The Journey Began With Cheese

What would possess a woman with five kids, four dogs, a lot of impractical shoes and a relatively easy-going husband to move to a small town in Northern Wisconsin and buy a restaurant? Cheese. It all started with tortas- a cheese and chutney appetizer that Renee had made for years prior to meeting me. I remember sitting in the bar at the Wild Rice, planning our foray into the cheese business in Minneapolis a couple months after we met. I called the Uptown Kowalski's, delivered my 'elevator pitch' and scheduled a meeting with the head cheese specialist. As I walked out of Kowalski's on that sunny November afternoon, I had no idea how much my life would change.

Our little cheese company took off in a hurry. The tortas were in all the Kowalski's stores and selling well. We had a pretty good system worked out— Renee handled production and I was the delivery and 'demo' girl. Everything came to a screeching halt when her restaurant caught on fire and burned to the ground 3 months after our first delivery. We needed a kitchen to continue making our tortas and spent a couple of weeks exploring our options. We walked into an old yellow farm-house outside Washburn with an illustrious history as a speakeasy, brothel and restaurant and that was that. I found myself seriously considering buying a restaurant. Another three or four weeks passed, Renee had a partner,  I had a restaurant and Bayfield had 7 new residents. As Gabrielle Hamilton, author of Blood, Bones and Butter, said, 'And that, just like that, is how a whole life can start'.

Blue Cheese & Fig Chutney Torta

Fig Chutney

2 cups dried mission figs, chopped 3 garlic cloves. chopped 1 red onion, chopped 1/4 cup butter 2 cups red wine 2 tbsp candied ginger, minced 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes salt and pepper to taste

Blue Cheese Torta

2 packages of cream cheese, at room temperature 1 sticks of butter, at room temperature 1 garlic cloves 1/4 cup red onion, minced 1 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste 1/2 cup blue cheese (more if you prefer a stronger blue cheese taste) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese salt and pepper to taste

Chutney: Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the onion, sauté until softened. Add garlic, figs, red pepper flakes and candied ginger and saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool completely.

Cheese: Combine the butter and cream cheese in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Line ramekins or other containers with plastic wrap. Press chutney into mold and add the cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate until set. These can be frozen and de-frosted before serving.

What Happens When You Run Out Of Oranges??

I have a pretty serious thing for cookbooks and nothing makes my heart go pitter-pat (other than dogs and good wine) like a gorgeous cookbook. David Tanis, a chef at Chez Panisse, has two cookbooks— A Platter of Figs and Heart of an Artichoke and they are drop dead gorgeous books with delicious recipes. It has been cloudy here and I grabbed the Heart of an Artichoke book for inspiration and color for my sensory deprived brain. We were having friends over for dinner and I needed something to get my creative juices flowing.

There is a Sicilian Salad in David's cookbook with oranges, fennel, spinach and radishes, it sounded like the perfect spring salad. I decided to introduce Sicily to Morocco and added some oil cured olives and cilantro. The fennel went in the oven to be roasted with the brussel sprouts (roasted fennel is one of my favorites) and I whipped up a vinaigrette. I am a firm believer in bright, acidic vinaigrettes and used raspberry and white wine vinegar as well as a healthy dollop of Dijon mustard. Dinner was looking better and better. I felt my brain fog start to lift. Everything was going along swimmingly until I opened the fridge to look for the orange, the shining star of my salad. I had grapefruits galore but not one orange. Grapefruit is round, grows on trees in Florida and is kind of orange-colored— a perfectly suitable substitute, right?? It turned out to be a fortuitous detour, the pink grapefruit was beautiful against the green spinach and it's acidity was well suited for the salad dressing and olives. The case of the missing oranges is still unsolved. I guess I should be happy the kids are eating fruit and not Doritos.

Of course, there was wine involved. Bob is one of my favorite dinner guests. He loves Pinot Noir as much as I do and always brings a couple good bottles to share. Bergstrom Pinot Noir is a typical Willamette Valley Pinot— cranberries, strawberries, spice and earth. A classic combination of strength and elegance that defines truly great Pinot Noir. It was a pleasure to drink and probably would have benefitted from a brief stay in the decanter but we were on a roll and popped and poured. We drank the Vietti Roero Arneis with dinner (we had roast chicken with lemons, herbs and kalamata olives). I am not the biggest white wine fan but I tend to like Italian white wines as a rule. This Vietti is a super food friendly wine with a lot of bright, fresh acidity with pears and green apple in your mouth and a nice floral nose. Plus, I love the label. The guy has such a beleaguered look on his face— winemaking must be hard work.

