Our Blue-Winged Teals are back. This time, I got lucky and saw both Mr. and Mrs. Teal swimming side by side. A family that swims together stays together. I keep looking for babies, for all my water birds, but so I haven’t seen any. I know they are around, yesterday, I saw some broken egg shells, but I haven’t seen the babies yet. Soon, though.
Mr. Teal.
Mrs. Teal.
Have a great day Everyone.
We are all familiar with shrimp scampi. It is a succulent shrimp dish with lots of garlic and butter that is served either over rice or pasta. As with any dish, particularly those that are widespread and have been around for a long time, there are many variations. These variations are part of what makes cooking so much fun. You can always start with the basics or classics and add your own personality to them to make them your own.
I was making some shrimp scampi and saw a recipe for shrimp rampi instead. As usual, I used the recipe as more of a guide and did my own thing. In all honesty, I had never heard of ramps before now. So, see, I learn new things all the time too. Ramps are wild leaks that are foraged from shady wooded areas all over North America. They have a pungent garlic and onion flavor and can be used in lieu of green onions. Ramps (which are sometimes called wild leeks or spring onions, adding to the confusion) look like scallions, but they’re smaller and slightly more delicate, and have one or two flat, broad leaves. Who knew? Now we all do.
For my rampy scampi, I did not use either leeks or ramps. I used spinach instead. You can also use mixed or collard greens as well. The dish was a big hit and it was a perfect spring meal.
Rampi Scampi
olive oil for cooking
lemon olive oil, optional
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 oz of your choice, ramps, leeks, spinach or greens, chopped rough
1 1/2 TBSP garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes or to taste
1 shallot, sliced very thin
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in 1/2
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 TBSP butter
salt & pepper to taste
1-2 TBSP lemon juice
Get a skillet nice and hot and add your oil(s). Then add the shrimp and the red pepper flakes and cook until the shrimp are done and are nice and pink all around, about 7-8 minutes. Then add the wine and continue to cook for about 2-3 more minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half.
Add the garlic, shallots, spinach or greens and tomatoes and cook just long enough for the spinach to get wilted. to make it even more springy, I used a combination of tomatoes. I like the variety and color that they add.
Add the butter right at the end and fully incorporate into the mix. Then serve it all up over either cooked rice or pasta.
This time I served it over rice, with some herbed cheese bread on the side, and of course I completed the meal with some cool, crisp buttery chardonnay as well. Delicious!
Be bold and be creative. Don’t be afraid to think outside o the box. If fact, throw away the box. At the very least, you’ll have a good time, and more so than not, you’ll also have a delicious meal.
Stay happy, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
I am seeing more and more birds around all the time and I love it. Maybe they are just getting more comfortable with me and my camera these days too. Lately, all the birds are letting me get some really good shots of them. In fact, it’s almost like they are posing, just waiting to be discovered and captured with my lens. No matter what the reasons are behind it, I love each and every moment of it. 🙂
Today, I had some more Common Grackles that wanted my attention. They are so beautiful and multi-colored, and their colors were really on display too.
Yes, I do love my birds, a lot. But in reality, I just love taking pictures of all kinds. I just happen to come across a lot of birds. I will take pictures of anything and everything that tickles my fancy. 🙂
Blackberries are one of my favorite fruits and are definitely my favorite berry. I often eat them straight out of the container and eat them all until the container is empty. But this time I decided to share them with everyone else and used them for a blackberry coffee cake instead of gobbling them all up by myself.
Blackberry Coffee Cake
The coffee cake recipe is just a basic recipe and then I incorporated blackberries into the mix. I like making my coffee cakes in a bundt pan, although I also make them in a 9×13 baking pan as well. You can use either sour cream or yogurt in the mix. I use whatever one I have on hand at them time. Both are good and they substitute well for each other. This time, I used yogurt.
Preheat the oven to 350* F or 180*
Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray.
2/3 cup +1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup or 1 stick of softened butter
3 eggs
16 oz of either yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup of blackberries
Toss the blackberries in a little flour to prevent from bleeding and set aside.
Combine 2/3 cup of sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
In a mixer, mix the butter and 1 3/4 cups of sugar together until creamy, then add the eggs 1 at a time, and mix in between each addition. Then add the yogurt or sour cream and vanilla and mix again until well blended.
