use real butter

Recipe: chili cheese fries

It’s been a working weekend over here, both of us sitting at our computers processing photos or data, listening to my recent compilation of songs from the 80s and 90s. [I’m realizing that was a really long time ago.] We took a break on Saturday to go over to our favorite neighbors’ house for dinner. They served grouse, which they hunt each year in Canada. We’ve never had grouse before, although we’ve seen and heard a lot of them on mountain trails. The meat is sweet and tender, an absolute treat on top of the wonderful evening spent chatting with people we like. As we walked across the driveway to go back home, their flood light caught snowflakes racing past in night. By morning, our local hill had reported a foot of fresh snow for this, their closing day of the season. Dear snow, where the hell were you in December?! We scarfed down some breakfast while pulling on our ski pants and rushing out the door. This is Colorado. You don’t turn down a foot of freshies!

happy and rosy-cheeked after catching the powder

There is MOAR snow on the way too. Folks on the lift were bemoaning the snow that would come after the end of the ski season. Most of the big mountains have shut down their operations. Heck, I’m just getting started. The backcountry beckons (after the snowpack stabilizes – it has been a horrendous avalanche year). I still reminisce about skiing fresh powder on the first day of summer in 2011. One can always hope.

No matter what is flying through the air – be it snowflakes or hummingbirds, there are some foods that have no season… like chili cheese fries. Oh, I remember the first time I was introduced to chili cheese fries my freshman year in Southern California. What insane deliciousness was this?! I’ll tell you what it was. It was a pile of greasy hot french fries, fake orange cheese, and a glop of chili (I use the term loosely). These days we still indulge in the occasional chili cheese fries, but we tend to opt for a more flavorful and healthy homemade version.

cheddar cheese, potatoes, chili, salt, pepper, cayenne, olive oil

slice the potatoes

place in a pot and cover with cold water

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: thai chicken, asparagus, and baby corn

It’s so good to be back in Colorado. I say that every time I return. I feel it every time I return. Vermontshire, Verhampshire, New Hampmont, Vermont, New Hampshire – they’re wonderful and I learned so much and had a great time. But my heart truly sings when I catch sight of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado’s bluebird skies, my cuddly Kaweah girl, and most of all my sweet Jeremy. Also, the skiing in Colorado ain’t bad!

me and mah tele betties at breckenridge last week

I’m tired despite having done not a lick of exercise on this last trip. It’s partly because I find being in social situations exhausting and partly because air travel makes me cranky. Don’t mistake me for an introvert, though! I’m a good little extrovert, but it tires me out to navigate the dynamics of several very different personalities while keeping an eye open for photos and keeping my ears open to absorb the information being shared. It might also be because I stayed up until 2 am talking with this gal…

selfie with ellen at logan airport

I invited Ellen to come with me on my trip to Verhampshire for two reasons: 1) to put her in contact with a potential maple syrup supplier and 2) because I knew I wouldn’t place a pillow over her face in the middle of the night. I know myself well enough to identify who I can and won’t travel with, which is good because it has prevented many an attempted homicide. Today’s recipe is for my awesome travel buddy and friend, Ellen, because I know she loves quick and easy Thai recipes (don’t we all?!).

Back when I reproduced my favorite Thai sizzling beef dish, I managed to trigger a deep craving for other Thai dishes that I haven’t had in a while. One of the simplest and most delightful would have to be a basic chicken and vegetable stir-fry. You can use whatever vegetables you like and tinker with the sauce to taste, but it is quick, easy, and immensely satisfying.

chicken thighs, asparagus, green onions, garlic, sugar, cornstarch, baby corn, straw mushrooms, vinegar, vegetable oil, fish sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce

mix the sauce ingredients together

slice the asparagus on the diagonal

all of the meat and vegetables prepped

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: bolognese sauce

This weekend’s storm dumped 14 inches of snow on our local hill and almost as much at our house. For the first time in a long while, we were able to ski tour right out our front door, through the neighborhood, and to the trails. The snow swallowed the usual sounds and echoes, leaving the mountains extra quiet, soft, and contemplative.

it snowed all day saturday

poof balls of snow everywhere

What happened next? We lost an hour of sleep and hit the slopes the following morning along with ALL of Boulder County. I generally avoid the resorts on weekends, but we’ve been so starved for powder that it’s hard to pass up even on a Sunday morning. It was totally worth it for the powder stashes. By twilight, I realized that the time shift meant I had one less hour in the evenings than I’ve been used to. Oh, but then there is the lure of evening dinners on the deck when faces are still lit by the glow of a sun that has long dropped behind the mountains. It’s all good in my book, the book of Jen.

In anticipation of the storm (I follow the snow forecasts like a boss) and of Jeremy’s return from travel this weekend, I decided to tackle a recipe that is long on stove time and big on returns – bolognese sauce. It’s one of my favorites and sounded perfect after an afternoon of ski touring. I looked at several recipes before remembering that I had this book on Italian cooking that I bought on a lark in my last year of college (uh… 21 years ago). It’s by Marcella Hazan and her bolognese recipe looked spot on. Also, David Leite sang the praises when he made it. Word.

carrots, celery, onion, butter, white wine, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, olive oil, milk, veal, beef, pork

small dice

carrots, onion, celery

If you’re in a rush, then this bolognese sauce is not for you… or perhaps it is. Maybe it’s just what you need. This is a time investment and the return is a deep, rich, developed flavor that comes to those who are patient enough to simmer and stir and simmer and stir and simmer, simmer, simmer. I chopped my vegetables in a small dice because I wanted them to break down in the sauce, but if you like chunkier sauce, then go for a larger dice. The recipe calls for vegetable oil, but I used olive oil instead and it worked just fine. Oh, David cautions against using cast-iron pots for the sauce because the reaction of the metal to the acidity turns the sauce an unappetizing color. He uses enameled cast-iron in his post and I used stainless steel.

sauté the onions in butter and oil

sauté the diced vegetables

add the meats (pork, veal, beef) and brown

**Jump for more butter**