Moroccan Grapefruit Salad

Salad

A couple handfuls of baby spinach

2 grapefruits peeled, quartered and sliced

1 red onion sliced and placed in ice water for 10 - 15 minutes (removes the acidity from the onion)

1/4 cup pitted and chopped oil cured olives

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Vinaigrette

2 Tbsp raspberry vinegar

2 Tbsp  white wine vinegar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp honey

1/2 cup good olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Assemble the spinach, grapefruit, red onion, olives and cilantro in a bowl. Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a container and pour over the salad. I always salt my salad greens with Maldon Sea Salt before adding the dressing.

A Corny Sunday

Sadie, Will, George and I took a little road trip on Sunday to visit Cornucopia, a sweet little town about 20 miles from Bayfield. There is a beautiful sandy beach, marina, a few shops and Siskiwit Falls. All in all, it was a lovely afternoon.

Lunch With A Gentleman Farmer, Goats and Quiche

Creation is a messy business— whether it is pastry dough or birthing 63 baby goats. I had three kids in diapers at one point in my life and thought I would never emerge from the fog of feedings, Cheerios, juice boxes and chronic exhaustion. It was a cake walk compared to ushering 63 baby goats into the world in less than a month's time. My friend, Michael, is the lead goat herder, cheese maker and gentleman farmer at Sassy Nanny Farmstead Cheese. Last year, he invited us to his farm to see the babies. I made friends with a little guy named Andy and decided I had a goat in my future. As it turns out, a goat would have been the proverbial straw on the camel's back and I am goat less. However, I am still a goat admirer and was excited to meet this year's new additions to the herd.

During the summer, there is a great farmers market every Thursday in Cornucopia and that is where I tasted Michael's goat cheese for the first time about five years ago. Growing up in Minneapolis, my previous experience with cheese involved plastic wrap and a grocery store. Once I put Michael's cheese in my mouth, I realized I had been missing the boat. Local cheese, made by a man who genuinely cares for his goats was a revelation— it was fresh and creamy without any of the gaminess I typically associated with goat cheese. He makes a number of goat cheeses: Lake Effect, a fresh, spreadable goat cheese, Buttin' Heads, a sea salt brined feta, Cabra Fresco, an homage to quesco fresco and Winey Kid (my favorite), an aged raw milk cheese with a red wine washed rind. Food tastes better when it hasn't been on a trans-continental trip of planes, trains and automobiles and Michael's cheese is no exception. His cheese is as good as anything I have tasted and I know the goats (kind of). How cool is that??

Living your dream takes a tremendous amount of hard work— the stakes are high and success is hard to measure. Michael, like most of my friends up here, decided to take a leap of faith and chose the road less traveled. I am glad he did because as Frost said,, 'that has made all the difference'. It makes a difference to live the life you dreamed of, to be a good steward to your environment and animals, to live in the moment (especially when the moment is one you would rather fast forward) and have the courage to watch it all unfold and know it is as it should be. When I moved to Bayfield and opened the restaurant with Renee, I had no idea what the future held for me but I knew it had all the components for an epic adventure. That is the beauty of Sassy Nanny Cheese, Good Thyme Restaurant or any number of the other small businesses up here— it isn't always easy but there are bound to be some epic adventures shared around a table full of good food, wine and friends.

Dorie Greenspan's Gorgonzola and Apple Quiche

1 pastry crust, blind baked in a 9 to 10 inch tart pan

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 apple (Empire, Gala or Granny Smith), sliced 1/4 inch thick

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup milk

4 large eggs

salt and pepper

 Put a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add onion and saute until onion is soft but not colored, about 10-15 minutes, then remove from heat. Place the partially baked pastry shell on the baking sheet (this will catch any drips). Spread the onion evenly over the bottom of the crust. Scatter the apple pieces over the onion and top with the crumbled Gorgonzola and shredded Swiss cheese. Beat the eggs, milk, and cream together until well blended and season with salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture into the tart pan. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the filling is puffed all over (make sure the center is puffed), lightly browned, and set. Transfer the quiche to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Remove the sides of the tart pan and slide quiche onto a platter or cutting board. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Sunday Afternoon at Houghton Falls

Pristine, running water is a blessing. Running water winding through a verdant forest surrounded by an ancient sandstone ravine is nothing short of miraculous. Sadie and I were driving home from Washburn Sunday afternoon and saw Will walking downtown with his camera slung across his back. He was headed out to take a few pictures on the Brownstone Trail but really wanted to go to Houghton Falls. Sounded like a brilliant idea to me— it would be my first visit, the sun was shining and it sounded like a perfect family outing. The primordial beauty was breathtaking. I felt the heartbeat of the forest as I walked up the ravine to the falls. I heard the birds, the water, the wind in the trees and the kids laughter. I was utterly enchanted. Once again, I am humbled by the power of the natural world to soothe my monkey brain and restore my spirit.

