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 […]
Thanks Mom!
The Most Important Nutrition Lessons, I Learned from my Mom I love food. It is with food that we express our love, our culture and our creativity. We comfort one another with food, celebrate special occasions with food and share memories with food. Food nourishes us in so many more ways than its nutritional content […]
Mojitos for a Crowd
A new use for mint During our recent visit to Cuba I discovered the ultimate use for the mint that has taken over my garden…mojitos! To be honest, I was planning to dig up my mint plant this year because it is out of control. The CSU Master Gardeners recommended that I plant mint in a […]
Vegetable Thai Curry in a Hurry
I'll Bet You're Famished You never know when you are going to need a meal in a hurry. When we were docked in Marina Hemingway near Havana, Cuba, reporters from our hometown newspaper stopped by. Steamboat Pilot reporters Scott Franz and Matt Stensland were visiting Cuba for a "journalism activity"- one of the 12 categories of […]
Setting Sail for Cuba
Night Passage There is no deeper darkness than a night passage, sailing on a moonless night. We're 50 miles off the coast of Florida, with full sails headed to Cuba. It has been a while since I did a night crossing and I will admit to a certain nervousness when pitch black is all I […]
Thankful for Local Agriculture
Where would you be without agriculture? Naked and hungry! This week in the Boat we are celebrating Agriculture Appreciation Week hosted by the Community Agriculture Alliance. It's an opportunity to honor the ranchers and farmers of our community that help keep us clothed and fed. Due to the coronavirus pandemic all of the events of […]
Spicy African Rice and Peanut Stew
We don't alway get big snow in Steamboat in March. The tracks of weather that swept through Northwest Colorado in earlier months give way to blue sky, bright days and clear, chilling nights. While we await the next blanket of snow, we still look to comfort foods to feed the family and the soul. Stew […]
Preserved Lemon Herb Sauce
It's time to move the delightful, salty and citrus flavor of preserved lemons onto the front shelf of your pantry. Even though preserved lemons have been used in Moroccan cuisine for centuries, they are relatively new to many of us. In the past, I have been frustrated that I can't find them in our smaller mountain […]
Preserved Lemons
Try this Unique and Fun Flavor The salty -tangy flavor of a preserved lemon will make your dish sing with flavor. They are easy to make with only two ingredients and thirty minutes worth of effort. After a month of fermenting you will have a jar of preserved lemons available for the next year. This recipe […]
Sweet Heat Pecans
Life's too short for dull salads Let's face it- salads can be deadly dull when they're just a bunch of lettuce and dressing in a bowl. I like to jazz my salad up with an interesting toppings- feta cheese, bacon bits, preserved lemon. But nuts add the perfect mix of texture and flavor to make a […]
Baked Peach Oatmeal
Time for comfort food Times are tough. We need a little comfort as we "shelter-in-place" in a world turned up-side-down from the corona virus pandemic. If ever there was a time for a breakfast that harkens back to simpler times. You know exactly what you need - oatmeal! Warm, wholesome oats mixed with plump peach […]
Bummer...Sorry you Can't Eat That
Hosting Guests with Dietary Restrictions Inviting guests for a dinner is stressful enough, then you discover that one of your guests has a dietary restriction. When you host others, the chances are great that you will experience this challenge. They estimate that 15 million Americans have food allergies and millions more must avoid certain components in food. Sometimes these […]
Polenta Rounds
What could be easier? All you need is a tube of polenta, a little cheese and some imagination, for an impressive appetizer or quick side dish. I'd love to claim that I am organized and thoughtfully plan my food for the week. Nope, not me. Neighborhood potlucks and get-togethers with friends sneak up on me. Staring at […]
Lemony White Bean Dip
Hosting nutrition students in Steamboat is one of the great pleasures of working as an Extension Agent for Colorado State University. I recently spent a week mentoring Kia, a talented graduate student and aspiring dietitian. Using one of my favorite (and easy-to-make) dip recipes we spent an afternoon making short food videos. Trying to replicate those popular, snappy […]
Carrot Cashew Soup
There is snow in the forecast and I'm ready! It's time to dig out the sweaters and gloves, put on the snow tires and start making soup. Carrot Cashew Soup is one of our family's favorite dishes for a satisfying cold weather meal. This recipe came from the vegetarian commune where Dean lived at Ohio State, but you don't […]
The Best Beef Tacos
Taco Night Gets Even Better Taco Night has always been a family favorite, then I found a secret ingredient that took my tacos to a whole new level. Oh sure, my tacos were passible back when all I used was the commercial taco seasonings, but they were nothing special. In search of the perfect taco, I've tried several […]
Roasted Roma Tomatoes
In the Boat, many gardeners move their tomato plants outside during the day, then tuck them back in their garage or house during cool nights--truly a labor of love--and much more patience than I have. Sure, I try my hand at growing my own tomatoes, but at the farmer's market I can buy Colorado grown, […]
Three Ways to Cook Olathe Sweet Corn
How Sweet it is! Olathe Sweet Corn is a special fall treat for my family. Fresh Colorado sweet corn is only available from mid-July to mid-October so when my Extension colleague offered to bring me a box of fresh-picked Olathe sweet corn--- of course I said "yes." Next, I needed a plan for dealing with those […]
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Grilling Corn The smoky, charred flavor of grilled corn is essential for this Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa. After reading all of my cookbooks and blogs about the best way to grill corn, I set about conducting my own experiment to determine the best grilling method. Here are a few things that I learned along […]
Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
