Shopping for Spices

The other day when we met up with Julia and Bruce, Lunch at Lady Nomada’s Julia and I popped into Penzey’s Spice Shop. Penzy’s is another specialty spice shop, very similar to Savory Spice, which is located in Denver. Savory Spices of Denver. Penzey’s, however, is a larger company, with 69 stores scattered throughout the country. They have their headquarters in Wawautosa, Wisconsin. It started off as a family business in 1957 by Bill and Ruth Penzey, and still is a family business today.

Every store has a replica of Grandma Ruth’s kitchen, since that’s where it all began.

Penzey’s is full of all kinds of spices, both domestic and exotic. You can find just about anything there, even things you didn’t even know about. Jut think of all the fun you can have trying out all these different and unique spices. YUM!

The spice vase.

Julia and I are looking for our next spice adventure. I think we just may have found it too. 🙂

Of course we both bought a bag full of goodies. My goodie bag included a large bag of crushed Aleppo peppers, a large bag of ancho crushed peppers, a large jar of orange extract, a large jar of lemon extract and a large jar of grated orange peel, as well as something new to me that was recommended by Julia, Fox Point herbs, which I just used in a big pot of chicken noodle soup I just made too. Delicious.

When out with friends, make everyday an adventure. Those adventures make happy memories that last a lifetime. 🙂

We went to the Penzey’s in Arvada, located at 7511 Grandview. On your next stroll through downtown Arvada, stop in and spice things up a bit.

Lunch at Lady Nomada’s

Last week we got together with Julia and Bruce https://retirementrvdream.com/ and had a great afternoon strolling around through Old Town Arvada. The Scarecrow Festival was taking place and everything was decorated with scarecrows and festive fall colors. As always, we had a fun time and ate to much. I will share all our adventures with you in due time, but first I am going to share our lunch at Lady Nomada’s.

As we were strolling around town, we discovered this colorful outside patio, and I was really hoping that was where we were going to stop for lunch, especially since it was a beautiful, bright, sunny fall day. And lo and behold, that is where we chose to dine. It was the patio for Lady Nomada’s.

Lady Nomada’s is a Baja-Rado Taqueria & Bar. It’s where Baja California meets Colorado. Both distinct personalities are proudly displayed throughout the restaurant too. It was a fun place to go with delicious food. “There’s never a dull moment when she’s around. Lady loves good food and comes alive at night when the music fills the air and drinks around without a care”.

“Lady Nomada was created by Gastamo Group, the team behind some of Denver’s most celebrated restaurants including Park Burger, Perdida, Homegrown Tap & Dough, and Birdcall. Inspired by the Baja and driven by the mountains, each dish is designed to invoke the fresh spray of the coast and freshness from the sun. Have a bite, or several”. We definitely enjoyed several bites. We all walked away very full and satisfied.

We dined al fresco, out on the street side patio.

We started things off right with a bowl of chips that came with 2 kinds of salsa, a regular spicy tomato salsa and a tangy, garlicky tomatillo salsa. Both were delicious and the chips were gone in an instant. I guess we were hungrier than we realized. Bruce and I washed our chips down with some cool refreshing margaritas as well.

Then it was time for the main event – lunch. We all ordered something different and everything was very colorful and muy delicioso!

Julia feasted on flautas.

Bruce chose the calamari salad.

Larry went for the barbacoa tacos.

And I dined on the “double-decker” shrimp tacos.

We all enjoyed a perfect lunch out on the patio. It was a beautifully, warm fall day shard with good friends and good food. After lunch we strolled around and took in all the sights. We had no agenda and just went were the colorful paths took us.

Lady Nomada’s is located at 7519 Grandview Avenue in Arvada, Colorado. It is most definitely a fun place to dine and it is full of personality. It is a unique, one-of-a-kind restaurant that is a perfect place to go when looking for something fun and casual. It a great place to go when you just want to let your hair down, unwind and relax. 🙂

The Banana Bug

You all know I love challenges of all kinds. One of our very own blogger family members,  sonofabeach96, has thrown out a banana challenge.

Color Your World: Banana Mania

While we were in Cozumel, we rented a bright yellow dune buggy type vehicle for the day. We toured around the island in what we lovingly named our Banana Bug. We had a blast in our banana bug too.

Sometimes you just have to let your hair down and have some fun, or better yet, have a lot of fun. Put some fun in everything you do. 🙂

A Pot of Gumbo

Gumbo, in all its many varieties, is a much loved tradition in Louisiana. Gumbo has been a part of the Louisiana heritage since the early 18th century. Today, seafood gumbo seems to be the most popular variety of them all, though a gumbo is a combination of whatever you’ve got, and it all gets thrown into the pot together, meaning it will change every time you make it, and that’s exactly how it is supposed to be too. Gumbo is enjoyed by all, regardless of their background or status. A steaming bowl of fragrant gumbo is one of life’s cherished pleasures, as emblematic of Louisiana as chili is of Texas.

Gumbo is often cited as an example of the melting-pot nature of Louisiana cooking, but trying to sort out the origins and evolution of the dish is highly speculative. The name derives from a West African word for okra, suggesting that gumbo was originally made with okra. The use of filé (dried and ground sassafras leaves) was a contribution of the Choctaws and, possibly, other local tribes. Roux has its origin in French cuisine, although the roux used in gumbos is much darker than its Gallic cousins. Gumbo, like most Americans, is one big melting pot of flavors and goodness all blended together.

