use real butter

Recipe: caterpillar sushi roll burger

The two week pine tree orgy is over and the pine pollen no longer rains down on you when the wind blows around here. That stuff does a number on my respiratory system such that all workouts have been indoors. I dare say I think it’s safe to venture out into the hills again. Our yard grows wild, literally. We have no lawn, just weeds and native grasses. But those “weeds” have begun sprouting the colors of summer. I love it.

indian paintbrush and yarrow

arnica and baby aspens

Everyone is doing their thing in summer, because it’s summer! Even the bugs. On a hike in Crested Butte a few weeks ago, we paused to observe some caterpillars in a nest. As we continued around the lake, the caterpillars still on my mind, my thoughts turned to caterpillar rolls in sushi bars. Of course, right? I’ve played around with the burgerfication of various favorite dishes, especially sushi rolls. And I even made a caterpillar sushi roll burger over a year ago, I just didn’t like it. So I shelved the photos and recipe – until I saw those caterpillars. What I realized was that the bun I used ruined the entire dish for me (us). It was the first (and last) time I ever tried Rudi’s. The bread was dry, crumbly, bland, and basically disintegrated after the first bite. I was so disappointed.

beef patties, buns, eel (unagi), nori (seaweed), lettuce, avocado, tomato, unagi sauce

I’m looking for a certain texture and flavor in my burger buns. I like the bread to be slightly sweet, soft and tender, structurally competent, buttery if possible, and fluffy. Walking through our mountain town grocery store, I spotted some barbecue buns (intended for pulled pork). They fit the bill.

cut the unagi

prep the fixings

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Recipe: banh mi

We enjoyed a slight cooldown with sporadic bursts of rain over the weekend in Crested Butte. I’m still a sniveling mess when it comes to hot weather. However, I’m slowly adjusting to the heat and that thick layer of sunblock such that I can be seen in the same place as the sun. And it’s totally amazing.

trail running along the slate river

riding the lupine trail

and always thankful for sunset – particularly the colorful ones

Jeremy and I are still getting our bearings straight on restaurants in town. We have our perennial favorites from the past several years traveling through Crested Butte, but now we’re checking out the other places to see if they’re worth the cash or just another resort town trap. One evening, we went for a stroll after dinner and came upon a cute small batch ice cream store (I’ll write about it later). Jeremy ordered a scoop of ice cream for himself and I grabbed a little scoop for Kaweah.

make that a scoop dog for kaweah

It cost as much as Jeremy’s single scoop of cowboy coffee ice cream, but Kaweah’s scoop dog was a peanut butter, maple, bacon ice cream just for dogs. How awesome, right? We have been giving her short sessions with the scoop dog over the past few days. She’s so enamored with her new treat that she’s taken to pointing at the freezer where we store it.

kaweah’s lick of approval

So far I’ve been cooking relatively simple fare in Crested Butte because our kitchen has the bare minimum of what I consider a working kitchen. The pantry is another issue altogether. Crested Butte may boast some excellent restaurants, but the groceries are another story – especially if you stock an Asian pantry. I have a long list of Asian staples to buy on my next trip to the Asian grocer back home. Before you know it, I’ll be whipping up my old favorites in the new place. Like banh mi – the marriage of wonderful southeast Asian flavors IN A SANDWICH. Be still my heart.

for the pork: pork loin, chili garlic sauce, shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar

minced garlic and sliced shallots

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Recipe: garlic shrimp pesto pasta with roasted tomatoes

There is still good snow in the backcountry despite the warm temperatures. It’s the intersection of spring and summer which means we did the bike-hike-ski on Sunday. Throw your skis on your pack, hop on your bike and ride in as far as you can (basically up to the snow). Then you can either hoof it by foot or by ski into the high country depending on how strong the snowpack is. If you wind up postholing and cussing a lot, then put the skis and skins on. Ski the (safe) slopes to your heart’s content then ski out until you hit mixed terrain. Put the skis on the pack and hike to the bike. Ride on out. In June. Awesome.

the snow was firm enough for walking

alpine lakes starting to thaw

breaking for lunch

jeremy skiing out

and you end the day with sunset like this

that tranforms into rosy hues in minutes

After a long day of (fun) exertion and exposure to the elements, I’m lucky if I can find the energy to dial for take out. But this past week I threw together a pasta dish on a lark that Jeremy loved so much he asked if we could have it again. It’s relatively easy to make, so we had it for dinner.

olive oil, pepper, fettuccine, pesto, salt, garlic, butter, tomatoes, shrimp

prep the tomatoes for roasting with some olive oil, salt, and pepper

roasted

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