I have a connection (kind of) to Houghton Falls. The restaurant building was built by Hattie and Milton Sprague as their farm-house— the farm had 1000 acres and included the falls. Over the years, parcels of land were sold and the house changed hands a number of times. The Club Lido, owned by Cleo Grant, was an institution from the mid 1950's until the late 1970's (I am not sure when Cleo sold it). I met Cleo's daughter , Cheri, in August of 2010 when she traveled back to Washburn for the dedication of the Houghton Falls Nature Preserve. When Cheri was growing up, they owned the land from the restaurant to the lake (including the falls);  it was fascinating to hear her stories. She used to ride her pony to the lake and spend time in a cabin Cleo (or her Dad) had built somewhere near the falls. I can't imagine having Houghton Falls as your playground— it must have been magical. Cheri sent me a package of pictures after she left. I scanned a few: there is a picture of Cheri on her pony, Cleo and Cheri in front of the restaurant, Cleo in the 1940's and that beautiful building we call Good Thyme.

An Old Fashioned Primer

The Five O'Clock Club in Cumberland was the first supper club I ever set foot in. I learned two things that evening 20 years ago: Surf-n-Turf is a spiffy way to describe beef and seafood for dinner and a good Wisconsin bartender needs to know how to make a proper Old Fashioned (and maybe a Brandy Alexander). Lee was the bartender at the Five O'Clock and I looked forward to stopping at her bar for a cocktail every time we went in for dinner. She always remembered our names, asked after Ted's parents and could carry on a conversation peppered with sass and humor. In fact, the New York Times just wrote an article about Northern Wisconsin supper clubs— stiff cocktails and surf-n-turf are cool (again). As they said in the article, "good supper clubs have fine-tuned the rituals of dining and drinking to near perfection".

Over the past four years as a restaurant owner, I have learned countless things— never eat sweet potato fries off a customer's plate, don't gesture wildly in a crowded dining room, calf hair shoes do not belong in a kitchen and how to make a proper Old Fashioned. Brandy is the liquor of choice but an Old Fashioned made with rye whiskey is sublime. The Old Fashioned has four components: an amber-colored liquor, bitters, maraschino cherries and oranges. I know from my adventures in the kitchen, the quality of ingredients matter, a lot, and it is no different behind the bar. Clear Creek brandy or Willett rye, Luxardo maraschino cherries from Italy and Fee Brothers whiskey barrel aged bitters make a mean Old Fashioned. I think Lee would approve.

Good Thyme Old Fashioned

3 ounces brandy or rye

1 ounce simple syrup made with raw sugar

3 dashes of Fee Brothers Bitters

2 Luxardo maraschino cherries

1 quarter of a 1/2 inch slice of orange

7-up or Sprite

Muddle the orange slice  and cherries in a glass, add the simple syrup, bitters and ice. Pour the brandy or rye into the glass, top with 7-up and garnish with an orange slice and cherry.

Foggy Morning

Will and I got up early to go to Bayview Beach to capture a few shots of the sunrise through the fog that seems to have taken up permanent residence in Bayfield. No luck, the fog was too thick and the sun rose on some other beach, in some other place. We had a nice walk with George, took a few cool pictures and went to Big Water for coffee. All in all, a splendid morning.

Boston Butt, Dr Pepper And Chipotle Peppers- Who Knew??

There are cookbooks on nearly every shelf and table in my house. In fact, the first thing I purchased when we started renovating the kitchen was a bookshelf. While I use the internet to research recipes, there is something about standing in front of a bookshelf, looking for inspiration, that gives me joy. Ree Drummond's cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, caught my eye and I took it off the shelf and headed to bed, certain I would find the perfect meal for Thursday night. I made curried quinoa and farro salad on Monday and to say it was a not a hit with the family would be an understatement. Ree has kids, lives on a ranch and has a couple basset hounds, I knew she would have something that would please my crew. And there it was, Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork— how can I go wrong with meat and soda in one beguiling dish? It was a hit and definitely is going to be a repeat performer at our dinner table. I served it on tortillas with avocado, fresh salsa, shredded cheese and cilantro.

