Into the Kitchen

This article really struck a chord with me this morning.

Jeremy and I do a decent job of cooking at home but I do agree that the more you work the less you cook. I just read Julie & Julia and loved that even if her day was long Julie cooked a full meal. Instead of eating out after a long day, I typically eat a bowl of cereal and Jeremy will have a sandwich. Not a horrible meal by today's standards but still pathetic.

I really love to cook and bake, I just need a plan to keep me on track. I started this weekend off on a good note. In Jeremy's absence I actually made a great pasta dish with roasted chicken, fresh green beans and roasted peppers last night. My typical cereal diet isn't going to work this weekend, not after reading that article. If you can't make a meal for your husband and make it memorable, what's the point in having all of the good gadgets and dishes?

I love my kitchen, even if it isn't Ina Garten's Kitchen of the Year, and am going to start using it to its fullest potential. Here's a dedication to no more store bought pie crusts!

Photo from House Beautiful

Red Rocks

A summer concert at Red Rocks with Augustana and Counting Crows sounds amazing, right? What should have looked like:

Actually looked like this with 50 degree weather and constant rain:

(Notice the waterproof Titleist cap I took from Jeremy.)

(Counting Crows w/Augustana)

Enough said.

Love this article.

Work will always be personal, I think Jeremy finally understands that now.

On the Rocks

Back on the 4th of July when we had our great patio and yard little gathering, I made a new margarita recipe that was by all counts a complete hit. The Adirondack Margarita is really smooth and perfect on the rocks. I made a batch last week for Billy's visit and still had a little left for today. It was in CottageLiving back in 2005 and I stumbled on it from My Recipe's latest GirlsNightIn article writting by Rebecca Lang. That girl has some great ideas and menu options!



Enjoy it this summer on your patio!


1 1/2 cups tequila
3 cups apple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1/4 cup lime juice
Mix all ingredients together in a 4-quart pitcher until thoroughly blended. Chill until ready to serve.

WWGL

After spending a lovely evening at the Hubbard's and a few too many glasses of wine, I managed to drag myself up and to the course this AM. Today's tournament was 3 clubs and a Putter. Not an easy way to play the round but it made play very fast today. I ended up shooting 41 after starting with a double, bogie, the dreaded snowman, another double. To finish off I had a good string of pars, four out of the last five to be exact. Not great but not too shabby.

In an instant...

-a peaceful night with slight breeze turned to 60 MPH gusts with vicious hail.

-the patio set was thrown all over the yard, including the grill.

-the pretty backyard turned into this desolate mess. (Notice the neighbor's trampoline.)
-a young house aged with the help of mother nature.

The good news is that the problems here are only cosmetic and all these things can be replaced. It is unbelievable to see all of the old trees in the neighborhood that have been taken down with this amazing microburst. For all the work we did in the yard this year, I'm sad to say that we didn't take any pictures. Even last night as we were watering I showed Jeremy the hollyhock blooms and dahlia blooms we had, too bad I didn't snatch the camera. Again, all these things can be replaced and next summer this will only be a distant memory.

Scooter Love

My drive into work is a very boring, straight drive that takes me down Colfax into downtown. (I'm not complaining, I wouldn't trade my drive for any other drive, it is the best drive I've ever had.) That being said each morning I see the usual drivers and I see the same scooters each morning...aAnd every morning I can't help but wish I was riding a scooter. My girlfriend Joy has hers, a Tangerine Buddy and she loves that thing.

Joy's Buddy - LOVE IT!

I did a little recon at our lunch today and now I really want to test drive one. Maybe with enough effort I can convince Jeremy to go with me HERE this weekend for a test drive.

Love the VESPA!

PB Love

I received my Pottery Barn August catalog this weekend and loved every page. It's about dang time they changed things up over there - it was starting to get boring. This makes me excited for fall although I'm not ready to see summer leave us anytime soon. The only negative to flipping through a catalog while drinking coffee on a Saturday morning it puts all sort of crazy design ideas in my head. A few of my favorites for this fall:

This would be a great birthday gift for the traveler in your life.

Because who doesn't need a champagne tub?

These will match the family room pillows I bought last year at West Elm on a crazy sale.

Back in the Saddle

After being without Internet access at home for 2-weeks, I'm back in the saddle thanks to my IT wizard in Chicago. A HUGE thank you to Sean! It was great to work this evening and get some more things knocked off of my to-do list. It makes working late so much better when I can do this at home! While I play catch up, here's a retro version of what I did with Jeremy on Friday. Granted it wasn't in Europe and down in the City but it was still really fun.

The Sweetest Thing

Look at the photo I got in the mail yesterday with the sweetest card from Julia...Sofia (4) & Maria (2)

They are the sweetest and cutest things and I miss the Carmosino's so much. Julia is such a dear friend, she really made my day. Her girls always melt my heart, I'm so lucky she shares them with me like I'm family. Love you girls and I hope you move back to CO soon!

The Open Championship

Jeremy and I started watching the British Open from the comforts of our bedroom at 4:30 this morning. I love that we can watch the links course at Turnberry for four days straight. We need to get serious with planning our golf trip across the pond - it is gorgeous!

Here's hoping that Geoff Ogilivy, Ian Poulter, Justin Leonard and Andres Romero play well. The family version of the FedEx Cup, the IPS Cup, is on the line.

Thank You TCM

It seems with all of the crappy TV on these days that to have true entertainment (sans The Golf Channel or ESPN) we're turning to TCM to fill the void. (I love Bravo but their shows don't last forever.) Yesterday I watched High Society with Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. Halfway through I realized that this was the musical version of Philadelphia Story. Either version, I love it. We also watched North by Northwest with Cary Grant - loved that movie!

