Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie

I always like when I am blog surfing when people post their favorite recipes on their blogs. I also like trying new recipes on my own. I recently started subscribing to the magazine Cooking Light. I will read through the magazine marking potential recipes to try, but until last night, never made anything. Last night, I decided to make a Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie and it was delicious so I wanted to share the recipe here.

Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie

2 TBSP Uncooked quick-cooking tapioca

4.5 C Raspberries

3.5 C Chopped Rhubarb

1 C Packed Brown Sugar

1/4 C Cornstarch

2 TBSP Creme de Cassis

1/8 tsp Salt

1/2 (15-oz) packaged refrigerated pie crust

Cooking Spray

6 TBSP All-purpose Flour

1/4 C Sliced Almonds

2 TBSP Brown Sugar

2 TBSP Chilled Butter, cut into pieces

1/4 tsp Almond Extract

1/8 tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Place tapioca in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Combine tapioca, raspberries, and next 5 ingredients (through 1/8 tsp salt) in a bowl; toss well. Let raspberry mixture stand 10 minutes; stir to combine.

3. Roll 1 (9-inch) dough portion into an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, draping excess dough over edges. Spoon raspberry mixture and any remaining liquid into dough. Fold edges under; flute. Bake at 350* for 40 minutes.

4. While pie bakes, place flour and remaining ingredients in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Increase oven temperature to 375*.

6. Sprinkle topping evenly over pie. Bake at 375* for 15 minutes or until topping is golden brown and filling is thick and bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack. Yield 12 servings

CALORIES 248; FAT 7.9g; PROTEIN 2g; CARBS 43.3g; FIBER 4g; CHOL 7mg; IRON 1.1mg; SODIUM 146mg; CALC 65mg

Elbe Father's Day Run

Our plan was to leave early Friday morning and head down to Elbe to ensure we got the area needed for camping with the Timber Tamers. We met Gary and Lori S at Safeway in Graham at 6:30 on Friday morning and started the short drive to Elbe. It started raining sometime late Thursday night and proceeded to rain almost all day on Friday.

We finally arrived at Elbe OHV and tried to open the gate so we could get set-up in the camping area and the gate code didn’t work. Hmmm, déjà vu? Terry and Gary took off and eventually returned with Nancy from the DNR who also didn’t know why we couldn’t get the lock to work since we were trying the right combination of 1-1-1-2. Finally, she decided to try 0-1-1-2 which worked. Once we got the gate opened, we were able to head back and get set-up near the shelter, which meant, we had a place to stay dry.

There were a couple big rounds of wood in the back that Nancy said we could chop for firewood. So, I decided to chop some wood while Terry got some of camp set-up. It was hard work, but totally worth it. After we got some wood into smaller pieces, we were able to get a fire going and warm up. Since it rained most of the day, we just relaxed around camp and tried to stay dry. Terry and Gary took a quick trip up our trail to get an idea of what trail work needed to be done the following day in the afternoon. Eventually, Billy showed up with his tractor as well as Lori Y, Mark, Tom, Penny and Tom’s parents, Art and Mary. For dinner, I made tacos and salad for Terry and me. It turned out yummy. Terry ended up heading to bed early while I stayed up talking with people.

On Saturday, we got up and dressed ready for a day on the trail. Our club has an adopted trail at Elbe, Sunrise, that needed some maintenance. There was a silt trap that needed to be cleaned out and some by-passes that needed to be blocked. With everyone’s help, and the tractor, the work got completed quickly. Around noon, we headed back to camp and I made some lunch for Terry and me. Then, they headed out to do some trail runs. I decided to stay back at camp with Zeus. Midday, I noticed the frige in our camper wasn’t working and the hot water heater was showing an error as well. It turns out, we had ran out of propane in both tanks. Luckily, Lori S had an extra 5 gallon tank in their camper we were able to borrow and Dan-O was around to help get hooked up to our camper (it was heavy and I was a little too short to get it lifted into the storage area). I didn’t sleep well on Friday night, so took a quick nap and got some reading done while they were gone as well.

Terry was excited when they came back that the Cherokee did so well on the trails and the ARB in the front was finally working. They ran the Busywild and survived. When he got back, I made hot dogs, chili and macaroni and cheese for dinner. It was a hit for us and we had enough leftover to feed Dan-O who showed up solo for the night. Zeus even got lucky with his first beef bone to gnaw on courtesy of Gary. Terry and I both stayed up talking with the club members before showering and heading to bed.

On Sunday, everyone slept in and slowly got up and started to get things packed for the trip home. Gary, Terry and Steve (a guest in a black Sami) took one more quick ride out in the morning. I was anxious to get home and out of the mud so stayed back at camp and got everything packed up while they were gone. When Terry got back to camp, there was only minor packing to do as well as getting the Jeep loaded onto the trailer. We finally were packed up and ready to head home around 3:00 and made it home within an hour. It was a fun trip even though we got rain almost all weekend. It’s nice being so close to home and look forward to going back in a few months.