A glass of wine sounded like a brilliant idea tonight (shocking, I know). The beauty of my dinner choice was that it had been in the oven since noon and I was spared the 5 o'clock 'I guess I should think about dinner' mental gymnastics. Not only was there time for wine and chatting with Ted, dinner would still be on the table before 8 pm— braises are a good thing for a girl like me. Wine is also a good thing for a girl like me and I love Pinot Noir. However, Pinot Noir is a fickle, little beast— it needs to be full-bodied and rich but delicate and nuanced. I like that it is a wine that doesn't give it up easily, it makes the truly great Pinots all the more extraordinary. There are a few wines that stick with me long after the last drops are poured into the glass and the 2010 Shapes and Shadows Potters Vineyard Pinot Noir in one of them. It is a showstopper—beautiful ruby color, an earthy nose and cherries and cranberries in your mouth. The winemaker, Kenny Likitprakong, is a 30 something former snowboarder/wanderer from Healdsburg and he is making some really special wines under the Hobo Wines label. A gifted winemaker is an artist and in my opinion, Likitpraking, is right up there with the best.

 Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork

2 Large Onions, quartered

1 Whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5 To 7 Pounds

 Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 Can (11 Ounce) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce

2 Cans Dr. Pepper

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

2 Tsp Orange Zest

 Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Peel the onions and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

 Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

 Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar and orange zest to the juice and stir in.

 Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

 Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

The Respite Of A Foggy Day

Sunny days are easy, what's not to like about sunshine and a blue sky? The expectations can be high though, you feel like you should be productive— clean the car, brush the dogs, go to the beach, have a picnic. I can come up with a myriad of things to do on a sunny day. A foggy day, on the other hand, is a whole different beast. The pressure is off. The blessing of a day shrouded in mist and fog is the slower cadence of normal rhythms. I can spend my day inside reading, cooking or just sitting and it seems like time well spent.

Will took both pictures in this post. He and Ted came home from school, picked up his camera and headed straight down the harbor to capture a few pictures. I love that my fourteen year old son appreciates the wild beauty of this place and wants to capture it on film (or memory card...film sounds better).

I bet you didn't know today is World Poetry Day?? I can't think of a better poetic subject than the shifting shapes and hues of a bank of fog. I like this poem, The Breathing, by Denise Levertov....something about the 'breathing too quiet to hear' that resonates with me.

An absolute

patience.

Trees stand

up to their knees in

fog. The fog

slowly flows uphill.

White

cobwebs, the grass

leaning where deer

have looked for apples.

The woods

from brook to where

the top of the hill looks

over the fog, send up

not one bird.

So absolute, it is

no other than

happiness itself, a breathing

too quiet to hear.

Curried Chicken Salad With Quinoa and Farro

In my quest to improve our eating habits at the Dougherty house and in direct response to the 15 pounds of bacon Ted bought at Jim's Meat Market last week- I made a relatively healthy dinner last night. About 8 years ago, we took Ted's Mom and Dad out to Stockton Island for the day. Ted's Dad, Frank, was possibly the most enthusiastic dinner/lunch/breakfast guest I have ever (or will ever) cook for and I knew he loved Indian curry. I was really into Ina Garten at the time and was inspired to make her curried couscous salad for our lunch on the dock that afternoon. I just ran across a picture from that lunch so long ago: Sadie was a nut brown four-year old, Will and Jack were shorter than me, Charlie was a sand covered toddler, Guinness, my Newfie, was standing watch at the beach and Frank was still with us. Everytime I make this salad, I travel right back to that afternoon. Sometimes a meal is so much more than just a meal- it's a key to unlock memories from the past. Since it feels like summer and I was thinking about Frank, I decided salad for dinner sounded like a grand idea. I had farro and quinoa in the cupboard, fresh curry powder from Ulf (read about the curry party here), olive oil from Tuscany and I unearthed some frozen chicken breasts in the freezer. The kids were excited about dinner until they saw the curry powder and craisins go in the bowl. I lost a good majority of my audience at that point but Ted and I had a nice, healthy dinner.

 Curried Chicken Salad with Quinoa and Farro

3/4 cup non fat plain yogurt

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

3 to 6 tbsp curry powder (to taste)

2 cups quinoa, cooked

2 cups farro, cooked

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 red pepper, chopped

8 green onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tbsp ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 cup craisins or currants

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup silvered almonds

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup chives, chopped

Mix yogurt, olive oil, salt and curry powder in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavors develop. Serve cold.

Spring Equinox 2012

It's official, spring arrives at 12:14 am tonight. New beginnings and fresh starts- in the garden and ourselves. This has always been a time for reflection- where am I going, what do I want, how am I going to get there? I have a tendency to get wrapped up in endless minutiae and forget to pause, reduce the noise in my head and look around. Rainer Maria Rilke, in Letters to a Young Poet, said, "Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

Spring starts slowly (except this year). The garden, brown and littered with debris from the winter, starts to awaken and shake off her lethargy. As the days grow longer, she starts to gather steam and finally explodes in the chaotic riot of color and texture of August. But it all starts with a little green shoot in the spring. I want 2012 to be the year I decide to live mindfully, fully engaged in the present moment. I hope to hold the image of tender green leaves emerging from darkness into light and remember to gradually live my way into the answers.

