Author: ajeanneinthekitchen

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.

I love the mystery and the unexpected surprises I get when I am out walking around with my camera. I just never know what I am going to see, or if I am going to see anything.

I had just started my walk when I saw some huge squadrons of pelicans flying directly above me. There must have been about 50 or so pelicans flying back and forth. Either I am just getting lucky more often, or my photographic skills are improving, or perhaps it is a bit of both, but I am getting some great shots of birds in flight these days.

Don’t be afraid to branch out and try new things. You never know what could happen. Stay curious, stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

I fell in love with the beautiful red-winged black bird almost as soon as I moved to Colorado. They are so colorful and have a very melodic song they like to sing all the time too. They also bring back a very happy memory with my dad as well. I remember he and I looking out the window as I was showing him the beautiful colors of this gorgeous bird and both of us were totally captivated by its magic.

These beautiful birds are often elusive and have been hard for me to get good pictures of, until recently. I hope you like them as much as I do. I’ve noticed they love to hang out in our reeds a lot, though they are really everywhere.

Capture the beauty of the day, no matter how large or small. Have a great day Everyone.

Bread. The beautiful creation made from ground flours or grains that is then baked or fried. Sometimes it is leavened, or made with products to make it rise, and other times it is made flat or unleavened. There are endless possibilities and recipes for the delicious food that is known as the food of life. Bread is known as the food of life because throughout the Bible, bread is a symbolic representation of God’s life-sustaining provision. When Jesus told the hungry crowds that he was the Bread of Life, he was teaching his followers that He alone was their true source of spiritual life, both in this present world and in the everlasting life to come.

The latest archeological finds show that bread, in some form or another, has been around for around 30,000 years. Breads are the oldest foods around that do not require foraging or hunting. It has been an essential part of human history and formed early human societies.  Bread is also a gift from God: when Moses fed his people in the desert with food which fell from heaven, and during the last supper, when bread became the body of Christ. When Jesus multiplied the bread to feed the crowd, bread became a sign of sharing. It also symbolized the Word of God which nourished the crowds.

Bread was central to the formation of early human societies. From the Fertile Crescent, where wheat was domesticated, cultivation spread north and west, to Europe and North Africa, and east towards East Asia. This in turn led to the formation of towns, as opposed to the nomadic lifestyle, and gave rise to more and more sophisticated forms of societal organization. Similar developments occurred in the Americas with maize and in Asia with rice. Bread is a universal food: today there is no country in the world in whose culinary tradition there is not some form of bread. From Mesopotamia to the tables of the whole world, bread has been the symbol of culture, history and anthropology, of hunger and wealth, of war and peace.

Bread is thought of as pure, honest food. We are automatically drawn to fresh, homemade bread. It makes us smile and it satisfies as few other foods can. It brings people together and connects us to both our past as well as the present, and it also connects us to other people. There is something very special and significant about “breaking bread” with others that binds us together like nothing else can. We eat some type of bread at least once every day, as do many other people around the world. Bread often takes center stage at any special occasion or holiday tables anywhere you go.

Breads can be very simple or they can be very complicated. But the main ingredients are very simple. The basics are either some kind of flour of crushed grains, liquid, which is usually water, a dash of salt, sometimes sugar, and yeast if you are leavening the bread.

If you want your breads to rise, you need yeast. Yeast is the essence of bread. It is what makes it rise and also what gives it its distinctive flavor and aroma. Yeast is able to work its magic with the help of liquid, flour and a little salt. Then you need to add the right temperatures, precise measurements and the simple art of kneading or “stirring down” the dough to create your masterpiece. Your yeast is a variable, that is affected by the weather, temperature and humidity, and as I have found out, altitude as well.

Flour provides the main structure of bread. The specific structure and characteristics of the bread will be determined by the type of flour used. Different types of flour have different amounts of gluten. Gluten is a protein that helps give bread its elasticity and strength. Bread flour, followed by all purpose flour, tend to give breads the best volume and texture. Whole wheat flours are more dense and have less gluten, which will make the breads more dense and they will not rise as much.

The liquid used in bread is usually water, although you can use other liquids as well for different flavors. Water dissolves and activates the yeast and allows it to be mixed and incorporated into the flour. For best results, the liquid should be lukewarm, at between 105* and 115* F. If it is too cold, it will slow or stop the yeast action and if it is too hot, it will destroy the yeast.

Adding sugar to the dough helps the bread to form a golden crust and adds flavor to the dough. Though beneficial, it is not a necessary ingredient.

Adding just a bit of salt controls the yeast action by slowing down the rising time and allowing the flavors of the dough to develop. It also adds to the dough’s structure by strengthening the gluten. You always want to add salt to the mixture. It will NOT work if you don’t.

There are three main kinds of bread in the world; those that rise highest so are baked in pans, breads with a medium volume like rye and French breads, and those that hardly rise at all called flatbreads. They are all very tasty and very good. All have been served and enjoyed at my table many, many times, and will continue to be a staple in my house for many more years to come.

Break bread together and enjoy it with family, friends and loved ones.  It’s hard to remain enemies when you’ve broken bread together. This means that sharing a meal is often about more than just food; it’s also about coming together despite the past.  To “break bread” also means to have a meal with someone, by breaking off pieces of your loaf of bread to ensure that everyone is fed. This term occurs in numerous places in the New Testament, where it sometimes means to share bread and other times to distribute food to others.

Enjoy your breads and break your breads with others. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

All of my old “friends” are beginning to come back and I love it. This time, it is my old friend, the Blue Heron. He is hiding out in the reeds. Today was my first spotting of his annual return, and it always makes me so happy to see him. I think the Herons are so elegant and majestic. You don’t realize how big they are until you see them up close.

Rarely do I get good shots of them in flight, but every now and then I get lucky.

Have a great day Everyone. make the most of each and every day.