Battle Ground Lake State Park

In January, I had made reservations for last weekend at Battle Ground Lake State Park. Terry and I wanted to check it out last summer, but since the campground consists of only 35 sites, it was booked up every weekend. We were excited to hit the road on Friday afternoon and check out this campground for the first time. We left our house a little before 3:00 and headed south. We didn’t hit any traffic and made it there in about 3 ½ hours. It was a nice drive even though most of it was on the highway and I even drove for a little while.

Once we made it to camp, we got registered and headed to our campsite, site #14. It was a partial hook-up site, so as we unloaded, Terry also hooked up the water and electric. We decided on just having fried chicken from QFC for dinner since we knew we would arrive late. After getting the campsite ready, we decided to take a quick walk around the campground and go down to see the lake. It was a small lake with a lot of trails going around it. When we got back to camp, Terry made a nice fire and we both enjoyed some s’mores before heading to bed.

On Saturday, we woke up early and decided to go fishing. We found a nice spot on the lake near a picnic table and cast out our lines. Terry caught a small trout that we opted to give away and after about 3 hours of fishing, I didn’t catch anything. However, I did get some reading done. After a few hours of fishing, we walked back up to our site for breakfast. I made sausage and pancakes for breakfast. It was nice having the hook-ups as I was able to bring my electric griddle for the pancakes. They turned out really good. I also got dinner started. I had brought meat for chili verde, so put it in my crock pot on low for the day in hopes of tender meat.

After breakfast, we decided to go on a hike. We started on the upper lake trail and then did a loop on the lower lake trail. It was a pretty walk and since the lake was small, it didn’t take too long. Along the lower loop, we came across and eagle perched on a piece of wood in the lake. It seemed so close that it was unreal. There were also lots of momma ducks swimming around the lake with their babies following. When we got back to camp, I took a quick shower and then spent some time relaxing with Terry. We also took another walk around lake in the afternoon before dinner.

Dinner turned out great. The chili verde was very tender. I also made rice, beans and Terry helped make a salad. After dinner, we decided to head back to the lake. There was a little shop we stopped at along the way and got an ice cream to share. It was fun sitting by the lake, watching people and eating ice cream. There was also an eagle circling around the lake which was neat to watch.

When we got back to our site, I decided to make a fire. Terry really wanted to give me advice and I told him to give me a chance. Amazingly, I did end up with a nice fire. We roasted some marshmallows and had s’mores before heading to bed.

On Sunday, we woke up and decided to try fishing again. We got off to a later start, so the place we were the previous day was taken. Luckily, we found a nice spot along the lower lake trail. There were some rocks we were able to sit on while we fished. We didn’t catch anything on Sunday; however, the eagle had better luck. As we were fishing, we could watch an eagle circle the lake. It dove down a few times and finally came up with a fish in its talons. I had never seen an eagle catch anything before, so it was quite exciting.

When we were done fishing, we headed back to our site where I made veggie scramble for breakfast. After eating, we slowly started to pack up our gear to head home. We stopped quickly on the way out of the park and dumped the tanks before hitting the road. We made it home without incident. It was a nice, relaxing weekend away; however, I don’t know if we will plan another trip to Battle Ground Lake since it was over 3 hours away and not as special as we were hoping.

Ferndale Graduation Weekend

Last weekend, Terry and I headed up to Ferndale for Dylan's graduation from Ferndale High School. It's amazing home much he has grown since in my head, I always remember him around this age:

We had a nice weekend at my parent's house. We arrived late Friday night as we had to head up from Monroe after the Timber Tamer's BOD meeting. On Saturday morning, my mom left early to attend Dylan's graduation ceremony while my dad, Terry and I all went out to breakfast and then picked up a truck load of hay. Terry had been pestering my dad for a few months now about trimming some low growing trees over the driveway, so they took advantage of the pile of hay to do some tree trimming before unloading it.

The afternoon graduation party for Dylan and two of his friends was a success. It was fun seeing my family there and catching up with people. Terry did a good job of mingling and found out my mom's cousin's husband was selling his motorcycle. We hung out for a few hours before eventually returning to my parent's house.

Terry initially wanted to come home early on Sunday and go to church at Renovo. However, after talking to Brad about the motorcycle, we decided to go look at it. In the morning, we searched online to get a better idea of if the price he was asking was reasonable. We weren't really in the market for a bike yet, but had been talking about getting one and this fit our criteria perfectly. After some searches online, the bike was a deal. We couldn't find anything for the price he was asking and with the low mileage. It is a 2004 Honda VTX 1300 with 3542 miles.

