use real butter

Recipe: mixed berry galette

It’s the first day of spring! We’ve been experiencing a very warm last week of winter here in the Rockies, so the arrival of the spring equinox didn’t really seem all that out of place today.

kaweah has taken to snoozing in the sun on our warm deck

Jeremy and I went skiing at Mary Jane (Winter Park really, but we prefer the Mary Jane side because it’s steep and has lots of moguls) earlier in the week. Ice in the morning, slush in the afternoon = spring conditions. What stuck in my mind from that day was the damp smell of pine forest. I love that smell. I love it because it calls to me. It tells me it’s time to head into the backcountry for some spring mountaineering. After skiing, we went into Boulder to pick up my cousin who was visiting for a night before heading out to Vail with a ton of friends. We had a little time before her bus arrived and decided to upgrade some of our 15-year old gear with the new-fangled lightweight, durable stuff!

sweet: glacier rope and crampons

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Recipe: chocolate raspberry macarons

Even though I tell you guys that I blog for you, I have to be honest… I blog for me! I’m not just talking about the mental health aspect, but I find that my own recipe page comes in really handy when I’m contemplating what to make for dinner each week and particularly for planning party menus. As I had mentioned before, I had to take into consideration the soy-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, chicken-free issues of some guests. And while I did have something to offer for everyone, I also tried my best not to deprive those guests who can, do, and love to eat dairy, gluten, and all of that other good stuff.

dessert prep the day before

it began to snow before the guests arrived

That’s our patio furniture where my indoor bike trainer usually sits. A second table was brought up to provide more seating. I quite love that our furniture and house are so flexible for large parties. It is even better in summer because we use the deck. In total there were 14 adults, 6 kids, and one Kaweah. Young children make things much livelier and so Jeremy and I took turns between hosting to police Kaweah, who did her best to suck up all of the fallen food.

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Recipe: chocolate valentino cake

The Daring Bakers, founded by our super sexy ladies Lis and Ivonne, are here to make sure that you got enough chocolate in February. And if you di-int, then check it:

daring bakers: we knead to bake, yo

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

chocolate and butter

stirring in the egg yolks

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