But you can dream along with me by viewing the specs and seeing all of the pics here.
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Culture. Show all posts
My New Christmas Present
But you can dream along with me by viewing the specs and seeing all of the pics here.
Important News Flash
Posts may be a little sparse over the next week, as I'll be busy duck hunting in Oregon, stuffing myself with Prime Rib and red wine, and lounging on the EZ chair watching bowl games.
Still, stay tuned here as there are some exciting things ahead. So keep checking back. Hopefully this week we will have the first installment of an interview with the Idaho Waterfowl Association on the topic of waterfowl guiding in Idaho. You won't want to miss that.
Merry Christmas!
My Thanksgiving Adventures
Yeah, they weren't really too exciting. But I had a good time nonetheless.
Our plans were to be in Moscow during the Thanksgiving weekend, and I thought that meant I would have the opportunity to spend a few final days calling in a whitetail buck in the rut. Not so fast.
We decided, for a variety of reasons to head to Boise for Thanksgiving. But I wasn't going to go for just turkey and stuffing. No, I made sure to call up a good friend of mine near Melba, and have him set up a first class duck hunt for me on Friday. He agreed in exchange for a bottle of whiskey.
He set up the first class duck hunt, and I did my part by bringing along a bottle of Crown Royal, my favorite dessert. Unfortunately, the weather was too nice. Ducks weren't flying. We had duck deeks set up nicely, but the only thing flying around were tons of geese. For those Treasure Valley folks complaining of a lack of geese, I don't know what you're talking about.
My buddy and I sat up in our blinds, passed the bottle back and forth, and tried to call in geese with our duck calls. It was a good time. No, it was a great time.
And that's what it is about. I don't know that I would've traded that time of conversation with my buddy for a "kill 'em" focused time where we get our limits. Sure, it would've been nice to get some ducks. But I'll take the time out in the field with a good friend anytime.
~ J. Bunch
Our plans were to be in Moscow during the Thanksgiving weekend, and I thought that meant I would have the opportunity to spend a few final days calling in a whitetail buck in the rut. Not so fast.
We decided, for a variety of reasons to head to Boise for Thanksgiving. But I wasn't going to go for just turkey and stuffing. No, I made sure to call up a good friend of mine near Melba, and have him set up a first class duck hunt for me on Friday. He agreed in exchange for a bottle of whiskey.
He set up the first class duck hunt, and I did my part by bringing along a bottle of Crown Royal, my favorite dessert. Unfortunately, the weather was too nice. Ducks weren't flying. We had duck deeks set up nicely, but the only thing flying around were tons of geese. For those Treasure Valley folks complaining of a lack of geese, I don't know what you're talking about.
My buddy and I sat up in our blinds, passed the bottle back and forth, and tried to call in geese with our duck calls. It was a good time. No, it was a great time.
And that's what it is about. I don't know that I would've traded that time of conversation with my buddy for a "kill 'em" focused time where we get our limits. Sure, it would've been nice to get some ducks. But I'll take the time out in the field with a good friend anytime.
~ J. Bunch
A Few Important Things of Note for This Thanksgiving
I thought about boring you all with the news of why Congressman Simpson was at the Chester Wetlands, and what Senator Crapo's latest conservation ideas were. But really, who wants to be bored with politics, especially since there will probably be too much of that talk at the table later today?
So, let's just remember why we're so thankful for this great State.
Think for a moment about the North Country Mountains - the Selkirks...
The rolling hills of the Palouse...
The Camas Prairie (#1), and some of our favorite steelhead stomping grounds - Riggins...
The Central Mountains, the Payette & Weiser River...
The Owyhees...
The Camas Prairie (#2), the high valley and town of Fairfield...
The Sawtooths...
The Salmon River as it works its way through Clayton, Challis, Salmon...
The Frank Church Wilderness...
The Centennial Mountains over to Henry's Lake & Island Park...
The rolling barley fields that gently merge into the Teton foothills...
The Henry's Fork and the South Fork...
The extreme Southeast mountains & Bear Lake...
And the mighty Snake River that defines much of who we are, from Idaho Falls to Lewiston.
You bet I'm thankful for Idaho.
~ J. Bunch
Thanksgiving Recipe
I know what you're thinking - another turkey recipe. Nope. Most likely the pilgrims were not feasting away on birds, and when done they were not lazing around seeing who wins the wishbone pull.
