an earnest progression

I love this time of year. I don't think I ever remember just how much until it comes again. The snows (fingers crossed) have stopped, we are getting the more than occasional thunderstorm, the yard is thick and green again, and new life is popping up out of the woodwork. Spring even smells different- it's a sweet, earthy, breathy smell. One of new hope & excitement.

I've been spending lots of time doing garden things today so maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit more passionate than usual. First, Drew and I decided to stop by Echter's. It's a nursery and greenhouse complex that we have driven by on occasion but never actually investigated. Let me just tell you that we have been MISSING OUT! I have a feeling that Echter's could end up a post in its own right, but suffice it to say that I will NEVER go someplace like Home Depot or Lowe's for garden needs again. Though I was like a kid in a candy store, I was able to limit to myself to my actual needs of the day: seeds and potting soil. They had a huge selection and I was able to find all of the seeds I was looking for... except for arugula. I don't actually blame them- for some reason arugula seemed to be missing from every store I went into. Must be popular this year! A fat stack of organic seed packets later, we were on our way. I'll have to remember that they sell seed potatoes and onion sets as well!

Later I checked on my garlic patch. Last fall I planted culinary and elephant garlic cloves in a small plot in the back yard. I didn't have much hope for them because I noticed the dogs sniffing around the patch almost immediately, and while it was surrounded by a small garden fence, it's not nearly enough to keep my beasts out. Gabe (my German Shepherd), in particular, could be seen at any time snuffling around or even dozing within the confines of that patch. Then one day last week I went back there and noticed plants! And not just small ones- my garlic is having a field day! I'm so excited. I hope this means that they are hardy and I'll actually be able to get a harvest out of them. Not all of them did sprout, but it looks like right now I have 10 culinary garlic plants. The elephant garlic seems to be a bit slower and two of those are now starting to nose their way out of the ground. I am beyond thrilled.

Next, I had to transplant my tomato seedlings. I probably should have actually done this last week, but I got lazy. The tomatoes have sprouted their second set of leaves and had quite obviously outgrown their temporary greenhouse. I was initially wondering how I would accommodate them. I no longer had any of the plastic nursery pots from last year's store bought plants and I was dreading having to spend money on a temporary home for them. Then I ran across The Kitchen Witch's Garden where she had the ingenious idea of using plastic cups! I had about a million plastic cups from various parties I've thrown that I'd likely never use yet I refused to throw away! Problem solved! So today the seedlings were thinned (which was very sad) and transplanted into their new homes. We actually had to move our dining table in front of the window to accommodate all of them but they seem very happy now!
I used the now-empty tomato greenhouse to start some new seedlings! I planted Anaheim peppers, okra, Brussels sprouts, and cucumber. I hope they do as well as the rest of my seeds have!

The bell peppers and eggplant are still in their open greenhouse tray but I will likely transplant them into cups next weekend. Next weekend should be a big one for the garden- I anticipate the rest of our beds being built as well as our soil delivery!

Then, to cap the day off, I found arugula seeds while grocery shopping at Vitamin Cottage tonight. YAY!

So much hope! So much potential!

One step closer to Camilla!

As I mentioned in a previous post, Drew and I are seriously considering raising a flock of back yard chickens. Our reasons for that are as follows:

- eggs from chickens allowed to roam, scratch and spend their day outdoors taste better and are better for you

- chickens will eat all the bugs they find in your yard!! BIG plus.

- chickens can make great pets. They each have different personalities, desire to play, and ability to show affection

- the only way to know for sure that the eggs you buy are from truly pastured chickens is if you have either visited their farm or have raised them yourself

- similarly, raising the animals ourselves will ensure that they are being treated humanely, with dignity, respect and love. We imagine that these birds will be part of the family, just as our other pets are! We do not intend to eat, kill, give away, or sell our hens even once they stop laying.

That being said, Drew and I both grew up city kids and therefore we have NO IDEA what raising hens actually means. We understood vaguely that we would have to buy or build a coop, figure out feed and predator-proofing, but... what else? Then I found out that my neighborhood agricultural hero, Sundari Kraft of Heirloom Gardens was offering chicken keeping classes! We really believe that the fairest thing for us as well as any potential chickens is to be 100% prepared going into it, and this class seemed like the best possible start.

