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Last spring, I attended the Beast Feast, a wild game potluck hosted by the Baptist Church in Fossil. Among the many dishes, one stood out: the most heavenly salmon dip I had ever tasted. It was light, puffy and fluffy, with a texture that reminded me of a down pillow. I just had to know who made it.

After a few inquiries, I tracked down the cook, Glenna Lange. When I asked her to tell me about the recipe, she said it came from the Sylvia Beach Hotel in Newport, Oregon. To my delight, she agreed to mail me a copy.

A few days later, the recipe arrived in a pretty envelope and I couldn’t wait to try it. The dip was so good, that was all I ate until it was gone. Then, I made a note to myself: write about this before Christmas. It’s the perfect holiday treat, ideal for a festive dinner or a potluck table.

And I’m not the only one who thinks it’s delicious. Just last weekend, I attended the Spray holiday bazaar with my friend Irina, who was selling her candied jalapeno peppers. We spread the salmon mousse on Ritz crackers and topped them with her peppers. The combination was wonderfully flavorful, and we heard rave reviews from nearly everyone who sampled them (next week’s column will be about those amazing candied jalapenos, and where to find them).

So, ladies and gentlemen, here is the original recipe:

The Sylvia Beach Hotel’s Salmon Mousse

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 ounces butter, softened
1 clove garlic, chopped

Mix in a food processor, then add 2 ounces salmon (plain or smoked), lemon juice, dill (fresh or dried), and salt and pepper to taste. Whip one cup of heavy cream and fold into the salmon mixture. Mold in plastic wrap for several hours. Garnish with capers, green onions, lemon slices, chives, etc. Glenna said she uses a spice blend called “Salmon Seasoning” from the Starlight Herb and Spice Company.

I didn’t have a food processer, so I used my immersion blender and it worked just fine. I used a whole piece of smoked salmon —probably about 6 ounces. I also wasn’t paying close attention to the instructions and blended the salmon in with the cream cheese and butter, but it turned out fine. I added all the juice from one big lemon, about two teaspoons dill weed and a teaspoon of Johnny’s seasoning salt. I whipped the cream until it was quite dense, almost like butter.

I hope to see Glenna at the next Beast Feast potluck so I can give her a hug and thank her again for sharing this wonderful recipe with all of us.

I take that back. In my last column, I wrote about Carla Hornbrook’s fool-proof, tried and true, decades old pie crust recipe. But when I said “fool-proof”, I forgot that meant fool-proof for other people. I have a complex about making pies – no matter how hard I try, they usually don’t turn out right.

I had frozen two of those never-fail pie crusts, thinking I’d use them for Jerry’s annual birthday cherry pie. I gathered up everything I needed and headed over to his house. The cherries had been sitting in the freezer for a good long while but still looked good. I thawed and strained them, made a roux, and added the cherry juice to make a sauce that was so wickedly good I had to stop myself from eating it all.

I sprinkled flour on parchment paper and on top of the dough and rolled it out. But as I rolled, it split in several places and turned mushy. Oh no! What to do? Frustrated, my mind replayed every failed pie I had ever made. In a fit of “I quit”, I was almost ready to wad the whole thing up and toss it in the garbage and just go buy a pie. As if by magic, Theresa suddenly appeared.

I showed her the mess and aired my frustration. She put on an apron and assumed a supervisory role. She watched me try to straighten out the crust, then informed me I was man-handling the dough and told me to be more careful. I tried to gingerly roll it out but it kept sticking to the rolling pin. Frustrated once again, I resigned and asked her to take over. I went back to tasting the cherry sauce.

She patiently worked the dough, patting it like a baby’s bottom. She folded the dough in half and placed it in the pie pan. We added the cherries and what was left of the cherry sauce, put the top crust on, and into the oven it went. An hour later, we pulled the pie out and let it cool.

The pie was utterly delicious – the crust was flaky and tender, the filling sweet and juicy. There was some left over pie dough so we put it on parchment paper, rolled it out, sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar, cut it into strips and baked it. That was such a lovey treat to eat with a cup of coffee while we waited for the pie to cool.

I’m going to try hard to get over my pie-making block. I may call Carla and ask her if she’d consider giving a well-intended fool a pie-making lesson. I hope she says yes! Maybe pies aren’t fool-proof, but friendship sure is.

