Oysters on the Half-pipe

Tara and Jason, who are now officially members of our "Frequent Visitors Club", were down from Seattle visiting this weekend. And as always, we had a great time with them.

This trip revolved around two activities: cooking/eating, and snowboarding/skiing. We even managed to combine the two by picnicking on salami sandwiches halfway down the mountain! I don't think I've ever had them taste better than right in the middle of a day of snowboarding. The weather was perfectly clear on the mountain, as you can see. From above the tree-line, you could see for miles, including nice views of Mt Jefferson and the Three Sisters to the South. The warmth also softened the snow, which makes it a bit slower (good for all of us beginners!)

One of the reasons we keep allowing Tara and Jason to come back is that they always bring such great food with them. This time, they brought wine, French cheese, and raw oysters. Tara is such an oyster fan that for her birthday, Jason gave her the gift of her own personal oyster shucker. We took advantage of those skills ourselves and had oysters on the half-shell as a key component of our brunch. Corinne also made a batch of Cardamom Rolls, a slight modification of our beloved Cinnamon Rolls recipe. It turns out that we made so many dishes with some of Jason's favorite ingredients - cardamom, ricotta, Dutch babies - that Tara accused Corinne of trying to steal him from her!



A word of warning: if you look closely at Jason's left hand, you can see what can happen to a careless oyster shucker. Don't say we didn't warn you.

- Mike (& Corinne)