Archive | October, 2014

{pickled gherkins}

30 Oct

when i say, “gherkins” – what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

for me, it’s the movie dirty dancing.  weird, right?!  there’s the scene where neil is asking baby if she is hungry, and he’s looking in the fridge… “leftover cabbage roll, fruit salad…?  sweet gherkins?!”  😛

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anyway… i don’t really like sweet pickles. but i do love dill pickles. and when i found these *adorable* baby gherkins, i literally squealed in excitement! apparently, they are also known as “cucamelons.” {teehehee}

they are slightly sour, and very juicy!  which, i admit, was a little surprising.  i also read that they are very easy to grow… which makes me totally want to try to include some in the garden next year!

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they look like little watermelons!!  eep!  so cute. Continue reading

{refusing to let go of autumn…}

29 Oct

i went for a hike a couple weeks ago in snowmass, where i used to work last winter.. and i was shocked at how much colour was left on the trees all around!  the aspens were still an amazing mix of colour and no colour… i just love them so much! the peaks were dusted with snow, and it was a sight to behold!

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when i very first came to snowmass last year, it was october 22nd.  it was the day of my interview and i remember seeing very little colour left on the aspens in the area. i though to myself, ‘what a sight this must be in autumn!’ and i was soooo hopeful i would get out to see it this year!  i’m way grateful there was still some amazing colour on the trees and hills in this beautiful mountain town!

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we went on a nice little hike…

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some incredible views!! check out that rainbow of colour! Continue reading

{seasonal eating : wild chanterelle mushrooms}

27 Oct

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i looooooove mushrooms, did you know this?!  it was amazing to discover that some mushrooms grow WILD up here in the high country. morels, boletus, and chanterelles, to name a few. and they are all something special.  when we received some wild chanterelles at the store, i eagerly nabbed some up so i could try them for the first time.  they are only available for a short time, and many of the “professional” foragers are extremely secretive about their “finding spots”  – and who can blame them!!?? – they sell for upwards of $20.00 a pound! we had a very rainy august here in the valley, and that made for some ideal mushroom hunting-and-gathering!

the peak season for chanterelles is in the fall… we have had a little frost in the mornings lately, so i’m kind of assuming they’re done for the year… but i could be wrong. i’m also just a little late in posting this blog 😛

i most likely have had chanterelle mushrooms at some point in my life and not realized it.  i’m sure at some fancy dinner in NYC, i had a couple in a dish once… but i wanted to truly truly taste the mushroom – being a purist and all – so i simply sauteed them in some awesome local pasture butter.

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i sauteed the golden fungi for about 15 minutes, until they were nice and aromatic… then poured the whole mixture over a yummy baked russet potato…

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it was a taste of heaven…

do you like mushrooms? have you had chanterelles? what is your favourite mushroom?? 

{flowers for brunch}

26 Oct

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and why not?! 😉

along with adorable pansies – tulips, sunflowers, and even orchids – are some of nature’s edible flowers.

cool, huh?! ❤

{sometimes you have to first take a leap of faith, then watch as the net appears…}

25 Oct

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{favourite snaps from the week}

24 Oct

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beautifully peculiar sunrise!!!

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on my bike ride to work one morning, i spotted these people riding a 7-seat “conference bike” … they asked if i could take a picture for them, to which i replied, “i would be honoured!  that is the coolest thing i’ve ever seen!” and apparently, former president jimmy carter said the same thing

{that was the best article i could find about this cool device}

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basalt, colorado… which i discovered this week, was apparently volcanic at one time…?!  did you know this?!  i was fascinated to find this out… so crazy!

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yellow!

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i ❤ autumn! Continue reading

{the smallest veggies ever}

20 Oct

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super cute and tiny veggies to enjoy!   Continue reading

{silent sunday : the eyes of the aspens}

19 Oct

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{silent saturday : in awe of the aspens}

18 Oct

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{foto friday : “snake melon”}

17 Oct

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have you ever seen such a thing?  i sure hadn’t… but thanks to my awesome new job, i have been exploring all kinds of new produce.  this is called a “snake melon” but also formally known as an “armenian cucumber.”  the one i bought looks kind of like a question mark… yeah?

these interesting melons can grow up to 3-feet long!  and did you know that all cucumbers are melons?!  i sure didn’t.  something else new i learned, recently.  makes sense, though – right?!