Shorts At The Skihill & Swimsuits At The Beach...In March!

Saturday was the last day at Ashwabay for the season and we headed up to join the fun. There were cardboard box races (Charlie won third fastest and Meg's 'ride' never made it down the hill), an easter egg hunt, a costume contest, tubing down Portway (Ted took third place) and a water skipping event. It was 77 degrees and sunny- unbelievable! Charlie was skiing in his shorts, t-shirt and a smile from ear to ear. It was a surreal afternoon, my brain knew it was March 17th but the warm breeze and sunshine felt like June. We sat outside the T-Bar with friends, had a couple of beers and cheered on the water skippers- it was one of the best St Patrick's Day I can remember.

The summer in March fun continued today with the first beach day of 2012. It was 70 degrees on the beach with sunshine and a warm breeze. The kids went swimming, built sand castles, dug holes and took turns burying each other. Will awed and amazed Sadie with his one-handed cartwheels and George reprised his role as Retriever Extraordinaire with the Chuck-it. I sat on the beach, listening to the water and thanked every lucky star I could think of for this taste of summer.

All the sun and sand made me think about Florida, which made me think about key lime pie (I liked the pies from Publix), which led to a trip to the grocery store and pie for dessert. The kids had smores when we got home from the beach and I headed into the kitchen to whip up dinner (chicken fajitas) and the aforementioned pie. I am sure we will get another cold snap and maybe a snowstorm but this respite from the cold and damp has been a godsend. While I will miss braises, stews and soups, this weekend reminded me how much I love grilling, sitting around the fire outside looking at the stars and of course, key lime pie and smores!

Key Lime Pie

Pie Crust

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp butter, melted

Filling

4 egg yolks

2 cans sweetened, condensed milk

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice or Nellie and Joe's Key Lime Juice

2 tbsp lime zest

Make Crust

Preheat  oven to 350°F.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl with a fork until combined,  then press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of a 9-inch pie plate.

Bake crust in middle of oven 10 minutes and cool in pie plate on a rack. Leave oven on.

Make Filling and Bake Pie

Whisk together condensed milk and yolks in a bowl until combined. Add juice and zest, whisk until combined.

Pour filling into crust  and bake in middle of oven 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack (filling will  set as it cools), then chill, covered. If you are in a hurry, you can put the pie in the freezer after you pull it out of the oven. It will set within a couple hours.

A Fond Farewell To Winter

Wham, bam, thank you ma'am- winter came and went in a hurry this year. I took this picture last week, before the string of 60 degree days made short work of what little winter we had. Sleds and well worn snow are giving way to spring, copious amounts of mud and tender green shoots and buds. I am hoping to find all the boots and shoes George brought outside in the past five months but neglected to bring back....his idea of productivity and mine are startlingly different at times!

Sugarbushing

We spent Wednesday afternoon at Julie and Charly's sugarbush. It was warm, sunny and smelled like wood smoke and maple syrup. All in all, a glorious afternoon and evening. I grew up in Minneapolis and my experience with syrup involved a plastic bottle, shaped like a kind, matronly lady named Mrs Buttersworth. We had 'real' maple syrup at home but the über sweet syrup from the missus was my favorite. Fast forward 35 years to a bucolic piece of property near Lake Superior with buckets attached to spigots in trees- this is where 'real' maple syrup come from?? A revelation- sap from trees boiled (or evaporated) into syrup. I have to admit, I did know where syrup came from prior to my sugarbushing afternoon. However, this was my first opportunity to be a sap hauling cog in the syrup making machine. As I was emptying the buckets, I thanked the trees for sharing with us.

Of course, there was food. I brought a few of my favorites- Irish cheddar, Fromager d'Affinois, smoked salmon and chorizo from Northern Waters Smokehaus and prosciutto. The kids ate all the bread while we were hauling the sap but I was able to find a little piece in the bottom of the bag. Julie made chicken and wild rice soup (delightful), warmed up over a fire the kids made. We drank a little beer, ate good food and watched the sap transform into syrup.

The sugarbush is timeless. I was struck by the generosity of the trees, the elemental nature of sap turning to syrup and the blessing of friendship. The effort that goes into producing a quart of syrup is formidable but it is the effort that makes it special. In my mind, absolute perfection.

Spring Break Has Sprung

We had a mellow day ahead of us. No one got out of bed until 9:30 (we are still getting used to the 'spring forward' time change). I walked into the kitchen to make coffee and then BAM- the dogs went crazy, slammed the door open and flew outside. Here we go, I thought and followed them outside with some trepidation. They had made a new friend, a hound I didn't recognize but seemed happy to be hanging out at the Dougherty's. It was raining, he looked hungry and I had extra turkey in the refrigerator. I ushered him into the porch, made him a snack and started to think, five dogs isn't too much, right?? I swear, I am a beacon for lost dogs. They know I will take them in, feed them lunch or dinner and give them a little love until they find their way home.

