use real butter

Recipe: potato masala

It’s been sunny, hot (in the 60s), and windy on the Front Range these past few days. People rejoice when the weather warms up around here, but in February it makes me cringe. I just imagine what all that warm wind and sun is doing to our snowpack. Then we head out for a trail run and it’s a slushfest of sorts. Yeeesh. But the good news is that more snow is on the way. In fact, it’s snowing outside our front door right now. Even if you are a winter hater, you must admit it can be quite beautiful. I finally took the time to do some shooting while ski touring in Crested Butte a couple of weeks ago. It was just too pretty not to…

aspen trunks

beautiful mature aspens and growing conifers

hillslopes as a squall approaches

I invest a good bit of time reading weather forecasts throughout the year as it informs my decisions on outdoor activities including my photography and foraging. In summer, it’s mainly about heat waves, thunderstorms, and cold fronts. In winter it’s ALL about the powder. (Actually, we follow the weather closely to track avalanche risk too.) When I know a big dump snow day is coming, I load up on work ahead of time so I can catch some fresh tracks when possible. I also plan our menu accordingly. We had a rather snowy first half of February in Colorado, so we filled up on stews, curries, soups, and other things that warm your belly after dropping into powder stashes up to your hips. One dish that is utterly satisfying after a day in the snow is potato masala (aloo masala).

vegetable oil, tomato, onion, potatoes, serrano pepper, ginger, curry leaves, cilantro, turmeric, salt, asafoetida, mustard seeds, cayenne, urad dal

slice the potatoes in half (or quarters)

cook the potatoes in water, turmeric, and salt

**Jump for more butter**

The first time I set foot in Camp 4 Coffee was late September 2010. It was dark out because I wanted to shoot sunrise somewhere outside of Crested Butte. My shooting partner needed his morning caffeine fix before heading out and knew just the place to go. At 6 am, we stood in line in front of this tiny shack covered in old license plates. I know nothing about coffee, but as Jason stepped outside and took a sip of his quadruple shot latte he purred, “Oooooh yeah. THAT is good stuff.” The following year when Jeremy joined me over the weekend on my solo fall shoot in Crested Butte, I took him to Camp 4 for coffee, and he’s been smitten ever since.

camp 4 coffee in crested butte

Like Crested Butte, Camp 4 has a friendly, laid-back vibe. Tourists and locals alike line up each morning for their cuppa. Dogs saunter onto the pleasant little patio and wait patiently (and obediently) while their people step in to grab coffee and breakfast, say hi to friends, and snag a little dog treat for their four-legged companion. While the pups are outside, they receive a good deal of attention and loving from passersby and other patrons. It’s all routine.

any given summer morning outside camp 4

The space inside is limited to room for five to six people to peruse the boards, admire the baked goods, order, pay, and dress their beverages. To your immediate right as you walk in is a little bar space for four people to sit and read the paper or shoot the breeze. It’s tiny, yet incredibly popular because their coffee is exceptional – touted as the best coffee in Colorado according to the Denver Post. There is no drip coffee here, just espresso drinks made from Camp 4’s own beans roasted right in Crested Butte. Jeremy notes that their beans are also excellent for drip coffee at home.

decisions decisions…

perfect doughnuts: crisp outsides, fluffy and tender insides

In addition to the traditional coffee drinks, Camp 4 offers a selection of teas, bottled things (juices, water, soda, sports drinks), smoothies, milkshakes, hot cocoa, chai, as well as breakfast burritos (with REAL green chiles), breakfast sandwiches, and some of the most delectable pastries in town (super flaky awesomeness). The selection includes fresh doughnuts, filled long johns, danishes, croissants, filled croissants, cinnamon rolls, muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, quick breads… The pastries don’t last long on any given day, so if you have a hankering, get ye there in the morning before they’re picked clean.

the friendliest service

a treat for your pooch, because crested butte loves dogs

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: bourbon caramel chocolate banana cream pie

Well wow. We have had so much snow lately that I started getting picky about the powder reports. “Oh, just 7 inches of fresh powder this morning?” Crested Butte has received 7 FEET of snow in the past two weeks. Needless to say, we’ve been skiing powder and more powder.

evening ski touring before dinner

ski touring among giant trees (the little green dot at the bottom is jeremy)

ski touring beautiful terrain

quad burns and tele turns on the mountain

This being Colorado, we also have our share of sunshine. After a morning of getting pounded with 2 inch/hour snowfall (and epic skiing – face shots!), the sun came out to play. There is a good bit of snow piled up outside our place. Jeremy has had to dig out a little area for Kaweah to go potty in the yard. It now has walls of snow 3-8 feet high, which is kinda nice because it means she doesn’t wander off.

kaweah for scale in the driveway

jeremy has to chuck the snow quite high

Despite the cold weather, Kaweah enjoys a daily scoop of her banana pupsicle. It’s just frozen bananas. I make a habit of collecting ripe or overripe bananas at the grocery store and blitzing the frozen chopped up bananas for her every few weeks. But right before we came out to Crested Butte, I decided to commandeer a few of those bananas for the two-legged critters in the house. I wanted to make banana cream pie.

pie crust: butter, flour, salt, confectioner’s sugar, cream, cider vinegar, chocolate

pulse the butter into the dry ingredients

add the cream and vinegar mixture

pulse together until just moistened

wrap and chill

**Jump for more butter**