use real butter

Recipe: creamy peanut butter pie

Doomed, was I.

By the time my packing was done, I had to be awake in 45 minutes to head to the airport. I debated whether or not to sleep, because sometimes a short sleep like that can make you feel worse than no sleep at all. It can make you feel pukey in the wee hours of the morning when no one else is awake and when you really don’t want to be either.

A mere 6 hours earlier I was in Boulder shooting the Andrew Bird concert at Chautauqua Auditorium. His is the kind of mesmerizing and dynamic performance that can transport you away from the worries of the day, even if only for a little while. And it did just that.

[You can see the rest of the photo set on the photo blog.]

But there was a flight to catch and a promise to keep.

crushed (gluten-free) cookies

melting butter

On Tuesday, Jennie posted a recipe for Creamy Peanut Butter Pie. It was her Mikey’s favorite. She invited all of us to make and share this pie to celebrate her beloved today, the day of his memorial service.

mix together for the crust

press into the bottom of the pan

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: trail mix

It is now July. You know what July means, don’t you?

July means we are into the thick of summer.

July means half the year is over.

July (in this country) means Fourth of July celebrations, barbecues, and fireworks! You guys know how lousy we are at following holiday instructions. Instead of celebrating, we exercised and got some work done. Instead of barbecue, we had pad thai. But there is no “instead of fireworks” because I totally love pyrotechnics. Love the pretty colored lights that rain down from the sky when nighttime finally settles over the mountains. And what I see with my eyes is never quite the same as what the camera captures – but I like them both!

You can view the rest of the fireworks set on my photo blog.

July is also the month when we will eventually be able to hike into the high country without having to wear or carry skis or crampons. That point in which the trails are no longer classified as “mixed terrain” is true summer for us. Our great room becomes a sort of giant locker room and instead of having a bike bin and a ski bin, we will transition into the bike bin and the hike bin. Of course, they overfloweth resulting in the multiple packs, water hydration bladders, boots, shoes, gloves, hats, jackets, sunnies, sunblocks, maps and snacks strewn about.

i own plenty of footwear

when i see my platypus, i think “let’s go!”

I’m pretty particular about my snacks when we head into the backcountry. Contrary to what so many people think, we actually prefer no fuss, bare bones food when we camp, hike, or backpack. I don’t go into the backcountry to spend a lot of time preparing fancy food. I do plenty of that at home. I go into the mountains for the mountains. When we hike, we always have some emergency calories on hand like LARA bars. I’ve tried many other “bars” over the years and I cannot get them down without a sudden desire to hurl. We cycled through several varieties of trail mixes (from Trader Joes) early on, but none of them resonated with my taste buds. Trail mixes are based on GORP – Good Old Raisins and Peanuts. Neither of us are huge fans of raisins or peanuts.

but cranberries? yes

and cashew nuts

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: calabrese sandwich

Weekend comes. Weekend goes.

Even though we have plenty of snow in the backcountry, it’s really started greening up around here in the last week. I can’t tell if summer is our shortest season or if it only seems like it because that is the time when you want to do everything. Okay, that is the time *I* want to do everything as the sun tracks high overhead. Hard to believe that in three short months, the newly minted aspen leaves in our mountains will be turning gold. In the meantime, summer is on the menu.

In my last post, I wrote about these wonderful pink pickled red onions I had made and sort of fell in love with. Even if you aren’t an onion fan, I suggest giving these pickles a chance. Awesome sauce.

remember these?

Pickles go great in all manner of foods. My very favorite class of food has got to be the sandwich. I have a sandwich addiction. Pickles and sandwiches are like best friends. They so totally belong together. After making the pickled onions, I knew exactly which sandwich I wanted to make.

thinly sliced calabrese

ciabatta rolls, calabrese, mozzarella, tomatoes, pickled onions, pesto, mustard

**Jump for more butter**