Headwaters of the Yellowstone Bed & Breakfast

Liisa's Fruit Tart

This past year, we had the great privilege of hosting a AFS foreign exchange student in our home. When Liisa first arrived we had no idea what to expect and, I'm sure, neither did she.  Transitioning from a small town in Finland to a really, really small town in Montana wasn't easy.  There were many things to learn.  Liisa proved herself to be extremely adept and finding her way here.  She braved horseback riding and AP History and succeeded at both.  She ate her first sweet potato and saw her first rodeo.  She discovered Pop Rocks.  She learned what it was like to have three younger sisters. She dressed up for the prom and Halloween and, along the way, became very much a part of our family.  

Last week we sent Liisa home.  It wasn't easy!  By now she is swimming in cold Finnish waters, eating rye bread sandwiches and renewing friendships.  She's come home old enough to drink beer and learn to drive. We hope she brought home as many lovely memories as she left behind.  She will always be welcome here.  We love and miss her!      

This tart was Liisa's favorite.  We made a big one together just before she left; I mixed the ingredients and she put them all together.  It came out beautifully.  I promised then that I would post the recipe so she could make it at home.  So, dear Liisa, this one is for you.  

This is a great recipe - flexible, easy to make ahead, and very adaptable.  You can make it with just about any fruit that's in season and vary the flavorings accordingly.  In winter, it's wonderful with plums or apples that have been tossed in a little sugar and cinnamon. This time of year it's all about raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and huckleberries.  

The crust is a press-in crust (which means you don't have to roll out the dough) and it can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen before baking.  The filling can be made in advance (I make a double batch and store the rest for the next time around) as well so it's a perfect thing for breakfast.  Pop the crust in the oven, fill the hot shell when brown and top with the best the fruit basket has to offer.  Enjoy.  

Liisa's Fruit Tart

For the crust: 

Cream 1/2 cup butter with 1/4 cup sugar.  Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup of all-purpose flour.  Mix until combined and press into the bottom of a greased 8 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Watch for thick/thin spots!  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes until golden brown. 

Meanwhile, mix together:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese (softened), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the zest of one lemon (or lime or orange - your choice).  While you are waiting for the crust to finish, prepare the fruit - slice the apples/apricots/plums or wash the berries.  

Remove from the oven and: 

Top the hot crust with the filling and carefully arrange the fruit in the filling.  I like to fill the tart with raspberries in circles places very close together; as the filling puffs they make a beautiful design.  

Bake about 35-40 minutes until the filling is lightly brown.  Cool and serve - preferably with a little dollop of freshly whipped cream.    

Summer's Here?

The Yellowstone River is running too high for good fishing and the temperatures have been cool with a wind to remind you that winter is not so far gone.  Our middle daughter had success at a private lake today with Grandpa - 19 inch rainbow in the skillet for dinner!  Surely warmer days are ahead...

Dreaming of a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

 

My Hero

With all the many postings on my blog that involve butter, sugar and more butter and sugar, it might surprise you to know that healthy eating is a huge part of our family's everyday life.  In fact, I work hard to make sure that the food I serve everybody in our home (guests included) has a balance of indulgence and good health.  Organic and local when possible, yes.  Fresh and full of color and vitamins, yes.  Occasionally ridiculously full of calories and fat, yes again.  For me, planning a meal is all about balance.

When my baby daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 2, my world, and hers, were changed forever.  Type 1, or Juvenile Diabetes, is an auto-immune disease that struck my daughter while she was still nursing and in diapers.  Now, as a healthy, athletic, smart and beautiful young woman - I admire her courage and tolerance of the daily battle that she wages with insulin and sugar, exercise and rest, health and indulgence.  For her, life is all about balance. 

For reasons that are not fully understood, Type 1 diabetes causes your immune system to attack the insulin producing cells in your pancreas.  Your body loses the ability to produce insulin which is the key that unlocks the glucose in foods and makes it usable by every cell in your body.  Caring for diabetes requires constant vigilance - there are no vacations from the disease offered!  Insulin must be given by a needle or by an insulin pump and, at this date, there is no cure for Type 1 diabetes.