Add the flour mixture 1/2 at a time, mixing in between each addition. DO NOT overmix or the batter will be tough.
Once the batter is ready, gently fold the berries into the mix and spoon into the prepared bundt pan.
You can add the sugar mixture in two ways, using whatever method you prefer. You can spoon 1/2 of the batter into the pan and then sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar mixture around and then repeat or you can use it all on top. I do both, but this time, I used it all on top of the cake before putting into the oven. it really just depends on what I eel like at the time. Both ways are good, just different.
Bake the cake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until it is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan and slicing it up. It is sweet and tart and moist and delicious all at the same time. This is a guaranteed hit with everyone.
You guessed it. This was on this week’s coffee cart, along with some donut holes and lemon bites. Yet again, I came home with a pretty empty platter, and that is exactly the result I am always hoping for too. 🙂
Sweeten up all your days by doing the things that make you happy. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
Lately I am seeing more robins than I ever remember seeing in the past. I see them in the trees, on my roof, in the grassy areas, on the streets. I see them everywhere, all around. And that is perfectly OK. They are so beautiful. They are welcomed anytime.
Take in all the beauty you can and share it with everyone. It will brighten everyone’s days. beauty is all around, just waiting to be noticed.
It’s no secret I love my wines. I am always wine tasting somewhere, and I will try all the different wines that I can, everywhere I can. This time, I was tasting the wines of Nederland at Augustina’s.
What better way to describe Augustina’s than in her own words. Augustina’s Winery is a one-woman winery and was the first winery in Boulder County, Colorado. Started in 1997 by owner and winemaker, Gussie Walter, and making wine for the folks who like to have adventures, then laugh about them later on while having a glass of easy drinkin’ local wine. I use only Colorado grown grapes to make wines that go with backpacking, blues music, books, and gingersnaps.
We had a fun time at Augustina’s. There was another couple visiting from Niagara Falls, and we had a fun time visiting with them too. While we were tasting and chatting, our mistress of the wine, Rebecca’s husband came in, and he is the one who told us that Rebecca is the artist who paints all the animals on the Carousel of Happiness. A Trip To Nederland – Part 1 – The Carousel of Happiness She does an amazing job at both serving up the local wines as well as keeping the animals looking gorgeous around the carousel. Meeting new people and hearing their stories is part of the fun of wine tasting, not to mention, trying all the new wines. 🙂
Rebecca, the Mistress of the Wines and Carousel Painter.
Larry was driving and is not the wine drinker, so it was just me doing the tasting. I took a flight and got to taste 5 different wines. I tried 2 whites and 3 reds. All of the wines were good. I think my favorite for the day was the Cab Franc, aka the Boulder Backpacking Wine. One of the other reds I tried and liked a lot was made from a “St. Vincent” grape. I never knew there was such a grape, but of course I had to try that one, because that is Vinnie’s real name. His full name is St. Vincent Billinger.
Colorado doesn’t have all the wines and selections that California does, but we do make some very good wines, and a good portion of the grapes used in Colorado wines are home grown, on the Western Slopes around the Palisade area. Believe it or not though, Colorado is home to more than 150 wineries. Our grand Valley, in Palisades, is ranked in the Top 10 of best wine regions in the country. Colorado’s wine industry generates $3.2 billion in economic impact per year, according to a 2017 study prepared for WineAmerica, the national association of American wineries. It employs 15,630 people directly, is responsible for $480 million in wages and generates 267,648 visits a year to its various wine regions, including the Grand Valley. Watch out California, here we come. 🙂
So next time you are up in Nederland, stop in at Augustina’s for a flight or a glass, or both. You will definitely be in a for a treat with our homegrown Colorado wines. You will also get served with our local, homegrown hospitality too. Augustina’s is located at 20 Lakeview Drive, #103, Nederland, CO. You can visit online at augustinaswinery@gmail.com or give them a call at (303) 520-4871, or better yet, just stop on in and enjoy the wines. Their hours are Thursday-Sunday 1:00pm-6:00pm.
Stay happy and healthy Everyone and drink some wine. ‘Til next time.
