Headwaters of the Yellowstone Bed & Breakfast

Salmonfly Hatch - Trying to Get Excited About Insects

 

When it comes to bugs and snakes and many amphibians, I'm a bit of a wimp.  Like most people, I find it hard to enjoy what they bring to the table.  Because we live on a big body of moving water, bugs are rarely an issue here.  Mosquito are few and the only real irritation are the teeny tiny non-biting bugs that come through our window screens in late summer and set off the smoke detectors.  

With my bug prejudices but aside, I can appreciate the one big bug that is an anticipated hatch here in this part of Montana.  Home to the Robert  Redford film, "The River Runs Through It", this part of Montana is flyfishing paradise.  Fly Shops are plentiful - from the world famous Bud Lilly's in downtown Livingston, to Sweetwater Fly Shop (they took President Obama on his maiden fishing voyage last summer) to our own second-generation Park's Fly Shop in Gardiner; there are plenty of places to pick up a license, buy some cool gear, and get great local advice about fishing conditions both in the park and along the Yellowstone River.  

I leave the flyfishing to my husband, but even I can appreciate the salmonfly hatch.  It's a spectacular event - a yearly reminder of the vibrant cycles that characterize the longest free flowing river in the western United States - the Yellowstone River.  Usually the hatch coincides with the Fourth of July.  This year, it is a little late.  We saw the first bugs on our beach on the 7th.     

Salmonflys are the largest member of the stonefly family.  These aquatic insects move towards the river shores in a larval state called a nymph.  When the water temperature and levels are just right, the nymphs crawl out of the water and hold on tight to the river shore willows.  When the case that surrounds the developing insect breaks open, and adult emerges - they can be up the three inches in length.  Their life cycle is a fairly quick one - they emerge, let their wings dry and prepare for flight, and then fly out over the river to lay eggs for next year's hatch.  In just 4-6 days, it is all over.  

If you are a trout, the large twitching legs, four wings and clumsy manner make them the perfect prey.  Catching a trout for dinner this time of year, usually reveals a stomach stuffed full of the black and orange bugs.  It is a veritable trout smörgåsbord!

News of the hatch spreads slowly up the valley.  We usually hear when they've hit Livingston and expect them to move upstream at a rate of about 5 miles a day.  When they hit, it's the talk of the town.  

Here's to bugs!  (or at least to this one...)

Yellowstone's Boiling River Opens for Summer

Finally.  Thanks to a few warmer days, the snow pack is slowly melting away.  The rivers are slowly responding to the drop in water flow. Our rocky beach has yet to appear but the willows are marching in that direction.  The cool spring has made the salmon fly hatch later than usual (last report it was about 1/2 way up the Paradise Valley) and even the greens in the garden are making only a tiny appearance.  

It's summer.  Kinda.  

One sure sign that we have reached that blessed summer season is that the Boiling River is open again.  Situated between Gardiner and Mammoth, this section of the Gardner River is blessed with a large supply of hot springs water pouring out of its banks - making the river hot in some spots, warm in others and cool on the edges.  Something for everybody.  My favorite is the section where the current cools your feet while the hot water ripples on the surface - a study in the contrasts that characterize our mountain home.  

Bring a towel (it's a quarter mile walk to the springs and a wet walk back) and a contemplative attitude.  To me, sitting in the Boiling River evokes both memories and awe. It's a great place to meet people in the summer (the middle of the day can be crowded), a wonderful place to watch the elk rut in the fall and (my favorite) the quietest place in the whole park on a steamy winter morning.    

A few tips: 

1.  This is a very  special place.  PLEASE treat it with respect.  Obey all posted signs (they are for your safety as well as the safety of this place) and clean up after yourself when you leave.  

2.  Remember that it is NOT legal to soak in Yellowstone's hot springs anywhere in the park. The only other designated swimming area is in Firehole Canyon near Old Faithful; another river way that is blessed with warm water pouring into it.  