There are irritating bits of disinformation that every parent with a child with diabetes knows - Is it in your family?  (Yes and no - genetics do play a role but I know many kids who have identical twins sans diabetes.) Did she eat too much sugar? (Sugar, and all carbohydrates - which break down into glucose - are a concern for people with diabetes but our daughter eats a normal diet - complete with sugar!)  Will she grow out of it?  (Type diabetes is a life long illness - sadly, she will not grow out of it.)  Yes, she can - ski, play basketball, run track, travel with friends...just ask Olympic skier Kris Freemanor Olympic medalist Gary Hall- both of whom compete at the highest level while dealing with Type 1 diabetes.  (We were especially proud of Kris as he recently competed in the Vancouver Olympics.)

Recently, I traveled, along with our daughter, to Washington, D.C. to attend a conference hosted by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and to ask my members of Congress to support legislation that would continue dedicated funding for Type 1 diabetes research to the National Institute of Health.  It is always wonderful to be in a room full of passionate parents who totally understand what life is like with this insidious disease.  On top of this, we are privileged to hear about the miraculous research strides that are being made in the search for a cure for diabetes and those scientific advances that bring greater control and comfort to our daughter's daily life. 

I don't have millions of dollars to fund research, but I do try and give as much time and energy as possible to help the brilliant scientists who work towards solutions - long and short term - that continue to improve my daughter's life.  To find out how you can get involved, visit www.jdrf.org  

And...like many people who have family members who suffer from chronic illness...on quiet days like today, I'm taking a break from butter and sugar baking, and dreaming of a cure...

Bars for the Golden Boys

In both my immediate and extended maternal family, there are men who have always held a special place in the hearts of the women.  David, my younger brother, Todd, the middle man, and Kevin, the youngest cousin in the troop of 10.  While our very female-dominated Kompelien clan includes brave male souls who married into the group and who are very well loved, these three boys managed to accomplish quite a bit during their younger years by just being charming.   

David, Todd, and Kevin - our golden boys and we love them and tolerate them completely...and the devotion shown to them by our mother's generation is, even after years of adulthood, totally annoying.  

Several years ago, one of my young daughters was introduced to Kevin and she immediately dubbed him "Princess Boy".  You can call him that too if you'd like.   

Now that we are all grown up, the golden boy phenomenon manifests itself in the cookie jar.  When my brother makes the long trip from Seattle, we are not at all surprised to see his favorite toffee bars carefully stacked in popcorn tins in my mother's freezer.  The bars are a buttery shortbread with a thin layer of Hershey's chocolate and a sprinkling of walnuts of pecans.  They are great at room temperature or, if you are not a golden boy and need to sneak one out of the freezer, they taste great cold as well.  My mom is always generous with me in every way - except in the cookie department.  That treatment is reserved for David.  Not that I'm jealous or anything.  Mostly. 

The second recipe is a favorite of Princess Boy.  The top layer is a crunchy chocolate/peanut butter cream.  I add 1/2 cup chopped peanuts to the top of this layer when I make them for guests - avoids hiding the peanuts from anyone allergic and gives extra crunch to the layer.  The middle layer is marshmallow and the bottom is a simple chocolate cake. 

My grandmother would make these bars during our summer visit to my grandparents house.  They lived on a high hill above the beautiful Bull Shoals Reservoir in northern Arkansas.  The lush vegetation, chiggers, copperheads, summer heat and humidity made it feel like an exotic jungle to a mountain child like me.  After marching us out onto the deck to raise the American flag and say the pledge of allegiance, we were treated to bran muffins, mini golf, fishing, the devotion of our doting Grandpa, summer sausage sandwiches, water skiing, hilarious laughter and when we returned, grandma's bars and a game of hearts.  This summer we are planning to be together in Montana - how lucky I feel to have all those great memories to draw on and such great cousins as friends! 

My grandmother was always health conscious (long before it was in fashion) and I'm sure that I'm not the only grandchild who knew where she hid the goodies during the forbidden parts of the day.  Just before dinner, for instance.  Tiptoeing down the carpeted stairs into the cool basement and tactically deciding how many she'd miss out of her coveted stash is something I'm now willing to admit - just don't tell Grandma.