😉

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this cucumber was more like a melon, for sure.  had a similar texture to an english cucumber, but with a little less “crispness” and a much sweeter flavour.  not too sweet, but noticeably different than a regular cucumber.  i totally chowed down on some!  i hope you all get the chance to, as well!  😉

{base jumping – living vicariously through strangers}

15 Oct

during my trip through moab last month, i met some really cool strangers. well now, that’s a funny thing to say – i guess if i “met” them, then they technically weren’t “strangers” …

anyway, it’s kind of a funny story but basically we woke up one morning and these 5 dudes were sleeping in the camp we set up.  it was a little bizarre at first, until we got to talking to them… turns out, they were acrobats. traveling acrobats… from france.  i’m not even kidding.  they are certainly an adventurous crew!

to sum it up – they were creating a documentary style film about their {incredible} travels throughout the US.  they started in NYC {awesome!} and had planned to go to colorado after their stop in moab… and on this particular morning, they were going base jumping just a short walk from where we had camped.  my camera and i were all over that.  unfortunately, i only brought one lense and it doesn’t really capture the whole thing in the way i would’ve preferred, but i think you’ll get the idea…

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huge cliffs… i would say it is 400 feet?  maybe a little less…

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can you spot the tiny little people up there?!  it probably took them an hour and a half to reach the top…

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crazy clouds, little peeps…

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one of them yells…

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and fearlessly runs and plunges full spread-eagle right off the cliff… do you see him?  he is not airborne long before needing to pull the chute-cord….

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and it safely opens, and he lands to the ground…. {*whew*} Continue reading

{TH2 – tiny house update : days 13 & 14}

14 Oct

it’s been far too long since i’ve posted an update on TH2.

to refresh your memory, here is where we last left off… and here are some recent fotos, taken last month.

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by the way, obviously this has taken more than 14 days… it’s merely the way i’m keeping track of the whole project here on the blog… you get it, right?! 😛

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oh, hi.

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windows installed!

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the large front windows/doors provide a ton of natural light, which i love!

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oh, hi… again.

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more to come…

{homemade sauerkraut}

13 Oct

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i’ve been wanting to try to make my own sauerkraut for a while now… as i’ve mentioned in the past, i’ll get on these kicks where i’m all like, “i can make that!” and i think that i can make TIME multiply and have more of it so i can actually MAKE all the stuff i say i can make… silly me.

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anyway, luckily this whole sauerkraut making process is super easy and not nearly as time consuming as one may think.  well, the actual “making” of it takes a little while, but preparing it does not.  it’s quite fun, too. you get your hands involved and you get to “play” with your food, which i always enjoy. 😉  plus, it’s oktoberfest!! and i’m part german, so it’s high time i learn how to make this amazing stuff so every october i can eat it. just kidding, that’s not my only motive.  sauerkraut is one of the oldest fermented foods out there.  and it’s one of those things that is actually pretty inexpensive to make on your own, but for whatever reason, can be kind of expensive to buy. this small batch didn’t cost me much. i had the salt at home, and this head of organic cabbage was $2. it’s loaded with probiotics and because it’s cabbage, it naturally contains a prebiotic as well. it’s just really awesome stuff. we should all eat more sauerkraut… in my humble opinion.

i digress.

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as i said, the process is very simple.  and so are the ingredients :

– one medium head of cabbage {organic, if possible}

– 1 1/2 tbsp salt {i chose himalayan pink salt}

– large glass container or fermenting crock {as clean as you can get it}

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begin by quartering cabbage and then chopping into “ribbons.”  add salt and begin to work in the salt using your hands.  this is the fun part.  you can literally {with clean hands, of course} squish and squeeze the cabbage all around. this will eventually cause the cabbage to wilt from working the salt in.

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it’s quite amazing how it works, and it’s just oh-so-fun. Continue reading

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{good morning, pink bubble gum clouds}

12 Oct

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{just some pics from my week}

11 Oct

happy october!

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happy non-gmo month!!!  yay!

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lovin’ these gloves i scored at a thrift shop…

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they are perfect for halloween! 😉

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stewin’ maters…

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and makin’ ’em into a meaty sauce… nom nom.

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pretty radishes!

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scary spider… but not really that scary.

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frost in the mornings… it’s a regular thing, now.

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feathers on eggs… not a regular thing, but i think it’s SO COOL!

{foto friday : for the love of leeks}

10 Oct

i recently had a random and brief discussion with a stranger about leeks.  he mentioned that leeks are prominent in french cooking, which i found intriguing.  he also said something like, “they have a lot of some magic property that is super good for you…”  which made me giggle… and which i later discovered was polyphenol – the super antioxidant we all love so much.

i’ve always been attracted to leeks, though i never really cook with them much.  i want to start using leeks more often in the food and foto kitchen.