In high-altitude backyard gardens, for a short period of time in August and September, you can taste the sweet, intense flavor of a locally grown vine-ripened tomato. We'll do anything for that amazing flavor - tuck our tomatoes under a blanket on cold nights, wheel our heirloom varieties out for sun in the morning and […]
Zucchini Pancakes
With only 59 frost-free growing days, gardening in Steamboat is a challenge. Thank goodness for zucchini! It's the one consistently generous plant in my raised-bed garden. One hill of three plants will usually provide us with a couple dozen zucchinis to eat and share in the late summer. The ease and versatility of cooking with […]
Make Ahead Chicken Enchiladas
No time to cook! As a county extension agent there is no busier time than county fair time. For a week, every day (and night) there is an important event needing my attention - home arts judging, 4-H Barbecue, Junior Livestock Sale, Wine & Beer competition and the list goes on. It's an exhausting and […]
Sour Cherry Jam
Why go to the trouble of making Sour Cherry Jam? Trust me, this tart, fruity spread has a flavor like nothing you can buy in a store. Most jams rely on traditional pectins which require the addition of a lot of sugar in order to gel. After trying several types of pectin I zeroed in […]
Wanted - a new Frying Pan
A 12-inch skillet is the workhorse of our family's kitchen. Whether we are sautéing vegetables, cooking eggs or making quesadillas, it will most likely be in a skillet. This is why it is particularly frustrating that - I hate my frying pans. Our current round-up of skillets includes assorted non-stick, cast iron and stainless steel […]
Garlic Sugar Snap Peas
Edible pea pods are a summer staple in my home. They make a great dipper for hummus, pack easily in a lunch and I can actually grow them in my mountain garden. I have been experimenting with quick and easy ways to cook them for dinner and found my inspiration at P.F. Chang's. Looking for […]
Sesame Tahini Dressing
Sesame tahini may seem like a trendy ingredient, but it has been a staple in our family's favorite dressing for decades. My husband, Dean, learned to make Sesame Tahini Dressing while living in the Albatross House, a vegetarian commune in college. This dressing is so versatile that it can be used as a topping for […]
Overnight Oats with Berries
Grabbing a satisfying breakfast on the way to work can be a challenge. That's why Overnight Oats is my new favorite grab-and-go breakfast. Biking to the Steamboat Balloon Rodeo this weekend meant leaving the house by 6 a.m. to bike to the launch site. Fortunately Overnight Oats were prepared and in the frig, ready to […]
Pad Thai
Whenever I have a chance to eat Asian food, I always order Pad Thai. Those delicate rice noodles with chili and lime accents deliver a light, yet complex flavor. I've been perfecting my Pad Thai recipe for the past several years and learned some lessons along the way. Most importantly, use fish sauce in your Pad Thai. For years […]
Hard-cooking eggs? Steaming Eggs - it's the best for high altitude
I know you have a go-to method of making hard boiled eggs - me too! For decades I used the same method that I grew up with - boil the dog-wallop out of them, then refrigerate. Anyone can make a hard-boiled egg, right? It was years before I learned that yolks should remain a bright […]
Steamed Hard-cooked Eggs
Hard-cooked eggs with ease Steaming is my new favorite method for making hard-cooked eggs. With this method the egg yolks and whites are perfectly cooked, there is no ugly green layer on the yolks, the eggs peel quickly and best of all...it's easy. My old method took twice as long to make because two quarts of water […]
Avocado Lime Deviled Eggs
Looking for a way to eat hard-cooked eggs that is not laden with mayonnaise? Try these Avocado Lime Deviled Eggs - they're the best deviled eggs ever! First, cook up some eggs using my favorite technique - Steamed Hard-cooked Eggs. I borrowed the idea from Cooks Illustrated, then refined the times for Colorado's altitude. Avocado […]
Hard-Cooked Eggs at High Altitude
I'm in search of the best method for making hard-cooked eggs at high altitude and I need some help. So far I've tried four different methods for hard-cooked eggs with varying degrees of success. Quite honestly, I'm beginning to drive my family and co-workers a bit crazy will all the eggs. Do you have a favorite method […]
Homemade Sauerkraut in a Jar
The main ingredient for homemade sauerkraut is patience. Of course you'll need some shredded cabbage and salt, but not much more. Homemade sauerkraut is easy to assemble...it just takes time to ferment. As I was exploring historic cooking methods for a presentation at our local Tread of Pioneers Museum, I was reminded of the importance of fermentation for […]
Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Sometimes I just don't get my husband. He'll it come home after teaching all day and be famished because he forgot to eat lunch. Really?! How can anyone forget to eat lunch? Honestly, I haven't missed a regular meal time since 2001. When I miss a meal I tend to get a bit testy and agitated--- […]
Celebrating the Super Bowl with Food
Have you decided what you'll be eating during the Super Bowl this year? The foodie world is going crazy talking about the best Super Bowl fare. They have recommendations for what snacks to serve during the pre-game, what finger food to offer game-watchers during breaks - (hint: it must be something that can be eaten while […]
Denver Omelet Muffins
My dad was no cook...he made one thing that I can remember - Denver Omelet Sandwiches. He'd make a traditional Denver Omelet---eggs with saute'd onions, green peppers and ham (sometimes he'd use bacon). He'd slap the whole omelet on a mayonnaise slathered piece of toast, topped with another mayonnaise slathered piece of toast and it […]
Handmade Gifts of Thanks
Have you ever received a gift that took your breath away? I mean downright, total surprise and delight, to the point that you embarrassed yourself with sobbing gratitude? I received such a gift recently...and I have to share it with you. One of my dedicated volunteers, Jackie Grimaldi- local quilter extraordinaire, presented me with the gift of […]
Lentil Soup for Friends
Receiving a jar of dry soup mix to make this lentil and split pea soup will make your family and friends so happy. With a few extra ingredients and less than an hour of effort they can feed a bowl of Lentil Soup for Friends to a crowd. There is no better (and healthy) gift than […]