How to Survive: Keep Warm

Subtitle: Flat Stanley Arrives in Shishmaref






VFN would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest cast member: Flat Stanley. Flat Stanley hails from North Odgen, Utah. He was sent first class to Shishmaref by my cousin Ben. (Hey Ben! Thanks for sending us Flat Stanley! We're taking good care of him, I promise!)

One look at Flat Stanley told me that he was not going to survive in Shishmaref unless he got some warmer clothes.





This is a parka. It's the traditional Inupiaq winter coat. The student in this picture is making a silly face because he's wearing a woman's parka. A man's parka wouldn't typically be purple and pink. Or have flowers on it.

Note to readers: In Shishmaref, parka is pronounced "park-ee."






This is a pretty common man's parka. It's called a hunting parka. They are all white, thus camouflaging the hunters amid the winterscape.






This isn't really the best picture of a parka, but I thought it was too adorable not to include. Ahhhhhhhh!!! Cuteness attack!!!






I took FS over to visit my friend Kate. She hooked us some supplies to make a parka. FS wasn't sure what size he was, so I had to trace him. He wiggled a little bit, but we managed to get a pretty decent outline.





We made the parka out of blue material so there would be no doubt about FS's masculinity.






Much better. The fur ruff is Tuscany lamb. FS now has a chance to make it in Shishmaref without freezing.





FS should consider himself pretty lucky. Neither Steve or I have a parka. We brought our Rexburg coats up to Shishmaref. (Hey BYU-Idaho! Thanks for preparing us a little bit for the cold!) They lasted for about 3.5 years before we upgraded. We both went with The North Face jackets. Steve got a coat in rust, and I got one in black.

Note to Readers: In the above picture, Steve is demonstrating a very UNwise way to dress around Shishmaref. Shorts are a no-no, unless you don't mind sacrificing your knees to frostbite. However, he is wearing the boots that are very typical for life in Shishmaref. We both have a pair. Thank you.




The latest addition to my cold weather ensemble is my gloves. They are made out of seal skin and lined with beaver fur. I received them as a gift in the staff Christmas gift exchange. Steve took this picture of me right after I opened them. I might have been a little bit excited about them. They are super warm and super comfy. I recommend them to anybody that in need of warm fingers.

How to Survive: Develop Hobbies

One of the keys to surviving in Shishmaref is to develop hobbies. Without movie theaters, malls, restaurants, and family around, Steve and I have a lot of available time. One of the hobbies I recently started pursuing to fill my evening hours is photography. I bought a Nikon D80 and a couple of sweet lenses last year (Hey Steve! Thanks for letting me make a major purchase!).




After fiddling around and perusing Flickr and some photography blogs, I started to be able to take some pretty decent pictures. I got to practice this summer when my little sister Lisa married Jason Davenport of Pocatello.




Now, I'm not pretending to be a wedding photographer. I'm not nearly as talented as my amazing sister-in-law, and I'm not planning on quitting my day job. I just like to have fun taking and sharing pictures.





But... pictures like this? They inflate my ego.





So, excuse me if I show off a little.





I'm actually quite proud of some of these shots.





I may not have been able to replace the real photographer, but I'd like to think that only a sister could could capture a few of these moments.





Because only a sister can inspire true silliness.





And the professional photographer's not always there when Mom and Dad are late picking us up.





And you never act more like yourself than when you're around family.





Since we're talking about family, I might as well show you this picture of me with my brothers and sisters. (I'm third from the left. Just in case you're from Alaska, and you've only ever seen me with my hair in a ponytail.)





We more typically look like this... I may be the loudest and spazziest Busch child, but all of us are pretty silly.





I originally titled this photo "Busch Babes." Then I realized that wasn't exactly accurate. One of these babes is a Busch, but one is an Alston. And one is a Davenport. And one is a Winterbottom. Weird.

Thanks for getting married Lisa and Jason!!! It was a great chance for me to practice my new hobby.

How to Survive: Trips to Town

Steve had to go into Nome this weekend. The reason he had to go had nothing to do with grocery shopping, but that was definitely a bonus.



I sent Steve with a list of groceries to bring home. I thought we should take advantage of an opportunity to buy things we can't get in Shishmaref.