We attended Sundari's class this afternoon and we were THRILLED! She taught us everything we will need to know, including plenty of her own tips and tricks learned by raising her own flock. Every question I initially had were answered... including those I didn't even know to ask! On top of everything, we got to meet her 7 beautiful hens (as well as her four miniature goats, two of which are tiny babies!!) I went in ready to have my mind changed if owning urban hens ended up sounding too complex, too much work, or not my thing. But instead we left even more convinced that our small anticipated flock is truly the right idea.

So, we move forward!

BEST dinner EVER.

Ok, maybe it wasn't the best dinner EVER, but it was definitely up there. Above homemade spaghetti but below grandma's vegetable beef soup. (You should know that both things are extremely high on my list of foods that make me happy).

Last night I made baby back ribs, pineapple slaw and steamed fiddleheads. If anything I have ever cooked heralded spring and the coming of warm weather, it was this meal. It all sort of fell together, but it must have been my subconscious cheering on the blooming and greening outside my window.

I found the fiddleheads especially exciting. Fiddlehead ferns are an extremely seasonal vegetable, usually only available for a few weeks each spring. They are the curled up heads of young fern plants that are harvested for food. It has been a "seasonal eating" goal of mine to try these pretty plants, but I had never seen them in the store before. UNTIL NOW. I happened to go to Whole Foods (which I generally don't do) and I couldn't find the cilantro. I spent much longer perusing every shelf in the produce section because of it, and there, tucked away in a small basket, were FIDDLEHEADS! So I personally think it was meant to be. I washed and then steamed them for about 5-6 minutes and then served them with butter and garlic salt. The best way I can describe their flavor is a cross between asparagus and Brussels sprouts. In other words, they were AMAZING.

Here is how I made the rest:

Slow Cooked Ribs-
Ingredients:
apprx. 2 lb baby back ribs (ours came from Rocky Plains Meats)
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped (this was from In Season Local Market)
1/3 can cola (I used Blue Sky Organic)
1/2 tsp Hickory Smoke Sea Salt*
1/4 tsp garlic powder
freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c bbq sauce (use your favorite kind- I used Annie's Naturals Organic Smokey Maple)

Put onions and cola in the bottom of a large crock pot. Sprinkle meaty side of ribs with salt, garlic powder, and a few good grinds of black pepper. Lay the ribs meaty side up on top of the onions and cola. Coat the ribs with the bbq sauce. Cover and set the crock pot on high for 4-6 hours. Ribs are done when they are tender and meat starts to fall away from the bone.

*I got this salt from Savory Spice Shop. This particular salt lends a unique smoky, almost grilled flavor to the meat.
Pineapple Slaw (adapted from a recipe in Real Simple)-
Ingredients:
1 small jicama (about 3/4 lb) peeled and cut into thin sticks
1/2 pineapple- peeled, cored, and cut into thin sticks
1/2 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3/4 c fresh cilantro sprigs, roughly chopped
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper

In a large bowl, combine jicama, pineapple, bell pepper, and cilantro. Squeeze juice from lime over slaw. Drizzle oil over top and then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toss lightly and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to combine.

Happy Spring, everyone!

Lucile's

Today I met my friends Amy and Lindsay for brunch at Lucile's, a creole restaurant chain exclusive to Colorado. I love this place for many reasons, first and foremost the food. The flavors are really unique and every new dish I try is incredible. I also adore the atmosphere- cozy yet eclectic. I've been to two of the four locations (Denver and Boulder) and each make me feel like I'm on a plantation in the south.

One of the best features of this place, however, is the passion for the very best ingredients. Their desire to provide local, organic vegetables led them to buy a farm in Niwot, Colorado. I cant think of anything cooler than a restaurant with their own farm! Imagine how fresh their ingredients are able to be! Now that is a philosophy I can get behind!

I'll be honest, we did have to wait about a half hour for a table. Lucile's is known for that, though its REALLY worth the wait. I passed the time with a Cajun Bloody Mary.

