FAIR AT HOME ~ Day 4

Tonight something happened that has never happened in our over 16 years of living at Woodhaven. And it was WONDERFUL.

Our neighborhood of 18 houses on a private rural road gathered together and shared an experience. As neighbors, as friends, as new friends.

About a month ago, knowing there are a few families on our road that are in 4-H or at least make a point to attend the Fair one day each year, I put out word that I had some ideas for Fairing At Home as a neighborhood. Because it’s always more fun to Fair with friends.  Even at a distance.

That morphed into three planned events this week, tonight being the first. My heart swelled tonight as I overheard additional ideas forming for other fun later in the week. I can not wait to see what comes over the next few days!

Tonight’s event was a Horse Show. And it was so fun!!

Laura and Matt and their four kids are horse people. When they joined the neighborhood a couple summers ago, I was thrilled to see livestock arrive with them. It has been at least a decade since our boonies neighborhood has had anything other than coyotes, deer, rabbits, the occasional bobcat, and that one summer of The Cougar.

When I put out my initial email, I had hopes that maybe neighbors could come by and pet Laura and Matt’s horses. What they offered instead was their daughters demonstrating barrel racing in their large backyard. Then neighborhood kids (and one goofy adult I am lucky enough to share my life with) running the barrels on stick horses (or, in one case, a sparkly unicorn). Then pony rides for any kid brave or curious enough to give it a go.

Allison and Mackenzie warming up around the barrels

Little neighbor on a big horsey

I don't know that I could love him more.
Also very grateful we didn't need to pay a visit to
Urgent Care tonight.

In between the activities, small groups spread out in the warm August air, chatting, meeting, catching up. I had no idea how many people would show up – I hoped maybe a couple house’s worth. We counted 8 houses represented.

The gathering lasted about an hour, with folks waving good-bye and promising to reconvene at a different neighbor’s yard in a few days for yet more neighborly Fair Fun at safe distances.

They came! They really came! Fairing is all about community and sharing an experience together. My heart is just so full and I am beaming. Thank you, dear neighbors!


FAIR AT HOME STATS!

Today’s t-shirt: Today’s shirt is brand spankin’ new. Like, it arrived on my doorstep yesterday, hand-delivered by an awesome neighbor. I haven’t asked Laura yet why exactly she has screen printing set up at her house; I’m just tickled green to be a recipient of her side gig. Is this adorable or what?!? Have I mentioned I have amazing neighbors?? THANK YOU, LAURA!!

Today’s earrings: Snow cones! By now I should have slurped down at least 4 Hawaiian Shave Ices at the Fair, stickily referring to my Favorite Flavors Cheat Sheet. Today’s earrings are in honor of our trek into Portland to get a different but equally addicting Shave Ice.

Today’s hand sticker: I’m a little worried today’s sticker has ruined one of my favorite pop duets of all time. Elton and Kiki, I’m so sorry that I will forever think of you crooning about breakfast meat.

Time today’s hand sticker finally bit it: A brain fart resulted in the sticker not being applied until about 4:00pm. Nevertheless, my bacon fell off at 8:57pm.

Number of steps walked: 2,333. I wish somehow I got credit for standing on uneven grass for an hour. My legs and knees are talking! My foot, thankfully, was braced and happy.

UnFair food consumed: I’m feeling some of the impact of introducing things like enormous pickles and fried cookie dough into my diet. Needing to take things a little easy this morning, I had a banana for breakfast and various bottles of water over the course of the day. UnFair lunch was a disappointingly tepid cheeseburger (the cheese wasn’t even melted!) with an unacceptably cool bun from Burgerville. Dinner was a rushed Bertolli’s Chicken Carbonara frozen meal in a bag. Because we had a horse show to walk to!

Horticultural Exhibit: We dropped off a delivery at our friend Dianne’s house today. While I always admire her flower garden, today the burst of colors made me smile big. I am really missing seeing all the flowers and plants at the Fair displayed in vases and on paper plates, all lined up, sporting ribbons and rosettes. Thank you for your wonderful Fair At Home flower display, Dianne!

FAIR FOOD FEAST TREATS!

Tired of cooking and doing dishes, today’s Fair Feasting featured two items we paid someone else to make for us. YAY!! We also very successfully tried our hands (well, machines really) at making a Fair Food staple. It was a very good eating day!