David's Toffee Bars

*I double this recipe and use a half sheet pan to make these and freeze half the batch for later.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 10x13 cookie sheet.  Cream:

•  1 c. butter (2 sticks)
• 1 c. brown sugar

Then add:

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Stir together:

• 2 c. flour 1
• 1/4 tsp. salt  

Add to the egg and butter mixutre and mix thoroughly.  Press into the prepared pan in an even layer.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until lightly brown.  While still hot, "frost " with a giant Hershey bar broken into pieces - lay the chocolate pieces on the hot bars and then spread when melted with an offset spatula.  Sprinkle chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts) on top.  Cut while warm.

Princess Boy Chocolate Bars

*I like to use a 9 inch sqaure with straight sides for this recipe and cut them very small.  You can also use a 13x9 pan for thinner layers.  VERY RICH, these should be cut into small pieces either way.

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. real vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Cream together butter and sugar until pale and light.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.  Stir together the dry ingredients and add all at once until combined.  Spread into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until the egdes start pulling away from the pan or until a toothpick comes out of the middle clean.

Remove from the oven and top with:

• 1 1/2 cups mini marshallows

Return to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are puffy and cover the cake layer but are not brown.  Let cool completely.

In a glass measuring cup, combine:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Melt in the microwave in 30 second incriments and stir until smooth.  Stir in:

• 2 cups Rice Krispies

Spread this mixture on top of the cooled bars and (optional) sprinkle with 1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts.  Chill unti firm, cut into small squares and serve.

P.S.  I love you David, Todd and Kevin. 

Grandpa's Salted Peanut Crisps

I remember these cookies as being my Grandfather Owen's favorite.  Pale and sweet with salty peanuts inside and just a touch of sugar on top, I distinctly remember sitting next to Grandpa at the end of their long table while he topped his lunch off with a cup of coffee and one of these sweet/salty cookies.

Betty Crocker noted these cookies as "The Best Cooky of 1950-1955" in the Betty Crocker Cookie Book.  Never one to leave well enough alone, I doubled the vanilla, substituted dark brown sugar for the brown sugar, and used toffee peanuts instead of salted party peanuts.  While I'm not sure Grandpa would have approved, I prefer the taste and texture.  If you want to push the sweet salty thing a little further, you can mix a little sea salt into the sugar before pressing it into the formed cookie.  

Grandpa always sat with his back to the view - an expansive landscape of water and rolling Ozark hills.  If I had to guess, it was because he rather enjoyed the view AT the table.  His family.  I never went a day wondering if he loved me - it was a certainty.  I miss him every day.  These are for you Grumps!

Salted Peanut Crisps

after Betty Crocker's Cookie Book

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups toffee peanuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream vegetable shortening, butter and sugar until light in color - 5 minutes or so.  Add eggs and vanilla. 

In a seperate bowl, stir together dry ingredients (flour, soda, salt) and then add, all at once, to butter mixture and stir to combine.  Add peanuts.  

Form into tablespoon size balls and place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Dip a glass into granulated sugar and then flatten the cookies with the glass.  

Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown.  Cool completely before eating - the peanuts taste really weird if you don't.   

*Special thanks to my "food stylist in training" - Olivia - for the photo.

The Turner Twelve - A Dozen AMAZING kids!

We had the privilege of hosting twelve very amazing young people here last week.  Along with their wonderful chaperons (Miss Gwen and Coach Carter) they explored the park with the Yellowstone Association Institute and amused us endlessly with their charm and positive outlook on the world. 

The group was here as part of a non-profit organization called The Turner Twelve who's mission is to "encourage and empower intercity youth to become first generation college attendees; and more importantly, to become leaders and positive role models within their own community."  After meeting this group we feel as though any community would be lucky to have them in it.  They were truly an inspiring bunch.

Of course, being kids, they were also silly and a lot of fun to have around.  Their kindness to our youngest daughter did not go unnoticed...and they sure did like our chickens!

Ariel, who plans to be a pediatric nurse when she graduates from college, made this casserole for dinner one night and was kind enough to share it with our family.  My kids loved it.  Thanks for the recipe Ariel! 

We'll keep track of this group of amazing kids - we wish them nothing but the best.  And, in the future, we look forward to seeing them back again with their own kids in tow!

   Tosha (who plans to become a veterinarian) and Ariel with her Nacho Casserole

Ariel's Nacho Casserole

• 1 bag tortilla chips (Ariel recommends Doritos)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 16 oz. jar salsa
• 1 pounds ground beef

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook the ground meat and let cool slightly.  Mix together the soups and the milk in a saucepan and heat until well combined and creamy.  Crush the tortilla chips until they are broken into large pieces. 

