish flags as dad has a strong Scottish background.



I started this project in August when we were driving back up to Alaska for work.  I am not done but I am certainly closing in on finishing the "Long John" project.  I decided to name this pair of long underwear after a horse I used to ride long ago.  Long John was a 17 hand thoroughbred horse off the track.  He was blind in one eye but a love.  I am sure this is why I love big chestnut horses to this day.

The first leg is done.  I am using a yarn from Polk a Dot Sheep.  If you love color have a look at PDS yarns.   These yarns are so rich in color it is almost impossible to walk away from buying yarn in every colorway!

The legs are now joined and I am working on the BUTT!  I am doing some increasing in that area and German Short Rows  as well. 




Storm, We finally have a winter March 7th!

As the saying goes, "Better late than never!"

I went over this morning to check the slough, which is a branch off of the Unalakleet River, to see if we could have ski practice.  You may be asking what does a river have to do with ski practice??  Good question!  We have to cross the slough which is brackish water salt/fresh to get to where we hold ski practices.  Depending on the winds the slough will have overflow.  This means that the winds from the south and west causes water to overflow on top of the frozen river ice.  The ocean water comes up the river and surges out of cracks and along the edges.

This would be overflow and that snow fence is where we ski most of the time.  These photos are from 2/22/15.
That tree stuck in the ice is the check point area for the Iditarod Dog Sled Race.  Everything there was all frozen again until today!


Today, I headed out for cross-country ski practice and the winds were blowing about 20 mph which is normal for us here.  It was warm so I figured we can ski no biggie.  WELL . . . in about 20 minutes we went from 20 mph winds to howling gusts of over 50 mph.  I had 16 kids with me from grades 1--5.  We had a blast! The wind was pushing us and making us fly across Johnson's Lake.  When those gusts of 50+mph hit we huddle down.  I had a nice talk with my skiers  about what to do when winds hit and we are not close to the village.

Yeap ski practice out here!  When I say a stormed kicked up I mean it!
The fact is I love weather and winter especially! I have been waiting a long time for winter to arrive this year!

One very happy ski coach!