Tale of Two Kitchens

I spent Sunday in the kitchen and it was the most interesting time I’ve had in a while. I had two goals for the afternoon: make a batch of sauce and bake my first Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. It turned into a study of contrasts.

First things first, get comfortable in the kitchen and start the sauce. I can make sauce with my eyes closed and long ago are the days where I worried about having the temperature too high or that I’d make a mess. It is cathartic and there is a rhythm I’ve developed where I know exactly how long each step will take, at exactly the right temperature, with the exact browning of the garlic, the exact amount of olive oil and the perfect blend of herbs and spices. It was with great ease that I finished my sauce and let it simmer to perfection. There is no other scent in the world that gives me more comfort. Not surprisingly it makes me think of my Great-Grandma and Grandma. I know my sauce will never be as good as Great-Grandma’s or Grandma’s but that is okay. It is dang good and it gives me the most satisfaction in the world when I ladle my sauce into the mason jars. After three hours I had 48-oz of sauce to last us this summer - Success!

On the flip side was my pie baking experience where I was a fish out of water. It was a good challenge for the afternoon, even if I was unsure of every step. The only pie I’ve ever done with any hint of success is my Grandma Lang’s Glazed Peach Pie; it is an old South Dakota recipe that my dad makes to perfection. I studied many recipes (11 to be exact) and settled on one that appeared simple enough. I used the ready-made crusts that I had left-over in the freezer and got to work. (I know this is cheating but I didn’t have the energy to attempt my own crust.) I prepped my rhubarb, strawberries and some leftover blueberries. I made the filling and started to assemble. At first blush it seemed like this would be easy, the fruit was perfectly ripe and had great color and the recipe appeared to have the correct ratio of fruit to filling. I assembled my lattice crust with some difficulty then put it in the oven. What came out of the oven was a pie with a severely burnt crust and didn’t appear to bake through all of the filling; it was by all appearances a complete failure. Jeremy was a good sport and we tried it after a few glasses of wine. The taste was too sweet, the appearance was ugly and the end result appeared more of a cobbler than a pie. The only saving grace was that it tasted good with ice cream. Anyone for a slice of humble pie?

Happy 74th Birthday Grandma!

Thank you for sharing your Italian heritage with us and giving us so many memories. Every meal is an event and your house is perfection. You've taught me well and you are so much like Great Grandma, its uncanny. I love these photos that Mom shared with me!

Aunt Ann, Great Grandma, Aunt Kay, Aunt Connie, Grandma and Mom

(I love that even in this photo Mom is in pink, Aunt Kay in yellow and Aunt Connie in blue! Grandma must have decided to throw a curve ball to Aunt Connie and Aunt Kay with switching their traditional colors;) )
Grandma, Great Grandpa and Great Grandma
Many years later - still looking young! Thanks for passing along that beautiful skin!

Grandma looking like perfection after dinner!

Grandma at the Brown Palace for her birthday tea.

I hope you have a great year filled with Starbucks trips, time with family and special moments with Grandpa! Love you - Katie

I've Got the Blues

I will never forget this kid - so upset over the Duke loss in 2004. I wish I could say that I didn't look like him here at work but I'd be lying. Today was rough and not even a call to my parents before I made it to the office helped. I've never understood when men say that its business and not personal. It may be business but I still take it personal. Here's looking forward to a sunny weekend.

I'm looking forward to:

-Continue watching the Tour de France. (I love this race and don't even own a bike!)

-Golfing with Jeremy.

-A month of tight deadlines at work that will make time fly.

-Hearing that one of my projects is coming back to life as a hotel and cultural center across from the MOCA!

-Birthday breakfast for my Grandma with Mom and Bec.

-Ballpark Market this Saturday

-Game night with Bec & John. (I'm predicting a Ross victory.)

Old School

I don't own an ipod or an iPhone nor do I see myself owning one. I don't understand having to use itunes and get so annoyed by the "app" commercials for the iphone. It really seems like it takes instant gratification to a whole new level. I have a very old small MP3 player that suits me just fine for the gym. I'm perfectly content buying CDs and burning them to my laptop. I think Jeremy and I are going to get a new MP3 with more memory but it won't be an ipod, I'm just not hip enough. At least I'm not using my diskman anymore!

A great weekend

I had a great 4-day weekend that started by catching The Proposal with my mom on Thursday before her fabulous birthday dinner at Bistro Vendome. Then it was across Larimer to The Market for a slice of their Spring Fling, a helping of strawberry shortcake and a sweet ice cream cone for Jeremy.

I golfed with the ladies on Saturday morning while Jeremy went with the guys. Then it was time to head home and get the house ready for a little BBQ with the couples. It was a feast filled with pork, pork and more pork. It really helped to have the putting green to keep the men occupied.

Sunday we headed up to Blackhawk with Jessica, Johnny and my parents to try our hand at the new gaming. I played it safe with my Monopoly penny slots but Jer, J and Johnny did quite well on the roulette table. It seems that we'll be heading up again since its such a quick trip.

A toast to Debbie Lee

Here's wishing my mom a fabulous birthday!

Mom with her girls at the NM Bowl - she's the best honorary alum!

Love this photo of her at Belmar!

You exemplify the roles of dedicated wife, mother, daughter and sister. I love how you made the little things special growing up. You've made me the woman I am and put it in my head that I can do anything. (I think this explains the career choice.) I credit you for showing me what it takes to make a house a home and I'm so blessed to have you treat Jeremy as one of your own.

Thanks Mom and Happy Birthday!