Sunday Dinner

I was in the garden yesterday evening helping to get it covered because it was going to be too close to freezing for comfort. While I was there, I dug up my some potatoes - my first from our garden. One little plant yielded about 8 good size potatoes. I'm guess over 2 lbs, and they'll provide for at least three meals I'm guessing - all from one little plant!



And they are gooooood. So this made me think of the following recipe, and the story that precedes it...because what's a recipe without a good story :)

My friend Jamie moved to Aspen. Jamie was my neighbor in Breck, and then we both needed to move and decided to become roommates. She was the best roomate I ever had, but she up and left me for a job in FLORIDA only a few months after we had moved in together. This was November of last year. As we all suspected, she ended up hating Florida. So while I was busy meeting Jim and moving to Aspen, she was busy trying to move back to Colorado.

How did I get so lucky that the job opportunity she was offered was also in Aspen!? And so about three months after me - in mid August - Jamie joined us here in the Roaring Fork Valley!

One Sunday afternoon, when she was staying with us while looking for an apartment, I decided to make a good Sunday feast. Now, Jamie is not a cook - although she's learning - and she seems to think this dinner was something out of Martha Stewart's kitchen!

The menu consisted of: Organic Roaster chicken with garlic, orange, and lemon; pan seared oven roasted rosemary farmer's market potatoes, and garlic broccoli and cauliflower straight from our garden!

I am a big proponent for organic/local eating, so the fact that I knew where all this food came from made me even prouder of the end result. The broccoli and cauliflower were easy - steamed with a couple cloves of smashed garlic, but I would like to share the "recipe" (we all know how I actually measure anything, haha!) for the potatoes.

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Farmer's Market Potatoes:

Start with about a pound of tiny new potatoes - I pick the smallest ones they have, wash them well.

In a large oven proof pan, heat up some olive oil and two cloves of minced garlic. Don't let the garlic burn. Also put in a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of thyme (no need to chop). Let the flavors meld with the olive oil and then add the potatoes and salt and pepper liberally. Let the potatoes brown lightly, tossing them around a few times, and then throw in a small pat of butter, cover with foil, and put the pan into the oven. The best part is, you can let them cook at the same temp as the chicken...and you can also swap out rosemary and thyme for whatever you prefer. I usually leave them in the over for at least 30-40 minutes or until a knife easily goes through, but the best part is you can leave them in as long as it takes everything else to cook because the potatoes don't seem to overcook in this method. I usually take them out a little earlier so they'll cool and then finish to taste with a little extra salt and pepper.

As for the chicken, you'll have to tune in to the next exciting episode for that recipe!

P.S. I thought I'd share a little excitement: I've sold over $25,000 in paintings in three days. And its the slow season! Go me, go me go me ;)

Expensive week

So as if getting a $2,000 surprise at the bike store wasn't enough, I went to the carfix on Thursday to get an oil change and walked out $447 later with an oil change, a new headlight...and four new tires.

I had a slow leak in one of my tires, and it turns out the whole thing was ready to blow out. One of the downfalls of owning an AWD car is that you can't buy one new tire, or it will throw the alignment out of wack. So I am the proud owner of a lot of new rubber. Sheesh.

Anyway, new topic. While I plan to talk about the mundane randomness that is my life on this blog, I still expect it will be mostly centered around food. Because, let's face it. Who doesn't love food? And we all know Angie LOVES food. One of the things I'd like to talk about today is my greater appreciation for pairing food and wine. Thanks to Jim, I am becoming increasingly cultured in the world of wine, and he has taught me a lot about how to appreciate the taste of wine with food and the taste of food with wine.

Sidebar: I talk alot about Jim, so I figured you would like to see him. Here is a photo!



The first important thing, is how does one even do this? I have been taught to take a big sip of wine and swish it around in your mouth a little, while having a bite of food (with a little of everything from the plate) ready on your fork. From here, you go with what I like to call the double double S: Swish, Swallow, Shove, Savor. Swish the wine, swallow the wine, shove the ready fork in your mouth, and savor the enhanced flavors of the food. I find it very interesting that food can make wine taste very different and vice versa, with wine bringing out hidden or masked flavors in food. Try it next time you are out for some find dining.

And since I am aiming to talk mostly about food, I am going to do something that is long overdue: give you a recipe!

