This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Eddie Redmayne in a scene from, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." (Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. via AP)

Reeling it in: ‘Fantastic Beasts’ missing the Potter magic

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”Warner Bros.2 hours, 13 minutesAfter years of discussion and months of breathless advertising, the latest film from the world… Continue reading

This image released by Warner Bros. Entertainment shows Eddie Redmayne in a scene from, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." (Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. via AP)
The Bookworm Sez: 'Hot Sauce Nation' a spicy read

The Bookworm Sez: ‘Hot Sauce Nation’ a spicy read

All the things you love will be on your table this holiday.Steaming mashed potatoes with a dollop of butter. Turkey or ham, fresh from the… Continue reading

The Bookworm Sez: 'Hot Sauce Nation' a spicy read

Pioneer Potluck: Different styles of fixing, serving food

The continued stories of holidays and the differences between Northern and Southern style of fixing and serving food. Thank you everyone for your comments. This… Continue reading

  • Nov 22, 2016
  • By Ann 'Grannie Annie' Berg
  • Food
It may appear like a lot of work, but an apple pie that begins with packaged peeled and sliced apples and a store-bought fill and bake crust (upper left), eliminates most of the labor. No matter how you opt to top your apple pie, either with a lattice-cut crust or one simply vented with a few knife cuts, brushing the bottom crust with egg white helps to keep it from becoming soggy. In addition, cooking the filling  (with apple cider or juice, sugar and spices), prevents  a gap from forming between the crust and the filling. The use of a pie shield (right, center) helps keep the edges of the crust from overbrowning before the rest of the crust is baked.

The Kitchen Ade: Holiday desserts as easy as pie

Using ready-made pie crusts, canned pumpkin and peeled and sliced fresh apples can make baking for the holidays “as easy as pie.” And, if you… Continue reading

  • Nov 22, 2016
  • By Sue Ade
  • Food
It may appear like a lot of work, but an apple pie that begins with packaged peeled and sliced apples and a store-bought fill and bake crust (upper left), eliminates most of the labor. No matter how you opt to top your apple pie, either with a lattice-cut crust or one simply vented with a few knife cuts, brushing the bottom crust with egg white helps to keep it from becoming soggy. In addition, cooking the filling  (with apple cider or juice, sugar and spices), prevents  a gap from forming between the crust and the filling. The use of a pie shield (right, center) helps keep the edges of the crust from overbrowning before the rest of the crust is baked.
This October 2016 photo shows a warm Brussels sprouts salad with anchovy vinaigrette in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Katie Workman. (Katie Workman via AP)

COOKING ON DEADLINE: Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

I think this is (possibly) the best Brussels sprouts recipe I have ever made. They are roasted and then tossed while still warm with an… Continue reading

  • Nov 22, 2016
  • By KATIE WORKMAN
  • Food
This October 2016 photo shows a warm Brussels sprouts salad with anchovy vinaigrette in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Katie Workman. (Katie Workman via AP)
FILE -This Nov. 9, 2015, photo, shows salmon poached in green salsa and topped with baked chips in Concord, N.H. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Tomatillo salsa offers fresh approach to poaching salmon

The French love to cook fish by poaching it in a flavored liquid, usually a combination of white wine and water, leeks or onions, and… Continue reading

  • Nov 22, 2016
  • By SARA MOULTON
  • Food
FILE -This Nov. 9, 2015, photo, shows salmon poached in green salsa and topped with baked chips in Concord, N.H. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Community News and Notes

Safari Club awards six scholarships Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula Chapter of Safari Club International wishes to recognize the accomplished young people who earned $1,000 college scholarships… Continue reading

Notes from the Recycling Bin

— Americans use enough plastic wrap to wrap all of Texas every year.— Every year we create 11.5 million tons of ferrous waste.— Recycling creates… Continue reading

Unhinged Alaska: Aw, come on now!