I remember the first dog I wanted to rescue, he was a Golden Retriever from the Golden Valley Humane Society named King. Ted and I had just started dating and I used to be a frequent visitor to the Humane Society (just to visit, not adopt). I thought I would bring my brand new boyfriend along for the ride and test his dog loving mettle. The afternoon quickly dissolved into tears. I met King and I was immediately smitten. I did not understand why on earth Ted would not adopt an 80 pound Golden for me. Needless to say, lunch at Shelly's Woodroast was a poor substitute for King and I went home empty-handed. Ever since that day 23 years ago, I have found countless dogs and wanted to rescue even more. While Ted did not adopt King, he has agreed (more or less) to sharing his house and bedroom with four independently minded dogs.

Back to the latest lost dog to find me. I took a picture of him and posted it to Facebook- no luck. I called the Bayfield Police Department and left a message for the police chief. This was not my first message to Bud. About five years ago, we had just moved up here and I was completely unfamiliar with wild animals- particularly bears. I swear I read bears that are not afraid of humans have dementia and are dangerous. Well, one lovely spring morning, a bear ambled into my yard about 20 feet from my daughter and to my untrained wildlife eye, appeared completely nonplussed by Sadie's presence. What's a girl to do?? Leave a phone message to the police chief about demented bears and could he come up here and do something about it? Bud drove up, gave me a toll-free number for the DNR and assured me he has never seen a bear with dementia. At least the message I left today was much more mundane- just a lost dog. The dog's owners called the police to report the wandering fellow and Bud knew just where to direct them. There was a 12-year-old boy in the car with an enormous smile on his face when he saw his pal, it was a good ending.

Spring has sprung in Bayfield, it was a gloriously rainy day. Trees that were covered in snow a little over two weeks ago were glistening with raindrops this afternoon. While the mud is enough to drive me mad (five dogs would have been too much), my first afternoon spent in the garden can't be far off. After all the dog wrangling, I was famished. I made myself a proper lunch of pâté, cornichons, dijon mustard, baguette and a generous slice of Fromager d'Affinois (it has a raw honey like finish...amazing!).  All in all, it was a good start to our spring break.

Meyer Lemons, Roasted Chicken Stock And Lamb Chops

How's that for an introduction to a blog post? It was a bit of a disjointed food day. I made roasted chicken stock on Monday, which reminded me of the pasta I made on New Year's Eve. I had pancetta in the refrigerator from my trip to Northern Waters Smokehaus, which further reminded me of the pasta I made on New Year's Eve.  However, there were lamb chops from last night's dinner (and 2012's first grilled dinner) in the refrigerator.  Then there were the 6 pounds of Meyer Lemons I needed to preserve. Not to mention a half a bottle of 2007 Stonestreet Chardonnay (one of my favorite California Chardonnays) languishing in the refrigerator. What's a girl to do?? Preserve the lemons in salt, strain and freeze the roasted chicken stock, pour a glass of wine and have pasta and lamb for dinner. I think it all came together in the end.

Preserved Lemons (from David Lebovitz's blog)

Scrub the lemons with a vegetable brush and dry them off.

Cut off the little rounded bit at the stem end if there’s a hard little piece of the stem attached. From the other end of the lemon, make a large cut by slicing lengthwise downward, stopping about 1-inch (3 cm) from the bottom, then making another downward slice, so you’ve incised the lemon with an X shape.

Pack coarse salt into the lemon where you made the incisions. Don’t be skimpy with the salt: use about 1 tablespoon per lemon.

Put the salt-filled lemons in a clean, large glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Add a few coriander seeds, a bay leaf, a dried chili, and a cinnamon stick if you want. (Or a combination of any of them). Press the lemons very firmly in the jar to get the juices flowing. Fill the rest of the container with fresh squeezed lemon juice. Cover and let stand overnight.

For the next two or three days, shake the jar to redistribute the salt. At this point, I put the jar on the refrigerator and let them sit for a month or so. Once the lemons are soft, they are ready to use. Rinse to remove excess salt before you use them.

Marinated and Grilled Lamb Chops (from Bon Appetit April 2011)

3 large shallots, minced

6 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

6 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

6 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon raw sugar

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

24 lamb rib chops (from three 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-pound racks of lamb, cut between bones into individual chops)

Mix minced shallots, chopped mint, chopped basil, minced garlic, sugar,olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon salt in small bowl. Rub mixture on lamb and refrigerate overnight.

