A Little Bit of Normalcy.

Saturday Colorado Farm and Art Market haul.

Mountain Shadows has been our neighborhood for the past three years and almost two weeks ago, a major wildfire  destroyed many homes around us. We were evacuated for just under a week and we were lucky to have a home to come back to. Many other people were evacuated for much longer and hundreds lost their homes. It’s sobering to see all the homes destroyed when driving our usual route up Chuckwagon Road and on Flying W Ranch Road. A lot of the hills are charred around us as well and serves as a constant reminder of the tragedy. The Waldo Canyon trail was also a favorite to many, and I’m glad that the husband and I hiked there together.

All utilities were shut off for some time throughout Mountain Shadows. We had to throw everything out of our fridge and freezer and that alone was hard enough. Many of you know how much I try to support local farmers, make my own things, etc. So yes even though I’m extremely grateful that we got out safely, throwing out all that food was still difficult. I think the impact of this event will stick with many of us for a long time.

 

My Photo of the Day: Market Season Has Begun!

Apart from the stretches of heat we get in the summer, this time of year makes me happy. First day at our local farmers’ market I got cherries, spinach, little lettuce heads, beets, thyme, broccoli, garlic scapes, German bread, goat cheese, mini empanadas, and soaps! We didn’t sign up for a CSA this year, so every week should be fun. I get a little worked up during market season, excuse me in advance! ;)

 

My Photos of the Day: Birthday Eve Brunch.

At The Broadmoor. It was decadent, debauchery, and all sorts of wonderful start to finish. I didn’t even get to try most of what they had to offer, but what I had was all very tasty. I wrote a little more on my personal blog… because posting on one blog isn’t enough, apparently!

 

My Photo of the Day: Cornmeal Pancakes.

My husband really loves pancakes and since he’s not here whenever I make them, I think of him. I’m pretty sure he could eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if given the chance – with crispy bacon and a generous amount of pure maple syrup and butter. I like pancakes enough, but I can’t say that I love them as much as he does.

I was in the mood for some cornmeal pancakes this morning, after taking a walk in the snow that fell last night. I love how I can see my breath and the crunch of the snow underneath my boots. What better way to warm up than with a hot mug of café con leche and fresh cornmeal pancakes?

I didn’t use a recipe, I just eyeballed it. I used sprouted cornmeal flour, homemade kefir & butter, vanilla extract, a touch of baking powder, and sea salt. I wanted them to come out thin enough so that I could roll them, so the batter was runny. I rolled them up while they were still hot and topped them with butter and pure maple syrup. So satisfying.

If you need to use a recipe when you cook, here’s a cornmeal pancake recipe from Mark Bittman. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks good.

 

My Photo of the Day: Gingerbread.

A friend of mine recently had a birthday and her husband made her some soaked flour gingerbread using a Nourished Kitchen recipe. I’ve had this recipe on my to-do list for a while, so I decided to finally make it.

I bought some whole wheat flour from Denver Urban Homesteading and soaked it overnight in homemade kefir. I actually added a half a cup more of kefir because the mixture looked dry. I also added some chopped crystallized ginger into the batter right before I put it in the pan to bake.

Our home smelled so good while the gingerbread was baking and I was impatient waiting for it to cool. Luckily I had things that I needed to do, so I was able to “forget about it.” When it was time, I topped a piece of still slightly warm cake with unsweetened raw whipped cream. This gingerbread is really good, richly flavored and dark and the bits of crystallized ginger adds a nice texture.

2012 is just around the corner and I for one am really looking forward to it. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and all the best for the new year!