Thanks to Slow Food International‘s 3 week #EatLocal challenge, I have become so much more connected to the community where I live, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. We live just east of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, here, at 4900 some odd feet above sea level, in the north eastern part of the state. As…
Eat Local Challenge : Honey Caramel Fried Pear and Elderberry Tart with Glass Gem Cornmeal Crust
Eat Local Challenge : October 31 : An inspiration of dessert desire and these ingredients led me to create this honey caramel fried pear and foraged elderberry tart with Glass Gem cornmeal crust – rustic! Local! Copoco’s local honey, Ela Family Farms pears, foraged elderberries from Fort Collins, I grew the beautiful Glass Gem corn…
Eat Local Challenge : Foraged Fruit Poached Pears with Lemon Verbena Creme Anglaise
What a delight to combine these lovely Ela Family Farms pears with sour Montmorency cherries, elderberries, dried Stanley plums and local honey in a poaching syrup that is rosy and inviting! And then, infuse dried lemon verbena from my own garden this summer – in raw cow’s milk from Taft Hill Dairy, thicken the custard…
Eat Local Challenge : Grilled Corn and Chevre Stuffed Poblano Chilies
Slow Food International’s Eat Local Challenge continues and I am getting caught up on my posts! Going to the Farmer’s Market down town Fort Collins, Colorado was even sweeter as I encountered this amazing mural just across the street. The autumn mood was definitely present and influencing my choices for dinner that evening. There’s a…
Day 7 : Eat Local Challenge : Colorado Bison and Apple Stew Pommeau
Day 7 of my three week Eat Local Challenge via Slow Food International held a special excitement. My son, a big city foodie in his own right, was driving up to join me for his first dinner during the challenge, and was excited to eat some good local grub. I wanted the menu to incorporate…
Day 4 : Eat Local Challenge : Pumpkin Flan with Honey Caramel and Salted Pumpkin Seeds
No way to resist – at least for me – this light and lovely pumpkin flan! It goes down easy, very willingly! after a spicy meal. I’m on a 3 week Eat Local Challenge via Slow Food International, and this dessert featured on Day Four night in my kitchen. All who are on the…
Day Three : Eat Local Challenge : Glass Gem Cornmeal Pancakes and Elderberry Honey Syrup
Launching into Day Three of the Eat Local Challenge and the breakfast I made has brought me the most joy so far on this three week (and probably beyond) ride! These sweet stacks of silver dollar pancakes began their history in 2013, when I grew the magical Glass Gem corn in our garden on the…
Day Two : Eat Local Challenge : Raw Milk Butter Making and Spaghetti Squash Alfredo
Day Two of my Eat Local Challenge! It began with a cup or two of that delicious locally roasted Columbian Peritus Coffee, then – a totally local vegetable frittata. Let me back up and just remind you that – for three weeks beginning October 16, I have taken the plunge to eat local foods for…
Eat Local Challenge – Three Weeks of Deliciousness Began Today in My Colorado Kitchen
The last two days I’ve spent reveling in the Colorado autumn sun and gold, and singlemindedly gathering the following amazing goods, preparing my kitchen, heart and belly for three weeks (at least) of Eat Local planning, discovering, selecting, more planning, creating, cooking and eating amazing food grown in, near or very close to Fort Collins,…
Mexican Mole’ Pumpkin Coconut Soup
This week I picked the last marigolds from the garden, and harvested lots of fennel seed, chives and thyme. Loads of tomatoes, beets too, and butternut squash. With a chill in the air, and now having weathered our first snow of the season, my yearly reluctance to jump into autumn is fading a little, because…
2017 Greeting Cards for You :: “Earth Altars”, “The Magic of Looking Closely” and “First Light”
Two of my greatest joys are photographing nature and creating seasonal altars. (Not to mention gardening and cooking!) With such gratitude for this beautiful planet on which we live. See this season’s choices for two 5 X 7 inch greeting card sets, plus a very special holiday card, curated from a wonderful time singling out…
Autumn Equinox : Sunflower Teachings
Autumn equinox blessings to you. Our hearts are many. Our dreams radiate – Our task is to shine, and merge with the turning leaves, the drying grasses – the digging squirrels, the beets still growing in our gardens. Merge with the sunsets, arriving sooner every day. Merge with the darkness, and find the stars, luminous…
Ginger Plum Butter
Italian plums will always remind me of my mom when we were growing up, her delight when plum season arrived in the summertime, and her two bite technique for eating these plums out of hand, deftly plucking the pit from the halved fruit and forging ahead with the second bite without a hitch. She…
Grilled Zucchini Sausage Pie
Is your garden producing any morning glory tipi takeovers? (I love mine!) Or how about Zucchinis Of Unusual Size? Hmmm, yes. Zucchinis Of Unusual Size are a common phenomena with just about anyone who plants a garden. And while I didn’t grow zucchini this season (I’ve got sunburst pattypan and butternut squashes, and pickling cucumbers…
