Thursday, July 21, 2011

Weekend in the Clouds

  This past weekend we had the pleasure of enjoying Alma's Festival in the Clouds with new and old friends.  The festival is in its 14th year and is an annual free event that the town sponsors.  There was live music all day, children splashing in the Platte River and scraping in the sand at its shore, artists vending their wares, and a few rain showers to keep us on our toes. 
bruised sky threatens wet/snug in flimsy house we laugh/daring the drops down.
  Probably the most exciting part of the weekend was the chance to see my dear friend Lauren and meet her new husband, Greg.  The Foxes are on a westward honeymoon journey and we were just lucky enough to rendezvous with them on their travels.  Both have quit their jobs and embarked upon a quest to find their place in this vast space we call the American West.  I, for one, can't wait to see where they end up!
  We took a nice hike at Kite Lake on Sunday.  The lake is above timberline and gives access to three mountains over 14,000': Mount Democrat, Mount Lincoln and Mount Bross.  Though we chose not to climb much above the snowline, it was still magnificent.  Wildflowers blanketed the valley- sunflowers, Columbine, Indian paintbrush, and many others I could not identify.
Mariposa Lily

Some weather rolls in...


Indian Paintbrush


Puppies playing in the snow

Satisfying Summer Recipes

I'm sharing some summer favorites that require little to no cooking. Enjoy!  Comments and recipes are always welcome!

Summer Berry Salad
Black & Blue Summer Salad
Strawberry Salad

 The beauty of these salads is that you can use any fresh ingredients you have on hand.  It seems we can never eat our fresh fruit fast enough, so one day I decided to put some in the rather boring-looking salad I was having for lunch.  What a pleasant surprise!  I know I'm not the first to put fruit in a salad with lettuce, but sometimes you forget the simplest and most delicious things.

Ingredients

Salad greens; such as mâché, spinach, arugula
Fruit (strawberries, peaches, blueberries, blackberries- whatever sounds good!)
Sliced almonds
Chèvre, crumbled (optional) 
Raspberry vinaigrette or other vinaigrette salad dressing

Preparation

Rinse greens; fruit.  Place greens in a bowl.  Top with fruit, crumbled chèvre, if using, and sliced almonds.  Drizzle with vinaigrette.   

The Minimalist's (Revised) Corn Chowder
I first tried this recipe last summer and got rave reviews from everyone who tried it.  The original recipe is Mark Bittman's and stands alone as one of the best and easiest corn chowder recipes I have ever come across.  His recipe, as is, is only 60 calories per serving.  My version ups the calories a bit for the sake of flavor. 

Ingredients

4 to 6 ears of corn
1 TB butter or neutral oil, such as canola
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Preparation
  1.  Shuck the corn and strip the kernels from the cob with a sharp knife.  Reserve kernels, making sure to capture any juice.  Put cobs in a large pot with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of broth.  Cover, simmer for 10 minutes.
  2.  Place butter or oil in saucepan and heat on medium-high.  When hot, add onion and potatoes; season.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes.  Cook, stirring for another minute or so.
  3. Strain the corn cob mixture, return to large pot, and add onion potato mixture.  Bring to a boil, turn heat down so mixture simmers.  When potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes, add corn kernels and heavy whipping cream.  Heat through.  Season with salt and pepper and fresh parsley.
  
Sweet Alma Soul Sisters perform @ Festival in the Clouds



   

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