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: margarita jello

At the party we threw last weekend I was all prepared to serve up margaritas to our guests because that sounded like a good way to wash down those shredded beef and carne adovada tacos. As luck would have it, only one person asked for a margarita and so I was stuck with a bag of limes after the party was over.

what to do with juicy limes…

I shouldn’t say stuck with the limes, because there’s always something good to make with limes. I should say stuck with tequila because neither of us drinks tequila. Then I recalled a mojito jello that Helen had posted last summer and wondered if I might try something similar with the margarita. I had a good recipe in hand after researching all over the web for the *best* margarita cocktail. It goes something like 2 parts 100% agave tequila (silver, I don’t know what silver means, but basically don’t buy shitty tequila), 1 part Grand Marnier, and 1 part fresh lime juice. I guess I’m a serious lightweight because that was kinda strong for me. I preferred it with simple syrup, more lime juice, less booze.

sprinkle gelatin over the water to soften

fresh squozen is best

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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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