Gravy:

• 1/2 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3/4 pound wild mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed and coarsely chopped * (see note)
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4cup flour
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced chive
• 2 cups half-and-half or milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons sherry (optional)

Biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into pieces
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh minced chives

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter (or spray) a heavy baking sheet. For the biscuits, combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to blend. Add the butter and pulse until it’s finely chopped and mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal. (You can also cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives.). Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the milk and chives and stir until the batter is evenly mixed–or keep the ingredients in the processor and very gently pulse. Don’t over-mix or you will have tough, heavy biscuits!

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Press the dough into a circle about six inches across and one inch thick. Cut the dough into quarters, setting the biscuits on the baking sheet with one inch or so between them. Bake the biscuits until they are puffed and lightly brown on top, 12-15 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool.

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through and lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Stir often and break up the sausage chunks as they cook. Spoon out and discard excess fat. Add the mushrooms and onion; increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and any liquid they give off is evaporated, 5-7 minutes. Add the four and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, stirring so that the flour evenly coats the sausage and mushrooms. Slowly stir in the milk or half and half and cook until the gravy has thickened, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Add the sherry just before serving.

To serve, cut each of the biscuits in half horizontally and set the bottom halves on the individual plates. Generously spoon the mushroom-sausage gravy over, top with the top of the biscuit.  Sprinkle with paprika and garnish the plate with fresh herbs or edible flowers. Makes 4 servings.

*I prefer to use 1/2 pound dried porcini mushrooms reconstituted in a cup or so of water. Drain the mushrooms and save the liquid. Make the wild mushroom and sausage gravy the night before and then use the saved liquid to thin the gravy prior to heating and serving. The liquid adds more depth to the wild mushroom flavor of the dish.  You can double or triple the recipe and freeze.  Freeze extra unbaked biscuits and bake as needed. Delicious!

This contest in Long Beach awards cash to the winners.  We got only ribbons at Cannon Beach and maybe a printed certificate.  It didn’t matter.  The intensity of taking on a project with sand and sea water and coming up with a fine sculpture was reward enough. SandSations is a great event here in Long Beach, Washington and it’s growing every year.  You can experience the great hospitality at Boreas Inn, dine on our feast at breakfast time, walk our trail to the beach and watch the SandSations competition!  So come to the beach for a long weekend, July 21-24!

Long Beach, Washington will open for razor clam digging for FOUR days at noon March 19!  Dan Ayres, WDFW coastal shellfish manager, advises prospective diggers to pay particular attention to the shift in digging times during this month’s razor-clam opening.   “It gets a little tricky scheduling digs at this time of year, but the goal is to arrange openings during the best clam tides,” Ayres said. “The split schedule also provides an opportunity for back-to-back digs the evening of Saturday, March 19, and the morning of Sunday, March 20.”

Digging days and low tides for March are:

• Saturday, March 19, 7:04 p.m. (-0.1 ft); Long Beach
• Sunday, March 20, 7:36 a.m. (-0.5 ft); Long Beach
• Monday, March 21, 8:23 a.m. (-0.9 ft); Long Beach

·         Tuesday March 22, 9:12 a.m. (-1.0 ft); Long Beach   So get your clam digging license, required if you are age 15 or older and come down and dig some razor clams.   Ayres reminds diggers that WDFW is tentatively planning another razor-clam opening April 7-9 until noon each day at Long Beach and Twin Harbors if marine toxin tests show the clams are safe to eat. Licenses expire on March 31,  so you need to make sure, for the April digs coming up, that you get a new license.

It was a beautiful, calm day of razor clamming at Beard's Hollow

We want to cook you the perfect breakfast!