Most likely, venison was on the table, as deer were always in season in those times. So this one is for those of you who want to change it up a little bit this Thanksgiving. Or maybe you've got venison in the freezer, and feel like saving a few bucks by not buying a turkey. Or maybe you've got some venison steaks in the freezer that are 4 years old, and you really need to find a use for them.
If you need other reasons, perhaps this photo will help. I know my wife wasn't convinced away from the traditional turkey, but...
Here you go (probably delicious anytime)
Rosemary Salt-Crusted Venison with Cherry-Cabernet Sauce
Yields: 4 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces venison and about 1/2 cup sauce)
8 large (about 1/2 pound) shallots, peeled and quartered
4 teaspoon(s) olive oil, divided
2 (about 9 ounces each) venison tenderloins, trimmed
1 teaspoon(s) Rosemary Salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup(s) cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
3/4 cup(s) dried cherries
1 1/2 cup(s) less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon(s) water
1 tablespoon(s) cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon(s) fresh lemon juice
Rosemary sprigs (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine shallots and 2 teaspoons oil; toss well. Arrange shallots in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan.
Rub venison evenly with 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary Salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add venison; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove venison from pan; arrange on top of shallots in roasting pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 17 minutes or until a thermometer registers 145 degrees F (medium-rare). Remove venison and shallots from pan. Keep venison warm. Chop shallots.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots, wine, and cherries; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes), scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add broth and remaining 1/2 teaspoon Rosemary Salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 2 cups (about 5 minutes). Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in butter and juice. Cut venison across grain into thin slices; serve venison with sauce. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.
~ J. Bunch
Breaking Bacon
But every now and then something really good comes along, something that we wish would stay. For instance, I’m a fan of Chuck Taylors. I hope Converse lives happily ever after. And as for those basketball players from an earlier generation, I can understand their sense of superiority. Whenever newbies go gaga over something that I experienced authentically a long time ago, I admit that it bothers me more than a little. I mean, no one actually plays basketball in them anymore. Posers, right?
So what’s the deal with bacon? Since I was knee high to a grasshopper I can remember having bacon and eggs for breakfast on a regular basis. And all the while growing up, I can’t remember anyone ever mentioning bacon other than taking what it is for granted. Sure, we all knew that consuming bacon was simply the guiltiest pleasure on earth. We all knew that it was the most prime meat, and that’s why we begged for it on the occasion it wasn’t on the breakfast menu.
Bacon was something to fight over. Chores were often traded for bacon. Frying pans and spatulas were licked for any remaining residue. Nobody wanted to brush their teeth after eating it. As kids, we didn’t give too much thought to getting married, buying a house, having kids, or having the perfect 8 to 5 job. No, we thought bacon was the American Dream. We assumed that bacon was the taste that every American kid took to school in his mouth.
Ever since I left home for college, my apartments or houses always carried the stench of stale bacon. Bacon grease was found splattered about the stove top most mornings and some evenings. My other cooking used bacon grease as an ingredient whenever I could plug it in, and it was used as fire starter in the wood stove. All of that couldn’t keep up with the amount of grease that I was able to produce on a weekly basis.
In other words, I am the authentic bacon fan. I was there before any big fuss was made over it. I have eaten bacon virtually since the time I was born, and I haven’t let up. So you can imagine my perplexed and jealous feeling. It was perplexing because I understood the enthusiasm behind the wave of sudden bacon enthusiasts, but I couldn’t understand why the sudden wave. Jealousy was born of the feeling that something long-standing and precious to me was being treated all of sudden like a cheap thrill.
This is all silliness, you say, and let the people just enjoy their bacon! Alright, I will, so onward with the bacon revolution. I surrender, but I still have a couple of beefs.
First, please learn how to cook bacon correctly. Bacon takes time. I am amazed, even in this era when bacon seems to be everywhere and all the rage, at the chances that I’m going to get poorly cooked bacon at a restaurant. More often than not people either burn bacon (which some people actually prefer to bacon cooked correctly) so that it turns into a pile of ashes in your mouth, or it is cooked just to the scant taste of ham with bad texture (curiously, some people like this sort of squishiness).