I am lucky to work with an awesome artist and a big time foodie as well. Tania and I enjoy talking about our cooking, swapping recipes, and geeking out over our creations. We also got lucky and filmed a cooking show together with local TV personality Anton (www.cookingwithanton.com). The finished episode hasn't aired yet, but when it does I will be sure to share!

Anywho, Tania and I made pizza while we were on the show because Tania built her own brick pizza oven and is famous for her pizza parties. As the resident famed italian cook around, she and I whipped up some stunning concoctions, but they all started with on common thing: the crust.

So, here I share Tania's pizza dough recipe that I have adopted as my own. My next task is to find a variation of this recipe that is made with whole wheat flour, but for now enjoy!



Aspen Pizza Dough:

Yield: 6 pizza crusts

1134g high protein flour (such as bread flour)
715g water
20g salt
2.5 g yeast
Cooking oil

Using only about 70-percent of the flour, mix ingredients together until moist, then let rest for about 20 minutes. Add the remaining flour, knead thoroughly and let rest 10 minutes more. Form into 6 balls and coat with oil. Store in a plastic container and refrigerate. The dough will keep for a few days. Remove dough about 3 hours before use so it can warm and start to rise. Roll out to form a crust.

The key to this recipe is having a gram food scale. However, since Tania's recipe was featured in the summer edition of Edible Aspen, you can go here:

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/aspen/online-magazine/summer-2010/the-last-bite.htm

to view the converted recipe (and the article too!).

I also found out that, since this yields 6 doughs, they can easily be frozen. The trick is to defrost it fully in the fridge for 2-3 days before you want to use it. Also, make sure to coat the container with olive oil prior to storing the dough and freezing. Leave the fridge defrosted dough out on the counter for as much as a few hours before you work with it. You want a nice warm dough, or else it'll be too springy to roll out.

I recommend using a pizza stone and any of your favorite toppings from tomatoes, onions, and provolone, to pesto, pine nuts, and mozz. The hotter the oven, the crispier the crust. MMMM!

And since I discussed alcohol pairing, there's only one thing that goes with pizza....beer!

Boun Appetito!

The Tale of Two Bikes

On Monday, I went to this bike shop in town that has a great reputation and we know some of the folks that work there: Ajax Bike and Sport. My goal for going there was to pick up a road bike to demo for the day. I have a mountain bike, but don't enjoy mountain biking and wanted to try my hand on a road bike before I purchased. Ajax was also one of the only shops who had a demo bike small enough (i.e. women specific) for me to try.

So I get on the Specialized Ruby Expert, a $3,400 bike. It was a 48 cm frame, which seemed to be what was best for my mini status. I rode it for about an hour and a half and fell in love with road biking. I noticed a little wrist pain and lower back discomfort but attributed that to having never ridden a road bike and needing to get used to the form. I get back to the shop, and the salesman checks me out briefly and agrees that this size bike is good for me. We go through the options, and I settle on a lower version of this bike, a Specialized Dolce Elite. This bike was on sale for $1,100...which I was very pleased with because road bikes are PRICEY.

I take the bike home, very excited, and Jim is very excited at my purchase as well. I schedule an appointment to go back on Wednesday for the bike fitting (road bikes need to be set up right so you don't hurt things), and I decided not to ride it until after the fitting because I also needed to get my clipless pedals from hell put on.

So I get there on Wednesday morning, and the fitting guy gets me up on the trainer on my bike, and the first thing he says is: "you look really tall." Meaning: "I think that frame is too small for you."

So he makes some adjustments, and I go ride around a little, and then he pulls a 51 cm frame bike out and has me ride that a little. The bigger one actually feels a little better, so he puts me on the trainer on it and thinks that its a closer fit. I don't really fit either of them perfectly, but the 51 is closer. At this point, I have been at the shop for like 2.5 hours going back and forth just to determine which frame size is better...and of course the ONLY 51 cm bike left in the whole shop is twice as much as the first I bought.

At this point, we get on the trainer and he's trying to get my angles right, and we can't get there. So we swap the seat out because I liked the other seat better, and that helps a little. Then he decides the handlebar stem needs to be shorter, so he gets that from the smaller bike and puts that on. Finally, after four...yes, FOUR... hours I finally have a bike that's as close to right for me as I can get, at a budget busting price of over $2k too.