I’ve never been able to master the perfect pie crust – one that’s flaky, tender, crisp and crunchy, no matter how hard I try. For years, I’ve used Julia Child’s classic recipe: just flour, butter, sugar, salt and water. I’ve followed every tip – freezing the butter, chilling the water, and even the flour. Yet, for reasons still unknown (perhaps the moon phase?), my dough was always stiff and uncooperative, like rolling out cardboard.

I marvel when I go to a pie contest and see perfect crusts. So I was thrilled to get Carla Hornbrook’s recipe for a foolproof pie crust. I first tasted this amazing crust at the community lunch in Fossil, where she served a pumpkin pie she had made. She too had past problems with butter pie crusts, especially when important guests were coming for dinner. She’s used this recipe for decades and it’s never let her down, not even once.

I have never seen a pie crust recipe that called for an egg and apple cider vinegar but there’s a first time for everything. I bought some Crisco and followed Carla’s instructions to the letter. The dough was much easier to work with than a butter crust. It was pliable, soft, elastic, springy to the touch and . . . fun! Blending in the shortening was easy and so was rolling it out. I made a pumpkin pie, and the crust was heavenly.

Perfect Pie Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour
1¾ cup shortening
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 egg
½ cup cold water
1 tbsp vinegar (Carla uses cider vinegar)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Then use a pastry blender to blend in the shortening. In a separate bowl, mix the liquid ingredients then add them to the flour mixture. Combine (I used my hands), form into a ball, and chill for 15 minutes before rolling out. Store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze. Makes enough for two nine-inch pies.

I weighed the dough and it was just over 36 ounces. I divided it into four equal portions of nine ounces each. The dough was a bit too thin, so next time, I’ll divide it into three 12 ounce portions. That should be perfect for one pumpkin pie and a cherry or berry pie with a nicely fluted crust. I’m planning to try butter-flavored Crisco and experiment to see what happens when I use softened butter, or lard. For a savory pie, you can omit the sugar and add a pinch of dried thyme or cracked pepper to the flour mixture. It’s a great base for quiche or pot pie.

Thank you, Carla for sharing your dependable pie crust recipe with all of us!

I vividly remember the first time I cooked a turkey. I was probably 24 years old and had invited a few friends over for a Thanks-mas dinner—a hybrid holiday gathering that falls somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Growing up, I’d seen many perfectly roasted, golden-brown turkeys come out of the oven with much celebratory fanfare. It looked easy enough, or so I thought.

Back then, I bought a turkey with a pop-up timer, calculated how long the bird would take, and placed it in the oven. As the finish line drew near, I opened the oven and the timer still hadn’t sprung. Every fifteen minutes or so, I’d check again and the timer still hadn’t popped. Of course, every time I opened the oven door, some hot air escaped which prolonged the cooking time. After six hours, I concluded the timer was broken and pulled out the bird. Carving it was like cutting up an old shoe. Eating it was about the same. It would be several decades before I had the courage to roast a turkey again.

I cooked my second turkey just a few years ago. But this time, I’d wised up. I bought an internal probe thermometer and when the turkey reached the right temperature, it beeped. The gadget eliminated all the guesswork and my anxiety vanished. The bird came out juicy and tender and I felt so accomplished. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to cook a turkey.

Along the way, I also learned that a turkey’s internal temperature can rise by five to ten degrees after it comes out of the oven. If you don’t know that, it’s easy to overcook it. The ideal internal temperature is 165⁰ which means you pull it out of the oven at around 155⁰-160⁰. Tent it with foil and let it rest for about half an hour.

So many recipes call for brining or fancy herb and spice rubs, but I keep it simple – I stuff the bird with Stovetop stuffing, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast it. I use a foil pan too, because that eliminates a big pan to wash.

Technology has come a long way. These days, some probe thermometers are “smart” and use Bluetooth that pairs with an app; the alarm goes off on your phone when the target temperature is reached. I bought my probe thermometer on Amazon for only $14.00. It’s not smart, but it’s smart enough, and it’s accurate for a small home turkey.

Now that you know how to roast a turkey the no-stress way, you can relax and go about your day. There’s a first time for everything, even using a probe thermometer.

