At Home with Hippocrene

We're introducing a new feature at Hippocrene Cooks called At Home with Hippocrene. Colette Laroya, our editorial assistant, will periodically try a recipe from our cookbook collection at home and share the results. We hope you enjoy this first edition!

A few months ago I married into a large, loving Filipino family. I had never tasted Filipino food before my husband and I started dating, and I quickly learned to love the staples of family parties: crispy lumpia, pancit, chicken adobo, pork menudo, kare-kare, and leche flan. I astounded them with my love of rice, and the fact that I grew up with the same imported jasmine brand they used. So when it came to deciding which cookbook to try first, I knew it would have to be Fine Filipino Food.

I have spent many hours as an observer over the years, but I had never tried to make the dishes myself. My mother-in-law doesn't cook, so my husband wasn't able to offer any advice. I chose Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk because adobo, as Bartell notes, "could very well be called the national dish of the Philippines" and for its simplicity. I knew the dish was a success when I kept catching my husband taking pieces from the pot!

Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk

(as featured in Fine Filipino Food, page 57)

Serves 4

1 (2-pound) chicken, cut into serving-size pieces

1 cup white vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

2 bay leaves

1/2 Tbsp black peppercorns

1 Tbsp raw or brown sugar

1 tsp patis (fish sauce) or 1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 (12-oz) can coconut milk

Directions:

1. Mince the garlic. First remove the brown end of the clove, then crush it under the flat of your knife (I used about 12 medium-sized cloves to make 1/4 cup).

2. Combine the garlic with the vinegar, soy sauce, ground pepper, bay leaves, peppercorns and brown sugar in a non-aluminum 4-quart pot. Aluminum interacts chemically with vinegar and affects the flavor. I used a stainless steel stock pot, but you can also use ceramic, glass, or wrought iron cookingware.

3. Mix well and add in the chicken. I used a chicken breast of the same weight to avoid cutting up a whole chicken. (However, you might have complaints about the lack of drumsticks.) Marinade for 2 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Place the pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. (This is a good time to start your rice cooker.) You can remove the chicken and broil them 1 to 2 minutes on each side, but I skipped this step in the interest of simplicity. One-pot meals are easy to clean up!

5. Add the patis (or salt) and coconut milk and boil until it has been reduced by half. You'll see it take on lighter, creamier color. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over a bed of rice with the sauce.

The moist, tender chicken stands on its own, but you can round out your meal with steamed broccoli or Jicama Salad (page 41). The crisp jicama is perfect for a light summer salad.

Mom and Stick Head Up the Lake

Mom and "her cat" Stick Tail have been coming to visit us in Powell River for the last four years. We all pile into Mom's car, lovingly called Bertha, and take the short (about 240 kilometres) but long (two ferris and 7 hours) trip. Riding in a car isn't Stick's favourite thing (you can hear his protests from quite a distance), but he finally relaxes on the back seat, sleeping most of the way.

The highlight of the trip north is visiting the float cabin. Stick has to stay in his carrier for the boat ride up the lake, but gets lots of comfort on Mom's lap. Once at the cabin, he settles right in. The beauty of the float cabin is that it is surrounded by water. Back in Bellingham, Stick has to stay indoors all of the time because Mom has an apartment style condo. But at the float cabin, he's able to have the run of the place.

For Stick, the cabin is like a giant cat climbing apparatus. He loves the stairs (the first he has ever known) and gets a kick out of running up and getting a "birds-eye" view from the loft. At first, he was very cautious outdoors, but now he is comfortable in his vacation home. He even explores underneath the float (that's where the mousies live). One trip he did give us quite a scare. He hopped the floating logs to shore and started climbing our cliff. But a few good warning shots with rocks brought him scurrying for home.

I'm always amazed at how quick Stick Tail adjusts to new environments. After only a few hours inside the cabin, he is allowed undisturbed exploration. Usually after one day he has a favorite sleeping place. And the litter box has always been found without any "accidents." A friend warned me that cats don't adjust to new places very well, but Stick has done exceptionally well between his three homes: a condo in Bellingham, a condo in Powell River, and a float cabin up the lake.

Our cabin on Powell Lake is a very special place for all of us. It even inspired my husband Wayne to write the Coastal BC Stories series. You too can head Up the Lake and Farther Up the Lake through his books.

We'll all be lounging in the sun and swimming in the lake (well, maybe not Stick unless he falls in) for a few glorious days, so you won't be seeing any blog posts for a while.

What are you doing this summer (or winter as it may be for my readers south of the equator)? No matter which season, I hope you have a great week. -- Margy

I Heard the Owl Call My Name

You'd think I'd have more time for reading during long winter nights, but it's during the summer when I read the most. Here's another Coastal BC suggestion.