Who knew I was like world's most impossible person to fit a bike to...not to mention that now I know I can't ever walk in a shop and just buy a bike. But that's ok because I'll never need to, since this is what I ended up with:



Full carbon frame, Shimano 105 components...the Specialized Ruby Comp.

I am badass on this thing!

The Blog Lives Again

So as I mentioned in my last post.....from like 5 months ago, I am no longer embracing a vegetarian lifestyle. I found that I was craving pieces of protein too often, and eating Morning Star patties and Boca burgers is not the avenue I wanted to go. So, with Jim's help (read: urging), I have incorporated meat back into my diet. I started with organic chicken breast and now also include organic chicken thighs and organic beef from local areas of Colorado. I stay away from grocery store pork because it is treated with sodium products to help the packaging, but pork from a butcher is a great treat.

And as if reincorporating meat into my diet wasn't extreme enough after living as a veggie, we are also now breeding rabbits. Let's rewind to explain this:

In June, I moved to Aspen. Jim and I also moved in together into a new place for both of us - an apartment above the garage on a little farm. The farm has chickens for eggs, meat chickens that were butchered last month, two goats who will be bread for meat, four dogs, and a huge garden. And Jax! Jim had been thinking about breeding rabbits and much to his chagrin found that our Landlord had been thinking the same thing, so our contribution to the farm is Angus, Kiki, and Collete - the bunnies. They are very cute, and playing with the three of them is about as far into the breeding operation as I dare go.


Kiwi when she was a baby (they are now about three months old)


Angus and Collete also as babies. Angus is HUGE now!

As an aside, when I moved to Aspen, I also left the engineering life behind. I'm not sure whether this has been a temporary or permanent move, but I have to say I am quite enjoying the world in which I now find myself immersed: the art world. That's right folks, I am the Sales and Marketing Director of the Tania Dibbs Gallery, and I am lucky to work with a single artist who has her own gallery and who is AWESOME.

Check her out: www.taniadibbs.com

Now back to the earthy crunchy life. I just bought a road bike, so expect to read about my exploits on what is now my most expensive toy. Yes, I'm pretty sure my bike cost more than my car is worth. I think tomorrow, I will tell you the story of how me and said spendy thing came to be.

One of the other things I plan to enlighten you all about is the INSANITY work out. I ordered it this past week online, so if I'm able to lift my arms to type, I will give you some feedback on it. I hear its one hell of an ass kicker!

So, friends, I leave you with this Reader's Digest version of my life since April. Let's see if I can actually commit to blogging more and telling you about life in the high rent district of Aspen!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

So I keep saying I'm going to get better about blogging here, but I don't seem to be able to ACTUALLY do it!

In the past two months of my non blogging, I have failed miserably at the attempt to be a vegetarian. So much so, that I have resigned to the fact that I am just not cut out for it. One of the struggles I had with being a vegetarian is the ease of falling into the processed foods trap with meat substitutes and soy products. As a personal preference, for me, it is more important to limit processed food than it is to not eat meat. Thus, I have chosen to give up a complete vegetarian lifestyle but instead work towards eating whole, organic, and unprocessed foods.

There's a little part of me that still worries about the way meats are processed and things of that nature, so I will also aim to choose fully pastured and/or organic options as much as possible and reasonable (read: for the wallet). I do foresee keeping a largely vegetarian diet but won't be limiting myself to a complete vegetarian diet.

So enough rambling about my inability to commit to not eating, I guess I need to decide in what direction to take this blog! I think I will still talk about good products that I find when I feel like a pre-packaged product is worthy, and I will still post recipes! I think that this will be much more about a healthy, clean, whole lifestyle instead of just about being a veggie.

I hope you stick with me!

Here's a recipe for you, just for reading!

Ham and Cheddar Quiche (I recommend broccoli cheese for you veggies):
One Pie crust (I highly recommend making your own. I did)
Five eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used skim)
1 cup cheddar
1 cup ham (or broccoli)
pinch of each: salt, pepper, nutmeg

Chop the ham or broccoli into small pieces and put into a pan. Cook until the ham is golden brown or until the broccoli is cooked through. Lightly beat the eggs and combine with milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Place the ham/broccoli and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust. Pour the egg mixture over these and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until the egg is puffy and golden brown on top.