Let lamb chops come to room temperature (about an hour). Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill lamb chops to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer lamb chops to platter. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs and serve.

I served the lamb chops with tzatziki and Isreali couscous with fresh peas and Meyer lemon.

 Porcini and Ricotta Tortellini with Butter Sauce, Celery, Apple and Pancetta (from Barbara Lynch's Stir)

You can use any kind of pasta you like. I had some porcini and ricotta tortellini in the freezer from my New Year's Eve dinner. This recipe makes enough sauce for 6 servings.

1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade roasted chicken stock

8 tbsp butter, cut into pieces

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

3 slices pancetta, chopped

1/2 cup yellow onion, minced

1 small crisp apple, cut into small dice

1 celery stalk, cut into small dice

Saute onion and pancetta until crisp in a medium pan. Put the broth in a large skillet and bring to a boil. Add the butter a little at a time, whisking to combine. Whisk in the Parmesan and reduce to a gentle simmer. Add the pancetta/onion mixture, apple and celery to the sauce when you are ready to cook the pasta. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes- you want the apple and celery to have a slight crunch. Taste the sauce and season with a little salt, if needed. Serve over the cooked pasta and garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if you like.

The Day After The WinterDash

I did something extremely out of character yesterday- I participated in Ashwabay's first ever 5K WinterDash. Basically, it was an obstacle course on the ski hill, in the woods and in the snow. While athletic prowess is not one of the top ten things about Mary, it was a grand adventure. My friends Ellen, Meghan and Tammy tackled the course with me and we finished the race with great style and panache. My friend Julie captured the 'Final Four' finish. Last but not least, right??

All that exercise got me thinking about grocery shopping. Ted suggested a trip to Duluth today and that means a stop at one of my favorite places- Northern Waters Smokehaus. The first time I stepped in that store a few years ago, I thought I had died and gone to heaven- country pâté, bacon, pancetta, chorizo, andouille and the best coriander and black pepper smoked salmon I have ever eaten. They use local meats and fish- Berkshire pork from Iowa, bison from North Dakota, free range turkey from Minnesota and fish from Lake Superior. I am a sucker for smoked and cured meats wrapped in white butcher paper. Seeing all those packages in my refrigerator gives me a thrill.

The next stop on our provisioning trip was a stop at Tetzner's Dairy to pick up milk. Tetzner's is a dairy farm about 10 miles from my house, outside Washburn. They sell the milk and ice cream in an outbuilding on the honor system. You write your purchases (in pencil) on an envelope, put the money in the envelope and deposit it in a black box attached to the counter. The cows have a stunning view of Lake Superior and Chequamegon Bay- I think that is why the milk tastes so good. Of course, my favorite part of the stop is the friendly black lab who meanders up to say hello.

Last stop in the provisioning tour was picking up the eggs my friend, Jennifer, gathers from her hens. I can say with absolute certainty, once you taste fresh, local eggs you will never be satisfied with grocery store eggs. We go through at least a dozen a week. My son Charlie loves scrambled eggs but will only make them if they are 'local eggs'. The eggs are dropped off in a cooler in the basement of a house a couple blocks over. You bring your empty cartons back (I am horrible at remembering to do this), cross your name of the list and head home with Jennifer's hens hard work nestled in a carton.

In the interest of full disclosure, Ted and I ate at Culver's (I like the onion rings) on the way into Duluth and stopped at Sam's Club (the kids eat hundreds of granola bars and thousands of bowls of cereal a week). Life is a series of small steps forward and few steps backward....I think we are making progess.

Snowy Morning

My dogs are an alarm clock, every morning we get up and take a walk outside. Well, they run around and I typically stand in one place, attempting to wake up. This morning was particularly beautiful. Two or three inches of fluffy snow on the ground and snowflakes drifting downward. I guess sometimes it pays to get up early.

A Trifecta of Polar Plunging, Ribs and Big Break Zinfandel

It is a long winter in Bayfield. We have at least 5 months of cold and snow (hopefully) and what better way to raise money for the Bayfield Rec Center than jumping in the water on March 3rd? This was the second plunge for Sadie and I have to admit, my daughter is far more adventurous than me. After she climbed out the frigid water, Sadie wrapped herself in a sleeping bag and watched the other jumpers....while she was still soaking wet. In light of her heroic act, I decided to make one of her favorite meals for dinner- smoked pork ribs. As I am sure you are beginning to surmise, I am always looking for a reason to make a special meal or throw a party. Lord knows, jumping into freezing water with snow blowing sideways is enough of a reason for a rib dinner.

