3.27 to 3.29.9- Ski Weekend

This weekend was less about food and more about the slopes to say the least. Breakfast (cereal, coffee, toast) was quickly enjoyed as we stuffed our pockets with Bora Bora Bars, Trail Mix and Turkey & Pepper Jack Cheese Sandwiches. Donuts from Daylight Donuts made an appearance at one point, which everyone seemed to enjoy (except me, but donuts & I don't get along). For the most part we were sleeping in a bit, so getting up on the Mountain late meant we didn't stop until the day was over. Thus, the stuffed pockets were essential to sustain ourselves.

On Thursday, we ended the first part of our day early about 3pm, came home for a little R&R which ended with a Greek Chicken Salad right before we headed back out to ski for the evening. A year ago I created a to-do list of 101 things to do in 1001 days and towards the top of the list is Night Skiing. Keystone is open until 8:30 Wednesday through Saturday right now, so we headed out for a little darkened run.

It was seriously amazing.

Please note, I am not really very talented as a skier and everyone else was snowboarding, but only intermediate skill was needed for the dark Mountains with only a few spare lights guiding our way.

Serenity. The only sound was our edges glazing over the groomed snow and our occasional shouts to each other as it was a challenge to see very far. It was like having a resort to yourself since there were only a handful of people up there. And our few Night Skiing Companions were clearly just as blissed out as we were. It was a glorious evening and maybe the conditions were just perfect this time, but I don't care- I am really looking forward to my next night of skiing.

After we discussed our own personal favorite moments of the evening and packed ourselves into the car, we headed back to Breckenridge and I insisted on a treat. We found a quaint coffee shop and ordered a round of Hot Chocolates with a Chocolate Brownie to share.

The next day, Saturday was a lovely repeat of breakfast and stuffed pocket goodies. The evening however was our time to break out of our little condo kitchen and check out some of the fun restaurants Breckenridge has to offer. We were joined by 3 more friends and we settled on Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant. Overall, we all enjoyed the atmosphere, food and the Salsa was deliciously spicy. The medium Salsa Verde was too hot for most at the table, but Xerxes, my brother and I happily gobbled down that plus the Hot Salsa. We also had some spicy Calamari as an appetizer. The feast at our table was wonderful, Shredded Beef Chimichangas, Steak Fajitas, Veggie Quesadillas, and Salmon with Avocado Sauce. Xerxes & I shared a Mango & Pork Burrito, which had more rice in it than I would normally prefer and less of the Mango-Pork part. Since I know we have more adventures in Breckenridge ahead, I am sure we will end up there again and I will not shoot down Xerxes's suggestion of Fajitas as I was very jealous of my brother's sizzling plate of Steak & Veggies.

The next morning, you would think we would be so full, but we were still in the mood for more eating out. We saw the Blue Moose had Organic Coffee and Pancakes- which was all Xerxes needed to know. I enjoyed the Veggie Eggs Benedict which came with Avocado, Tomatoes and of course oozing with Hollandaise. I was very happy. The last few hours of skiing were lovely as our bellies were full of goodness.

Exhausted we swung by Chipotle on our way home for some Burritos. Such an easy satisfyingly cheap way to get some decent calories in. After dropping my brother off at the airport, Xerxes made Brownies. I had no complaints. Just Hot Brownies and Milk.

3.31.9

For some reason I woke up famished. I was almost late to a meeting with my Detox Partner Dr. Rosen when I realized not eating would make me more grumpy then necessary.

So, I quickly threw together an Egg Sandwich with Pepper Jack Cheese- did I mention I was famished!

When I arrived at Kaycie's beautiful new home she had a gorgeous bowl of Fruit and Yogurt waiting. Still oddly hungry I was so excited to join her for my 2nd breakfast in my first hour of waking.

After our meeting, Xerxes and I met up for some Gym time. Something to know about me and Gyms- hate 'em. I find even the most lovely gyms to be sterile, hostile environments and I don't understand why one would bounce around inside with akward equipment when they could be outside playing and excercising by default. I do however enjoy Climbing Walls from time to time and the greatest exception to my avoid-the-gym rules would be the Swimming Pool. I love that gravity-defying feeling of moving through refreshing water.