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i plan to add them in a frittata… yum!  which actually, i do believe i’ve done before…

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{moab day two : arches and balanced rock}

8 Oct

this place is just so cool… there is so much ENERGY in moab!  i can’t think of what else to say…

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the famous balanced rock…

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and arches everywhere…

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also lots of phallic shapes everywhere… i know you were thinking it – everyone does. Continue reading

{fossil fun in fruita}

5 Oct

a little alliteration to start your morning 😉

aaaaaand, some pics from way way west-western colorado…

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to say this state is dry is… well, a gross understatement.

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dramatic sky.

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beauty.

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…fossils – whoa. Continue reading

{fall is for…}

4 Oct

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wearing beanies…

{crazy over-exposure!}

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and aspens… !

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and buying yourself flowers…

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and eating tomatoes…

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and squeezing in final trips to the farmers market…

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and seeing snowfall above 10K feet…

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and enjoying breezy landscapes…

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and making {chicken tortilla} soup…

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and eating {chicken tortilla} soup!

🙂

hope you all have/had a terrific weekend!

{mercury retrograde : october 4th – 25th}

4 Oct

it’s that time again!

you walk into the other room and suddenly completely forget why you went in there…

that’s right – it’s MERCURY RETROGRADE!

mercury will be taking his backward journey in the sign of scoprio/libra from october 4th through october 25th. as always, MR periods offer a chance for a “do-over” in some areas of our lives.  sometimes people from the past resurface or we get a chance to look at something from a different perspective, and perhaps make a different or more clear decision about it.  MR gets a bad rap, but it can really offer a second-chance in a way, we just have to be open.  mercury retrograde just wants us to consider things from ALL SIDES, and to make decisions from a more introspective mentality.  sometimes we need to see things form a different angle, and that sheds light onto a subject in a way we perhaps hadn’t noticed before.  conversely, sometimes MR periods cast “shadows” on matters… afterall, mercury himself is the epitome of duality – having both equal parts dark and light.  sometimes the key is to trust the saying, “if one door closes, another one will open.” the key is also to go within, and trust your intuition a little more.

some of the other key things to remember during mercury retrograde are as follows…

try not to sign any major documents… and if you must, go over all the paperwork with a fine-tooth comb, as they say, and make sure to “dot all your i’s and cross all your t’s” – MR periods tend to cause our minds to easily overlook small but important details, so it is usually advised that one does not do something like say – purchase a home or sign divorce papers – and the like, during this time.  

allow for extra time during travel… or try not to do too much of it in general – MR periods tend to slow down travel/transportation overall but by allowing for extra time, frustration can be easily avoided. i always suggest leaving the house an extra 10-15 minutes early on your way to work, just in case.

do your best not to make any major decisions… mercury is the ultimate trickster.  it’s important to use this time to “incubate” your thoughts… pay attention to how they may change or how you may suddenly see something in a whole new way.  MR periods have potential to cause confusion, so it is advised to let your thoughts simmer rather than act on them right away.

triple check your work… in going along with “crossing all your t’s” and such {which is kind of a weird thing to say in this modern keyboard-driven technological world we live in}, MR periods beg for us to make sure to pay attention to the details.  it’s easy to forget something that may seem like a habit to you. so just do your best to take a few extra moments to make sure you shut the garage door, replied to that important email, or sent a text to the right person 😐

be conscious of your words and any miscommunication… it’s one of the biggest downfalls of MR periods. sometimes you may just NOT hear someone right, or sometimes you may struggle to find the proper words to express yourself, or sometimes you may misunderstand what a person said – or vice versa.  just slow down, go easy, and remember that it will pass.  and try not to hold a grudge against someone if there in fact is some miscommunication… you can always talk it out after the 25th 🙂

of course, if you are a natal mercury retrograde soul like myself, you always have the green light for any of the things listed above.  it’s not to say that these periods don’t effect us in these categories, it’s just that we have a different way of interacting with the energies, since we live it on a daily basis.

mercury will be traveling through scoprio and libra during these 3 weeks.  some areas of our lives in which MR may have an effect are – divorce, sex, death, rebirth, finances {scorpio} and relationships, partners, clients, fairness, equality {libra}.

if you want to read more of my rants about mercury retrograde events, you can click HERE.

and i hope you backed up your important stuff recently… just sayin’

have fun! ❤

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