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Around Alaska's Mat-Su Valley with Pam Holen
April 5 , 2008
Summer tires were mounted on my Subaru Forester last week after our weather professionals assured Valley residents that snow was not forecasted until next fall. Silly me, I believed them. Yesterday the white flakes started falling when the temperature dropped. They are still falling. Alaskan springs are like yo-yos… warm or cold, rain or snow.
The mushers, snowmachiners, and skiers are thrilled when spring is slow and snow falls in April. Gardeners who have seed flats on their dining tables, hanging baskets full of new starts under lights in their garage, and fuel rushing through the greenhouse heaters, well – we’re not thrilled. We are depressed.
Yes, spring is just around the corner and it will come quickly, when it comes. The seed flats need to be started indoors and if we want hanging baskets in June, the tiny plugs must be purchased now and settled into the soil. Today is snow on the lawn but tomorrow could be 50 plus with bright sunshine and the promise of spring.
The second edition of our B&B Association cookbook – From Our Table to Yours – Recipes from Bed and Breakfast in the Mat-Su Valley is headed for the press on Monday. We built a small cookbook Fall of 2006 to showcase the many breakfast recipes local B&B cooks offer to guests. The cover was unique – scrapbook paper and ribbons. However, it was not durable and members asked for a similar cover, but durable, for our next edition. It has been a struggle to accomplish. As the editor and chair of the project, I’ve tried laminating craft paper, duplicating craft paper in graphics, and searching for ready-to-go covers. I finally gave up and decided to use our logo laminated on the cover of a spiral bound book. It isn’t what membership requested, but there are other projects to start so this one needs to end. We have 128 recipes this edition with 17 members making contributions. The draft will be in the mail on Monday to Morris Press Cookbooks. I can return to dreaming about summer as I plant seeds and paint deck furniture.
And, speaking of chefs, I must brag about my son, Chris. He is the owner and executive chef at two restaurants in Astoria, Oregon. A few weeks ago, he won the 2008 award for the Taste of Tillamook. This is his second year to win the award. The writer wrote: "
Holen wowed the judges with a salad of fresh shiitake and button mushrooms marinated in pinot noir and balsamic vinegar with shallots and garlic. Served atop a bed of microgreens dressed simply with olive oil and sea salt with a side of perfectly ripe sliced avocado, it was an outstanding dish that will forever linger in my mind."
The article can be found at www.coastweekend.com under a search for - Tides & Tables: Top Chefs Think Outside Box at Taste of Tillamook. If you are in Astoria during your travels, Oregon, stop to eat at Baked Alaska and tell Chris his mom sent you.
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