I know what you’re thinking – is this guy really a bacon nazi? – is cooking bacon really an objective thing? Maybe yes, and yes, respectively. There is an optimum point at which the fat has been rendered just enough to achieve the most desirable flavor that defines bacon itself. If you leave the poor bacon on past that optimum point, you will start getting the burnt flavor. That is because you are burning it. Burning things while cooking is usually a faux pas. But like I said, some people like their bacon burnt (probably because they don’t know any better). If someone requests that their bacon be extra crispy, you should reply with a lowered head, a furrowed brow and a slight shaking of the head. In this world, it is very possible that they haven’t had properly cooked bacon before.
On the other hand, undercooked bacon just doesn’t quite get you that bacon flavor that one should want. People who like their bacon squishy simply do not have a refined bacon palate, and if they request it that way, you should give them the aforementioned look.
The second beef is not unrelated. Bacon has been a staple of my diet, and the quality of my life has been the better for it. You don’t have the wiggle room in your veins for the extra cholesterol? Well, take it from me, it’s worth the extra exercise. It’s worth making the rest of your diet leaner. It’s worth getting your hands on any cholesterol lowering medication at any chance you get. Might as well grab the high blood pressure meds too.
More importantly, do it for your kids. Don’t allow the big bacon fad to fizzle out. Let’s all work together to ensure that bacon is taken for granted again. The revolution must mature. This is a cultural thing, folks, and it’s helpful for us to ponder on how we’ve gotten to this place in our bacon history.
Once upon a time people got up early enough to have the most important meal of the day. Eggs, bacon and hash browns were fried up before the family went to work and school. Everybody sat down and broke bread to start the day. But somewhere along the way we lost our heads, we started squishing out table time, and it took a toll both on the family relationships and the meal itself. Many families don’t eat at the same time these days, and the scrumptious breakfast was replaced by a bowl of cut up pieces of cardboard in skim milk.
Eating good food together is a building block of a good culture. Skim milk, fast food cereals and isolationist eating is not. So learn how to cook bacon correctly. Take the time to do it, and then take the time to eat it with one another. “Breaking bread” is the ultimate eating slogan, but “breaking bacon” with one another is a practice that I hope finds its permanence in a culture that needs some permanence.
~ J. Bunch
Review: The Music of Youth Lagoon
When the sun is set, the day's work is done, the kids have gone to bed, and the waning rays of light are hinting that your own sleep is not far off, you know it's time to relax. Pour that glass of wine, kick the boots off, recline, and notch the stereo's gain down a little bit. If there's any time for that ethereal, dreamy, soundscape music, it's then. Yes, I have been known to spin some Sigur Ros and Tangerine Dream at times just like that. And if I get real ambitious, I just listen to all of the live concerts recorded at the latest Moogfest.
Somewhere inside I find a particular attraction to a style of music that relies less on complexity, and a little more on simple crescendos and resolution. Youth Lagoon, a one man studio band hailing from Boise, adds its own brand of the genre into pop culture's coffers. Trevor Powers first posted a song as Youth Lagoon in May, and since then, it's gone "viral," as they say (at least on some scale).
Not long after, Powers found himself with a 2 record deal with Fat Possum, and the sudden need to figure out how to take his show from the basement to the road. Youth Lagoon: proof that you can have indie success in a short amount of time thanks to basement studios, loops, and an internet connection. A pinch of talent helps too.
In regard to lyrics, Powers explained in a recent interview with SPIN (where you can also stream the full album):
Powers recorded the LP in his room, basing the dreamy piano pop on personal concerns, including his longtime struggle with debilitating anxiety. "I hid it from my parents. I would have panic attacks in my room before bed over things that don't make sense to the average person," he says. "One of my fears was that I'd die before Christmas. I'd think about it so much that I couldn't sleep and it would overwhelm my mind."Another troubled soul artist. Oh well. As Ella Fitzgerald swung it -It don't matter if it's sweet or hot, just give it that rhythm, and give it everything you've got. We'll see how the music matures in years to come.
Perhaps the best thing to come out of Youth Lagoon is the teaming up with Film Director Tyler T. Williams, who produced the music video for YL's song "Montana." One might even prefer to call it a film with a sound track by Youth Lagoon. In any case, the film was shot in rhythm, creating scores of brief images that told a story intelligently and effectively.
Youth Lagoon - Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.
Williams expanded upon the music video in his interview with Pitchfork, here.
If there's more art created that shows as much promise as the music video, then I'm keeping tabs on Youth Lagoon. Musically, it's what I look for. It's the kind of music that makes the chances of me going to sleep in my chair, and spilling wine all over my shirt, go up. And that's a good thing.
~ J. Bunch