I was so smitten with the beautiful bottles of vinegar that I had to take some wannabe artistic shots.





It's fun to play with pretty bottles.






Steve also made some of his own purchases. I was especially excited to see the cilantro (that's the green stuff on the left). Cilantro is our favorite herb.





Steve also picked up some plain yogurt. I've been dying to try some recipes with plain yogurt. I'm especially excited about the prospect of making my own cream cheese and sour cream.





Our new ingredients freshened up our fajitas. Fajitas make regular appearances at the VFN household. Not to brag, but we make the awesomest homemade tortillas. Our tortillas were joined by some equally awesome homemade salsa, which started out as the above pictured canned tomatoes. (I would have loved to use fresh tomatoes, but the tomatoes at our store were all moldy.)





Then I added beans, corn, and lime juice





Then I chopped the cilantro with my ulu. As you can tell, I got a little lazy with my chopping.





I added the cilantro and sealed the salsa in a tupperware dish. Then Steve reminded me that I forgot to add the white wine vinegar. (One of the reasons I wanted to make the salsa was because Steve brought home the white wine vinegar. Duh.) I sealed the tupperware again. Then I had to open it to add the fresh onions. Double duh. I put the tupperware in the fridge for the third time. Then I let it sit overnight so that the flavors could meld.




I also used cilantro to season the chicken for the fajitas.




This is how fajitas start Alston style. You always put the sour cream on the tortillas first.





Then you add the meat stuff.





If your husband went to Nome over the weekend, you add your delicious homemade salsa. The online recipe said that some people like to eat it with a fork straight out of the bowl. I thought those people were weird until I tried it. It is definitely worth eating with a fork. In fact, I may do exactly that after I finish this post. :)

How To Survive: Take Advantage of Fresh Stuff

I hadn't been to the store for a while, so I thought I'd take a walk over and see what was available. Imagine my surprise when I was BOMBARDED with fresh stuff! Wahoo! Needless to say, I exercised no restraint and bought it all. Now I have some very big plans. Here's what I scored:




Butter. Real butter. I went to the store hoping to find this so that I can make Steve some from-scratch chocolate cake. It turns out that my recent baking escapades have only involved my favorite types of desserts (mainly centered around caramel). I had been selfishly ignoring Steve's preferences (it happens sometimes).

one pound of butter = $5.15






I postponed my chocolate cake plans when I discovered these apples. They weren't the firmest apples around, but they were free from mold, rottenness, and oozing juices, which makes them outstanding village apples. I will use them to make an apple pie. Lucky Steve...

four apples = $5.65






Peppers! Green peppers! Steve didn't like peppers when we got married. Now he loves them. I consider that one of my finest achievements. Some of these beauties are destined for fajitas with homemade tortillas, but tonight I will use two of them in stuffed peppers. It was going to be a surprise for Steve, but as soon as he woke up from his nap, I told him.

five green peppers = $6.25





Onions make pretty regular appearances at the store, but I'm still grateful for them. Mostly I'm grateful that when I put my hand in the onion bin I didn't touch anything soft and squishy.

Four yellow onions = $3.92




These are my babies. I heart tomatoes. I used to eat them like apples when I didn't live at the edge of the earth. The tomatoes that make it to Shishmaref are usually mushy, but these look pretty good. Of course, it helps that I dumped out the little green basket and filled it with only the firmest red spheres. I felt a little guilty, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

pint of cherry tomatoes = $2.29 (I was so jazzed when the cashier said that price that I hollered, "Wahoo!!!" Right in the store. In front of people.)





Since I bought the tomatoes, I had to buy cream cheese so I could make garlic stuffed tomatoes. I'm a little bit ashamed to admit how excited I am to eat the tomatoes stuffed with the cream cheese. My fixation on them has reached the "unhealthy" stage.

sixteen ounces of cream cheese = $8.55





Eggs. Always a good idea, especially if Steve is overcome with a desire to make me breakfast in bed.

one dozen eggs = $3.49





This last purchase was purely a token of love for Steve-o. He likes to make pizza. I want him to be able to do things that he likes. I also want to encourage him to cook as often as possible. :)

thirty slices of pepperoni = $3.15



Grand total (with tax) = $39.22

Major excitement and staving off food boredom for another week = priceless.

