Second Summit | 2009 Mt. Shasta

In July 2006, my husband, his father - Larry, his brother - Mike, and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Shasta. It was my first 14,000 ft summit and on the way back to the car at Bunny Flat, I told myself that it would be my last. But in September 2008, I hiked Mt. Whitney (the highest peak on the continental United States) car-to-car in 18 hours. So I guess it was natural that I would somehow get talked into do Mt. Shasta again. This time, I figured that I would capture my experience in writing to remind me of the "dark places" I might not want to visit again.

Mt. Shasta holds a very special place in my heart not only because it was my first summit, but because it serves as the water source for a land, its creatures and people who I have a deep connection. Seemingly out of nowhere, this mountain rises above a flat landscape. Covered in snow and ice year round, this peak is as unpredictable as any and has as many routes to lure the novice to expert mountaineer.

Great Eats Around Portland, OR

We recently headed up to Portland, OR for a cousin's wedding and ended up staying a few extra days to take in the sights, activities, and of course ... food! Here are some of our findings:

Stumptown Coffee
Quite possibly the best coffee!
4525 SE Division Street, Portland, OR 97206-1633
Telephone: 1.503.230.7702
Website: http://www.stumptowncoffee.com/
Comments: Roasts coffee on-site, knowledgeable staff, amazing coffee and great history.


Hopworks Urban Brewery
Not just your ordinary pub food!
2944 SE Powell Blvd, Portland, OR 97202
Telephone: 1.503.232-4677
Website: http://www.hopworksbeer.com/
Comments: Bikes galore! Food is wholesome and filling while the beer is just darn good. Fries nachos - yum!!!


Piazza Italia Portland
Awesome Italian food!
1129 NW Johnson Street, Portland, OR 97209-3062
Telephone: 1.503.478-0619
Website: http://www.piazzaportland.com/
Comments: Great location, incredible Italian food.

Voodoo Doughnut
The Magic is in the apple fritter!
Location one: 22 SW 3rd Avenue Portland, OR 97204
Telephone: 1.503.241.4704
Location too: 1501 N.E. Davis St. in Portland, OR 97232
Telephone: 1.503.235.2666
Website: http://voodoodoughnut.com/
Comments: Good doughnuts, but the apple fritter is the best that I have had - ever! And yes, we went to both locations.

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Worm Poop | How to Make a Worm Compost Bin

Over Memorial Day weekend, our family and I went to Lake Tahoe. During our visit to the KidZone Museum, we learned how to make a worm compost bin (which my dad likes to call worm poop). Composting - via a worm bin - is an easy and great way to reduce food waste in landfills, close the loop, and return nutrient rich soil back to the earth.

The advantage of the system outlined below is that it can be done indoors and outdoors and allows those with little or no yard to compost as well. The easiest way to make a worm compost bin is to use plastic storage totes, so here goes!

Materials:

• One 10 gallon plastic tote (dark colored) - I like the Rubbermaid Roughneck Storage bins as they are durable, inexpensive and easy to find at local stores.
  
• Drill with 1/4 inch bit
  
• Newspaper strips (strips should be between 1/2 to 1 inch wide) or shredded paper (no glossy or coated paper)
  
• At least 1 pound of red worms - Two places to buy these red worms are Smith & Hawken ($29.00 for 1 lb) or Sonoma Valley Worm Farm ($49.50 for 2 lbs - includes shipping). Another way to get red worms are from a friend who already has a worm bin and lots of worms!!!
  
• Several pounds of dirt/soil (which the worms typically come with)
  
• Water

Putting it all together:

1. Drill holes - Around the upper half of the tote, drill 20 to 30 evenly spaced holes for ventilation. Some composters drill holes at the bottom of the tote, but this is not necessary if your compost bin is kept relatively dry.
   
2. Prepare bedding - Soak the newspaper or shredded paper in water and squeeze out any excess water. Add this paper to the bottom of your tote. Cover the bottom of your tote with 3 to 4 inches of moist paper (fluffed up).
3. Add dirt and worms - A redworm can consume up to its weight in food each day!
4. Add a layer of paper on top - This helps control moisture (which is bad for worm bins as it breeds odors and mold) as well as keeps fruit flys away.
   
