A FEW INTRODUCTIONS: APPETIZERS

The Crossing:

The Crossing is a place. It exists. We never call it a little bit of heaven on earth, as there’s not a halo to be found for miles around.

We do know we live in a place that is special because of its natural and wild beauty. The pace is a little slower, and we are blessed with a community that was not designed but born. It is common practice to cook meals for the women who have just given birth, assist each other with projects too big to manage, or knock on a door early in the morning in only your pajamas to borrow sugar, eggs, oil, or cream for your coffee. We have our rough edges; we roll our eyes when our neighbors have too many old, junked cars parked in front of their house, yell at each other’s dogs, and make self-righteous proclamations about the lifestyles and shortcomings of others. But call a potluck, and we’re there with our best dishes, hugging and complimenting the same people we criticized that same morning over coffee.

The neighborhood has changed over the years, and not without its share of growing pains. Old hippies built it, and the once carefree tenants are now moving into middle and even old age. Traces of their reckless youth are hinted at in the sarongs they don on summer evenings, but old hippies are not immune to the sourness that sometimes accompanies the golden years; so somewhat reluctantly, the neighborhood has buckled down, shaped up, put its clothes on, and turned its music down.

We’ve tried to keep a low profile, afraid that once developers find out about our secret neighborhood the world will creep down upon us like a noxious weed. We do have “voyeurs” who, out on a Sunday drive, come upon our little road with its not-so friendly sign that states: “No River Access. Dead-end.” As they turn onto this road with its 60-degree decline, their approach will no doubt scatter the dozen or so half-wild white cats that live at the top of the hill. They may flush out a wild turkey who will take to the air in surprise, letting loose a deep squawk as he leaves the ground. A little herd of quail sunning in the road will frantically form a little parade, and, with heads bopping, make their way to the safety of the underbrush. Magpies will laugh down from low-growing trees.

We’re opening up for a moment now. You are our guests. We want to give you a little tour of the Crossing: this place that has attracted so many artists, writers, and recluses to the north bank of the Chinook River.

We are only minutes from downtown, but people who have lived in Chinook all their lives do not know this place. To get here you must pass through a desolate urban stretch of open grass where the old railway used to run freight trains into downtown Chinook. Also, through the poverty, and crime-stricken neighborhood, often referred to as Felony Flats, which lies just north of the open stretch.

River trails extend east and west of The Crossing. It is a splendid sight to walk along the river and see a heron standing silently, his serrated beak at the ready, his primitive eyes meditating upon the river’s water, waiting for fish. Or to see a pair of bald eagles floating on an air current on a blustery day. Squirrels, beaver, marmots, and even a few coyotes are often spotted during ritual morning treks.

The river itself bursts against its banks in spring. It is shaded by deciduous trees that are soft green in spring and roar in fall in all the brighter shades of orange and red. The poison nightshade leaves of three turn to a brilliant crimson for The Crossing’s fall.

There is also the nude beach across the way. We tube down the river in the summer, and sometimes flesh in great abundance awaits our eyes as we turn the corner to the beach called People’s Park. For decades the city’s nudists have bared their bodies and waded into the chilly waters of the Chinook River with their jewels in full glory. Sometimes the nudists seem to get “lost” and we come upon them strolling along the river, little dongs a-wagging (they’re mostly men). Of course, all this is bound to change. But that’s later in the story.

Somehow, by some stroke of luck or the will of our own imaginations and passions, we have found ourselves here in these nine houses nestled on a shelf of land just above the banks of the Chinook River. To our east, the buildings of downtown Chinook shine white in the midday sun. We can hear the steeple bells from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes ringing on the hour when we stand in our yards. To the west is the river trail where we walk amongst the wild things. In our homes, soups simmer and dogs lie near wood-burning stoves, and on Sunday mornings, these dogs smile.

A Perfect Blend of Appetizers to Begin Any Gathering.

This dip and vegetable assortment is just complicated enough to make your guests think you’re amazing, but simple enough so you won’t be crying over a hot stove 15 minutes before your guests arrive, and finally give up and fall to your backup plan- cheese whiz on Ritz crackers.

Hummus with flavor options and Baba Ghanoush, with assorted olives, fresh vegetables, cheeses and breads.

Serve with olives, crackers or bread, vegetables and cheeses.

Hummus

• 2 can (14 oz) garbanzo beans, drained

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 3 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2/3 cup tahini paste

• Paprika to taste

Additional flavor options:

• 1/4 cup roasted red peppers- reserve a few slivers for decoration

• 1/4 cup artichoke hearts- reserve one sliver of artichoke for decoration

• 1/4 cup Kalamata olives- reserve one olive for decoration

Place the garbanzo beans and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, cayenne pepper and tahini and blend until creamy. Separate the hummus into four portions (one will stay in this form so you can put it in the bowl of your choosing.). Place one of the portions back in the food processor and blend. Repeat with other two flavor options, cleaning the food processor between options as to not mix up the flavors. Top with an additional drizzle of olive oil, ground black pepper and a sprinkle of paprika. Decorate the flavor options with their respected ingredient.

Baba Ghanoush- like hummus only with eggplant

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

• 2 medium eggplants

• 2 tablespoon tahini

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Sprinkle of salt

• 1/4 cup plain yogurt

Roast eggplants in the oven for about 1 hour until their skin darkens and the flesh feels soft. For a smoky flavor eggplants can be sliced in half and roasted on a BBQ grill for about ½ hour. Let eggplants cool, and then split them in the center and scoop out the flesh. Place flesh in food processor, add remaining ingredients except yogurt, and blend until smooth. Blend yogurt in immediately before serving.