Generally, I am NOT a Bloody Mary fan- I don't like tomato juice! But these are different- spicy and smoky, garnished with a green olive, spiced shrimp, pickled okra and a celery stick!

Once seated, we split an order of beignets. These are hot powdered New Orleans style doughnuts. Pretty much amazing. Especially when you spread their house strawberry rhubarb jam on them!

I had a hard time deciding, but I finally ended up ordering the Hank's Eggs. This is a slightly spicy combination of eggs, potatoes, peppers, and cheese topped with tomatoes and avocado. It is incredible. The portions are so big, I generally have more than half to take home with me. Today was no exception. I was so full I could barely touch the giant buttermilk biscuit that comes with it... which is too bad because they're wonderful hot.

I left a full and happy person, especially knowing that I am helping to support a local business with similar philosophies to my own! The best part by far though, was hanging out with these girls.

We had a great time! Can't wait for our next outing!

Lucile's Creole Cafe- Denver Location

275 South Logan St.

Denver, CO 80209

www.luciles.com

and the peppers grace us with their presence...

While the garden isn't exactly growing by leaps and bounds, it's definitely coming along slowly but surely. We built a raised bed two weeks ago and I've had some seedlings growing steadily in the windowsill. Those seedlings are making progress. The tomatoes now have two sets of leaves and even the peppers have come out to play. I will have to transplant the tomatoes to other containers soon as they are starting outgrow their current home. According to Mother Earth News and the Colorado State Extension, I still have a little time before I have to direct sow anything into the garden and several weeks more before transplanting the babies. In the meantime, we need to build 1-2 more beds, arrange to have soil delivered, and buy the rest of our seeds. This year I am hoping to grow the following:

lettuce- seeds purchased at the farmers market, should direct sow ASAP
snap peas- seeds needed, should direct sow ASAP
carrots- seeds purchased at the farmers market, will direct sow in mid May
watermelon- seeds purchased at the farmers market, will direct sow in mid May
strawberries- last year's plants never came back! will purchase seedlings & re-plant in early May
garlic- planted last fall. we'll see what happens!
onion- need onion sets. will plant in mid May
eggplant- purchased seeds from farmers market. Seedlings are growing, will transplant in late May
potatoes- need seed potatoes, will plant in mid May
corn- need seeds, will direct sow in late May
tomatoes- purchased seeds from farmers market. Seedlings are growing, will transplant in late May
brussels sprouts- need seeds, should start indoors ASAP
green peppers- purchased seeds from farmers market. Seedlings are growing, will transplant in late May
hot peppers- will purchase seedlings and plant in late May
arugula- need seeds, should direct sow ASAP
kale- need seeds, should direct sow ASAP
cucumber- need seeds, should start indoors ASAP
maybe a blueberry or raspberry bush? I'm still deciding

I know I'm being a bit overzealous, but why not dream big? Anyone in Denver know where I can find local heirloom seeds for most of these things?

chicken Kiev: a family meal

Well, the whirlwind that was our little family reunion is (sadly) over and so from this point, it’s back to life as usual. There were so many things we did over the past few days that I should have gotten pictures of and didn’t. Suffice it to say that we had a grand time (and ate like kings)!

Monday night we had an incredible family dinner. Cory (my sister-in-law) and I made chicken Kiev with roasted potatoes and asparagus in garlic butter. It turned out really well and was a huge hit! I will definitely make it again!

The potatoes are almost a tradition on Drew’s side of the family. Generally it is simply potatoes, herbs, and onions roasted in a small amount of oil. This time we used red and purple potatoes as well as Jerusalem artichokes from In Season Local Market. Our onion came from the indoor farmers market and we used the leftover herbs from the chicken Kiev. Even though these are the leftovers, I had to take a picture to show the beautiful colors of this dish!