It reminds me of my old bike, and sits low. I sat on it and was able to keep both feet on the ground. It is a lot heavier then my old bike, but I can't wait to drive it. Terry and I did take a quick ride around the block at my parent's house and it was really comfortable. I felt like I had a ton of room on the back. Terry rode it home and even took it to work today. I can't wait to go on some rides through the mountains! It is very exciting that we have a bike again and I am glad Terry seems almost as excited as I am.

After getting the motorcycle, we relaxed with my parents for most of the afternoon. Grandma and Ed came over for an early dinner. My mom barbecued bacon wrapped filet minion and I made strawberry rhubarb crisp for dessert. We ended up leaving a little after 4:00. As always, we had a nice weekend with my folks and even came home with a little something special this time.

NW-Wheelers Rig of the Month!

For June 2009, I am ROTM on NW-Wheelers.com. I am not sure how I got chosen, but I think it is a little exciting. Here is a link to the forum (I am not sure if you will have to register to see it or not): http://nw-wheelers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40230

Carnation Tree Farm

After a long day in the sun on Saturday, Terry and I decided to head home from Monroe along Highway 203 thru Duvall and Carnation and then take highway 18 to 167 to our house. We like the drive thru the small towns and since we had the Jeep, it was nice to not have to drive it on the freeway. I am so glad we decided to take that way home, or we wouldn't have found the little gem I am about to describe.

Okay, let me start at the beginning. After the event and being in the sun for twelve hours, we found a cute Tap Room in Duvall for dinner. We both had a cold beer and some amazing sweet potato fries for an appetizer. Dinner was great as well. Terry said his blue cheese burger was the best he had ever had and I enjoyed the salmon special. We loved the small town charm of the bar and even ran into people from Operation Shore Patrol there. Recently, Terry and I have talked about the joys of moving to a small town and love to stop in them and relax.

So, after ordering, we asked the waitress, Shelly, if there were any lodging options around. We were both tired and the thought of driving just a couple minutes and finding a cute hotel would be better than driving another hour or two to get home. She didn't know anything in Duvall, but said that the owner of the Carnation Tree Farm, Roger, rents out the loft of his barn. She called Roger for us and it was available so we booked it for the night. We just couldn't resist at $65/night and only 10 minutes down the road.

We stopped at Safeway on the way and got some snacks (and aloe for my legs) and then continued the drive to Carnation. The barn was an old three story building and half of the top floor was turned into a cute loft. There was a full size kitchen, sauna, 3 small bedrooms and a balcony overlooking the tree farm. The building had a lot of charm and I know my description and pictures won't do it justice. We were both so excited about finding the place and plan on coming back for another visit. We were able to shower and relax the rest of the night, and didn't feel rushed to leave in the morning. We did head out slightly early to make church, but felt like we were able to take our time and enjoy the morning as well. It was such a unique place to spend the night and I am so glad we found it!

Million Dollar Dana 30

We do have some bad news about this weekend: the ARB in the front still doesn't work. We had the axle housing replaced and trussed last week and finally got the thing back on Friday. However, Terry went to test it out on Saturday and the thing still doesn't work. At least the trussing looks great! We are just getting tired of the thing not working and really hope it is a bad set-up or seal that is causing the issue now. It will be nice to get to wheel the thing sometime this summer!

CORE 4x4 Event

On Saturday, Terry and I volunteered to help work our 4-wheel drive club, the Timber Tamers, work the obstacle course at the 2009 CORE Challenge III. The event consisted of a couple different courses (mud, rocks, etc) the competitors had to run thru and try for best time. Our club volunteered to man the big obstacle course. We had 12 club members out for the day. Terry and I ended up perched on a hill in the middle of the course and were in charge of timing the competitors since we could see both the starting line and the finish line from our vantage point.

We had to arrive at 6:00 to get set-up and organized before the competition started at 9:30. Once we got a few rigs thru, we realized since there was only one finish line, we would have to run only one truck at a time in case there was a problem at the end. We didn't want to take the chance of the second racer getting held up by the person in front of him especially since it was for time and the times varied. The quickest person to get thru made it in 1:58. The average was probably around four minutes. About one third of those that started the course, did not finish due to breakage. We did have some vehicles that would help them get un-stuck if needed and they clock would stay running. They only got a DNC if they broke and did not finish the race.

We ran rigs until 5:00 when everyone was able to get thru the course at least once and a couple rigs even got in their second pass for the day. By that time, I could feel that I got a lot of sun on my legs (in particular, the back of my knees and upper calve). Terry and I packed the Jeep up and left the event around 6:00. After being there for twelve hours, we were ready to get a cold beverage and some good food. We had a great time out there and really hope to be able to volunteer again.