I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven was written in 1967 and has become a classic piece of Canadian literature. The used book I purchased (from a 1975 reprinting) came from the now closed Max Cameron Secondary School in Powell River. It's book #12 from a classroom set and was checked out to only one student, L. Sieg. That's almost as interesting as the book itself.

The story takes place in a remote village up the river at the head of Kingcome Inlet. Located near the Inside Passage of Coastal BC, it was a land of First Nations peoples, loggers and fishermen. The period wasn't specified, but based on facts in the book it was probably set in the early 1950s. Up until then, Mission Boats brought religious and medical services to remote communities. Churches were also built in settlements to convert and assist their inhabitants. In some cases, the people sent were a good match, in others, a detriment. The characters in this story run the gamete from the long enduring Kwakiutl villagers, an uncaring teacher, the arrogant anthropologist, by-the-book RCMP officers, unscrupulous traders, to the patient young vicar.

I Heard the Owl Call My Name is the story of Mark Brian, a new vicar with the Anglican Church who was sent to far-off Kingcome Inlet. Unknown to Mark, he has a terminal illness that leaves him only a few years to live. His Bishop sends him to Kingcome Village to learn about life in a short time, and he does. The book is only 160 pages and can be easily read in a day. But I enjoyed taking longer to savour the content and think about some of the profound messages. And it's worth reading more than once like I did.

Here are some more Coastal BC suggestions:

A Kwakiutl Village and School from 1967 by Harry F. Wolcott is the book version of his dissertation on the study of a Kwakiutl Indian village and its one-room school.

Heart of the Raincoast: a life story from 1998 by Alexandra Morton and Billy Proctor is about the life of legendary Billy Proctor who lived through the heyday years of Coastal BC.

Full Moon, Flood Tide from 2003 by Yvonne Maximchuk and Billy Proctor continues the story of Billy Proctor's life.

Inside Passage: Living with Killer Whales, Bald Eagles, and Kwakiutl Indians from 1997 by Michael Modzelewski who spent 18 months in the wilderness on Swanson Island with local Will Malloff.

Talking in Context: language and identity in Kwakwa_ka_'wakw society from 2005 is a case study of the use of the Kwak'wala language and cultural identity in two Coastal BC First Nation communities, Quatsino and Kingcome Inlet.

A Curve of Time from 1968 by M. Wylie Blanchet and Timothy Egan is the classic memoir of a woman and her children as they explore Coastal BC summer after summer in a 25' boat in the 20s and 30s.

I've only read A Curve of Time, but the others look interesting. -- Margy

Clouds of Colour

Summer has finally arrived. After a day of cloudless, sunny skies some high level cirrus clouds moved in, the precursor to a brief front bringing moisture but no rain.

Cirrus clouds are wispy streaks of ice crystals above 8000 metres (26,000 feet). "Fall streaks" form when ice crystals fall through changing high level winds. The forming streaks can be straight, shaped like a comma or all mixed up together.

Just before sunset, the cirrus clouds captured rays of sunlight to form a small sun dog. The ice crystals in the clouds can form colourful patches 22 degrees to the left or right of and parallel with the sun, something like a mini-rainbow. What a nice way to end a nice summer the day on Powell Lake in Coastal BC. -- Margy

2010 Texada Island Airport Fly-In is the Sunday

Mark your calendars! The Texada Island (Gillies Bay) Airport Fly-In will be returning this Sunday, July 25

The fly-in will have lots of activities for pilots and non-pilots alike. Pilots can come and stay at the airport campground for a weekend of fun. Everyone is invited for the festivities on Sunday. Just looking at the planes and talking to the pilots is well worth a visit. With all the hard work by Doby and the other planning committee members, it's going to be another outstanding year!

On Saturday night, July 24, there's a Fly-in Fling at the Royal Canadian Legion. Then on Sunday morning, the gates open at 8:45 and a pancake breakfast will kick things off at 9:00 am. That will be followed by displays, presentations, live entertainment, games for kids and a lunch BBQ at 12:30. Bring a folding chair or grab a place on the grass for aerial demonstrations. The highlight of the afternoon will be the Fraser Blues Flight Team.

If you are flying in, please e-mail ahead to reserve one of the available airplane parking or camping spots at texadaannualflyin@gmail.com. For more details about the event and runway, click here. It's a bit early for details, so check back periodically. Wayne and I hope to see you there. -- Margy

Introducing Paul at "A Powell River Photo Blog"

This Wednesday Friends Day I'm going to introduce a new blog and blogger from Powell River BC. This very new blog is aptly called A Powell River Photo Blog and was started only a week ago on July 12. 2010.