About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to learn how to barbecue and smoke meat. Have you noticed the men 'manning' the grill are drinking beer, laughing and hanging out outside? That's for me, I thought. While I love time spent in my kitchen, there is nothing like starting the grill and cooking outside. I wish it was that easy for me. I have a tendency to complicate everything and research, pick apart and dive head first into the details of whatever it is I am fixated on.  Let me tell you, there are a lot passionate barbecue pit masters out there with endless theories and rules for success. A couple of things I have learned: the rub matters, low and slow is the only way and sauce goes on AFTER the meat comes off the smoker. When we were visiting Ted's Mom in Alabama (a good place for barbecue research, among other things), we bought nearly every rub we could get our hands on. I settled on Bad Byron's Butt Rub as my favorite.

I put the rub on the ribs and let them sit for a couple of hours to let the salt and spices flavor the meat. I used my electric smoker, it is easier to maintain the temperature when it cold out than my Kamado grill/smoker. Since Sadie was plunging and I wasn't sure when we would be back, I smoked the ribs at 200 degrees for 3 1/2 hours and I wish I would have had the temperature at 225. The ribs were good but not as tender as I like. I put them in a covered Dutch oven and popped them in the oven for about 45 minutes. As I was pulling the ribs out of the oven, Bonnie Raitt's song, Angel From Montgomery, was on Pandora. It was a good omen for a good dinner.

Zinfandel is the obvious choice for barbecue. It just so happened, I had a lovely Zinfandel just waiting for the perfect opportunity to come to dinner. I must admit, I have a prejudice against 'supermarket wines' and I was not too keen on trying the Cline Big Break Zinfandel. I am glad I did; it is a spicy, complex, 100 year old vine zinfandel. The second glass was much better than the first, this wine definitely needs air and space to breathe in order to come to life. Zinfandel is becoming one of my favorite wines- I love its boldness and complexity.

Dinner was a hit. We turned off all electronic devices and sat around the kitchen table. Of course, there were ten different conversations going on at once, George was making the rounds begging for scraps and Ted announced,  'I bought a vintage lifeboat on Craigslist today.' It was a typical Dougherty dinner.

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In Like A Lion On Leap Day

Mussels with Bacon, Cilantro and Tomato

What is the first thing I do when I hear a snow storm is coming? I start planning dinner. I collect cookbooks and there is a series I am particularly fond of- The Best American Recipes. They were published annually and included the best recipes from newspapers, magazines, books and the internet. You can pick them at used book stores or Amazon.com, I believe they are out of print. I pulled the 2003 - 2004 cookbook off my shelf and ran across the perfect snow storm dinner- Mussels with Bacon, Cilantro and Lime. Although, the snow didn't start until well after dinner, it was the perfect precursor to the biggest snow storm we have had all winter.

After dinner is situated, the next hurdle to the perfect snow storm experience is the wine. I need to stop here and explain my deep and profound love of wine. There is something about uncorking (or unscrewing) a bottle of wine- you are unleashing the winemaker's intentions into your kitchen, dining room, sauna, etc. Think about it, winemaking is a little like raising a child- you tend the vines, pick the grapes when you think they are ready and hopefully create a wine that is meaningful and resonates with the wine drinker. The beautiful part of winemaking is that is a leap of faith- you provide the raw materials for greatness but it is what happens in the bottle and environment that ultimately determines the outcome. How can you not be awed when you have that first sip and it hits you, 'this is something special'. Don't get me wrong, I am a mere babe in the woods when it comes to wine knowledge. There is so much more to learn but like all good students, I have a healthy amount of awe and appreciation for the teachers and subject. Now back to the snow storm dinner. When I came in the kitchen, Ted had opened a bottle of wine. I have to admit, I was a little flummoxed. First of all, he is a resolute amber-colored liquor imbiber. Secondly, I am a little controlling when it comes to what we we drink with what we eat.  He opened a bottle of 2008 Bogle Phantom- a gnarly blend of old vine zinfandel, petite sirah and old vine mourvedre. Outstanding choice for the mussels with tomatoes and bacon. Bogle Phantom is one of my favorites- it definitely needs times to 'gather itself' but once it unwinds- it is a great wine. If I had the self-control, I am sure it would improve with age in a cellar.

When we woke up on the 29th, the snow was just starting. It was one of the best days we have had all winter. The freedom a snow day gave us was a gift and we made sure to enjoy every minute.

Mussels with Bacon. Cilantro and Tomato

1/4 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (use the best bacon you can find)

2 large shallots, thinly sliced (I substituted yellow onion)

1 large jalapeno, thinly sliced (I used the seeds)

14 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 1/2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/4 cup butter

Cook the bacon in a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the fat. All the shallots and jalapeno, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Increase the heat to high and add the mussels. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, lime juice and cilantro and serve with crusty bread.