3.  The Boiling River is CLOSED at night.  Alcohol and nudity are prohibited.  

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

Okay, I'll admit it.  I watch food television.  I learn a lot from the programs I choose and there are certain chefs who's word I trust.  

Others, however, aren't quite so reliable.  Last week I spent an hour making a hazelnut brittle to fold into biscotti - only to have them end up as being the worst guest treat I've ever offered.  Ugh.  It looked so good on television.   

This week, however, I hit the jackpot.  "America's Test Kitchen" airs on PBS on Saturdays - here around noon - and last week they made  what they called "The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie".  

I have to agree.  

Because the butter is browned and the sugars are fully dissolved in the brown elixir, the dough starts out with a faint caramel note.  The cookies are THE BOMB.  And a perfect all American treat for the holiday weekend.  (I'll bet they'd make GREAT ice cream sandwiches!)  

I can not take credit for them but I can direct you to their site.  Here you go:  

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=19364

I can also say that every little thing that they tell you to do is completely worth the effort.  In fact, now that I've made them more than a few times, I must say that the method is actually easier than the traditional one.  All you need is a good bowl, a kettle for the butter and a stiff wooden spoon.

I won't try another chocolate chip recipe again.  I've found mine.   Off to find a glass of cold milk.  

P.S.  I use 1/2 semi-sweet and 1/2 milk chocolate chips and added 1/2 cup of toasted pecans. 

P.S.S.  For those of you who don't use the internet much for cooking, please note that every now and then recipes are removed from websites like this.  You might want to print it out and save the hard copy.   

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.    

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

 

These rolls are delicious. Really.  I've never had anybody express complete indifference about them and, even after all the other foods have been rejected, my family has never stopped eating the leftovers.  The recipe is based on a brioche recipe by Ina Garden (The Barefoot Contessa) and is typical of the butter and egg enriched breads and pastries that we enjoyed in France.  

That being said, the recipe is perfect for breakfast because it requires an overnight refrigerated rise.  You can make the dough in the evening (our summer nights are so cool that I love spending them in the kitchen) and work with the smooth and stretchy dough right out of the refrigerator.  I usually divide the dough in half and make one half with nuts and one without.  In order to further placate the tastes of my guests, I make a simple cream cheese frosting and serve it on the side.  I double the recipe - a job that my Pro Kitchen-aid mixer can barely handle.   

This the one recipe that I hope my kids remember when they grown up.  The smell alone ought to evoke enough memory to keep them asking for the recipe...

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
1 package of yeast
3 Tablespoons sugar
6 eggs (beaten slightly)
4 cups plus 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened (1 stick is for the filling) 
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

In the bowl of your stand mixer, or in a great big bowl that you get get your hands into, sprinkle the sugar and yeast over the warm water and let sit until bubbly and active.  (I assign watching this transformation to my eight year old - it never ceases to be a magical event to me.)

Add the beaten eggs, 2 cups of the flour and the salt.  Beat (using the paddle attachment) or a good stiff wooden spoon) for five minutes.  This helps develop the gluten in the flour. Add 2 more cups of flour and beat for five more minutes.  (Stop now and then to admire your muscles if you are making my hand - and to let the machine cool down if using the mixer.)  

Add the butter in big chunks and mix for a few more minutes until combined.  It may look, at this point, as if you have ruined the dough.  It may look greasy and poorly combined.  Don't worry!  Sprinkle the last 1/2 cup of flour over the mess and switch to the dough hook.  Knead until the dough comes together in a moist pile.  It will be wetter than traditional bread dough. 

Plop into a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for the night.  

The next morning (after coffee!) roll the dough into a thing rectangle on a floured board or counter.  Thinner is better but thicker tastes just fine too.  Brush will melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon, nuts and brown sugar and roll tightly into a long log.  Seal the ends by pinching the sides into the body of the log.  

Using a serrated knife, slice in 12 equal pieces and stand on end in a buttered baking dish. Place in a warm place for about 1/2 an hour (now is when you should get out of your pajamas) and then bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and lightly browned where the rolls touch.  Let cool if you can!  Serve with frosting on the side and with a plate of fresh fruit and more coffee.  