5. Find a good home - Place the worm bin in a cool, shaded area. Worms like it between 50 and 80 degrees. Good places include the: garage, patio, under the sink, and laundry room.
   

Keeping your worms happy:

• Gently bury food scraps in the dirt, very close to the wet paper at the bottom. Worms like to live towards the bottom of the tote and placing food under the soil helps keep the pesky critters away.
  
• Feed your worms slowly at first. Transport and a new environment will create stress for the worms. Don't worry, they won't starve. Worms will tell you if they are hungry as they will follow the food, but if there is no food, they'll start appearing towards the top of the bin (top dry layer of paper) as they search for food.
  
• Remember to keep the bin free of "soup," which is the liquid that may pool at the bottom of the tote if you have too much moisture in the bin. Just dump the water out, add more paper or simply drill a few holes in the bottom of the tote. I don't like drilling holes in the bottom of the tote, so I do my best to maintain moisture levels by being aware of the liquid content of the materials I place into the bin.
• Once you have lots of dirt and worms, share the love! Help a friend create a compost bin and share your worms.
  

Dining preferences:

What do worms like to eat? An all vegetarian diet! You'll also find over time that your worms will have their preferences:

• Worms love: fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds and filter paper, tea bags, bread and grains.
  
• Worms hate: oils, fats, dairy, meat, feces.
  

Troubleshooting:

• My worms are dying or trying to escape! Probable cause is that the bin is too wet, too dry or the bedding is used up. Just add more bedding or moisten bedding.
• The bin is smelly! Probable cause is that there is not enough air, too much food, or the bin is too wet. Simply drill more holes, don't feed the worms for a week or add more bedding.
• Fruit flys! Probable cause is exposed food. Just bury the food in the bedding and away with the flys.
  

Chiffon Cake

This is the cake that started the dessert craze for my friends and family. After I made this cake for my grandfather's memorial celebration, everyone started asking for cakes for their "special day."

Cake Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (safflower or sunflower)
• 6 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 10 large egg whites
• 1/4 tsp lemon juice
  

Cake Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan with 3 inch-sides with parchment paper.
• Sift together flour and baking powder. Add 1 1/4 cups of sugar and salt - and combine. Whisk together oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add yolk mixture to flour and whisk quickly for about 1 minute.
• Beat egg whites using a mixed with a whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Add lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and beat on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Scoop about 1/3 of the whites onto the yolk mixture and fold gently to lighten the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites until combined.
• Pour batter into pan and bake until cake tester comes out clean (about 30-45 minutes).

Frosting Ingredients:

• 4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 4 to 6 Tablespoons of sugar
  

Frosting Directions:

• Mix the heaving whipping cream until it begins to thicken. Then add sugar gradually as you whip at high speed. Whip until stiff peaks form.
  
• I do not use a lot of sugar, so for those of you who like really sweet frosting, you're going to want to add a couple more tablespoons of sugar. Additionally, I typically like to mix some of the frosting with diced fruit to make the filling:

Decorations: Anything you want! Some people like to stick with one type of fruit, but my nephew Ethan asked for a "fruit cake" for his 6th birthday, so I made him his special cake with strawberries, blueberries and mandarin oranges:

Chocolate Cake

Here's a cake I made for Lucie's birthday. Pretty simple recipe, but it requires some patience in between the steps to let the frosting set.

And here's another plug from me - organic ingredients make the biggest difference.

Cake Ingredients:

Cake Directions:

Frosting Ingredients:

Frosting Directions:

Decoration: Here I used white chocolate dots from cocoa grower and chocolatier: Hotel Chocolate (http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk) to spell out Lucie's name. A short name works well, good luck with a longer name!

More cakes!

After making many cakes over the course of this year, I thought it would be nice to finally start posting pictures and recipes. Here goes, I hope everyone enjoys and has an opportunity to make and eat lots of these yummy desserts.