Time for Soup

While I know there are some, a very few, out there who don't understand the joys of soup.....yep, we know who you are.....this is for those that do.

It's one of those weeks (will it ever end) and this bowl of soup did make me feel a little better at lunch today.  I of course, don't have a recipe to share, but it's just a basic vegetable soup.  Pull a container of homemade chicken broth out of the freezer and rummage around to gather all the vegetables you desire, in this one, fresh corn, shredded zucchini, shredded swiss chard cabbage, tomatoes and it goes without saying onion and garlic.  Then I noticed that I still had some of the Whole Wheat Lemon Chive pasta, which I broke into very small pieces and added.  Mmmmm, and don't skimp on yourself when heating up a quick bowl of soup.  Top it with some fresh shredded parmesan, fresh chopped parsley, picked from the garden, and some cracked pepper because that's what makes it special!

It's been a long week

Lots of driving and working were done this week, but it's all good once I get to sleep in my own bed and I have the spoils from "big city" shopping put away.  Above is the view of the full moon setting over the mountains at about 6:30 AM from my hotel room in Denver this week, so glad my bleary eyes, trying to catch up with work and email, looked up!

Just to share, the highlight of my Denver trip was the amazing Whole foods.  I so yearn for a store like that locally. I don't want to deal with the traffic every day, but I wish those stores would come to me!   For dinner Wed night I was in my hotel room with the following:

• A wonderful local brew (IPA of course) from CO.
• A roasted yellow beet salad with arugula.
• The whole foods super salad (kale, blueberries, tomatoes, and a light lemon/oil dressing) - I could eat this every day!
• Oh, and some cauliflower curry and spinach tofu saag (indian).
• So many vegetables and flavors so little time....

I got home about 9:30 PM Thursday night and hit the ground running this morning so needless to say about 2 PM, I was thinking, what am I going to do for dinner.  I haven't defrosted anything, so no meat.... hmmmm.  I'm pretty happy with my creation.  In the fridge I had a dish of slow roasted tomatoes and garlic from Monday night, I have my wonderful fall greens growing hearty on the deck; plus I had a sweet onion and some zucchini from the farmers market in Denver - who doesn't always have toasted walnuts and feta?  And then I remembered the piece d'resistance - fresh whole wheat lemon chive pasta I bought in Denver.

Let's call this a Roasted Vegetable Lemon Chive Pasta.  I washed the fresh greens , squeezed some fresh lemon juice and cracked some fresh pepper on them and grilled a couple small zucchini and sweet onion slices.  Then I layered: Greens, topped with pasta (mixed w/roasted tomatoes), topped with onions and zucchini, topped with roasted walnuts and feta cheese.  So loved this, if I were single I fear I would just eat vegetables all day long.. mostly roasted, but often raw. 

Saturday Night Dinner w/ Friends

The weather has been amazing and last night we had the perfect weather for a dinner on the deck with friends. What a perfect Saturday, ignoring computer work and spending the whole day in the kitchen or outside. This is one of my go-to favorite grilled vegetable dishes.

Take your favorite vegetables and grill them, basting them with a garlic herb oil.  We had zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, peppers, and green onions.  After arranging nicely (didn't Joe do a good job?) squeeze a 1/2 lemon and top with any leftover fresh herbs, chopped olives and either feta or ricotta salata cheese.  It's easy to make the oil, just heat a few cloves of chopped garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil, and a handful of fresh herbs ( I had basil, parsley, and thyme) over low heat until warmed through.

The vegetables were served with Grilled Lemon Chicken and Couscous with Pine Nuts and fresh herbs.  And the dessert, well, you'll have to wait for the next post to see the dessert.....  :)

Gardening in Wyoming

Well if you've ever gardened in Wyoming or anywhere else with a similarly short growing season this is inevitably a picture you are familiar with.... the harvest after an early freeze.

So a freeze took our tomato and squash plants last week, the first one on September 6 and another hit on the 9th. This is a little less than half of the tomatoes that Lorna and I divided up.  They will faithfully continue ripening until we've eaten all of them.  The squash, that I'm not so sure about, we'll see if that ripens.

