use real butter

Recipe: blueberry hand pies

I’m sleep-deprived and behind on my work, but I’m not (too) stressed out because I’m having a good time. I got to watch and minimally participate in the filming of a television segment for Frank Bonanno and my good friend, Ellen, in Denver last week. I say minimally because I really REALLY did not want to be on camera. Besides, it was HOT in the kitchen. We were all happy when that part was done so we could head outside to watch the filming of the cocktail segment.

prepping for cocktails

Aside from my desire to support a good friend, do you want to know the real reason I left the mountains to head to Denver (because it usually takes a plane ticket to get me to drive down to Denver)? A hedgehog. SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!

her name is rosie and she belongs to frank’s kids

My parents arrived Friday evening and we met with them to go out for dinner. It used to make me a little crazy and headachey when they would both hold simultaneous, yet separate conversations with me. But now… now I just laugh and try to listen to both, and laugh some more. They came up to our house for dinner over the weekend. It feels good to cook for my folks – to spoil them since they were always spoiling me (and now us). More than ever, I just feel that I want my parents to be happy. Isn’t this what we wish for the ones we love?

this dish never fails to please: pan-seared scallops on fresh corn and roasted tomatoes

The weather got uncomfortably warm right around the time the pine pollen got ridiculous (i.e. everywhere). But before all of that happened, I made some fruity pies. Remember the mad loot I scored in the way of organic blueberries from Whole Foods? I used one of those pints for something other than jam. Pie is great and all, but HAND PIES are like… presents.

puff pastry, blueberries, egg, cinnamon, salt, lemon, cornstarch, sugar, turbinado sugar

mix the cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest

mix the blueberries, lemon juice, and salt together

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: banana peanut butter pupsicles

We’re back home in Nederland and it’s been ass hot here on the Front Range. Not only has it been ass hot, but pine pollen season is in full swing. We haven’t had any rain to wash away the pollen such that when the winds blow, giant clouds of thick yellow blegh go swirling into the air for miles. So of course the windows stay closed during the day and the house just gets plain old angry hot (or perhaps that’s me?).

i bet this fox was running for the nearest stream to cool off

Kaweah’s susceptibility to the heat has increased with her old age. After seeing how much she enjoyed the scoop dog frozen treat in Crested Butte, I decided to make some at home for her. I didn’t want to make it dairy-based as we try to keep her dairy intake to a minimum because it gives her gas. So I went with my favorite non-dairy ice cream recipe: single ingredient ice cream. The ice cream base is made entirely of bananas, which she loves, and I added some other goodies to sweeten the deal for her.

ripe bananas, peanut butter, bacon, carrot

slice the bananas

place them in a vessel and freeze them

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Recipe: banh mi

We enjoyed a slight cooldown with sporadic bursts of rain over the weekend in Crested Butte. I’m still a sniveling mess when it comes to hot weather. However, I’m slowly adjusting to the heat and that thick layer of sunblock such that I can be seen in the same place as the sun. And it’s totally amazing.

trail running along the slate river

riding the lupine trail

and always thankful for sunset – particularly the colorful ones

Jeremy and I are still getting our bearings straight on restaurants in town. We have our perennial favorites from the past several years traveling through Crested Butte, but now we’re checking out the other places to see if they’re worth the cash or just another resort town trap. One evening, we went for a stroll after dinner and came upon a cute small batch ice cream store (I’ll write about it later). Jeremy ordered a scoop of ice cream for himself and I grabbed a little scoop for Kaweah.

make that a scoop dog for kaweah

It cost as much as Jeremy’s single scoop of cowboy coffee ice cream, but Kaweah’s scoop dog was a peanut butter, maple, bacon ice cream just for dogs. How awesome, right? We have been giving her short sessions with the scoop dog over the past few days. She’s so enamored with her new treat that she’s taken to pointing at the freezer where we store it.

kaweah’s lick of approval

So far I’ve been cooking relatively simple fare in Crested Butte because our kitchen has the bare minimum of what I consider a working kitchen. The pantry is another issue altogether. Crested Butte may boast some excellent restaurants, but the groceries are another story – especially if you stock an Asian pantry. I have a long list of Asian staples to buy on my next trip to the Asian grocer back home. Before you know it, I’ll be whipping up my old favorites in the new place. Like banh mi – the marriage of wonderful southeast Asian flavors IN A SANDWICH. Be still my heart.

for the pork: pork loin, chili garlic sauce, shallots, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar

minced garlic and sliced shallots

**Jump for more butter**