While Xerxes did his work out upstairs- I hit the pool. We managed to miscommunicate our end time and I thought I had 10 minutes less to do my goal of one-mile. I was on hyper-swim speed and therefore completely wiped out by the time we left. Glazed over I was not in a position to cook, but Xerxes whipped up a Turkey-Pepper Jack Grilled Cheese. Happy.

That evening for dinner I was still quite hungry, but we went on an adventure down to Castle Rock to buy Xerxes a new Mountain Bike off of Craigslist. We had some plans of working at a coffee shop as well, but since he was able to negotiate $50 off of the bike we felt the need to celebrate.

Driving back to Golden I knew there was a Buca di Beppo off of Santa Fe and my wishes-he-was-Italian-hubby has never been. It has been almost 10 years since I was last went to one in Seattle.
Being there reminded me of what a huge fan I am of Bucas. As far as big-box restaurant chains are concerned, this is probably my favorite... although I don't really go to others beyond the occasional Red Robin. Buca di Beppo is completely unabashed about their family style portion sizes and while you cannot leave that place without overstuffing yourself (at least somewhat), they are so enthusiastic about doggie bags that the thought of another day of Italian Homestyle Meals keeps you wanting to buy several dishes just for the promise of leftovers. Despite of course the fact that two people could barely finish one side.

We enjoyed the 1/2 pound Meatballs (yes, I could only attempt half of one!) with Spaghetti and Marinara and the Lemon-Butter Green Beans which were so perfectly el dente I would have been happy just chewing on those for the whole meal. I topped dinner off with a Basil Mojito (remember we were celebrating) but it was a bit on the gaggy sweet side. It was nothing like the amazing Orange-Basil Mojitos Xerxes makes-- hint, hint!! ;)

3.30.9

After our big ski weekend I was more exhausted on Monday than normal. Which of course didn't excuse me from cooking.

I prepared a fun day's worth of food for my clients:
Chicken Pot Pie
Raspberry Chicken with Creamy Gorgonzola Broccoli
Lemon Chicken Scallopini with Artichokes & Mushrooms and Scalloped Potatoes
Shredded Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Crema, Avocado, Tomatoes, Black Olives, Lettuce.... etc

Since we were out of bread or any way to make lunch I picked up a Cranberry Tuna Sandwich while shopping at Whole Foods. Now, I need to complain a bit. It was sweet. I realize it had cranberries in it, but it was sweeter than that. I doubt they made it with Miracle Whip, but it had a similar underlining flavor that just wouldn't go away. And the ratio of bread to filling was terrible. I had huge pieces of bread flopping around the edges longing for a companion. I am normally very happy with Whole Foods sandwiches as a quick lunch, but this was quite a disappointment. Note to self: Avoid Cranberry Tuna Sandwiches in the future.

Thankfully, Xerxes's Brownies from the night before rescued me and kept me from food depression.

For dinner, we hodge podged our food together and ended up with Bread, Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar and a rather crazy salad of Grapefruit, Avocados, Spring Greens, Sliced Almonds, Jalapeno Olives, and Garbonzo Beans. It was a bit different, but the vegetables were satisfyingly necessary.

3.26.9

We woke up to quite a blizzard-y day. Xerxes picked up our friend Matt at the airport and the normally 45 minute drive home took them twice as long with traffic caused by snowy slick accidents. As soon as they walked in the door we scurried to get ready while I baked a Cinnamon Roll that had mysteriously arrived in our fridge. It was warm almost buttery smooth goodness. Great start to our Ski Weekend.

1-70 seemed treacherous, but as soon as we hopped on it only took about 20 minutes more than normal. We were prepared with Turkey & Havarti Sandwiches with Spring Greens on Udi's Sour Dough- very nice. When we arrived at Keystone we stuffed our pockets with Trail Mix and Bora Bora bars.

After skiing all day, Xerxes whipped up a Chicken Cacciatore with Pasta- seriously delicious. And I will say that carbo-heavy pasta is almost a requirement after a long ski day.

3.25.9

Some days are simply full of meetings, parties, errands and meeting up with people. Finding time to eat on these days is a challenge and I am not sure how successful I was until the later part of the day.