Garden update:

• The frozen tomato and squash stems are pulled and in the compost pile. 
• The greens (kale and swiss chard) haven't slowed down yet,
• The carrots, turnips, and beets are doing great! 
• We got 4 red potatoes from something left over from last year as we didn't plant potatoes. 
• All onions, shallots and garlic are pulled - and were a great success! 
• Broccoli struggled this year - probably because we thought we were the broccoli queens last year, we needed to be taken down a notch.
• And we have one nice head of Cauliflower - that was a plant we had no idea what it was until about 2 weeks ago!
• I have to say it was a bonus year for tomatoes, and just when I'd determined it wasn't worth the effort.  I think the key is going with a smaller version that doesn't have to grow for so long - but that will probably change next year.
• Cabbage is doing well and is yummy I must say.
• Parsley is the herb of the year.
• What struggled: Peas, green beans, and squash - well we planted them - - that's about all we can say ...,

Grilled Pizza

I've been playing with grilling pizza and it's been fun.... unfortunately it keeps getting eaten before I remember to take a picture!  But, not tonight!  Luckily the pizza dough I've been using easily makes enough for 2 nights, so I stick 1/2 in the fridge for another night. The key to grilled pizza is you can't overload the toppings or they won't heat through and the cheese won't melt.

Tonight's pizza: steak, blue cheese, caramelized onions, and roasted tomatoes, of course with some garlic, herbs, and olive oil.

Very Rudimentary Directions for Grilling Pizza

1. Roll out your dough, or swing it around your head if you are good at that sort of stuff, and put a little olive oil on it. 
2. Heat your grill to hot.
3. Put the dough --oil side down-- on the grill for a few minutes.  Just long enough so the bottom is not sticky.
4. Flip it onto a cutting board with the cooked side up. 
5. Turn down the grill and head into the kitchen.  By lowering the heat now, you have a better chance of heating your ingredients through, before burning the crust.
6. Put your favorite toppings on the pizza crust.
7. Put back on grill and close the lid until ingredients are heated through or cheese is melted.

I've been using this Whole Wheat Pizza Crust recipe and it really is amazing!  Of course I use all whole wheat flour and add 1 T gluten since there isn't any white flour in it.
Happy Grilling!

Rustic Apple Tart

Well thanks to the fact that my crust recipe had made enough for two tart crusts, and that Emma needed a picture to visualize a tart, the hubby got an Apple Tart for dessert last night.

When I say rustic and tart it means, there is no tart pan involved - make no mistake - I do own more than one tart pan.  But this is the really lazy way to make dessert.  The crust is very similar to a pie crust and this one was wonderfully crisp and flaky even though I used Whole Wheat Pastry flour.  I bake it on a pizza stone and you can find regular recipes, although I didn't really follow one.

1. You just roll the crust out,
2. Lay the fruit or whatever topping you have in a pretty circle, or dump it on - depending on your time and audience, leaving a 1-2" border of crust around.
3. Fold the crust over the fruit.
4. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and dot with butter. If it's a really wet fruit like plums, you may want to mix a tablespoon or so of flour with the fruit and adjust the seasoning to match the fruit.
5. Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes give or take. 

And then let the smell lure him into the kitchen - assuming he can easily walk that is, if not he'll just yell, "What's that great smell?".  Cut in wedges, serve warm with a dollop of whip cream or ice cream and it's special!  We'll get 4 servings out of this.

Backpacking in the Winds

Well I spent this past weekend in the mountains.  It was a much needed break from technology and the house.  We went into the Boulder Lake Trailhead in the Wind River Range of mountains and did a 22 mile circle.  Initially we were planning a longer hike, but I'm so glad we didn't try to prove we could do it and instead did a very doable hike and had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the beauty, and read a little, not just watch the path in front of our feet!  There were lots of lakes and good views and plenty of wildflowers left.

I must say, this is my first backpacking trip without Joe - yes - ever! I was very proud of myself for not tearing the tent or losing any gear.  Joe is the fastidious one, when it comes to gear.  :)  And the luxury of a whole tent to oneself ... well I did enjoy it.  :)

The first tent I have ever had to carry, put up, and take down by myself! 

This was my camp spot on night one at Chris Lake.

Next, you can see Lorna and I the next morning with Chris Lake far behind us.

Next is Lovatt Lake, this was on Monday on the way out.  It was a lovely lake,

but this was as close as we got to it.

And here I am back in front of the computer.....