Oh wow—what a wild ride the action-packed EBT Circus has been! Up, down, sideways, and even backwards! The fallout from the political gridlock was heartbreaking and likely kept many people awake at night with worry. But while Congress was locked in a stubborn stalemate last week, hundreds of folks in Oregon mobilized to make food available for those who needed it.

So, what happened?

First of all, our governor made sure that all EBT recipients received their food stamps on Friday, November 7. This required some immediate and nimble action when EBT administrators saw trouble coming down the pike. Undoubtedly there were several intense 24/7 days as IT professionals and others managed an emergency situation with no precedent to draw on. Thank you, Tina!

Then, my friend Geoffrey Brownell of Fossil and I headed to Redmond for the Central Oregon Fill Your Pantry event, a bulk-buying farmer’s market. The beautiful displays of locally grown food piled high on tables were breathtaking against the backdrop of the Sisters Mountains on a sun-shiny day.

I wandered over to the Bend Farmer’s Market booth and learned that even if an EBT recipient had only one dollar left on their card, they could receive $120 worth of tokens to spend. This was made possible with a grant from the Oregon-based Farmer’s Market Fund.

Geoff and I scouted around the perimeter before buying anything, and as we finished our rounds, we realized we hadn’t gone down the center aisle. It was loaded with boxes and bins full of fruits, vegetables, bread, jelly, and meat. As we meandered along, a volunteer handed me a bright blue bag and said “Please help yourself, this food has been donated”. As her words registered, I felt goosebumps then burst into tears. Then she said “This is what community feels like.” 

This generosity was made possible by a community-sourced “Fill All Pantries” fundraiser spearheaded by the Bend Farmer’s Market, Central Oregon Fill Your Pantry and the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance. Sweet!

When Geoff and I got back to his house, we unloaded the car which didn’t have an inch of room to spare and spread everything out on the kitchen table and counters. Oh the incredible bounty! We put two empty boxes on chairs for friends who were on EBT and filled them with pears, apples, potatoes, carrots, leeks, shallots, kale, winter squash, parsnips and pumpkins. Sharing the excess was truly heartwarming. Jerry stopped by to witness the whole thing.

All this love and food flowing around makes it hard to see our politicians with Luciferian eyes when the outcomes are Big Beautiful Blessings like this. Yes, God does indeed bless America. And that’s . . . awesome!

My last column was about a simple vinaigrette recipe I found printed inside a packet of lettuce seeds. If you like vinaigrettes, this five-ingredient recipe might be the only salad dressing recipe you’ll ever need. It’s easy to make, but the ingredients must be top-notch.

I use Pommery mustard —Pommery Moutarde de Meaux —made since 1682 in Meaux, a little town northeast of Paris. My friend Janet, a talented gourmet cook, introduced me to it decades ago. You won’t find the mustard at your usual grocery store; it’s available online or in specialty food shops. You have to hear about it from someone who already knows —this mustard travels via word-of-mouth! I’ve given jars to people who are difficult to shop for because they already have everything they need.

The 343 year old recipe, created by Catholic monks, is a closely guarded secret and the way it’s made is secret, too. Locally grown seeds give the mustard a distinct flavor thanks to the region’s unique combination of soil, water and climate. The seeds are ground on limestone mills and blended with vinegar from local vineyards. The mustard has a lovely coarse and crunchy texture and a robust, tangy and nutty flavor. It’s hot but not too hot.

I was going to say it must be the best mustard in the world, but since I have not tried them all that probably wouldn’t be true. However, when I looked into its history, I discovered it won the Grand Champion award at the World Mustard Competition in 2019. The contest was held at the World Mustard Museum in Middletown, Wisconsin. Now there’s a piece of trivia for you!

The presentation is as charming as the flavor; it comes in a stoneware jar with a bright red lid. I can never throw away an empty jar and often pass them along to friends. The jar gives it a long shelf life; open jars can last a couple of years in the fridge without losing flavor.

I call exceptional condiments and flavorings “flavor bursts”. One little pinch or scoop can take food from good to great. My collection of flavor bursts includes pomegranate syrup, porcini powder, Maldon sea salt flakes, and more. Pommery mustard had definitely earned its place on that shelf.