I was in a gumbo kind of mood the other day, and like I always do when making it, I made a big pot of steaming gumbo. I loaded it up with shrimp, Andouille sausage and chicken. Of course I started off with the Holy trinity, or as I like to call it, the Holy trinity +1, because I usually add jalapenos or peppers too. But the roux is glue that holds all theses savory ingredients together. The roux is what really determines the outcome of your gumbo. There are different kinds of roux, just like there are different kinds of gumbos. I served my gumbo with red beans and rice with a cool, some warmed cheddar and jalapeno bread and a crisp citrusy chardonnay on the side.

There is no ONE way to make a gumbo. There are infinite recipes. Gumbo is one of those dishes that allows you to be as creative as you like. The only rules are to start with a good roux and the Holy trinity. From there, your are left to your own inspirations and creativity. I had a bunch of tomatoes to use, so I made my gumbo with a creamy tomato base this time. Fresh Tomatoes. I used one of my ginormous tomatoes, and that was all this recipe needed.

This time, I made a creamy roux.

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup flour

2-3 TBSP butter

Combine the oil, butter and flour together in a large, very HOT pot or Dutch oven. Whisk everything over a medium-high flame until it turns a rich, light caramel color. This can take 30-40 minutes of constant whisking, so be patient with it.

Once the roux gets to the color and consistency you like, add the Holy trinity, which is green bell peppers, onions, and celery. I always add jalapenos or roasted peppers too, so I call it the Holy tr1nity +1. We recently purchased our bushels of roasted Hatch chilies, so I used some of those in the mix. Another Hatch Batch Continue to whisk everything together for about 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. The roux will thicken as it cooks too.

Add the chicken, and sausage and continue to cook until they are cooked completely. Then add the rest of your ingredients. Add a minimum of 6-8 cups of chicken broth, but more if like it a little thinner and more soup-like. I added the shrimp along with the broth, tomato and seasonings. I used oregano, marjoram, thyme, salt and cayenne pepper as my spices. In Cajun and Creole cooking, the best cooks NEVER measure anything. It is all by taste, by touch and by the looks. I probably added about 1-1 1/2 tsp of each of the dried herbs.

Can you believe this is jus ONE tomato?????? I’m telling you, they were HUGE!

Bring everything to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook at a low heat for about 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

I had a helper who got tired of waiting.

When everything was ready, I served it all over some red beans and rice and topped it all with some fresh parsley, and then it was time to let the good times roll; laissez le bontemps roulez!

Enjoy your days and live life to the fullest. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Dinner at the Church

Last night we had dinner at the church with Janet and Bob, to help celebrate Janet’s birthday. No. It’s Not what you think either. 🙂

We went to a restaurant called Scileppi’s in Castle Rock, about an hour south of us. Scileppi’s is a restaurant that was once a former church. It was very cool. They kept as much of the original church as they could to give the restaurant a lot of character and personality.

The original church was constructed in 1888, as the St. Francis of Asissi Church, and was the first church in Castle Rock. It was still operating as a church until it was decommissioned in 1966, when a new church was built across town. The church was bought by the Scileppi brothers and they converted it into a restaurant. The Scileppi family was originally from Sicily, Italy, then moved to New York, and from there the brothers Scileppi moved westward to Colorado.

The stained glass windows still adorn the walls, as do parts of the original bricks. The whole concept is very innovative and creative. I just loved it, and the food was terrific too.

You could dine in the main part of the church, and some of the seats look like they were the original pews. I think our seats were from the pews. Behind this bar (there is another bar around the corner, as well as a little outside patio) you could dine on a circular table that resembles the church altar.

You could dine up in the choir loft.

Or for a special occasion, you could dine in the Confessional. This one requires reservations in advance, and it only seats two people.

We started off with a fantastic, smooth Amerone, that our waiter Leo skillfully opened and poured.

The next course was the bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, followed quickly after with soups and salad. We all shared a tomato basil soup, a tortellini soup with spinach and an arugula and mozzarella salad. Everything was excellent.

Next came the entrees, and we all enjoyed something different. The birthday girl started out with a Linguini Carbonara.

Bob decided up Veal Marsala.

Larry opted for the Pasta di Fruita del Mare or seafood pasta.

And I chose the chicken verde.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our dinner selections, and we all made sure to save room for some shared desserts as well. We came home doggie boxes because we all knew dessert was on its way.

For dessert we chose a creme brulee and a flourless chocolate cake with a smear of raspberry sauce.

The meal and our whole dining experience was phenomenal. It was so unique and original. It was a very fun night indeed. To make our experience even better, Janet and Bob’s daughter Jeanette surprised Janet with a very generous gift certificate to the restaurant as well. Thank you Janet and Bob for inviting us to share and celebrate with you and thank you Jeanette as well. Happy, Happy Birthday Janet, with many more to come.

Scileppi’s at The Old Stone Church is located at 210 Third Street, Castle Rock, Colorado. You can call ahead for reservations, which I recommend, especially for the Confessional, or you can contact Scileppi’s online at http://www.scileppis.com. This is a dining experience like none other. I can honestly say i have never had such an exquisite dinner at church before. 🙂

I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. My camera died and I am currently looking into an upgraded version. At the moment, all I have is my cell phone, and I hate the quality of pictures from my cell phone. But soon, I will have a new and improved “camera friend”.