Mapping the Best Farm Stands on the Western Slope If you love to preserve food and live in Colorado, then bookmark this page. For the past 5 years my fellow Colorado State University Extension agents and I have taken our Master Food Safety Advisors for a tour of the best farm stands throughout the Western Slope…
Blog
Fresh Peach Crisp
Plenty of Peaches This year there is a bumper crop of peaches in Western Colorado. Palisade peaches are plump and gorgeous at the farmers market so…of course I loaded up. After eating our fill of fresh peaches, I look to other dishes that showcase this sweet and juicy taste of summer. My answer to the…
Best New Tools for the Backcountry
What Fills Your Cup? What charges your batteries, lights you up, nourishes your soul? The mountains do that for me. Whether I am hiking, skiing, camping or just walking the dog on a wooded trail, there is something magical about being “out there”. If you share this love the mountain west, I’d love to hear…
Sparkling Watermelon Limeade
Aww summer – the days are long and warm and family and friends gather for backyard parties to connect and cool off. At these gatherings, you will always find me positioned near the platter of watermelon. Slice in hand, bending over so that the falling juices miss my shoes, I am in heaven slurping up…
Strawberry-Blueberry Trifle
Red, White and Blueberry! Who needs fireworks when Strawberry-Blueberry Trifle is part of your Fourth of July celebration? This impressive dessert feeds a crowd and can easily be made at the last minute. The only challenge is finding the right bowl to showcase the Strawberry-Blueberry Trifle. It shows best in a clear glass bowl with…
Healthy Chicken Lasagna
Healthy Chicken Lasagna is loaded with chunks of meat, vegetables and mushrooms but half the heft of traditional lasagna. This recipe serves 8 portions, so it is my go-to recipe for feeding a crowd or to split in two lasagnas…one to for dinner and one for the freezer. I know what you’re thinking…who has time…
Fresh Raspberry Lemon Muffins
We’re back in Colorado While we loved our time aboard our sailboat, I really missed my kitchen with a view in Steamboat. The Easy-Bake Oven that we have on Snowcat, is too small to do much baking. Back in the Boat, I decided to refine an old recipe and ended up with something entirely new…Fresh…
Sesame Garbanzo Pitas
Sesame Garbanzo Pitas Sometimes you need an easy, make-ahead meal that can be eaten with your hands. Whether you are feeding crew on the boat or a picnic with friends, these Mediterranean inspired pitas will do the trick. Everything can be prepared the day before if you’re pressed for time. Simply combine the dressing ingredients in…
Preparing for a Passage
Miles from Nowhere Over the past two weeks we’ve sailed 950 nautical miles from Nassau, Bahamas to Hampton, VA, whew. We’re headed to the Chesapeake where we plan to leave Snowcat during hurricane season (June-November). Offshore passages can be a bit intimidating. Sailing miles from land with no one in sight for days can mess…
Sailing North While Dodging Alberto
The unsettled weather of hurricane season came early this year. We were able to make a 4-day passage from Nassau to Charleston before the storms spawned by Alberto came through the Bahamas. Not another soul in sight for as far as the eye can see!
Magical Trip to the Galapagos Islands
Our family was especially blessed this spring to meet in Ecuador for a magical trip to the Galapagos Islands. We left our boat Snowcat at a marina in George Town, Bahamas and met the boys for a long planned trip to one of the most special places on this earth. Check out the full photo…
Roasted Balsamic Asparagus
The Asparagus Salute Whenever I cook asparagus for our family, I’m reminded of a game that we would play to coax the boys into eating their asparagus. Everyone would pick a spear from their plate with their fingers, hold it upright, and wave it like the American flag on the Fourth of July. When all…
Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Bowl
My family has been loving a version of Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Bowls for years, but it was never quite right. The original recipe was lacking vegetables and the sauce would escape from the rice and run all over the plate. Then I discovered a remedy…put it in a bowl! Bowling Anyone? If you’re like…
Rare Stromatolites, Right Under our Feet
I absolutely love all things science, especially biology – that is why I chose my “encore career” as a science teacher. So, when I noticed the word “stromatolites” scribbled on a crumpled-up hiking map I found in a local bar, I was charged up. A plan for an afternoon hike along the east beaches of…
Feta and Spinach Quinoa Patties
Lots of time…but not for cooking You might be thinking that living on a sailboat, anchored in the Bahamas, there would be nothing but free time. Time to relax. Time to read. Time to cook. I’m not going to lie…I do have a lot more personal time without the responsibility of a job, but I…
Catamarans are the Best for Cruising
We have just arrived in George Town, Great Exuma Island. The Bahamas are famous for turquoise, shallow or “skinny” waters, so we’re grateful for our catamaran with it’s 4 ft draft. Amazingly, we have been buddy boating with another sailing family from Steamboat – Sarah, Chris, Spencer and Will. Their boat, Kestrel, is a traditional…
Easy Pressure Cooker Risotto
Cheesy Goodness in 25 Minutes A favorite meal aboard Snowcat is risotto made in our pressure cooker. Traditional risotto recipes have always seemed too daunting a task. They require the full attention of the cook, stirring constantly to coax the fine starch from the Arborio rice to create the creamy texture that makes risotto so…
Wondering about Weather
Sitting in Steamboat…but Watching Florida Weather Every time we get ready to leave our home in Steamboat and head out for the high seas, our mutual level of craziness seems steadily increase until it finally reaches a crescendo a few days before departure. This is when we finally throw up our hands and conclude that…
Going Sailing!
Running away from home…again We love Steamboat, but the ocean is calling us. We’ve been planning our return to blue water sailing from the moment that we stepped off our sailboat in 2005 and returned to Colorado. We loved our four years of life aboard our 45-foot catamaran, Snowcat. We sailed 15,000 miles and crossed…
Lemon Chicken Soup
How can anything this easy, taste so good? Lemon Chicken Soup marries the refreshing taste of freshly squeezed lemons with tender orzo pasta and chunks of chicken. This is my favorite way to use the remaining chicken from a roasted chicken. The fresh lemon juice awakens your taste buds in a way that bottled lemon…
Easy Tapioca Pudding in a Slow Cooker
Memories of Tapioca Pudding I still feel bad about it…and it happened decades ago. My cousin from Iowa came to spend several weeks with my family in the mountains of Colorado – Glenwood Springs – my home town. We took him to the Hot Springs Pool, tubing and fishing in the Roaring Fork river, we…
Maple Pecan Granola
In Search of the Perfect Granola I’ve been on a mission to find the perfect granola recipe and frankly my family and friends are tired of eating my experiments. Testing nine recipes and making 23 batches to test modifications may seem like an obsession, but I think you’ll like the results. Who knew that there…
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges with Lime Yogurt Sauce
As the days get cooler, I look to comfort foods like baked potatoes. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite way to change it up a bit. For a meal or game day snack, there is nothing more satisfying than Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges. With a crisp, browned crust over a creamy, smooth center these…
Yampa Valley Lamb Burgers
In the summer, you are sure to encounter sheepherders and their flocks when you are hiking around Steamboat. The high mountain range land of Northwestern Colorado provides some of the best forage available for sheep. In fact, this area has a rich history with sheep. During the 1930’s, Hayden was the largest rail-shipping center for…