Pommery is available on Amazon for $14.54 for a 17.6 ounce jar. Trevor, guess what you will be getting for Christmas

You probably know by now that I am a big fan of simplicity. Sometimes I wonder if I am lazy, but it’s really not that. I just like things to be easy and uncomplicated. When I read long, involved recipes that have many ingredients and steps, I get tired just reading them! Why go to all that trouble when, with minimal effort, you can whip up something extraordinary?

That being said, simplicity in the kitchen only works if the ingredients are top-notch. When the quality is there, food doesn’t need much “do” to prepare.

Last spring, I opened a packet of lettuce seed from Botanical Interests and found a simple five-ingredient salad dressing recipe on the inside. It takes just minutes to make, and I’ve whipped it up at least a dozen times since then, it’s that good. The recipe can be easily doubled.

I always make my own dressings. Store-bought versions tend to be made with low-quality ingredients but they sell for premium prices. I’d rather spend the money the good stuff and make something healthful and delicious.

Simple Salad Dressing

1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
¼ cup white wine vinegar
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot
Salt and pepper to taste

You can tweak the ingredients to suit your mood. For example, I used my favorite stone ground mustard, Pommery, made by the same French winery that produces champagne (I really must do a column on Pommery mustard soon). Recently I made it with Sierra Nevada ale mustard and it was delicious.

I’ve tried different vinegars but my favorite is Pompeian Organic White Wine Vinegar. It’s surprisingly good for the price and made in Italy (the Italians know their wines). I bought six bottles on Amazon for $21; they will probably last me a couple of years. A full-bodied extra virgin olive oil is mandatory. We are fortunate to have local honey here. Use a neutral one like wildflower or clover.

I don’t always add the shallot but if I do have one on hand, I toss it in then blend with my immersion blender; it gives the dressing a lovely creamy consistency. You can make this into an Italian version by adding a half teaspoon of Italian herbs; I use Tone’s Italian Spaghetti Seasoning Blend, it’s the best! Add a couple of tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles and poof! — instant blue cheese vinaigrette. Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of spring water and then it has fewer calories.

A good recipe is truly worth its weight in gold. If you love vinaigrettes, this might be the only salad dressing recipe you’ll ever need. Simple is best!

Recently Randal and I were sitting on his front porch, chatting away. Somehow we got onto the topic of his extended stays in the Philippines and the starving children he saw there. He told me he’d exit a grocery store or restaurant only to be approached by children begging for food with one hand outstretched, the other patting their empty stomachs. Randal was generous and helped when he could.

I wondered what it would be like to be hungry and then be given something to eat by a complete stranger. For several days, those images haunted me and I contemplated. I thought about how yes, our country has many problems, but thankfully witnessing starvation every time I step outside is not one of them. Seeing hunger, especially in children, would be gut-wrenching. I can imagine few experiences worse than being a mother who witnesses her child die for lack of food and the feeling of being completely helpless.

We have plenty of issues in this country. We worry about grocery prices, the cost of gas, politics or whether AI might one day wipe us out. But we don’t worry about starving to death or watching someone else starve. I am grateful to live in the United States where I am spared that experience. Food resources exist for those in need — SNAP, the school lunch program and food banks. There may be hunger, but not starvation. In America, an estimated 120 billion pounds of food goes to waste every year. We’re drowning in excess. Ironically, we face the opposite problem of starvation: obesity. But that’s another column.

For some reason, Randal’s story took the idea of being grateful to a whole new level. I’m thankful I can eat what I want, when I want. The variety in my pantry astounds me: four kinds of mustard, five types of rice, 15 heirloom bean varieties, six different flours — the list goes on. I’ve appreciated for a long time the huge array of choices available in the grocery store. I’ve never gone to bed hungry or wondered if I’d eat the next day. If I were constantly hungry, creativity, pleasure and fun wouldn’t exist in my life. I’d probably spend my whole day wondering where my next meal was coming from.

Randal’s story is a powerful reminder. In the United States, we are free from one of the most crushing problems a person could have (truly, God bless America). Keep that in mind the next time you feel overwhelmed by our state of current affairs. Despite all our domestic challenges, at least none of us have to say no to an emaciated child looking for a handout.

