A week of walks in Ocean Shores

Laziness comes naturally when dark clouds hang over the beach town of Ocean Shores. Spending the days cooking, sitting on the couch and enjoying the company of the in-laws saps one of energy. Rain, interspersed with a south wind that runs the length of the peninsula, hinders outdoor activity.

To counter my inclination to waste away my days inside the condo, I've forced myself to venture outside for a daily walk. Exercise is good. It gives me the opportunity to instill movement into this sixty year-old body, and to clear my mind.

A new route each day keeps the walk fresh. I find new sights along each route, pleasing views that I'd never discover in front of the television. On Monday, I noticed as I walked south along the golf course in the center of town that many of the houses appear to be vacation properties. The walk also let me scope out businesses along one of the main boulevards.

Driving rain on Tuesday prevented me from walking. The family watched a movie at the local theater instead. Yesterday's hike took me north from the condo. A light rain showered down as I cut past city hall on my way to the beach. Low tide exposed the broad six-mile long beach. Other than a lady and her dog who was walking into town as I came onto the beach, I enjoyed the view in solitude.

My walk this morning led me around the upper reaches of Duck Lake. Long stretches of residential streets cut through the forest. Well constructed homes on the shores of the standout among the tall pines. Flora on the eastern side of the peninsula stands in stark contrast to the ocean side. Thick understory prevents a leisurely hikes through the forest. In contrast, open spaces, sand dunes and the lack of trees punctuate the western side.

We leave Ocean Shores in the morning. Each couple will head for home. My in-laws are visiting friends in southern Washington. Debbie and I will cross the Columbia River at Longview, Washington. Once in Oregon, we're driving south to Camp Emerald Forest to visit a friend for the evening. An evening walk around Emerald Lake should refresh me after an afternoon on the truck.


The 13th green on the Ocean Shores Golf Course was a lake after tow days of driving rain during my walk on Wednesday. Only Canada Geese walked the course as it was too wet to play.

Water drains into the Pacific Ocean to the left of this piece of driftwood. The beach should be a great venue for long walks in the summer.

I found these rental units a block over from city hall. Much of the Town of Ocean Shores in vacant this time of year.

Homes dot the shoreline of Duck Lake in Ocean Shores. The lake runs the length of the resort on the harbor side of the peninsula .

These cabins stand vacant in Tuesday's driving rain. Too wet to walk, we drove around the peninsula after going to the movies.

Winter Camp Cookoff

Try the Colusa (California) Winter Camp Cookoff is you're looking for a challenging experience. Fog, rain and a nasty crosswind all promise to make cooking in a Dutch oven a trying experience.

Diamond Springs and snow

For the second time today, Diamond Springs has been blanketed with a layer of heavy, wet snow. The first storm passed through the town around sunrise. The roads were cleared by mid-afternoon as the mercury inched up toward 40 and the sun broke through the clouds. At dusk, there was little evidence that it had snowed.

Then the second wave of the day slammed into the El Dorado foothills late this evening. This (the third storm since Wednesday) may be the last snow for now. Forecasters are saying the next two or three storms will be warmer.

The nice thing about living the 2,000-foot mark in the foothills is the blessing of snow. Most years we get enough snow to enjoy its beauty without being burdened by the threat of constant shoveling. About the time you wish you had more, it's melted away.

Snow on the tail track

Snow on the tail track
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

A heavy snow storm slammed into the Placerville-Diamond Springs corridor last night.

As I drove home around 5 p.m., I could see mixed rain and snow blowing over the hood of my truck. Within 15 minutes I was in the middle of a full-blown snow storm.

By 5:30, large, heavy snowflakes blanketed the El Dorado County foothills at the 1,600-foot elevation and higher.

As the two-hour weather system moved eastward, the heavy flakes stuck to everything in their way. By the time I left the house at 6:30, all the roads were covered and CalTrans had set up chain control just east of Placerville on US 50.

A layer of snow still covered the tail track out of the engine house at the El Dorado County Historical Museum this morning. It's all gone now.

Winter Camp Cookoff application

Now that you understand the rules, you have one more step. I've posted the application to the Colusa Winter Camp Cookoff in blog No. 19 ...

Now closed

Now closed
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

This is the kind of high country resort that has always intrigued me. I've though that it would be fun to operate one such as Kay's Resort on Silver Lake in Amador County.

It may not be possible as the current owner, El Dorado Irrigation District, recently found wiring problems, contaminated soil and a leaking septic tank. (Spoils the picture, doesn't it!)

Kay's Resort -- closed for good

Kay's Resort -- closed for good
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

Kay Resort was a fixture at Silver Lake for years. It's now closed for good, not just for the winter.

Newspapper reports last year said that the El Dorado Irrigation District, current owner of the property and operator of the lake, may not operate or lease the resort.

Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff rules and entry form

Here's the rules and entry form for the Winter Dutch Oven Cookoff. The cookoff is an annual event that's held at the Colusa County (California) Fairgrounds on Saturday, January 19, 2008. The event opens at 7 a.m. sharp with the cook's meeting at 8:30 a.m.

The Days are Getting Longer

One more and I'm in the blog-a-day zone for December. It's nap time with blog no. 30.

Daylight hours are inching upwards now that winter's here. Soon this chair will invite company or an afternoon nap. It looks inviting, but the the blue tone gives me the sense that it's a little cool to sit in. The chair is was found along the El Dorado Trail in Smith Flat.

First Snow

The first snow of the season comes to you in blog no. 28 ...

A light snow fell through the night at my house, which is located on the 1,800-foot contour. I know snow is old hat to many in the northeast and midwest as we approach the New Year. But here in western El Dorado County, it's a different story. Snow only dusts the mid-elevations two or three times each winter and spring.

Cold Breakfast

As I write this blog about cold weather cooking, I'm sure some will say, "What's the big deal? We cook in the cold all the time." To this California raised boy, it's cold anytime the mercury dips below 32. You'll need your long undies for blog no. 21 ...

The outside temperature was 27 degrees F. when I left the house Saturday. Although the forecast was for a pleasant day in the mid-40s, I knew I'd have to fight frozen water pipes at the engine house when I arrived at 7:30 a.m. I didn't want to repeat the frozen pipe/water jug mess I had at the engine house last winter. (I cooked potato leek soup that Saturday.)

When I packed the truck Friday evening, I set the five-gallon water jug in the cab. I also filled the large coffee boiler and insulated beverage dispenser with extra water. This gave me enough cooking and cleaning water for the breakfast. I figured a gallon per person would suffice (seven volunteers showed up).

And the jug in the cab didn't freeze, which meant I could work with liquid water. Last year, I had to thaw the water jug first, a recipe for delayed coffee and meal.

The picture shows my impromptu buffet line. The 10-inch camp oven holds the grilled sausage and the 5-inch oven contains hot syrup. The melted butter in the small aluminum pot solidified almost immediately when I set it on the cold iron.

The temperature was still in the low 30s when I served breakfast at 9:30 a.m. I served the French toast right out of the skillet.

The Camp Chef cast iron conditioner was still frozen solid at 10 a.m. To thaw, I tossed it inside the 9-quart coffee boiler for 10 minutes.

Railroad Breakfast

We have breakfast vittles for blog no. 20 ...

Keith called early last week and asked if I could cook a festive breakfast for the group of volunteers at the El Dorado Western Railway.

As we talked during my commute home Tuesday, his vision was limited to Dutch oven coffee cake and lots of hot coffee. He even offered to buy a coffee blander at the local coffee house.

After a quick browse through my culinary idea files, I found the recipe for orange cream cheese French toast. Tucked way several years ago was a short article from Restaurant Business magazine.

Executive chef Gary Arthur spreads, the article explained, "cream cheese blended with orange marmalade" on white bread purchased from a local Santa Rosa, California, bakery and "forms into sandwiches." Arthur then dips the sandwiches in beaten eggs spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.

"Arthur serves his French toast with organic maple syrup, berry compote 'towers,' and chicken-apple sausage," the article continued.

The breakfast-turned brunch dish is popular at Arthur's Terrace Grille restaurant on Sundays.

When we talked Friday night, Keith expressed concern that I was making this meal a little complicated.

"Naw," I answered. "I do this all the time." The expected freeze was my only concern (more in a later blog). Cooking is second nature to me, I explained.

I left the hot fruit compote off the menu. Railroad men are just as happy with imitation maple syrup and a little jam on the side. And since chicken-apple sausage isn't available in Placerville, I figured the crew would be happy with regular sausage links.

Here's the menu for the crew:

Railroad coffee
Orange Juice
Orange cream cheese French toast
Grilled maple sausage links
Maple syrup
Wild Main blueberry jam

ORANGE CREAM CHEESE FRENCH TOAST

1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
2 ounces honey
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Vanilla extract, to taste
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 oz. orange marmalade
12 slices premium white bread
3 ounces butter

Combine milk, eggs, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Whisk to mix well and set aside. In a bowl, blend cream cheese and marmalade together until smooth. Spread mixture on bread slices, forming 6 sandwiches.

Cut sandwiches in half diagonally and dip into egg mixture, coating both sides. Melt butter in large cast iron pan. Add sandwich halves and saute over medium heat until golden brown on both sides.

Cut into triangles and garnish with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar. Serve with maple syrup and sausages. Makes 6 servings.

Prelude to Wildflowers

Here's blog no. 17 ...