Powell River is a small town, but I don't know the author (yet). What I do know from the recent posts is that it's a "guy" who has lived in Powell River for about 40 years. His name is Paul and he has chosen to start sharing pictures he has taken of our town, the "Pearl of the Sunshine Coast." And I'm very glad for it. Learning more about my new hometown is important and this is a great way to do it.

Paul uses both Olympus E-3 and E-520 digital SLR cameras to shoot his pictures. The quality of both models is evident in his compositions. I keep thinking I would like to try a digital SLR camera, but haven't taken that step yet.

We all started blogging at one time or another. Give Paul your support. Come on over to A Powell River Photo Blog to say hi and enjoy his views of our town. -- Margy

Fish Finding with a Garmin 160C

As I've mentioned before, this has been the best year for fishing on Powell Lake. At the end of a warm summer day, you'll find Wayne and I out in our tin boat trolling through First Narrows and out into the main lake.

I don't think our new fish finding toy has had anything to do with our recent success, but it hasn't hurt either.

We purchased a Garmin Fishfinder 160C to help guide us to likely spots. It's full colour display is easy to read and gives us information about depth, water temperature, and the bottom structure. It also displays images of cute little fish swimming below the surface. Dark ones are below the boat, outlined ones are swimming nearby. Don't ask me how that works, magic I guess.

Whether using old fashioned fishing skills or new fangled technology, the fish are here. Powell Lake is open from April 1 to October 31. You will need a BC freshwater fishing license if you are 16 years of age or older to catch some of our resident Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. Use barbless hooks like we do to make it easier to catch and release if you want to give our fish a second (or third) chance.

Thanks for visiting "my world." If you want to see more exciting places from around of the globe, go to the "That's My World" website. -- Margy

Mud-Puddling Pale Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies

From April through late-July you can find Pale Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies in British Columbia. I see them most often flittering around our cabin on Powell Lake in June and July. They are an impressive, large butterfly with a pale yellow background and heavy black "tiger" stripes. They like hilly woodlands near streams and water. Powell Lake fits that perfectly.

The larvae of the Pale Tiger Swallowtail eat foliage of woody plants then turn into pupa to wait out the winter. Butterflies emerge in the spring to enjoy the sweet nectar of blooming flowers, and start the mating and egg laying cycle all over again.

The males have an interesting behaviour called mud-puddling. They use small puddles and muddy ground to get moisture and nutrients from the damp soil. Recently, I found two butterflies in my garden doing just that. Here's a short video of their dance-like endeavour.

When I took the video I didn't know the purpose of their activity. Now, with a little research I've learned something new about the world around me. Have you learned something new lately? -- Margy

Buster's Finally Back

There's something comforting about the way seasons march through in a similar manner. After nine years living up the lake, we kind of know what to expect. Each spring and summer I look forward to the return of our animal and bird friends. Will they be early? Will they be late? The weather has a lot to do with it. This year we had a cold spring and late start to summer. Plants, bugs and birds were a bit late in arriving. The same for Buster.

Buster is our name for the garter snake who comes to our cabin each year. I'm not sure if it's Buster himself, Son of Buster or Buster the III, but every year there's one garter snake that hangs around our float cabin. Just after I saw Buster for the first time last week, I saw a huge bullfrog polliwog. Every animal must have a food source, and frogs are Buster's #1 choice. Garter snakes also eat worms, fish, small birds and rodents.

Buster likes to sun himself on our transition float to shore or my garden float. He is so "tame" you can walk within a few feet, at least when he is lulled to sleep by the warm sun. Garter snakes are common non-venomous snakes in Canada and the U.S. They have yellow stripes on a brown body and grow to 1.5 metres (3.5 ft) in length. They like to live near water and are semi-aquatic. Buster often swims in our natural swimming pool or across our front "water" yard. His body undulates from side to side, propelling him gracefully through the water with his head held high.

Garter snakes have to be careful of large fish, bull frogs, hawks, skunks, foxes and John's dog Bro or they may become dinner rather than the diner. Buster is a welcome addition to our float cabin life. He helps us keep mice under control and gives us lots of viewing pleasure. -- Margy

Propping Up Pea Plants

I grow Snow Peas in half of a 55-gallon plastic barrel drilled for drainage. This is my second year and I've made some improvements. Last year, my homemade wood and string trellis couldn't handle the weight of the fully grown plants. This year, I found a metal trellis at Canadian Tire for $19.99 that would fit inside just fine. To that I added some extra wood stakes and twine for climbing and plant support.