Normally the phrase “April showers brings May flowers” is correct, however, this April we had ZERO rain or precipitation. None! Not one drop. However, today is now the 2nd of May, and it is supposed to rain all day. I even saw a couple of snowflakes fall from the skies as well. Fortunately however, we had a lot of moisture previously, and all the trees are blooming and look very colorful.
Right now, we have the pinks and the whites in bloom. Not only are they beautifully and brightly colored, but they are also very fragrant as well.
And there are even a few of the yellows starting to come out as well.
Color your world in as many beautiful and bright colors as you can find. Color your world beautiful.
Today, I am taking you back to our Nederland adventure, A Trip To Nederland – Part 1 – The Carousel of Happiness, but this time I am going to talk about our fabulous lunch at Tres Gringos.
Tres Gringos is an untraditional Mexican eatery, adding a little spice to Nederland, Colorado’s little mountain food scene. Everything is made fresh and from scratch everyday. It’s all made in small batches to ensure the freshness in every bite. They are “known for their delicious, non-traditional Mexican-style vittles and hand pressed tortillas, small batch salsas, [and] mule-kick margaritas”.
The walls are creatively decorated in the Dios de las Muertos designs of a local artist. The food is every bit as creative and fun as are the walls and the decorations.
Tres Gringos offers a full bar, or cantina, but it is known for their homemade traditional styled, mule-kick margaritas.
Of course I had to try one, and it was very tasty and refreshing indeed. I enjoyed it with our lunch. We split a couple of dishes, as we normally do, especially when trying some place new. We started out with the loaded patas bravas, or loaded Spanish potatoes. There were quite a few options on how you wanted to load them up, and we chose to load them with carnitas.
The different variety of tacos are the house specialty of Tres Gringos, so of course we sampled a couple of different kinds and split them in half too. We followed the recommendations of our fabulously fun server, Stephanie. We had one pesacdo taco and one chicken adobo taco. Both were mui deliciosio! They went very well with the patatas bravas. It was a perfectly delicious lunch and we ordered just the right amount; not to much and not to little.
Our server Stephanie was an absolute delight. She was very friendly and very helpful and had a rockin’ personality. She is a treasure.
When you are up in the Nederland neighborhood, it is definitely worth a visit to stop in try some of the fabulous, fresh made foods at Tres Gringos. You can’t miss them. They are in the main part of town, with access from both up the stairs of the main parking lot in town, or from the front entrance from the street. Their address is 20 Lakeview Drive, #207, Nederland, Co 80466. You can reach them online at tresgringos2020@icloud.com or by phone at (303) 2583170. They are open Thursday-Monday from 12-8.
We are always up for new adventures. New adventures are what make life fun and interesting. Never settle for boring and the same old, same old. Break the molds every now and then and try something new.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
Larry and I didn’t have anything on the books and decided it was time to do one of our little drives, to take in our local sights. We do this all the time, and we learn so much about our beautiful state of Colorado. Yesterday’s drive took us in a big loop, that ended up in Nederland. The drive up was so scenic and picturesque. The distant mountains, at the higher elevations, are still blanketed in snow.
This particular drive, as are so many in our small little mountain towns, is like going back in time, and going back through the Wild, Wild West. Most of the residents of these tiny towns live simple lives, and are often farmers or ranchers. Many of the original log cabins are still around as a reminder of the way things used to be in the bygone eras.
These cows were very wooly. They are known as Highland Wooly cows, originally from Scotland.
Nederland is a little tiny town of about 1500 people, nestled in the mountains of Boulder County. Today it is kind of an artist hangout, but originally it was an old mining town. Nederland is known for being unique and eclectic. It is a very colorful little town in more ways than one.
The name Nederland came from Breed’s Caribou Mill in Middle Boulder that became known among the miners as “the Netherlands,” meaning “low lands” Nederland’s elevation is 8,236 feet above sea level. Nederland is a little under 2000 feet lower than it’s rival, the tiny town of Caribou.