Serve for breakfast with a glass of milk, or for lunch or dinner with a salad. YUM!



Maybe if you're lucky I'll share my secret perfect pie crust recipe with you :)

Alright, I suppose its time for my slackass to start blogging again, eh?

I just returned from an amazing week in Aspen, Colorado for the annual Summit Expression Session. This is an event that brings together 150+ alpine snowboarders for a week of recreational riding. I enjoy the week because I get to reconnect with friends from back east and others who I get to see once a year in Aspen. If you've never been to Aspen, let me tell you something....Aspen is the SHIT. From the impecable groom to the ambiance of the town, Aspen can't be beat. While I had been there before, this trip had a few unexpected (but awesome) suprises in store for me.



And since this is a food blog, I'll get on with it...but the whole Aspen thing has a connection here! I had the privledge of going out on Thursday night (a week ago) to a wonderful dinner at a new spot in town called Ellina. If you're ever in Aspen you MUST check it out. And for those of you who know me and my obsession with the Food Network, you will appreciate this: we were waiting for our table and the head chef came out of the kitchen. I looked at her and immediately knew I had seen her before, and then I realized that just a few weeks ago she competed on Iron Chef America! It took everything in me not to squeal with excitement.

After eating her food, I can see why she was on there. I had a plate of perfectly seared scallops (which I had been craving) topped with fried parsnips (think parsnip onion rings) and served with a cranberry jasmine rice. SO delish...as an appetizer we had this octopus thing that I never in a million years would have ordered of my own free will. It was seared octopus on a risotto cake with some sauce and microgreens. I had to think about it a few times, but once I had a proper palette tasting with the wine we were drinking (which was also fantastic, but hell if I can remember what it was), I was sold. It pays to have a nice dining experience with a good, knowledgable companion. Thanks Jim :-D

http://www.ellinarestaurant.com/

Also, I just realized that she opened the place on my BIRTHDAY! :)

So in lieu of a recipe today, I will just leave you with my scintilating review of dining in Aspen and a product of the day...which I happen to be munching on right now:

Cascadian Farms Organic Pomegranite Raspberry Clusters.



Think Chex on CRACK. Mmm.

Here's to hoping I won't be a slacker blogger (how many times have I said that now??)
Cheers!

New Year, New Start

Today's Praise: Amy's Organic Chunky Vegetable Soup
Today's Recipe: Salads

Well I've obviously taken a little hiatus since the holidays started. I'm lame, what can I say. Between the Thanksgiving trip to Phoenix, my Happy Birthday, multiple holiday parties including my spread for 20, and New Year's....I can't say I was a complete failure. I'll be happy when the couple pounds of cookie induced bloat goes away, but otherwise I think I was more successful this year than most.

Of course, I am going "home" to PA on Wednesday....so that'll be the final test.

As far as the vegetarian in me goes, I caved to the turkey. BUT...I slaved over the dang thing for like 6 hours so I was going to at least taste it. And let me tell you, it was GOOD. Now I'm back to my veggie, organic, fruit eating ways in the hopes of paring down and toning up in time for my little Aspen trip a month from now ;)

Today's praise just went down the hatch for lunch, and I have to say it was very good. I'm pretty sensitive to salty foods, and soups are usually first in line to offend, but this wasn't too salty and was full of a lot of different chunky veggies. More veggies than broth, I highly recommend Amy's soups!



Today's "recipe" is in honor of the New Year and everyone's quest to lose weight as their resolution. So I bring you SALADS!

My personal favorite salad is the following:
Mixed Greens
Sunflower Seeds
Dried Cranberries
360 Crackers (see previous post) crunched up as Croutons
Fat Free Honey Mustard Dressing

Another favorite variation is cranberries, walnuts, feta cheese, and fat free blue cheese dressing.

Here are some other topping ideas:
Cukes
Avocado
Tomato (duh)
Olives (mmm)
Apples
Brie Cheese
Artichokes
Baby Corn
Grapes
Morning Star Bacon crunched up
Chick Peas
Water Chestnuts
Edameme

So in honor of our health in this new year, go make yourself a loaded salad! :)

Happy 2010!