Mom's Homecooking: Very Veggie Fishloaf

This salmon loaf recipe was originally published on Cayenne & Carob March 18, 2008. I've since pumped it up with dark leafy green veggies and this definitely warrants an update. My mom still makes her original recipe and sometimes I can get away with making this souped-up version.

Baked Salmon Loaf
Adapted by Cayenne from The Greater Yukon Cookbook, Galena, Alaska

2 cups cooked salmon (either leftovers or jarred salmon)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter

Use butter to grease loaf pan and to saute whatever veggies you can find. At a minimum onion, celery and garlic work just fine. I am a huge fan of kale or swiss chard in this recipe. Just chop a cup or so, saute it briefly and mix with the rest of the veggies. You can also add some spicy peppers, like New Mexico green chilis. Or just throw in some hot sauce. I've also found feta to be a nice addition but you don't need too much 1/3 of a cup or less.

Mix your assortment of veggies with the egg and salmon flakes. Turn out into the loaf pan and press down so the top is flat. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

The loaf shrinks up considerably and will feed 2-3 as a single main course or 4 if you add a big salad.

Wake-up: Budding Roses

photo credit: Cayenne 05.16.10 in Fairbanks, Alaska

vintage rosehips platter from etsy shop retrovert vintage 

Wake-up: Paper Birch

photo credit: TEB 05.18.10

canadian birch paper straws from anthropologie

Inspiration: Lichen

Tie Dye sleeveless shirt dress made by Wiksten; Rachel Comey suede dress at Jumelle; fabrics from Uniform Studio; Shabd "aurora" tights; Portal grey felt ipad bag (for the entire Mac family); Winding Indus Tank from Anthropologie

photo credit: lichen on rock in Denali National Park taken by TEB 05.18.10

Fairbanks, AK: Georgeson Botanical Gardens

One of my favorite lookouts to view the distance mountains is Georgeson Botanical Gardens. While you are on campus check out the the Museum of the North, UAF.

photo credit: Cayenne and TEB @ University of Alaska Fairbanks, top view is of the Geophysical Institute 05.16.10

Wake-up: Transition to summer

I took TEB to Alaska a few weeks ago to see a season other than winter ;-) We had a really wonderful trip with my sister graduating from college, 18 hrs of sunlight, and celebrating the first week of summer with my 7 year old niece, MRC.

On one of those looong days (with plenty of sunlight) we drove to Denali National Park. The place was just waking up - the flora was starting to green and the fauna stretching their legs, and summer employees had arrived and were exploring the hiking trails, like we were. Since Fairbanks is only 2.5 hour drive north of the park it was the perfect day trip and we hiked until 11p before heading home.

More details on summer fun in the Fairbanks area coming up this week.

photo credit: TEB 05.18.10 pussy willows

Congratulations: College Graduation

Congratulations to my sister, SDC, who graduated from college today! She has worked very hard through her twenties to raise her daughter, work a full time job, and go to college. I could not be prouder of her accomplishments.

photo credit: My sister's Graduation Day by Lowry Lou

Weekend: Unpacking and organizing

Wow, it has been ages since I have posted to this little blog. These last two weeks flew by and during that time I was mostly in transit: 1 week in DC, 4 days in Juneau, 4 days in Anchorage, and 4 days in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Now I am settling back into life in San Diego. I managed take an entire week to unpack and my chameleon room is not nearly as organized as I would like it to be.

Next week I will share with you a little more about my recent trips to DC. Till then have a great weekend!

photo credit: I cleaned by room today by ClickFlashPhotos/Nicki Varkevisser

Weekend: Happy May Day

Happy May Day and happy birthday to my niece MRC who turns 7 today. Someday I hope to be in Alaska for her birthday so that I can plan a maypole party. Martha Stewart has 3 dances and instructions for making the maypole and flower cones.

Barbar's Pole

Single Braid

Spider's Web

Read about how May Day is celebrated around the world here.

photo credit: mayday, mayday by Bryan Ledgard

Wake-up: Juneau Wild Oven Bread Share

With just 13 days left in the 2010 Legislative Session, I will be leaving Juneau not long after the gavel is dropped. One of things that I will miss about Juneau is the Wild Oven Breadshare. My roommate and I have been getting a freshly baked loaf of bread each Saturday and it totally makes my entire week. The bread is hardy, none of that cardboard tasteless white stuff, and is as fresh as can be.

If you sign up and pay your dues then each week you can pick your bread (after 3p on Saturday) in the lobby of the Rainbow People Food Store. No worries if you forget on Saturday, I am sure it will still be there on Sunday. I know from experience on this one.

The Wild Oven owner and baker has made some changes to the breadshare for the spring/summer season. The changes offer greater flexibility and I hope it convinces you that you NEED to eating Wild Oven fresh bread. Now you can order online, can skip weeks, can order up to 3 loaves/wk, and there are three bread choices per week.