The Woods Lake basin is now blanketed in snow from the storms this week. When the snow melts this June, we'll be rewarded by rich fields of alpine wildflowers. Nourishing water will melt deep into the rocky soil and fill the lakes and streams.

This photo is from our Veteran's Day trip up Highway 88 to Wood's Lake. The Woods Creek bridge takes you to the Winnemucca Lake trailhead.

I definitely will return this coming June to photograph the wildflowers.

Winter Camp Cookoff in Colusa, California

I had intended to post a record number of articles last month (the 2007 record is 21 in July). It should've been an easy task. A number of pictures, including a few family pics from Thanksgiving, are lined up. Let's see if I can top that goal this month. So, after a 10-day hiatus, here's my first blog of December:

The 6th Annual Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff will take place in Colusa, California on Saturday, January 19, 2008. I watched the event, which is set up under a large barn-like fairground shelter, in 2004 and cooked in 2005 with my son.

Unlike the picture, the ground won't be covered in snow. But the heavy fog, wet drizzle and bone chilling wind is promised. Several fire pits lined down the center of the pavilion will warm the body. Your job is to warm the soul with great tasting vittles!

Winter Camp Cookoff Update

Don Mason just sent me this note:

Winter Camp Cookoff is being held on February 10, 2007 in the parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes School, 745 Ware Ave., Coluda, California. The event is sponsored by the Sacramento River Cast Iron Cookers. Contact Vickie Stegall at (530) 458-8009 for additional information.

Gates open at 7 a.m. The cooks meeting starts at 8:30 sharp. And tasting begins at 1 p.m.

My blog on the cookoff is posted here.

5th Annual Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff

Here's notice of the 5th Annual Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff in Colusa, California on Saturday, February 10, 2007.

Camping in Snowy Weather

Last Friday, we had great weather for the middle of January. After the warmth of the sun broke through the clouds sometime before noon, I stripped to a long-sleeve T-shirt. The day ended with moisture-laden storm clouds making their approach. But even as darkness encroached, the moon broke through and bathed our camp with the soft beams of light.

It rained from midnight until 7 a.m. At 8, when I snapped this photograph, a slushy layer of snow covered the colder patches of ground. Sly Park sets at 3,500 feet. The snow line that morning sat at around 3,800 feet.

I trust my 14-inch skillet will survive! I left it and my cutlery roll on the picnic table overnight.

Winter Camp Cookoff in Colusa, California

I received this email from Don Mason the other day:

Sacramento River Cast Iron Cookers are having their Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at the Colusa County Fairgrounds in Colusa, California. Cooking starts soon after the cooks meeting at 8:30 a.m.

Once again this year we are inviting the youth to come out and cook. Ages 9 through 17 can cook, no entry fee will be charged. Every youth that cooks will receive a participation gift. If they should win their class (first through third place) they will receive a plaque.

All judging will be Peoples Choice for both youth and adults. The public may purchase a $5 ticket and sample the food cooked that day and then vote on the best cook and pot of food. Youth judging will start at 12:00 noon and end at 12:30 p.m. Adult judging starts at 12:30 and ends at 1:30 p.m.

Winners will be announced at 2 p.m. Adult class winners for first place will receive $100 and a plaque. Second and third places will receive plaques. Youth winners only receive a plaque.

SRCIC will provide prep tables and one plastic table cloth, trash cans, cold running water and hot ash cans. Everything else is on you. Hope you can come. Dress warm and enjoy the day with us.

I would like to wish all of you a happy holiday and a happy healthy new year. Hope to see you in 2006.

Thank you, Vickie Stegall.

Crowds at the 2005 Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff.

Applications for the Winter Camp Dutch Oven Cookoff are due to Vickie by January 15, 2006. The fee is $30 per team. Categories are main dish, bread and dessert. Each team may cook in one, two or three pots.

To participate, contact Vickie at: (530) 458-8009.

Winter Camp Cookoff in Colusa, California

My journey to my first Dutch oven cookoff took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Instead of competing and them becoming a judge, I judged three contests February and March last year before I made the decision to compete.

The choice to enter a people’s choice cookoff was a good one. In a people's choice cookoff, spectators do the judging instead of a panel of expert judges. There is less pressure to perform and the event gives you a change to see what works and what doesn't. You also have the opportunity to compare menus and equipment with your neighbor with less fear of rejection. And it prepares you for your first big competition.

My menu consisted of:

Chef Joe’s Chuckwagon Chili
K & B Dutch Oven Bread
Quick Cinnamon Buns with Buttermilk Icing

I’ve already posted the chili and bread recipes. I’ll post the cinnamon bun recipe in a few days.

Dave Herzog, from Cast Iron Cooks of the West out of Redding, California, stopped by my kitchen around 9:30 a.m. We chatted for a while about the Pleasanton cookoff on Saturday, February 26, 2005 (see press release) and his schooling. CICW is still meeting monthly in Redding. Dave said that he plans to help me in Redding as long as college doesn’t get in the way.