Last August (2024) at the Wheeler County Fair’s post-judging bake sale, I bought a cake made by Tina Adams. It was the third year in a row that I had bought her award winning, blue ribbon cakes. But this year when I went to the bake sale, there was no Tina cake! I was crushed.

I hurriedly tried to get over my disappointment by turning my attention to the huge array of baked goods that covered the tops of three large glass display cases. Not even the grandest bakery in the world would have as many choices. I settled on a beautiful, golden brown banana bread.

When I got home, I couldn’t wait to cut a slice. This was not your usual banana bread. It was wonderfully moist, with a tender crumb, just the right density, not too sweet, a pure banana flavor and a crust with a slight crunch. I had to know – who made this?

The next day I went back to the fair and inquired. Eloise Mortimore and I compared all the banana breads to the slice I’d brought and we found the one that matched perfectly in size and appearance. Now that’s real detective work! And guess who made it? Tina! I got goosebumps all over. Tina and I must be soul sisters now, or something.

Of course, I had to get her recipe. Surely there must be some secret ingredient. But no – it was just the usual banana bread recipe. So I peppered her with questions. What kind of flour? Gold Medal. Oil? Wesson. Local eggs? Yes. Some people just have a knack.

I wanted to follow the recipe exactly, to see if mine would turn out like hers. But when I mashed up the bananas, I was half a cup short. I didn’t want to go to the store for just one banana. Applesauce might have worked, but then I spotted a can of Dole pineapple chunks in their own juice in my pantry. I blended in those instead. I also used freshly milled flour from soft, white, heirloom wheat berries. Since I didn’t have Wesson oil, I used grapeseed. My bread turned out quite well ‒ almost as good as Tina’s.

Tina’s Banana Bread

1 ½ cups mashed bananas
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325⁰. Mix the wet ingredients, then the dry, then combine. Add your choice of chopped nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, dried figs, blueberries, etc. Bake 65 ‒ 70 minutes. This is the only banana bread recipe you’ll ever need, guaranteed. Thank you, Tina!

I’ve been writing about Cowboy Rob’s recipes and now I am writing about a recipe from his favorite cookbook which is now my favorite cookbook too. The book is the “Trail Boss Cowboy Cookbook”, published in 1985. The book features recipes from famous ranches around the world and includes cooking tips and historical facts about cowboys and ranching. I bought my copy on Abe Books for $5.49, shipping included.

A recipe that immediately got my attention was Ronald Reagan’s macaroni and cheese. It looked easy and you know how much I love easy! You might think of macaroni and cheese as a wintertime comfort food but it also pairs beautifully with summer barbeque classics like brisket, ribs and baked beans.

That said, I looked at the recipe and instantly became suspicious (no offense, Ronnie!). The recipe said to add an egg directly to the noodles and I worried that would result in scrambled egg bits laced throughout which would be . . . well, just wrong. Since the recipe is essentially a cheese custard, I mixed the egg in with the milk and added it all at once.

The original recipe called for dry mustard and instead, I substituted a couple of tablespoons of Rob’s old-fashioned mustard sauce because Theresa told me she used some of the sauce in a potato salad and said it was quite delicious. I also Googled the macaroni and cheese dish and several people said it was a bit dry so I added ⅓ cup or maybe it was ½ cup more milk. I used Tillamook sharp cheddar and slightly undercooked the noodles since they continue to cook in the oven. Topping the dish with homemade bread crumbs added a lovely finishing touch. This recipe was much simpler to make than a macaroni and cheese made with a cheese sauce.

Ronald Reagan’s Macaroni and Cheese

½ lb. macaroni noodles (about 1½ cups)
1 tsp butter
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk (I used whole)

Cook the noodles, then drain and rinse. Melt the butter and toss with the noodles. In a bowl, mix the egg, milk, mustard and salt. Place the noodles in a casserole dish and toss with the cheese. Pour the liquid mixture over the top. Bake at 350⁰ for 45 minutes (mine was done in just 35). Top with extra cheese and breadcrumbs during the last ten minutes. Bake until little bubbles rise along the edges.

Next time, I’m going to use extra-large macaroni noodles and that will fancy it up a bit. This recipe will definitely become a “go-to” favorite. Thank you, Ronnie and Rob!