Yesterday was beautiful … and bittersweet. The first snow of the season happened, in midst of the October eruption of golden leaves and fall prairie flowers. The familiar changes are always, to me, a bit startling and therefore so entrancing, creating magical landscapes in the tiniest and grandest of details. The afternoon before I had…
Category: Photography
Fresh corn, sweet pepper and basil soup
The flavors of late summer are so bright. Harvest at the farmer’s market, here in Fort Collins, Colorado. A genuine balm for the winter to come. And this soup is so simple and absolutely fresh, perfect for this fall week, taking advantage of the last of this season’s corn. You will love the flavors of…
Mountain magic and a tasty recipe for four seed crackers – GF of course
Practically gone now, these golden gleams in dappled sun rippled through my heart a few weeks back. I was visiting the western slope of Colorado, where I once lived, and felt the irresistible pull to a few favorite places. Though many views could be soaked in most anywhere in the Rockies Here I was on…
Peach and Lavender Semifreddo with Elderberry Swirl
Summer = peaches. It’s that glorious time of the year. And oh man … …my first ever semifreddo (kind of a cross between ice cream and gelato) turned out so deliciously well … as you can see … This twist on a traditional Italian recipe celebrates classic dairy ingredients, plus, (*Colorado peaches*) and foraged elderberries,…
Feta Stuffed Squash Blossom Summer Casserole
It was magical in the kitchen today. And it all started in the cool morning garden. 🙂 Take a quick peek: Then I had to celebrate with all the vegetables I brought home. As I said on my Garden Mandala post earlier today, “Point me to a garden plot in late February and I’ll…
Garden Mandala – a gratitude of bounty
Show me a garden plot at the end of February and I’ll be happy through November. July 30, 2018 So much to love How does Pachamama hold such beauty? Today: Rainbow chard, mixed lettuces, purple kale, blue lake green beans, burgundy beans, snap and snow peas and their greens, beets, squash blossoms, cucumber, and herbs,…
Two little Earth Angels
Back in mid-May, I was hankering for a walk out in nature – and chose the trail up above Spring Canyon park towards Dixon reservoir, about 10 minutes from my home. My back and body had been really hurting but I wanted to get out there. Some readers may know that I have a severe…
Lebanese Cheese and Watermelon Salad
Are the dog days of summer already here?? In Colorado the answer is – whew! Yes! But so too are the wonderful days of the farmer’s markets. On Saturday I got to two of them in Fort Collins. I, along with I imagine millions of other people, was still reeling from the news of beloved Anthony…
Roast Golden Beet Carpaccio with Walnut Sherry Vinaigrette
Unexpected. And glorious. Plant based and gluten free. Light, and perfect for picnics or special occasions. I had an inspiration the other day, cradling the two golden beets I had just pulled from my refrigerator in my hand, not wanting to simply boil them, or roast them for that matter, but something … something different….
Roger’s Tree
Roger’s Tree, Geneva, Ohio. When my husband Roger transitioned from this life, his cousins Dean and Ruth gifted the family a baby blue spruce. On Saturday, 34 years later, I got to stand beneath it, hold its living needles, smell it’s piney fragrance. The tree is at least 20 feet tall, healthy and beautiful, and…
May Day – Seeing Green in the garden
Gardening is embedded in my DNA, and reverberating in my heart. Growing, tending, dreaming, harvesting, cooking, sharing. Such bliss …. And another season of delight is beginning once again. This year’s garden is sprouting! Purple Peruvian potatoes … and the Red Sangres – Red and white, alternately planted onions. I bought these, and all the…
Spring Tacos with Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus and Cilantro Chimichurri, or, The World is Your Taco
I cherish the fact that in this world, a taco can absolutely be filled with your dreams: your spring garden finds, your yearnings and celebratory flights of fancy, and you can bet it will be just lovely. Presented on a tortilla, all manner of graciously grown things can be heaped, then lifted and folded, and…
Yam and Azufrado Bean Hummus
I’ve had a few pounds of locally grown Colorado beans in my freezer since last October, when I bought them at a fall farmer’s market from a Greeley family farm. As you may remember, dear reader, I was gearing up for my three week Eat Local Challenge back then, ecstatic to find local beans to…
The Donut Chronicles: grain free, gluten free, vegan + 3 delicious variations
It has been a heart jumping joy to be able to eat donuts again. I’ve been gluten free for 13 years now, and I think I’ve tried just one box of GF donuts in that time. So it’s been a long, long stretch of donut-less barren breakfasts, until a few months ago when I came…
Pachamama's Beautiful Food 