I also saw Don Mason of Red Bluff, California. He’s given me permission to re-print portions of his Dutch Oven Cooking newsletter. Don will be happy to the mailing list for the newsletter. Email for the Dutch Oven Cooking newsletter is iron_kettle@hotmail.com.

Once Don sends me an electronic copy (he's battling software bugs at this time), I'll post the article with the winners and their dishes. He also inserted a nice article on Dutch oven temperature control, which is good for the novice Dutch oven cook.

More to come on the Winter Camp Cookoff ...


The crowds at the Winter Camp Cookoff in Colusa, California.

Baking Bread at the Winter Camp Cookoff

I have since revisited the recipe for Dutch oven bread. The ingredients are now measured by weight. If you prefer to measure the ingredients by volume, use the measurements on this page, but follow the new instructions.

I enjoy good bread. And as an active-duty Navy baker in the 1970s, I enjoyed baking bread for the crew. So, when I entered the Winter Camp Cookoff that was held at the Colusa, California County Fairgrounds on January 22, 2005, it only seemed natural that I bake a nice loaf of Dutch oven bread for the contest.

Despite my experience, I didn't adjust for the cold weather under the T.K. Marshall Pavilion. Located just a few miles east of the Sacramento River, the pavilion is an open arena that’s used during the county fair for livestock events.

Baking Bread in Cold Weather

January 22 landed right in the middle of the Central Valley's winter foggy season. A cold breeze (cold for California, anyway) cut through the pavilion that gray morning. With visibility at less than a mile, the ambient temperature registered in the low 40s.

I did everything right up until it was time to bake the bread in a 14-inch deep camp oven. The late start didn't help. Instead of starting my bread immediately following the cook's meeting at 8:45 a.m., I focused on prep work for my chili. That was my first mistake. I didn't leave sufficient time for the bread to bake. The dough was set to ferment by 9:50 a.m.

I discovered an ingenious method to shelter the bread during fermentation. After warming the greased Dutch oven with three hot coals, I place the oven inside of a fake canvas Dutch oven bag. I initially zipped the cover closed. Then it dawned on me that I should return the three coals to the lid. I unzipped the cover and replaced the coals.


The bread is ready to proof (the 2nd rise). I placed the 14-inch deep Dutch oven inside the Dutch oven bag to insulated it from the cold, damp weather at the cookoff. After placing the lid on the oven, I set three hot coals on the lid to provide warmth for the proof.

The bread doubled right on schedule (bakers love tight schedules) in one hour. I punched the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. I then divided it into three equal balls and placed them in the warm Dutch oven to proof. This time the bread didn't rise as fast as it had fermented.

With judging at 12:30 p.m., I rushed the under-proofed loaves to baking at 11:35 a.m. I then placed 24 coals on the lid and 8 coals under the oven. This would've been sufficient heat in the summer. I pull the bread from the oven right at 12:30.

In the rush to get my chili and dessert ready, I didn't notice that it wasn't cooked through. I would have had a great loaf of bread had I compensated for the cold, damp air that morning.

Lesson learned ...

In case you're wondering what happened to the under-baked bread: As I was ready to toss the loaves into the trash barrel, a lady stopped me and asked if she could have the bread for her chickens. I obliged.

DUTCH OVEN BREAD

I gleaned this recipe from American West Dutch Oven Cooking, published in 2000, by former world champion Dutch oven cooks Kent Mayberry and Brian Terry. I've baked this recipe a number of times in Dutch ovens. It's reliable, despite my cold weather experience.

1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1 egg

Dissolve yeast in warm water with sugar. Sift flour and salt together and set aside. Mix oil and egg together and combine with yeast and half of the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Mix the rest of the flour until smooth. Knead; cover and let dough rise in a warm spot until double in size, about 30 minutes.

Use a 12-inch deep-style Dutch oven for this recipe. Ignite approximately 23 charcoal briquettes and let them burn until they are barely covered with ash, about 20 minutes. For a 350-degree oven, you'll need 7 briquettes underneath and 16 on top of the oven.

Punch dough and knead until smooth. Form as desired. Place in a greased Dutch oven. Grease top with melted butter. Let rise 30 minutes or until double in size.

Bake until browned, about 20 to 30 minutes. Bake with approximately 16 coals on top and 7 coals underneath the Dutch oven. Remove bottom coals after 12 minutes and finish baking with top coals only. When done, remove coals and cool bread.

Note: Double recipe for 14-inch deep Dutch oven. A 14-inch deep camp oven will hold a 5-cup bread recipe (the measure of flour).


Steve kneading bread for the Winter Camp Cookoff. My lower back was killing me by the time I set the bread to ferment.