During the last couple of months, certain people were starting to think we were on the verge of some sort of weird cultural Armageddon.Concepts and… Continue reading

Learning for Life: Rodent awareness

Despite the snow and cold many of Alaska’s rodents don’t take a nap in the winter, instead they enter cabins, greenhouses, garages and homes looking… Continue reading

An Outdoor View: Fishing around

A video on YouTube shows Royal Marines helping appreciative locals catch fish in Afghanistan. If you’re thinking, “Good for those Marines,” consider that they’re fishing… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion A cyclist makes his way up a hill on the Tsalteshi Trails during the Polar Vortex race Oct. 22 in Soldotna.

Waiting for the snow: Peninsula recreationists find other ways to get outside

During recent winters on the central Kenai Peninsula, ice has become the new snow. Following the trend of several consecutive abnormal winters that have left… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion A cyclist makes his way up a hill on the Tsalteshi Trails during the Polar Vortex race Oct. 22 in Soldotna.

Voices of Faith: Something for everyone in world’s greatest book

This is an exciting time in literature! Robert Allen Zimmerman has won the Nobel Prize for this subject. This, according to some, expands the boundaries… Continue reading

These local high school students worked together this past summer as the Youth Conservation Corps crew on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. From left to right:  Grant Knauss, Haley Buckbee, Matthew Zorbas, Whitney Esteban and Talon Musgrave. (Photo by Allie Cunningham/USFWS)

Refuge Notebook: Local high school students monitor fire management

“The GPS says the plots are on the other side of the swamp in front of us. There isn’t a way around it,” Grant says… Continue reading

These local high school students worked together this past summer as the Youth Conservation Corps crew on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. From left to right:  Grant Knauss, Haley Buckbee, Matthew Zorbas, Whitney Esteban and Talon Musgrave. (Photo by Allie Cunningham/USFWS)
This July 3, 2016, photo provided by Dean Fosdick shows a wildflower mix in a Langley, Wash., yard. Many gardeners like perennials because they continue to flower year after year but add some annuals for instant color. Combination seed packets seem to be the most popular choice for wildflower buyers but check the packages to ensure they contain more seeds than filler. (Dean Fosdick via AP)

You can prepare the ground now for sowing wildflowers

Wildflowers are among the easiest plants to grow, especially if you copy Mother Nature. For cool climate gardeners, that means spreading seed over the ground… Continue reading

This July 3, 2016, photo provided by Dean Fosdick shows a wildflower mix in a Langley, Wash., yard. Many gardeners like perennials because they continue to flower year after year but add some annuals for instant color. Combination seed packets seem to be the most popular choice for wildflower buyers but check the packages to ensure they contain more seeds than filler. (Dean Fosdick via AP)
ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, NOV. 12-13 - In this Oct. 25, 2016 photo, Jeff Garmire poses in Vancouver, Wash. Garmire is among the elite cadre of hikers who have completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails in a calendar year. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian via AP)

Hiker conquers 3 iconic long-distance trails in 252 days

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Jeff Garmire of Vancouver hiked America’s three iconic long-distance routes — the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails — this… Continue reading

ADVANCE FOR WEEKEND EDITIONS, NOV. 12-13 - In this Oct. 25, 2016 photo, Jeff Garmire poses in Vancouver, Wash. Garmire is among the elite cadre of hikers who have completed the Appalachian, Pacific Crest and Continental Divide trails in a calendar year. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian via AP)

‘Arrival’ speaks of cooperation, hope

“Arrival” 21 Laps Entertainment 1 hour, 55 mintes Amy Adams, as Dr. Louise Banks, is flying in a helicopter when she gets her first glimpse… Continue reading

Brief histories of everyday objects

Brief histories of everyday objects

Imagine the first person who created a toothbrush.Better yet – imagine life before a toothbrush. Think about it: getting your mouth minty-fresh wasn’t exactly easy… Continue reading

Brief histories of everyday objects

Cellist and pianist to play concert

Like chocolate and peanut butter, cello and piano are two great tastes that perfectly complement together. Composers have thought so for centuries, and this Saturday… Continue reading

Thankful for pumpkin in cheesecake and flan

I’ve made pumpkin pie from scratch – that is, with a filling that’s made with fresh pumpkin. It’s a lot of work and to be… Continue reading

  • Nov 15, 2016
  • By Sue Ade
  • Food