Black Bear Cub Comes Ashore at Gardiner Cennex Station

Whew!  It's been a big day here.  First the high water (talk of the town) and now a black bear cub came ashore - in the middle of town.  He climbed a tree and looked about as pathetic as an animal can until, finally, law enforcement held back the crowd long enough to give him an escape route.  It was actually quite dramatic as he emerged soaking wet and his mamma bear was on the other side of the river (upstream about 500 yards) in Yellowstone National Park while he was perched in the top of a small tree just outside the Subway sandwich shop.  We saw many neighbors and friends (word spreads fast in a small town).  In the absence of a movie theatre, this definately passes for Gardiner entertainment!

 

 

Yellowstone River - High Water!

We woke up this morning, after days and days of heavy rains, to the Yellowstone River overflowing onto the edge of the lawn, obliterating the beach, lapping at the edge of the shed and moving HUGE lodgepole logs (some 50 feet plus) down the river at amazing speeds.  Our friends at the Shooting Star Ranch up Cinnabar Creek lost the bridge between our house and their house.   We have their daughter - so I'm sure they'll make it out eventually.  (Secretly, we'd love to keep her!) 

  
We know that the river will recede, depositing fresh clean sand on the beach, leaving us lots of lovely driftwood and cleaning out the dead willows from the flat bench that is visible in summer.  But, the drama of today is worth watching!   

Cinnamon Sauce - An Apple Pie Revelation!

My younger brother has tolerated a lot from me over the years.  I fondly remember the days when my sister and I would corner him and try and kiss him in order to get him to hit us...and get in trouble for hitting.  I've not stopped giving him a hard time since.  That being said, he has GREAT taste in women.  His wife, Elaine, is such an inspiring person - dedicated to family and community and someone who I consider to be a very good example of what a servant of others should be.  She works in the Seattle area with a non-profit that provides both immediate help for people in need and follow up to make sure that their needs and dignity are preserved called Plateau Outreach Ministries.  On top of her good works, she is also a great aunt, an air traffic controller, an equestrian, a prolific reader and a lot of fun in general.  She's amazing and I love her.  (Good job, Bro!)

Elaine shared this recipe with me, telling me that I'll never order apple pie in a restaurant again because it would be missing this sauce.  Elaine and her sister learned to make it from their mother.  Elaine thought it originated with her grandmother...but her mom recently told her it was a Sunset magazine find from the 1960s.  Where ever it came from - it's a revelation!  I am NOT a huge fan of apple pie but it is my husband's favorite so we have it often.  This sauce elevated apple pie in my eyes!  It is completely worth the effort.  I'm already thinking of new things to pour it over.  And, it's true, I will never eat apple pie without it again. 

Cinnamon Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sherry
  
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
  

Combine cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water and set aside.  Add all remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Stir in cornstarch mixture and boil until thick and clear - it will resemble a fragrant caramel sauce. 

Spoon over ice cream on top of apple pie and ENJOY! 

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...

First Yellowstone Bison Calf of Spring! (and Fox Kits and Bear Cubs...)

Bison calves have been seen in the park for a few weeks now, but I've been so busy refinishing chairs and getting ready for the summer season that I had yet to see one.  I set out this afternoon determined but was waylaid by a red fox on Swan Lake Flats who spent the better part of an hour moving three small kits from one side of the main park road to the other.  She was bleached almost white across her muzzle.  Beautiful creature. 

Imagine my surprise when I returned home from picking up the kids at school and found that there were two bison AND a calf on the low bench just across the Yellowstone River.  They were soon joined by two rangers on horseback who made sure that they headed back towards the park.  Not the greatest pictures, but certainly an exciting rodeo! 

Last night we had a late night call from our neighbors who reported a sow grizzly and cub in their backyard and heading our way.  We stood out on the deck in the gathering dark and tried to spot her but she evaded our efforts.  The wind and rainy day erased any sign of her by today.

IT IS SPRING! (kinda)