Now the Snow Pea plants have grown all the way to the top of the trellis, and it's sturdy nature is holding them up just fine. Along the way, I've had to use twine to gently tie the tall stalks to the trellis to give them some additional support. They are very fragile, so I had to be very careful.

One good thing about peas in a barrel is I can walk all the way around for picking. The only difficult ones are at the top. I have to stand on my tippy-toes or call Wayne to reach them for me.

So far we've had two pickings. We like to wrap the pea pods in foil pouches and put them briefly on the BBQ grill. About 5 minutes on each side is plenty to steam them to a crisp doneness. And of course, they are great raw in salads and added to a stir fry.

Do you have any other Snow Pea recipes you like? -- Margy

High Flying Skies

When I return to Powell River from Bellingham via Pacific Coastal Airlines, I take the last flight of the day. This time of year, that means some pretty spectacular inflight sunsets.

The power of the turboprop on the Beechcraft 1900C is balanced by the soft light flowing over Lasqueti and Texada islands in the distance. What a ride!

Today is Sky Watch Friday. Go to the Sky Watch Friday website and you'll see sky photos from all over the world! -- Margy

Summer Bread Baking

Recently, we were out of bread at the cabin and didn't plan on going to town in the near future. In the winter, I bake bread with the help of my wood stove. On a warm summer day, I didn't want the extra heat. What to do? I looked at my cast iron dutch oven and thought it might do the trick.

I mixed up a batch of Sourdough Wheat Bread dough. When it was time to put it in a warm place to rise, I heated the dutch oven on top of the stove. Once the metal gave off a nice warm glow, I turned the burner off and put my covered bowl of dough inside on top of two hot pads. I gave the metal lid an extra shot of direct heat and placed it on top. Now I had a warm "oven" to get the yeast working.

I had to reheat the lid several times to keep the temperature warm enough inside. It did take a bit longer than usual to get the dough to double in size. When it was ready, I punched it down, kneaded it and placed it in a bread pan for a second rising. I reheated the dutch oven and lid before placing the pan inside, again protected by two hot pads on the bottom.

You may be wondering why I didn't just use my oven. Because it runs on propane, it gets very hot. Also, I have to lift out the bottom panel to relight the pilot every time I turn it on. And then there was the whole experimental process. I love finding new ways of doing things.

In the end I had to heat up the oven on to bake the bread. But in less than half an hour I had a nice loaf to tide us over until our next trip to town. Didn't it turn out nice?

Do you have any cooking experiments you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about them. -- Margy

Bert's Babies

Last May, I shared how Wayne and I were giving our Barn Swallows a helping hand with their nest building. Older nests have fallen twice, so we gave them a little shelf up under the eves to use as a support.

In June, I shared about how the returning pair immediately set up housekeeping and started a new nest. Last week we saw the heads of two babies. Both Mom and Dad bring tasty bugs back to their fast growing chicks.

We call daddy Bert. He's a slim dude. When he isn't eating and gathering bugs for his babies, he sits nearby and seranades his lovely lady on the nest. I have read that pairs mate for life. I like the thought of Bert and his Lady coming back each year to share their babies with us.

Do you have nesting birds that you like to watch? For us, they provide hours of enjoyment. -- Margy

Our Canada: Picture Perfect

When I got back to the cabin last week, Wayne had a surprise for me. Our float cabin on Powell Lake, was featured twice in a new book called Our Canada: Picture Perfect. What an exciting surprise! Of course, our off the grid cabin is a prominent feature in Wayne's Coastal BC Stories, but being included in a book published by someone else is very exciting.

Two summers ago, Wayne wrote an article for Our Canada Magazine called "On the Lake". It was the first story in a series called "Our Dream Home." We were proud to start it off for them, and got lots of great feedback from the magazine's readers.

The article included two pictures of our cabin. The first was a summer scene with my floating garden in the foreground and our floating wood shed tied to the log boom. This is one of my favourite shots. You'll now find it in the British Columbia section of Our Canada: Picture Perfect.

The other picture they chose to include in the book was a winter scene. Because our Campion runabout was tied to the cabin deck, it was placed in the boating section.

Our Canada: Picture Perfect was just published in May 2010. It is 160 pages with 250 photos and illustrations. The stories and pictures show our great country in all of its glory. It's available online at Reader's Digest, Amazon.ca, or chapters.indigo.ca. You can also purchase it in bookstores throughout Canada including our own Coles in Powell River. Thanks Wayne for a great present! -- Margy

Swallowtail Butterfly

Swallowtail Butterfly

this one in central California