The Wild Oven breadshare starts Saturday, April 17th. You must purchase 10 loaves to reserve your share at just $6 per loaf.

Soon you will be able to sign up here on the Wild Oven "under construction" website. In the meantime keep track of them on Facebook, Wild Oven. For more info contact the Wild oven baker at wildoven@gmail.com

photo credit: Cayenne

Spring in Juneau: Flashes of Color

Signs of spring are becoming bolder - soon they will speckle the hillside like the brightly colored houses of Juneau.

Identity Challenge: Can you identify the plants above? Hint, here are some options - salmonberries, crocuses, young pine boughes, cranberries, tulips, devil's club, or wild rose bushes.

photo credit: All photos taken by Cayenne and/or TEB. Winter/Spring 2010 in Juneau, Alaska.

Weekend: Snowed In...

It is still snowing! Friday no planes flew in or out of Juneau - might be another one of those days today.

Juneau, AK: Silverbow Bakery and Cafe

One of my favorite weekend spots is Silverbow. They are the only place downtown, besides the library, that has wireless internet so you can imagine that I spent a good amount of time there when I first arrived in Juneau. Silverbow is a little bit of everything:
- Tuesday and Wednesdays they show movies for free.
- They sell bagels, obviously.
- They also sell homemade bread, soup, cookies, and sandwiches.
- They are a hotel with a hot tub.
- They host art shows on 1st Friday and other random receptions.

Only 2 blocks from the capitol building this place is even convenient as a lunch spot. I'll order my usual please - cup of warm soup with an everything bagel, toasted with butter.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Hike to Herbert Glacier

We were determined to actually see Herbert Glacier this time out on the trail. Leaving our running shoes at home was a good idea - hiking was the way to go.
Ice covered rocks lined the trail as neared the glacier and our turn-around point.
First peak at the glacier (left) and looking back down the trail we just journeyed from (right)...then the glacier!
Thanks to LH and CA for a braving the windy and rainy conditions for a snowy 9 mile hike out-and-back to view Herbert Glacier.

photo credit: Cayenne 02.06.10

Weekend: Morning Sunshine

The weekend has mostly been a working weekend - the good is that an early morning spinning class got me up in time to see sunshine on the Douglas Island mountains.

photo credit: CA 02.13.10

Juneau, AK: Pie in the Sky

Just 2 blocks from the Capitol Building is my go-to coffee shop, Pie in the Sky. Andrea the owner is very personable and she happily makes my morning soy cafe au lait. The berry scones are a treat. The pies are delicious and I'm looking forward to trying the gluten-free chocolates one of these days.

I skip the lines at Heritage Coffee in the morning and head to Pie in the Sky. Perfect.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Juneau, AK: Alaskan Fudge Co.

One of the good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) things about my walk to and from work is that I pass by a super tasty fudge shop called the Alaskan Fudge Co. With fudge name like Juneau White Out, Mendenhall Mudd, and Fool's Gold, you really cannot go wrong here.

All the fudge is made in their Juneau shop. Sometimes I just cannot resist and come home with some caramel corn. It never lasts more than 24 hours in the house.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.09

Wake-up: On my walk to work...

I am lucky enough to be able to continue my eco-friendly commute that I enjoyed in San Diego, here in Juneau, AK. One of my favorite things about downtown Juneau is that it butts right up against the Tongass National Forest, meaning that houses only sit about 1 block high on the mountain (also for the reason that it is too steep to build higher). Think San Francisco but way smaller and at the base of Mount Juneau. Top left pic shows the view from my entryway porch and top right is looking north on South Franklin Street directly in front of my apartment.

I live a short 7 block walk from my office at the capitol building. Bottom left is the looking back at where the houses ascend up Mount Juneau. Bottom right is the view north just 2 blocks from the Capital building outside my favorite morning coffee stop, Pie in the Sky.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.19

Weekend: Girl with the Yellow Rubber Boots

You know your adjusting to living in Juneau when you wear your rubber boots even if it is NOT raining. :-) Thanks be to my friend EM who convinced me that I needed these yellow beauties four days before I jumped on a plane to Juneau, AK.

photo credit: Cayenne 01.31.10

Wake-up: Officially Unplugged

Before I moved to Juneau it never occurred to me that I should worry or plan to be in a situation without internet. I thought of all kinds of other things like the fact that there is no clothing stores in town but I'm use to that from my Fairbanks days. After living here for 1.5 weeks I have to now accept the fact that I don't have internet unless on the weekend I hit the library from 12-5p or I somehow miraculously get moving early enough to go to Silverbow Bakery and Inn for breakfast and internet.

All this makes planning things and working infinitely more difficult. Being this unplugged is very annoying and makes me sad. Not only did I move away from my friends in San Diego but I now have trouble keeping in touch with them and blogging is down to a bare minimum. I'll be back next weekend with an update.

photo credit: power hungry from t-squared