Food – Random Rovers

The other day my lovely wife Elaine mentioned two very important things. First, it was my night to cook (we generally each cook every other night) and second, we had a lot of sweet peppers that weren’t going to last much longer. Obviously the gauntlet had been dropped. Well anyhow the challenge was there to be taken.

This came out so well that I have to share it. The amounts are for a one dish meal for two so adjust as needed.

Chop a small onion and one pound of any sweet pepper except green and braise gently about 20 minutes in 2 TBS olive until well cooked and slightly browned.
Start bringing enough water to a boil to cook 8 oz fettuccine
Add 3 TBS pesto, 1/4 cup Kalamata olives (roughly chopped), 1/8 cup capers, 2 cloves garlic sliced thin, 1 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 cup water to the pepper/onion mixture, stir and cook gently. You will want it to mostly dry out before you toss it with the pasta.
Cook the fettuccine. and grate some parmesan.
Toss cooked fettuccine with sauce and serve in soup bowls garnish with lots of parmesan.

Note: If you do not have any pesto laying around 1 TBS dry basil and some chopped walnuts or chopped pine nuts will work just as well.

Good food does not have to cost a fortune and food that is good for you can be mighty tasty with minimal effort.

Gordon

Our first stop on the Oregon coast was Barview Jetty Campground a Tillamook County park that we have considered as a possibility for work camping. It is located on the north jetty of Tillamook Bay just south of the city of Rockaway Beach, Oregon.

Garibaldi As Seen From The North Jetty & A Small Island In Tillamook Bay>

Many vacationers stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory on their way north to Cannon Beach / Seaside or south to Depoe Bay / Beverly Beach and miss the beauty this area has to offer. Many do come for the excellent fishing and crabbing that is found here.

Oceanside is a small town due west of the city of Tillamook where I remember going numerous times as a child. Of course we had to go see it while we were here. I recognized the motel where we used to stay though it has changed quite a bit with a new facade facing the road. The beach and rocks were just as beautiful as ever.

Our Site at Neskowin — Campsite at Neskowin

Just a few miles down the coast is the small town of Neskowin. A very pretty and quiet place where we foolishly took no time to relax.

Took a trip up to Pacific City but did not find much there other than a nice very large beach which we would have enjoyed more if it had not been so cold and windy.

Up The Channel Under The Bridge Into Depot Bay — Up The Channel Under The Bridge Into Depoe Bay

We went see Depoe Bay (the world’s smallest navigable harbor), and the D River (at only 120 feet from Devils lake to the Pacific Ocean) the world’s shortest river. Whereas I did find a nice shot of the bay, I simply could not get an explanatory picture of the river.

Traveled to what I consider my hometown, Corvallis Oregon, to catch up with Stephen, my older brother. Had lunch with Stephen and a great time reminiscing through the afternoon. I will definitely try harder to stay in touch and can’t believe I did not get his picture! We had already stopped at my stepsister Julie’s where we were treated to rhubarb muffins, coffee, and an awesome catch-up on life in Corvallis. One of my stepbrothers, Kip came over just to see us and added greatly to the party. We were very privileged in all our enjoyment that day!!

Well here we are just south of Florence, Oregon. This is a very nice heavily wooded park where we spent a little extra time recuperating. Caught up with the laundry, except for a few things that Elaine had stashed in the basement and forgot about until she wanted to wear them and then could not locate. This vacation stuff is too strenuous!

The Harbor At Oldtown Florence — The Harbor At Old Town Florence

Florence is located at the mouth of the Siuslaw river and the bay is yet another Oregon paradise for crabbing, steelhead, salmon, and rock (cod, perch, sea bass, flounder) fishing. Old Town has a fine selection of tourist shops and galleries that make for a fine days shopping. The weather was again great so we strolled on the docks and caught site of a playful harbor seal doing the backstroke.

Look what Gordon found! These are the first of 2 batches of wild mushrooms that he harvested. Talk about good fortune, these were just beginning to show while we were there. I collected about 1 1/2 pounds of chanterelles and at least 4 pounds of the lobster mushrooms. We did eat very well!! I sauteed and froze the chanterelles that we did not eat fresh. I sauteed some of the fresh lobster mushrooms for one dinner and dried the rest for later. What a surprise bonus for our trip.

Bandon is a very popular resort town on the southern Oregon coast. There are lots of beaches, shops, hiking, golfing, and sightseeing here, but we are here because we have many happy memories of past trips and it is the center of the myrtle wood industry. I never pass up a chance to look at wooden crafts or to shop for wood. We spent most of a day going to various myrtle wood companies. Yes, I bought some more wood. I found some very nice pieces including some spalted boards. We also found some more antique / junk stores and another place that sold wool and yarn. So we shopped and gawked like normal tourists.

Can you see the beautiful woman gazing into the heavens? This is Face Rock, it is one of the must see sites in Bandon. The coastal Indians consider this to be a sacred and powerful place.

Bandon is a land of many wonderful accessible beaches. We ate fish and chips at a small dockside restaurant and in general had a great time at our last stop on the Oregon coast for this trip. Now it is off to the Medford area to catch up with some old friends.

Happy and safe travels to all,

Gordon

Category: Food

Morels At Home

Sweet Pepper Fettuccine

The Oregon Coast