Place a layer of chips in the bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Top with a third of ground beer; then the soup mixture; then a third of the salsa; then a third of the cheese.  Repeat, beginning with the chip layer and continue layering - end with a layer of cheese.   

Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned.

Growing Hope

Today it Mother's Day and, as a mom myself, it has me feeling introspective.  It occurred to me yesterday as I was driving home with a truck full of garden soil that so much of what Tim and I are spending our time on these days is rooted in optimism.  Hope. 

   As in, I really hope this garden grows.

   As in, I really hope these chickens lay eggs.

As in, I hope my kids turn out to be happy and healthy adults!  

So, on this day that is set aside for our mother's, I like to think that we have, most of all, to thank them for instilling us with optimism.  Like the garden, the chickens and our latest remodeling project, being a mom means spending most of your energy on things that may only come to fruition many years down the road. 

When I think of the challenges I've presented my mother over the years, I'm just glad that she was able to take the long view.  Like her, I hope I'm up for the challenge! 

Happy Mother's Day!

Lucky Farm Scones

Today was freezing cold.  I didn't even put my shoes on today which is hardly fair since Tim did all the outside chores and he's still recovering from the nasty bug that visited us last week.  The inversion and the off again, on again snow had me thinking about my Mom (Happy Birthday!) and about soup and scones.  The soup was cream of broccoli (and no, not all the kids ate it).  Here are the scones.

These scones are based on one developed by a friend of mine when she spent some time working as a baker in a cafe in Washington near Mt. Rainier.  I've made some adjustments over the years but, as you will see, its a pretty free flowing recipe that just invites you to take liberties.   

Lisa is one of those people who you meet and who you never forget.  She's a wonder woman Jill of all trades - I've known her to be an artist, a writer, a doll maker, a farmer, cafe owner, a beer maker, a rancher, a tepee dweller, a home-schooler, a reiki master and an all around renaissance woman.  Fortunately for me, she also bakes and shares! 

I spent most of the day today, off an on, trying to find Lisa and her family...last time her gypsy soul had a phone number (now disconnected) was on Vashon Island in Washington.  Knowing Lisa, wherever she is, she is working at making the world a more sustainable, positive place. 

Lisa and her husband Jeff were stationed at Lake when Tim and I lived at Canyon.  Their daughter Zoe was a little older than our daughter and one day a week they were playmates under Lisa's watchful care while I worked as a clerk for the rangers at the South District Office.

Living in the interior of the park, especially with children, can be a bonding experience.  The winters are especially challenging and, with the snowdrifts of Hayden Valley between us, Lisa kept me sane during the first winter we spent at Canyon before she moved on to greener pastures.  [I promise some thoughtful posts about wintering in the interior when its warmer!]

I'll never forget Lisa and I hope I can find her sometime soon!  The name Lucky Farm stems from their website (Lucky Farm) where they offer some of Lisa's beautiful handmade dolls.  If you are looking for a more conventional recipe, try the Buttermilk Scones in Tartine  (which I've raved about in an earlier post).  I make both varieties for our guests. 

                                                        Lucky Farm Scones

• 6 cups all purpose flour (or some whole wheat or oat)
• 6 teaspoons (3 Tablespoons) baking powder*
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12-16 Tablespoons cold butter
• 3 cups of liquid including 2 eggs**
• 1 cup additions***

* If some of the liquid is acidic (orange juice or buttermilk), reduce to 5 teaspoons and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

** whole milk, yogurt, preserves like marmalade, pumpkin puree, apple jelly or apricot jam, extracts, juice - just three cups of wet stuff

***dried fruit chopped into small pieces, toasted nuts, mini chocolate chips, bacon (cooked and chopped fine) and cheddar (shredded), orange peel, espresso powder, candied ginger,  rhubarb and dried strawberries

Preheat over to 425 degrees.  Cut the butter into small cubes and put it back into the refrigerator while you assemble the other ingredients.  Mix together the dry ingredients in a the mixing bowl of  a stand mixer.  Or you can do it by hand.  Just don't use a food processor unless you are halving the recipe and have personal restraint about over-mixing! In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients until well-blended. 