The morning started with Fruit and Rice Krispies- which I seriously have not had in so many years. Cereal never seems to fill me up and before lunch I had a crispy Grilled Cheese- ah comfort food.

One of the day's quick activities was running to Coscto & back in less than an hour. We did it and fortunately, Xerxes brought me leftovers from Ali Baba. Curry Chicken & Hummus

The evening was a treat- we went to a party with Xerxes' colleagues hosted by his advisor. We had a feast of Traditional Lasagna, Pesto Vegetarian Lasagna, and a Feta-Tomato Salad. Dessert was Coffee Ice Cream with Chocolate Brownies. Such a fun evening with fascinating people and delicious food.

3.24.9

Another day of cooking, which started with me trying my best to eat Xerxes's cereal. I actually don't really enjoy cereal, but when someone else (namely X) puts together a lovely bowl of Heritage Flakes, Raisins, Walnuts, Almonds, and more... my lips quiver and I sit looking intently at him until he pushes the bowl my way. He then watches me carefully to ensure I don't take too many raisins or any of the "good stuff".

I am very good... but I usually want more than one bite, which is not so good in his eyes.

He gave up asking me to make my own bowl. I don't want my own cereal I want his. I realize it makes little sense, but really I just don't like cereal. I like his cereal. I am preparing him for children. He's screwed.

After that ordeal, I ran off to Sunflower Market and Whole Foods to get all the goods for my clients. They requested the following, which I always have to taste my way through the day. Please note, they only do poultry & fish and they love risotto:

Wild Mushroom Soup (morels, criminis, lobster shrooms, portabellos, and more) with Sage-Chicken Meatballs

Cobb Salad with Turkey Bacon, Roquefort, Chicken, Boiled Egg, Tomatoes, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Cocao Mole Chicken with Mango Risotto

Zesty Fish Tacos with Spicy Mango Salsa and Chipotle Cream Sauce

Orange Roasted Chicken with Leek & Pea Risotto

For lunch I had a Quesadilla with Shredded Chicken & Cheese

For Dinner we finished the day with Fiery Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry with Blood Oranges over this teeny-tiny rice that I am madly in love with called Kalijira. Also, I want to say that brown rice is a dream to make in the pressure cooker. This particular itty-bitty brown micro-grains took about 8 minutes. Dinner was on the table in about 15 minutes.

Oh happy day! And I am currently topping it all off with a little Guinness and 4 bites of Vanilla Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Pecans

3.23.9

Today I cooked for a dear client and since I had to sample everything to make sure the flavors worked I feel I can just share what I made for her today!!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Strawberry Salsa
Lemon Chicken Crunch with Creamy Asparagus Fettucine
Fiery Broccoli Beef Stir Fry
Crispy-Crusty Fish
Balsamic Lentil Salad with Parmesan, Cherry Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
Sesame Roasted Pork

And it was all delish!

3.22.9 Leftover day

So I am a huge fan of leftover pizza for breakfast. Cold and delicious, it reminds me of ski trips as a little kid. In the back of our big Suburban with skis, poles and clothes surrounding me, it was such a happy breakfast. Last night's Mannie & Bo's Hawaiian Pizza served the perfect source to rekindle those memories.

For lunch, we went to the gym. Swam a mile. It was the first time I actually "recorded" that I was swimming a mile, so it was very exciting. I was sooo hungry and Xerxes warmed up more pizza and leftover lasagna.

Deciding we were too distracted by Twitter we headed out to Borders were Wifi does not exist and I was able to finish up work for the clients I have over the next two days. While there I enjoyed my most favorite Vanilla Red Tea Latte sans the weird syrups with whipped cream instead-- oh happy afternoon!

After coming home, I finally got my butt back into the kitchen and whipped up Cocoa Mole Chicken with Mango Risotto and Sauteed Kale. I have been dreaming of this dish for the last week or two. We had a delicious Mango Risotto at Le Central in Denver and I have been wanting to make it ever since. My risotto needed a bit more Mango, but that shouldn't been a problem next time. The Mole was simple and complicated all at the same time, but considering I have never made either dish it came together in about an hour, so not bad. I can't wait to post the recipe and take pictures!

3.21.9

On this second day of Spring, spending it with friends hiking one of our favorite trails Mt Galbraith seemed most appropriate.