We promise you a beautiful, lazy weekend at Boreas if you decide to visit us.  We have room for you and would love to cook up a storm in the morning if it’s not stormy enough outside–and even if it is.  Don’ t listen to the weather guys–they are usually wrong, unless they tell you it’s going to be wonderful–because sunshine, rain, wind…it’s always wonderful here. The fireplaces beckon and we’re offering our Walk-in Special at our romantic getaway by the sea. $150 a night including our “perfectly plated” 3 course or more breakfast (plus tax of course).   We don’t want to be lonely–so come to Long Beach and we will fix you up with two fabulous dinners out at our fine dinner houses and promise you the most relaxing weekend with fireplaces blazing and our new hot tub beckoning.  We hope to see you soon!

PS.  Our newest restaurant and bar, The Lost Roo, has six large screen TV’s if you would like to watch football on New Years Day.  Your innkeepers will go with you!

Boreas Inn’s 14th Annual Crab Cake and Champagne Brunch Weekend!

There is a three-night minimum over New Years Eve weekend, you pick the days and we will provide you with first class service, fine gourmet breakfast cuisine, the most delicious fresh Dungeness Crab Cakes ever and incredible relaxation!

King Boletus (Porcini) and Chanterelle Mushrooms

This year’s Wild Mushroom Celebration is October 22th- October 24th. The cost includes a two-night weekend stay with our amazing breakfasts and A 3-course Wild Mushroom and Washington Wine Dinner at The Depot Restaurant.

Our Sunday morning breakfast will be our annual Wild Mushroom Breakfast featuring Veronica Williams, our professional forager, as guest hostess and discussion leader. We will add two extra courses onto the Sunday breakfast to make it even more decadent! As an add-on special, Veronica will take you foraging on Saturday for wild mushrooms for an additional $50 per person. The cost of the package is $550 per couple all inclusive. $595 for the Dunes Suite.  Without the wine courses, the cost is $510 per couple all inclusive and $555 for the Dunes Suite.

The menu for The Depot Dinner is, as usual, wonderful.   We haven’t selected the wine pairings yet…

Melange of Roasted Wild Mushrooms in a Cream Sauce on Crostini with Fresh Goat Cheese and Shave Pec0rino Romano Cheese

Sherried Chanterelle Mushroom Demi Glace on Wild Mushroom Risotto with Fresh Catch of the Day or 6 oz Filet Mignon

Triple Truffle Chocolate Brownie and Hazlenut Gelato Ice Cream Pie

» Check Availability

Seattle 110—
Originally uploaded by JohannaD

Wet Winter Plants in the Rain Forest
Event Date: Saturday, February 13, 2010

Start Time: 10 a.m. End Time: Noon Maximum: 15 people

Fee: Free to members of Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge $10 per person for non-members.

Location: Willapa NWR Headquarters, 3888 State Route 101 (Hwy 101 near Milepost 24) Ilwaco, WA 98624

Event description: This is a wet winter walk in coastal temperate rain forest along Headquarters Creek at Willapa NWR Headquarters.

After a brief orientation indoors, we will walk along and over the creek, and through rain forest to look at plants that grow during the wet season. The focus will be on lichens, mosses and liverworts. We may find a few salamanders and frogs, too. This walk is less than a mile long, on a naturally surfaced trail, with moderate slopes in some sections.

This walk will not be canceled due to rain, but it will be canceled due to high wind, if winds above 40 mph arrive along the coast. If you do not receive a message or phone call canceling the walk by 7-8 a.m. on the day of the walk, then it has not been canceled.

Gear & Equipment: Rain gear, including boots, is required. Bring a hand lens or digital camera to see small plants more easily. This will be a good site to take close-up shots of many small plants.
The Friends of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge will be announcing details regarding their 3rd annual photo contest in April, 2010. The winning photos will be included in the 2011 Willapa National Wildlife Refuge calendar.

To sign up: contact Kathleen Sayce, ksayce@willapabay.org (preferred mode) or by phone, 360-665-5292. To register for this walk, you must leave an email address or phone number that you will be able to access the day of the hike, so that if the walk is canceled at the last minute, you can be contacted by 7 a.m. the morning of the walk.