Take the butter out of the refrigerator and add to the dry ingredients.  Using the paddle attachment, mix until the butter is broken down, but still in pea size lumps.  Dump in the add-ins and mix for a tiny amount of time until distributed.  Then, all at once, dump in the wet ingredients and mix for another tiny amount of time until the dough just barely holds together.  

DO NOT OVER-MIX!  (See every baking book on the planet for 1,000,000 reasons why.)

Dump onto a lightly floured counter and form with your hands into a long rectangle.  Don't worry about it looking perfect - it should just hold together.  There should be little lumps of butter visible.  Cut into rectangles and then into triangles.  Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet with plenty of space between.  This recipe makes 2 dozen large scones or more smaller ones.  I usually bake one right away and take the other sheet pan and freeze the dough.  Once its frozen, I put the frozen scones into a Freezer bag and save for later. 

Brush the tops with either cream or milk or butter and then sprinkle with sliced almonds and/or raw sugar and/or crystallized ginger and/or a slice of apple...whatever pleases you and matches the inside flavors.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack and eat warm or cold, plain or with butter and jam.  Whatever. 

Miles Davis said, "Sometimes you have to play a long time to play like yourself."  I think that the same is true of baking.  I'd love to hear your creative riffs on this recipe! 

(and thanks, Lisa, wherever you may be.)

NOTE:  To use the scones you freeze raw, take out the night before and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  In the morning brush with cream and bake as above.

Gardiner Bruins!

  

Our local school is located in the town of Gardiner, Montana - three miles from our riverside location.  The school has a stunning view of Electric Peak (our mountain, just from a different angle) and the Roosevelt Arch just up the hill.  The school burned down a number of years ago and a new one was built in its place, so the facility is modern and serves its 200+ K-12 students well.  Since the Yellowstone Park School closed in the spring of 2008, all the students from the Mammoth Hot Springs and Gardiner community attend this school.

I don't know of a school with a prettier view...or more wildlife on the 8 man football field!  I also don't know of ANY school that has their students pick up bison poop (patties) for detention.  Really. 

As with many small Montana towns, the school is the heart of the community.  Basketball games are major entertainment during the winter months.  Check out the excellent documentary "Class C"by Jason Lubke and Shasta Grenier for a look into the world of Montana small town girl's basketball.

Gardiner is home to us and, as a visitor, you'll find that most of the basic things you require are readily available.  And, if you are missing a movie theater (closed several years ago) or live entertainment (very occasional) a warm gym full of honest, hardworking people watching their kids play basketball is a great option! 

You can view a complete schedule of Gardiner Bruins sporting events at www.gardiner.org

Bridger Bowl and the Snowflake Lift

Bridger Bowl is our "local" downhill ski area.  By local, I mean, a 90 mile drive, each way from our location, or about 20 miles outside of the college town (and our source for all things retail) Bozeman, Montana.  We left our cabin guests tucked in this morning and headed out the door.

Kinplingers (November 2006) called Bridger Bowl, "...what skiing was like before resorts started charging $7 for hot chocolate and life lines were longer than runs." Because they are a non-profit, community ski area, you'll find the prices very reasonable and the terrain varied enough to keep everybody from Tim (on the Ridge with a beacon) and me (on the bunny hill chasing the kids) happy. 

While Bridger Bridger Bowl recently opened 311 acres of new lift-served terrain for expert skiers only (avalanche transceivers are required here), it is an excellent FAMILY destination.  Great ski school, lots of moderate terrain, and a wild amount of freedom for our preteen kids, who's spirits seem to lift visibly without parental restriction! 

This isn't Aspen, or even Big Sky.  You'll find nowhere special to eat or shop, and a very low number of hot pink ski suits but lots of telemarkers, kids with koolaid mustaches, sunshine and mountain views.  (Foodies - pack a lunch!) 

My favorite piece of terrain has to be the Snowflake Lift - $5/day buys you all the trips up and downs it's 100 yards of nearly flat topography and lots of small people to ski around.  With out last daughter ready to leave Snowflake for the bigger lifts, I was feeling quite sentimental when I took these pictures.  Goodbye Snowflake!  You've served us well. 

If you are feeling like a day away from Yellowstone; consider Bridger Bowl.  Follow it up with a drive down to Bozeman and dinner at one of the many great restaurants that surround the historic downtown area.  Hit a bookstore, grab an espresso for the road, and in less than two hours you are tucked in here.