Here is how we made the chicken Kiev:

Ingredients:

6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (ours were from Rocky Plains Meats)

1 stick butter, softened (room temperature)

½ tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (ours was grown by Osage Gardens and purchased at In Season)

½ tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (also Osage)

1 tsp fresh parsley (this organic bunch came from Vitamin Cottage)

¼ tsp garlic salt

2 eggs, beaten

apprx. 1 c flour (for coating chicken)

apprx. 2 c seasoned panko bread crumbs

½ tsp dried tarragon

sea salt and black pepper

olive oil to coat baking dish

wooden toothpicks & wax paper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly rub the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with olive oil and set aside. One at a time, place each piece of chicken between two pieces of wax paper and hit with the flat side of a meat tenderizing mallet until the breasts are approximately ¾ inch thick and evenly flattened. In a bowl, mix the softened butter, rosemary, thyme, parsley, and garlic salt until well combined. Put butter mixture onto a piece of wax paper. Fold the paper over the mixture and mold into a block approximately 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. Put herbed butter block into refrigerator to harden, approximately 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the breadcrumbs, tarragon, and several grinds of the salt and pepper in a bowl. In two separate bowls, set out the flour and eggs. Once the butter is no longer soft, remove from the refrigerator and unwrap. Cut into 6 even slices. Working one piece at a time, place a chicken breast smooth side down and put a slice of the herbed butter in the center of the breast. Secure all sides of the chicken breast with toothpicks so that butter is completely encased. Lightly coat each stuffed breast in the flour, then submerge into egg mixture. Finally dip breast into bread crumbs until evenly coated. Set breaded chicken into greased baking dish seam side down. Repeat with each remaining breast. Bake approximately 35-40 minutes or until breadcrumbs start to brown and juices in chicken run clear.

Though I didn't remember to take any pictures of the process or the final product, I did manage to get a picture of what I believe to be quite a happy family!

the non-cook

I am going to admit something to you here. There is no recipe for this week because though it is already Thursday night, I have barely cooked anything this week. We made spinach ravioli on Monday and I put together seven layer dip for a pot luck my office is having tomorrow, but I'm not sure those count. The rest of the week we have either gone out or eaten leftovers of some sort.

This isnt necessarily typical. Though I work full time, I'm also a grad student and I have late classes two nights a week. Those nights it's practically impossible for me to cook, and even if I could, no one wants to eat dinner at 10 pm. Sometimes, I allow my exhaustion to turn into laziness during the rest of the week. This is unfortunate because when I actually make the effort, I usually enjoy what I'm eating so much more and I even appreciate the process. Even more importantly, the possibility of our health or values being compromised increases dramatically with each meal I decide not to hand make.

Luckily this is a pattern linked almost in its entirety to my education. I plan on graduating in November so I should be able to resume life as usual at that point. Until then, I have realized that planning is key. Not only to I need to meal plan and write a comprehensive grocery list each week, but I think I need to do some mass cooking on the weekends as well so that we have healthy, filling, delicious things to reheat even on my long days. I'd also like to come up with some fast and easy (but AMAZING) weeknight meals.

I'd normally say "and this plan starts IMMEDIATELY!" but in this case it doesn't. This time it is for a good reason! Drew's family is coming into town on Saturday from Columbus, Ohio. We plan on showing them the best Colorado has to offer from restaurants to meat and produce. My sister-in-law and I have already decided to make a big family dinner together while they're here (which I can hopefully document and share with you). This means my plan goes into effect next weekend, once they leave. I look forward to sharing my progress. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

garden is growing!

I mentioned in an earlier post, that though I really love the idea of feeding yourself from your own garden, I've failed miserably in the past. I'm no expert, so everything I've learned has been through trial and error. One year I planted in a sunny patch of the back yard, but we went out of town for a weekend and what didn't die from burning sun and lack of water was trampled soon after by the dogs. Last year I came up with (what I thought was) an ingenious idea. I planted in the side yard which had a bit more shade and was gated off from the dogs. Unfortunately, this time the soil was too rocky and there was not enough sun so not much wanted to grow there either.

We have had luck several years in a row, however, with a planter box. It's simply a wooden box on the deck filled with dirt. We've had tomatoes, herbs, and most recently strawberries all do very well in it. This made me think that if I really wanted a successful garden, I should do what I know works, only on a larger scale. So this year we have decided to build raised beds.