Walla Walla Onion Rings
Burgerville is a fast-food chain local to the Pacific Northwest. They differentiate themselves by using as many local ingredients and local suppliers as possible, including offering an array of seasonal items throughout the year. My favorite is Walla Walla Onion Ring Season.

Walla Walla onions are huge and sweet and delicious and currently curing in Woodhaven’s garden. Not certain we will find a suitable batter recipe before Sunday, Rob and I decided we would let the experts provide our Fait At Home onion rings.

Apparently yesterday was officially the last day for Walla Wallas at Burgerville. YIKES!! We were super lucky to get five of the few that were left at our most proximate restaurant. I only had two of them…but they were perfection. The batter was lightly seasoned and crunchy and stayed on the rings. The onions were cooked but not limp, and THICK. So often, onion rings are so much ring and so little onion. Burgerville’s rings were so good, they actually made up for the inexplicably cold and disappointing cheeseburger.

We have had so many meals in our car since
April, we now have plastic trays, paper plates,
and tote our own condiments.  Oh, how I
miss dine-in restaurants!

Hawaiian Shave Ice
Several years ago, while on a food tour of Kauai (what, you don’t take food tours while on tropical vacations?), we were introduced to a little food cart tucked at the back of a grassy field between souvenir stores.

“These guys have the best shave ice in the islands.”

The guide spoke truth. I had one of the best and most unusual shave ices I’d ever tried – fluffy ice doused with coffee, drizzled with chocolate sauce, and topped with coconut foam. It was mind-blowingly good…and unexpectedly made with a coffee brand based in Portland.

Turns out the shave ice people had family in Portland and had exciting plans to expand.

Fast-forward to Portland 2020, the folks of Wailua Shave Ice have a brick-and-mortar shop across from Portland’s iconic Powell’s bookstore and thankfully something of a rabid following.

We pre-ordered our favorites last night with a 1:30pm scheduled pick up time today. We arranged to meet our friend Becca who has Faired with us before and was graciously willing to trek from the other side of the Portland metro to join us in a little taste of the Fair.

Unlike the version at the Fair, Wailua’s shave ices hints at being gourmet. The ice itself is light and fluffy, not at all crunchy. The syrups are actually juices, verging on healthy. The fruit toppings are fresh and the dollop of haupia (coconut) foam makes the treat seem authentically Hawaiian. Because I think it might be.

As usual, my Lava Flow with pineapple juice, pineapple chunks, chopped strawberries, and that lightly sweet foam was absolutely delicious and absolutely worth the drive across the bridge, rivers, and state line.

Wailua Shave Ice.  Across Burnside from Powell's.
You're welcome.

Homemade Elephant Ears
I had never heard of an elephant ear as a treat until I moved to the Pacific Northwest. It’s called things like “fry bread” in other places. Here, it is large hunk of fried dough about the size of a large pizza, smothered in butter and sugar and cinnamon. Rob and I make a point to have at least a couple ears every Fair.

Our handy little deep fryer is far too small to fry anything other than personal-sized pizza ears. But as it turns out, that is a perfect serving sized. Never mind that Rob and I inhaled three servings each.

Rob found a recipe for the dough online. I was all in when the instructions directed us to use our bread machine to make the dough. No kneading needed!

Raw ears, cut using a plastic storage container

Having no clear directions about how long to fry the dough or how much butter or cinnamon sugar to apply, we sort of winged it. And we flew!

The dough sort of puffed up as it cooked, so our ears ended up a little more like pillowy donuts. This was not a bad thing. At all. Experimenting, we learned golden brown is better than crispy brown; apply just enough butter to allow the cinnamon sugar to stick; and the more cinnamon sugar the better.

Just the right proportion of butter and cinnamon sugar.
Hey, the 3 I ate were merely research.

Verdict: OH. MY. GOSH. YES!!! The ears were soooo good! As good as or even better than the Deep Fried Oreos we did a few nights ago. I loved having control over how not crispy to make my ear (the ones at the Fair almost always have some overdone edges). The dough was light but chewy and just sweet enough. And interestingly, our ears didn’t taste quite as greasy and artery-clogging as the ones at the Fair, making them dangerously easy to eat without too much guilt. It’s probably a good thing we can only fry one ear at a time.

For whatever reason, Rob and I always have elephant ears
as an evening treat at the Fair.  So it seemed really
fitting to be devouring our mini-ears at night
under the glow of our bright garage light