How To Survive: Barbecue In the Snow

Sometimes, you have to have real food. No matter how creative you get with the stove and treasure hunts to the store, there comes a time when you have to have real meat. And it has to be grilled.

We are very lucky because we have a big tough Eskimo friend with grill. He likes to bring it over to our house and cook for us.




This is our tough Eskimo friend barbecuing hamburgers on Steve's birthday. Notice the snow in the background. (Also notice the adorable small child "helping" his dad.)

There are two difficulties when barbecuing in the snow: braving the cold outside long enough for the meat to cook and keeping the meat hot as it travels into the house.




Our tough Eskimo friend takes care of the first difficulty. He can stand outside forever as long as he is equipped with the above grilling necessities.

I usually tackle the second difficulty. As soon as BTE (Big Tough Eskimo) hollers that the meat is almost done, I run outside with a plate. He piles the meat on, and I buzz back into the house as fast as my short legs will carry me. Then I cover the meat with foil and put it in a heated over. During this flurry of activity Steve is usually...uh...um.... I'm not sure what Steve is doing. Probably playing his Nintendo DS or something and giving thanks that BTE is outside grilling in the cold instead of him. (This comment is in no way meant to imply that my strapping husband is in any way lazy. He works very hard, and I love him for it. Thank you.)

On our last night in Shishmaref, BTE decided to spoil us with some of his grilling delicacies (I thought about being offended at the fact that he was celebrating our departure, but I knew the food would be good enough that I wouldn't care. I'm kind of shallow that way.)




This is the barbecue sauce that BTE used to marinate the ribs. It is made of bottled barbecue sauce, lots of garlic, and probably some other stuff (sorry for the vague details, I was busy doing important stuff on my laptop while he was concocting it). He soaked the ribs in Sierra Mist as a tenderizer before marinating them in this sauce.





These are the ribs cooking. I'm salivating just remembering them. The soda pop tenderizer really did the trick. They were so easy to chew and yummy!!! I practically transformed into a feral animal gnawing the meat off the bones as fast as possible.




This is the chicken marinade. BTE made it by mixing ranch dressing, lots of garlic, bacon bits, and Sierra Mist. I'm not always a huge ranch dressing fan, but this stuff smelled a-freaking-mazing. I wanted to eat the marinade all by itself. Only my fear of salmonella from eating it with a soup spoon.




The chicken was major yum too. Steve came close to falling in love with it. That's funny because he usually thinks that chicken is a sissy food. He said it was Rodizio's good (Rodizio's is our favorite Brazilian grill in Salt Lake City. It's like an Alston family law that we have eat there every time we're in Utah).



My contribution to these dinners usally consists of running the meat back and forth to BTE and other mundane tasks like slicing pickles and asking Steve to set the table as soon as he finishes the next level of Mario World. In honor of Steve's birthday, I tried this home fry recipe from my favorite cooking blog: Amateur Gourmet.

I would recommend this recipe who wants to celebrate the real gem of Idaho and is okay with a little deep frying. (If you're interested, definitely check out Amateur Gourmet's directions. They will be way better than mine.)

I started by boiling the potatoes. When they were soft enough that my weak wrists could stab a knife through them, I took them out and cut them into chunks.



Then I fried them on one side with in oil and butter. After slightly browned, I flipped the chunks and added minced onion and an assortment of seasonings.





The finished potatoes were a huge hit. Everyone at the birthday party (BTE, BTE's oldest daughters, our coworker Coleenie, and our new friend visiting from the Netherlands) devoured them completely. This recipe instantly made its way into our list of favorites.




I usually leave one of our kitchen windows open when we (meaning: BTE) barbecue. That way I can hear when BTE needs something, and we can pass meat, foil, sauce, small firearms*, etc. through the window. Our open window becomes a magnet for any young (and not so young) children in the village. I've even had my high school students hanging inside my kitchen asking me questions and making small talk...

Our Arctic Barbecues break up the monotony of my crock pot and/or frying pan delicacies. I would encourage all readers to barbecue even if the obstacles include freezing temperatures and high meat prices. It's worth it.


*No members of the Alaska Alston family actually have any type of firearms in their possession.