One of the main attractions in Nederland is the Carousel of Happiness. “The Carousel of Happiness is [Nederland’s] magical menagerie featuring 56 whimsical, hand-carved animals on a restored 1910 Looff carousel, turning to the music of a 1913 Wurlitzer band organ”. Charles I.D. Looff was one of the great carousel makers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A skilled woodcarver, he arrived in New York City from Denmark in 1870 at the age of 18 and by 1876 had manufactured the first carousel for New York’s Coney Island. During his lifetime, he produced carousels for parks across the nation. In 1910, he delivered a carousel to Saltair Park, just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, which would eventually find its way to Nederland, Colorado.
The animals did not come with the carousel, and had to be either made or bought. The were all hand carved by a young Marine named Scott Harrison, who was a Nederland resident. Harrison had never carved before, but he mastered the skill and handcrafted all of the wooden animals for his carousel. The Carousel of Happiness is a blending of new and old creations. It is the spirit of the century-old carousel combined with new carvings, along with the inspiring story of Scott’s creation, that encourages a new set of smiles from young and old visitors, alike. The Carousel of Happiness is indeed a very happy place, for young and old alike. It is also a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization.
Of course I had to ride the Carousel of Happiness. I do every time I am in town. I wanted to ride the Saint Bernard, since we are proud Saint parents, but there was a little girl ahead of me in line that had her heart set on riding that Saint. I had to give in and let her ride it.
Instead, I opted for the mermaid, which is just as apropos.
Other features of the carousel were fun little whimsical creations scattered all around, as well as an old Wurlitzer for the sound. Today the music is recorded, but not that long ago, it was still manually cranked.
This is Charlie. He was our historical guide for the duration of the ride. He knew all there was to know about the Carousel of Happiness and he was very happy to share his knowledge with all.
After the carousel ride, we ventured across the parking lot for an adventure in wine tasting. Our mistress of the wines, Rebecca, was also the very same painter of the characters on the carousel, but more on that later. Stay tuned. I have a lot more fun stuff to share with you all about our little day trip to Nederland coming up.
Never stop being a kid, even if only a kid at heart. Find the fun in everyday.
Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.
Larry and I were on different wavelengths when it came to what we wanted for dinner. He didn’t tell me he wanted something Mexican with the steak until after I was already marinating in a Southern style marinade. My reasoning was because I wanted to use up some of my BBQ sauce. Later he said he was really just in the mood for margaritas, and Mexican just automatically goes with margaritas. No problem. Easy fix. We went a little Southeast Texas/Cajun instead, and that covered everything. 🙂
The focus today is on my sweet potatoes with bacon and onions. Sweet potatoes need a warm, relatively humid temperature to grow in, and what better place than the American South. They have been a staple in the diets of the Native Americans since the early 1700’s, and have been a popular Southern side dish ever since. Originally sweet potatoes were from South and Central America and have been a dietary staple for over 100,000 years. From South and Central America, they spread and soon became very popular all over. Their popularity spread to Southeast Asia as well as into Africa, and are now eaten pretty much all over the world in warm, humid areas.
This recipe, as so many of my recipes, only called for a few basic and simple ingredients, but when cooked up, it had a big, bold taste. This is just the way i like it too.
Sweet Potatoes with Onions and Bacon
2-3 sweet large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
4-6 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces
1 red onion, sliced very thin
2 TBSP Cajun or Creole seasonings
olive oil
parsley
Cook the bacon first until it is crispy and browned. Once it is coked, remove it and set aside on a paper towel to absorb the grease.
Add some olive oil to the skillet and then add the sweet potato rounds. Cook the sweet potatoes until browned around the edges and softened, for about 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Once they have softened and the edges are browned, add the Cajun seasoning. Sprinkle it over the top of the potatoes. Then add the onion slices, the bacon and parsley. Let the onions sweat for a few minutes then mix everything in together.
Once everything was ready, I served the golden sweet potatoes alongside some steak topped with my Mexican BBQ sauce Southwestern BBQ Chicken Pizza with Blue Corn Crust and some sauteed zucchini, crookneck, mushrooms and Peruvian peppers, with some of my cheesy pepper loaf Cheese and Pepper Wreath, and we even had a margarita as well.
Even though we started off thinking about different things, with a little ingenuity and a wee bit of compromise, everything turned out just right. It was a delicious meal that just hit the spot. 🙂
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 