After doing a lot of research, we decided to construct our beds out of untreated cedar planks. It was important to me that the wood was not treated with any chemicals because they can potentially leach into your soil and therefore your plants and your food. Cedar also seemed like a great idea because it is naturally pest, rot, and mildew resistant. We found 8' boards at Home Depot for about $6 each. Our beds are going to be 4'x8' and two boards high, so the construction of each bed will be about $36. I'm thinking that these beds should last us several years (and yield LOTS of vegetables) so that we'll easily make that money back.

After spending several days studying our yard and figuring out where we get the most sun, we decided to put three beds in the far back corner. This makes me a bit nervous because our closest water spigot is on the opposite side of our house, but we'll just buy an extra long hose and cross our fingers. We also plan on fencing the beds off from our sweet but overly curious dogs.

In another part of the yard, some of our herbs have faithfully re-appeared! I have chives and lemon balm growing already so I think I will keep all of my herbs over here. I LOVE perennials. Its so wonderful being able to rely on certain plants without doing any work! My strawberries were supposed to come back again this year too, and while they grew really strong last year I don't see as much as a new leaf or shoot from this plant so I don't know if it will happen. We'll see, I guess!

But the really exciting recent happening... is that MY SEEDS HAVE SPROUTED!!! I have teeny eggplants, but both kinds of tomatoes have grown nearly two inches tall overnight! The only thing that hasn't shown any signs of wanting to appear yet are the green peppers. I am hoping that they'll show their faces yet! I know it's silly, but I find the seedlings so adorable. I love the way the tomatoes lean toward the sun. It's especially cool knowing that one day a few months from now, these plants will be feeding us! I can hardly wait!

Herbed Bison Steak with Roasted Garlic and Tomato Quinoa

Drew is a HUGE fan of steak in any form. Because of the higher price tag, we don't buy it that often, but they had some great bison steaks at Rocky Plains last time we were there so we decided to buy a couple. Instead of my typical grilling though, I wanted to figure out a way to really showcase their flavor. Let me preface this with saying I don't usually watch Rachael Ray. Though her recipes seem fantastic, she's a bit too intense for me. But for one reason or another, I happened to catch a show where she was making steaks anything but typical. I guess it was meant to be! This recipe, though not the same, is adapted from hers. You can find the original here.

I decided to use herbed feta instead of gorgonzola because I happened to have some leftover LazEwe, and I prefer the flavor anyway. I also decided to make quinoa as opposed to pasta. This was just personal taste because I felt like we've been eating a LOT of pasta lately!

Ingredients:
2 bison steaks
1 c quinoa
2 c water
1 pint grape tomatoes
6-8 cloves garlic, cracked but left in skins
1/2 c feta crumbles
4-5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
small handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 c coarsely chopped arugula
2 T olive oil plus some for drizzling
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Pike's Peak Butcher's Rub*
sea salt and freshly ground pepper


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put tomatoes and garlic cloves on a cookie sheet and coat with 2 T olive oil. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. While tomatoes and garlic are cooking, season steaks with garlic powder and butcher's rub. Drizzle both sides lightly with olive oil. In a small bowl, combine feta crumbles, chopped parsley, and chopped basil. Set aside. When tomatoes are almost done, start boiling water in a medium saucepan. Remove tomatoes and garlic from oven. Peel skins from garlic cloves and mash cloves in a bowl until they are nearly a paste. Add mashed garlic, tomatoes, and all released juice on the cookie sheet to the boiling water. Mash with a potato masher until a sauce forms. Add dry quinoa to sauce and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook 12 minutes. While quinoa is cooking, put steaks into an oven-safe frying pan on high heat. Caramelize steaks approximately 2 minutes on each side. Once browned, top steaks with feta mixture and put frying pan into the oven. Cook steaks until quinoa is done or until steaks are at desired temperature. Once quinoa is finished, stir in arugula. Serve steaks with quinoa.

I had no idea garlic could taste so sweet! I served mine with a glass of Colorado's Canyon Wind Cabernet Franc. And, in case you were wondering, the entire thing was phenomenal.


*I found Pike's Peak Butcher's Rub at Savory Spice Shop. If you don't have access to it, you may use any steak rub or red meat spice blend