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Recipe: strawberry vanilla jam

Some people can become really bent out of shape when winter gets all up in their spring. I’m not one of those people. I’m used to straddling two seasons at any given time because I live at the boundary of the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. In the mountains, we are usually dawdling behind the flats come springtime with our snows and cold temperatures in contrast to their colorful spring blooms and flowering trees. Then we plunge headfirst into autumn and first snowstorms as their mosquito-bitten legs still strut around in shorts, flip flops, and summer. The great thing is to be able to leave one season and enter another in the span of 30 minutes and the canyon that separates the mountains from the flats.

the morning the storm cleared out

so colorado

A recent storm plastered the whole area with snow. Winter here. Winter there. I haven’t skied it yet as there has been a lot going on lately like routine mammograms and ultrasounds (which came back clear – booyah!), work, friends visiting from out of town, and heaps of paperwork. It’s all good. All good.

working with helliemae’s this week

met up with dear aran for a nice walk and talk around chautauqua park in boulder

It was only two weeks ago that I was complaining about those little liar strawberries in the store – organic, dark red that turned out to be flavorless with the texture of styrofoam. I should have known better, but I am an ever hopeful individual. I bought another quart this week and they were juicy, sweet, perfumey. Local strawberries still have a few months to go in Colorado, but I’m already looking forward to making more jam come June. Strawberries are one of my favorite things to come with the warmer months. Last year I canned several batches of this strawberry vanilla jam to give as gifts since Jeremy and I rarely consume jam. If only I had known.

sugar, vanilla beans, strawberries, lemons, pectin

hull and cut the strawberries

Turns out that Jeremy is a fiend for this jam. This one in particular. I would sometimes have one or two jars that didn’t seal properly during the canning process, so they would go into the refrigerator to serve at breakfast when we had house guests. And I noticed that the peach jams remained untouched (remember, the boy doesn’t eat stone fruits) and the strawberry vanilla jams would empty in no time.

split and gut the vanilla bean

macerate the strawberries in vanilla bean and sugar

stir it all together and let refrigerate overnight

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: mango lassi

Volatile. We go from dark, brooding skies to clear and sunny ones to snow squalls to gentle breezes and run that cycle fifty times over. Spring is volatile around here. The clouds are practically roiling over the Continental Divide in a battle between moisture, thermal expansion, and pressure gradients. The tips of aspen branches have turned fuzzy and glow brilliantly in the sun. They will be a fresh green in a matter of months. I love my snow, but I doubt there are many who don’t feel a little giddy at the approach of spring. We are certainly enjoying it.

snow hangs like bunting on the bridge (iphone)

metal flowers at peak 8 in breckenridge (iphone)

looking out on imperial chair – the highest ski lift in north america (iphone)

aprés ski – start with tempura

…and hamachi sashimi

brushing the dog (kaweah doesn’t enjoy this one bit)

April is a stone’s throw away. We finished our taxes. It feels great to get that out the way. I’m fighting the urge to go into full spring cleaning mode because I basically blow up the house and spend a few days sorting it all out. I think that stresses the hell out of Jeremy, so I’ll try to do that on the sly when he isn’t around to witness the mayhem. Oh, and the other day I saw deep red organic strawberries at the market and bought a pint. Guess what? They’re not ready. I knew better, but late winter/early spring can play tricks on your mind. Sour, cottony, hard strawberries – blegh! The person at Whole Foods who wrote the “juicy and sweet!” sign ought to be kicked in the shins. But the point is that I am ready for fruit other than apples, pears, and citrus (which have done a swell job these many months).

my favorite: the champagne (or ataulfo) mango

The delightful little mango that I love most is the Ataulfo and it is in season now. The flesh is smooth and silky compared to the stringy meat of the more common Tommy Atkins variety (large, greenish-red skin, mild flavor). Ataulfo mangoes are sweeter too. Jeremy doesn’t like mangoes (nor any stone fruit), so I happily buy them all for my own consumption. Most of the time I just peel the skin off with a knife and eat it like an apple. It makes a glorious mess. I also love a mango lassi, but cringe at the price in restaurants because I know how easy it is to make at home. I shot this recipe two years ago, but I still use it and I still love it.

dice them up

into the blender to purée

add yogurt (and water, sugar, and cardamom)

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Recipe: maple miso tofu

Winter went out like a cuddly little kitten last week. The last day of winter was warm, sunny, and so pleasant that I left the deck door open for Kaweah to come and go, which she loves to do. Sometimes she’ll just stand halfway in the house and halfway on the deck. But her old legs can’t stand indefinitely anymore. When I set her foamy bath mats out on the deck, she opted to lounge in the sun and absorb all of the energy falling to Earth.

last day of winter

Of course, it’s now spring break (all of Boulder seems to be on spring break this week) and it snowed all weekend. People have been shaking their fists at Punxsutawney Phil for his prediction of an early spring. When will silly people ever learn? I trust my local meteorologist over a giant rodent to tell me when to expect a powder day. Colorado spring skiing is what’s what.

five days into spring

nothing fazes her

8°f and gorgeous

that’s gonna be closed for a little while longer

But it is spring despite the winterish temperatures. The snow is heavier, stickier, wetter. It takes more effort to push it around than the powdery fluff of winter. And the longer hours of the day feel like you have emerged from a cave. Sunset is around 7pm at our house, which is Kaweah’s dinner time. She used to petition for dinner at 4:30 in the afternoon in winter when it got dark, but now she seems utterly delighted and taken by surprise when we say, “Do you want some dinner?”

dramatic sunset

Ever since I got home from my trip to Vermont and New Hampshire, I’ve been trying to keep my meals on the light side. I have some lovely organic maple syrup (and other maple products) courtesy of Coombs Family Farms, but I just can’t fathom eating THAT MANY waffles and pancakes, no matter how good the syrup is. You know me, I am one for the savory dishes. A maple miso tofu recipe appealed to my desire for lighter meals. The added bonus is how ridiculously straightforward and quick it is to prepare.

you need: maple syrup, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sambal oelek (or any chili paste), white miso, firm tofu

brushing oil on the parchment paper

cut the tofu into 1/2-inch thick slices

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