As we prepared and packed a picnic, Xerxes made me my favorite smoothie for breakfast Peanut Butter & Banana with Yogurt. The picnic was a hit as we sat "under the tree by the rock" and looked out over our favorite town of Golden. We had our final day of Roast Beef Sandwiches. Kelly and Adam provided Chips, Oranges, Grapefruit, Dark Chocolate, and even a couple Beers to split. The great company and beautiful scenery made for such a joyful picnic.

After hiking, we felt we deserved a treat. We headed into Golden's only Soda Shop the Golden Sweet Shop and Xerxes and I split a Cookies n Cream Malt.

The day rapidly was coming to an end and yet again we managed to not have the time or energy to throw something together, so we treated ourselves to pizza. We have become big fans of Mannie & Bo's Pizza in Golden. Mostly because it was the first dish we ate after moving here as we sat on our climbing pad, propped up on the dusty floor of our new apartment surrounded by all of our stuff that we had managed to hull from California. The flavors of that first pizza were our only welcome in a town where we quickly made such wonderful friends, but at the time knew no one. We have since settled on only one flavor which is their slightly unusual Hawaiian Pizza, containing the typical Pineapple & Canadian Bacon, but also the more unique Fresh Tomatoes and blobs of fabulous Cream Cheese. I highly recommend this combination and can safely say that while Mannie & Bo's may not be the best Pizzeria I have ever experienced it is hands down our favorite in Golden.

The bottle of white from Castoro Cellers in Paso Robles went perfectly with our pizza feast. Cheers!

3.20.9

After all that eating yesterday, this day started very slowly in the food department. Instead I met up with a friend and went to Vital Yoga for a morning class. Loved it and can't wait to go back. Afterward, my friend gave me a huge bag of citrus with the sweetest Kumquats I have ever had. So, a generous handful of those was basically breakfast.

Lunch was simply leftover Thai Panang Curry from yesterday's dinner. Xerxes came home with a leftover Cheesesteak and I will not mention where it came from because it was much less than par. Since X is from Philly the standards are high, but we do have local places where we will happily buy a Philly Cheesesteak. Good to know we will never have to buy one from this restaurant again!

Then I met up with a darling girlfriend and her baby. We met at Windy Saddle and I had the Creamiest Chai with no sugar and to balance the lack of sugar I bought one of their Berry Berry Bars and it is Very, Berry Good. I happily nursed it throughout the day.

Clearly, my hiatis from cooking is leading us on some interesting paths, so dinner was me back in the kitchen. Or so I thought, at 7pm I walked into the kitchen with intentions of Cocoa Mole Chicken with Mango Risotto but their were no actual ingredients available for that activity. Since it is still oddly light out, going to the grocery seemed logical until I noticed that Xerxes had defrosted a Sausage, Pesto & Artichoke Lasagna. Thanks babe, dinner is ready.

Sharing a bottle of Cab from Barnard Griffin was a totally appropriate way to end our week as we contemplated life and refused to get onto our computers.

Now for a picnic on Saturday...

3.19.9

Today was quite an eating day... as Xerxes calls it "Celebrate Us Day!" a bit of a mid-week half day off and we were sooo busy with all the fun that we had to eat out every meal. :)

The day started at 6am and I insisted on Cafe 13 in Golden. Our sweet barista recommended the Vegetable Frittata and I happily enjoyed it with my favorite Cafe au Lait.

We then headed to the slopes for a few hours of skiing in Breckenridge. X previous worked at Breckenridge Brewery in Tuscan, AZ and he has been wanting to take me there. We shared a Burger with Guacamole, Jalapenos, and Pepper Jack Cheese with Mashed Potatoes & Coleslaw
We also shared a Pandora Bock. Overall I am glad to finally experience one of the many places where he was a chef. Next time sweetie, I want to try those nachos you kept talking about! Or those Fish & Chips that walked past our table. And the beer sampler- oh my!

We came home (very sleepy, long drive) and made my Thai Winter Rolls which I paired with a Mild Peanut Sauce for an small event with business friends at the Seven Cups Tea House in Denver. I broke my no caffeine after 2pm rule and had a delicious Yellow Tea. I was happily bouncing off the walls for the rest of the evening-- although somewhat productive as one could imagine!

