I found out where the beaver lodge is from another hiker we chatted with briefly. He said it would take a machete to get to the lodge, which is just as well since I'm not planning on making a home visit any time soon after reading the linked article about the Belarusian fisherman.
The mountain laurel are blooming more and more but don't appear to have reached their peak just yet, although it looks like many of the shrubs won't flower at all this year:
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After reading Joe Yonan's article in the Washington Post raving about Amy Chaplin's first cookbook, At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen, I got the book out at the library and tried and liked several recipes, including Cherry Pecan Granola Cookies and Tomatillo Avocado Salsa. Chaplin's new cookbook, Whole Food Cooking Every Day, came out at the end of 2019, but I never got around to checking it out before the local libraries closed. However, I just found yet another app, in addition to Libby and RBdigital, that lets me check books out online using my JMRL card: Freading.
There weren't many books on Freading I was excited about, but it has already been worth it just to go through Whole Food Cooking Every Day, which has all sorts of things I want to try. I got off to an auspicious beginning with this Pecan-Rosemary Butter, which is a breeze to make in your food processor in about 20 minutes and tastes fantastic. It's great on toast and crackers, but I could definitely eat this stuff right out of the jar with a spoon it's so good.
Pecan-Rosemary Butter
Adapted from Whole Food Cooking Every Day (2019) by Amy Chaplin, and the Washington Post (12/9/19)
Time: 23 minutes
Joe Yonan, the Washington Post’s food editor, added the maple syrup, which isn’t in Amy Chaplin’s original recipe, and I like it that way, but you can decide for yourself. Chaplin suggests serving the butter on crackers with fresh sliced pears, while Yonan says to spread it on toast with jam, stir it into yogurt, add it to smoothies, or eat it right out of the jar. Half a teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt is definitely the upper limit for me; if you generally like your food less salty, I would start with less than that and adjust to taste at the end.
130 grams (1 cup) raw cashews
100 grams (1 cup) raw pecans
1¼ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, more or less to taste (see note)
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven; heat to 300 degrees.
2. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the cashews across one side of the sheet pan. Roast for 3 minutes. Spread the pecans across the other side of the pan. Roast until the nuts are fragrant and slightly darkened, about 5 to 8 minutes. Nuts burn quickly, so watch carefully. Let the nuts cool on the sheet pan set on a wire rack for a few minutes.
3. Use the parchment paper as a funnel to transfer the warm nuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal “s” blade. (The parchment paper can be reused to roast multiple batches of nuts or to make your favorite cookies.) Process until the nuts have released their oil and the butter is completely smooth and glossy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Be patient; you want to go past just smooth all the way to glossy, which will take about 4 minutes or more. Add the rosemary and maple syrup, if using, and process again until well blended, about 10 seconds. Add the salt and pulse to combine. Taste and adjust for salt.
4. Store in a sealed glass jar for up to 1 month at room temperature or longer in the fridge. (The butter may separate if you store it at room temperature; just give it a stir before using. The fridge is a better option if your house is warm.) Makes about ¾ cup, enough for 12 one-tablespoon servings.
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