Back in the saddle...in Colorado!

So just because I left my government job doesn't mean I all the sudden had time for me...apparently. I have so many posts to catch up on...including a few wine trips to California, but I figured I'd keep with the present for a brief one.

After working doubles for three weeks between a few restaurants, I am finally on a 10 day hiatus in the middle of nowhere. Thank goodness! I've been gone from the DMV for 12 hours and am already feeling the sanity slip back into my bloodstream (that and some nice rye). I not only have high altitude air to cleanse my lungs, but a full garden and endless game meat at my disposal. So let the do nothing but eat, sleep, drink and...well....you know...commence :)

Started my first morning here learning how to poach eggs properly. Might have gone through a carton...but hey, I was only starting my coffee routine at the same time. Here's the key guys...a touch of vinegar in the water. Well I only figured that one out about 9 eggs in. Whoops...


The biggest order of business today was to get all the vegetable shopping done (not satisfied by our garden yields) at the local orchards. Of course...we had to go to Colon, CO for the vegetables. So...straight from Colorado's colon......voila!

American cucumbers, roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, green tomatoes, Italian plumbs, peppers, sweet onions, and all the rest. So yummy. The fresh aroma of everything is just really overwhelming. We have quite a few dinner parties planned over the next few nights, so it was good to start meal planning based on what was fresh.

Next was the one winery in the area, the winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Canon City. I really didn't expect much from Colorado wine, but was surprised to encounter quite well blended cab francs and merlots. All of their white wines had been blended using imported grapes (100%), so I wasn't quite as impressed by those. The staff in the tasting room were very friendly and fun to taste with. Also, it's in the middle of the Rockies....the view doesn't get much better than that.

I couldn't believe the size of some of the produce that we found.....and were gifted! Our lovely neighbor and gardener extroadinaire, Juan, brought us some great produce from his "jungle" as he calls it, the green house using his own recipe for organic soil. My granny and I couldn't get over the size of his cucumbers.....see photo below! He also gifted me his famous (at least to me) salsa recipe, which I have been trying to replicate for years! You're only getting half a glimpse ;)

Making some honey crusted salmon tonight for the quiet evening in. Can't wait to get to pasta making in the AM and my duo of goat tomorrow afternoon. Good be back and in the midwest!!!

Keeping calm and cooking on from the middle of nowhere....xoxo