For dinner, X was tired and I was too restless and twitter obsessed to cook so we decided to veg out in front of hulu with a lil' thai food. Okay- I wanted Thai, X wanted Chinese so we picked up take out from New Panda. I chose the Thai Panang Curry and X chose the Orange Chicken. There are other dishes I love from there more, but our favorite features are the brown rice, the Chinese/Thai compromise and they happily add extra veggies whenever we ask.

3.18.9

Breakfast and Lunch were uninteresting as I had pretty much the same thing as the last several days- someone remind me to go shopping, but dinner was fabulous.

Roasted Chicken with Sweet Potato & Beet Slaw

Let me know if you try it!

I do want to explain the Roast Beef Sandwiches. X and I were married this past June and we prepared most of the food for our Wedding. We did not serve the food as we have darling friends who lead the day and we of course hired servers. We simply made sure to prepare food that could be made ahead, stored and served without too much preparations.

Overall, it was a picnic theme, which included spreads and dips arranged in Mason jars so people could make their own sandwiches with a variety of Crusty Breads. X roasted Beef Tenderloin with a beautiful pink center and in the end we had so much food leftover that we had an entire hunk of Roast Beef to freeze. 7 months later we defrosted it and have now spent a week eating the most delicious Roast Beef sandwiches. In another 7 months when I am actually excited to eat another Roast Beef Sandwich X and I will make it again and post it on Bella Cuisine with pretty pictures.

Just for fun, I thought I would share some of our Wedding Menu:
Argentine Empandas from Buenos Aires Pizzeria in Denver
Homemade Butternut Squash Macaroni & Cheese
Caramelized Balsamic Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese and Sliced Almonds
Deconstructed Greek Salad Bar
Crudite Platter with Curried Beet Dip & Yogurt Herb Dip
Sandwich Bar with Turkey, Roast Beef, Chimichurri Sauce, Horseradish Sauce, Apricot Butter, Pesto Butter and more... seriously more.

Hence the leftover Roast Beef.

3.17.9

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Again I had...
Roast Beef Sandwich (Are you getting tired of seeing me eat Roast Beef Sandwiches? More on that in the next post...)

Irish Salmon Baked on Red & Green Cabbage
On top of Roasted Potatoes & Onions

The real magic was Dessert:
Guinness Floats with Vanilla Ice Cream
Good bye root beer, you have been officially replaced with malty hoppy goodness

3.16.9

Bora Bora Bar friend just gave me one to sample- surprisingly delicious!
Black Tea with a lil' half & half

Roast Beef Sandwich with Horseradish, Provolone, and Spring Greens

Pasta with a Chipotle-Goat Cheese Tomato Sauce, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Artichokes
Hubby made dinner-- lucky me- YuM!

But I made....

Red Wine Roasted Pheasant with Creme Fraiche and Roasted Vegetables
Chicken Parmesan with Roasted Cauliflower
Vanilla-Champagne Creamy Salmon
Ricotta Stuffed Chicken with Spinach Souffle
Vegetable Ragu over Creamy Polenta

And of course, for the sake of quality control I did taste each. mmmm...

3.15.9

Black Tea with Agave and a splash of half & half
Breakfast Quesadilla, corn tortilla, pepper jack cheese, egg
High Country Kombucha Chai Tea

Roast Beef Sandwich with Horseradish, Jack Cheese, & Spring Greens

Kiwi-Tequila BBQ Shrimp with Wild Rice
Cucumber Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing

Strawberries Stuffed with Lemon-Cream Cheese

3.14.9

Vanilla Rooibos Tea from Starbucks, sans the Classic Syrup as this drink is sweet & flavorful without it
Roast Beef Sandwich on Honey-Date-Walnut Bread with Provolone and Spring Greens
Chicken & Beef Satay

Lemon Stilton Cheese with Crackers
Guinness-Molasses Bread enjoy this best piping hot out of the oven
Potato-Chorizo Soup & Kale lots of kale

Then we went to an Irish Party were I "ate":
Guinness and Guinness & Cheddar Fondue
Baileys, Jamison, and Milk for dessert ;)