Slow Cooking and Trying to Slow Down...

photo borrowed from A Year of Slow Cooking blog

Today I don't feel like being at work. I've just had a few too many deadlines and things I have to do outside of the work day and am feeling a tad bit burnt out. I discovered a cool new blog via Pioneer Woman. It is A Year of Slow Cooking.
This appeals to me because I don't feel like cooking, either. This weekend I am going to try the Meatballs in Peanut Chile Sauce
and the Balsamic Chicken with Spring Veggies.



I am also tempted by the Cobb Salad over at Smitten Kitchen. I'll report back to let you know what my family thought.

A Few New Things...

My heels crack ever winter. Its from wearing my Berkinstocks when I wear shoes at all. I don't like shoes that close in my feet, but I had lost that battle. I decided that if I must wear shoes that cover my heels, they better be comfortable ones. I had none that fit the bill, so I headed to REI where I found some that are comfortable and cute, in a sporty kind of way. I love that they can be adjusted simply by pulling straps down farther on the velcro.


A while back I also bought myself a skirt from Coldwater Creek, one of my favorite stores. I was looking for something to wear to the cotillion ball. I was not having much luck, but I loved this when I saw it. One side features watercolor style flowers. The other had a nice blue pattern. I also loved that it is flowy.

My family did not share my opinion. In fact, they said I would look like I was wearing a "Grandma Couch". I thought, "well, I very well can't go to their Balls looking like I am wearing old women furniture and embarrassing the children." (I embarrass them enough as it is.)I reluctantly decided that I would return it. It did not seem reasonable to keep a $80 dollar skirt that I could only wear when I was not with my family. However, when I went to return it the saleswoman mentioned that it was down to $21. Did I want her to do a price adjustment instead of a return? I hemmed and hawed for just a few minutes, ultimately deciding to keep the skirt. I wore it to school the very next day, happily.

Teen Literature Conference Recap

Last week was kind of crazy busy. On Friday I hosted the preconference dinner party for about 30 people at my home. I wanted the tables to look nice and kind of match. I searched for 8 matching table clothes for days, but never had any luck. The closest I could get would be three matching tables. My friend Laura suggested that I modify flat sheets, but that was not an option either. Luckily, the Gods of Dinner Parties and Good Deals came together for me and steered me towards an awesome deal. just when I was just about to give up I spied a lovely blue woven material on the clearance rack at Walmart. It was just $1.50 per yard and was 58" wide. I was thrilled to find that I hit the jackpot when I could make all of my table clothes for less than $25. I also got a deal on flowers and candy at Sam's club. In the end each table sported a nice blue tablecloth, an arrangement of flowers, a set of salt and pepper shakers and a cute, polka dotted dish of spring colored M&M candies.

Matt de la Pena with Ellie and Christy



That afternoon they special guests, our key note speakers,Matt de la Pena and Ellen Hopkins, showed up thirty minutes early. I was still cooking, complete with my favorite, very used apron on. They were cool about it all and that was the start to a wonderful party. I made the sugar cookies I wrote about earlier especially for Matt. I told him about my bake off and indecision. He smiled politely, perhaps amused. Then he explained that he is a bachelor. He just buys cookies from the grocery story. I think he was please to have such a treat.

We had almost 30 people over, with tables set up in nearly every room on the main floor. It is a great place for a party as the big room can hold table space for up to 14 people. We laughed, we ate and we swapped stories. And we put together the gift bags for our various presenters and speakers. That was fun, too. Everyone went home early since the conference started at 7:30 a.m. the next morning.

Saturday seemed to come quickly. Ellie was excited and ready to go by 5:17 a.m. This made it possible for us to stop by Starbucks for a special early morning treat. The conference was a hit. We sold out almost two weeks before our deadline. We had 450 people register and another 30+ who did walk in registration and paid the full price even though they knew they did not get a breakfast, lunch or guaranteed seat. We had a great set of sessions.

Ellen Hopkins was a big draw. She wrote Crank, Glass, Burned and many others. Her heartbreaking stories about lives torn apart by addiction really touched people's lives.

Lauren Myrcle with Ellie, Anna and Christy



After the conference was over we treated Matt, Ellen and our committee members to dinner at a nice downtown restaurant.

Ellen Hopkins with Ellie and Christy





Ellie, Christy and Amy Efaw

Oh My, I am Busy and Tada- My First Ever Web Site Finally Launched!

So much has been going on that I forget to post about some pretty cool things. One big one is the fact that I launched my first website about two weeks ago. Or rather, the one I designed was made public. I'm pretty proud of myself because I taught myself how to do it. I did this through watching videos on Lynda.com and getting tips from my friend who teaches web design. I've wanted to learn how to do it for some time. It was a pretty big deal. Even now there are already things that I want to change and some things I cannot figure out. For example, everything looks great when you look at the website through Mozilla FireFox, but it does not display correctly in IE. I will have to figure that one out. You can view it at blacksheepcycling.org.

The kids have started back up with a good bit of racing. We had the first race in the Karen Hornbostel Memorial Time Trial last night. I went from a day long intensive training, picked up a team mate and headed to Cherry Creek where my dear friend and angel, Laura, had made me a tasty, filling and sin-free turkey and cheese wrap with sprouted bread. It was such a treat to go from the whirlwind of the day I had to that. I'm guessing that she doesn't even really know how nice that was to have such a treat. I hope that some of my actions make her feel equally supported. It was great fun to watch Ethan and Bradin zip around as they warmed up. Ethan's unzipped racing jacket flapped merrily behind him as he stood up on his pedals and glided through the parking lot, back and forth, laughing much of the time. I went to capture the moment and found that I had not brought my camera along. Hopefully there will be a repeat performance next week. Ellie had a good time too. Her time was not what she might have hoped for, but that is because she stopped in the middle of her race to help a much younger racer who had fallen, still had his feet clipped to the pedals and was crying. I am proud that she made the choice to help that young boy. After all, good character is far more important than good race time.

Right now I am gearing up for the next big thing. I am enjoying a simple dinner a bit of ice cream and my favorite blogs before I tackle setting up the main floor of my house for a 30 person dinner party I am hosting tomorrow evening. I'm part of a committee who puts on the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. The pre-conference dinner is at my house since I can fit the most people inside. It has been a catlyst for cleaning and painting, though tonight there is plenty of straightening to be done yet. I'll be making 7 table clothes, too. I tried to find some reasonably priced ones that matched, but had no luck. I want the various card tables and folding tables to look nice. I see my home through the eyes of my friend who are without kids and all that such a life style brings into the house. Our house is humble, warm and inviting, but our mostly hand-me-down furniture style is a bit mismatched and to top it all off, the dishwasher is broken. No matter, I will make it work. At Walmart I found mill ends of a lovely deep blue woven fabric that is 58" wide for $1.50 a yard. With a small bit of effort I will get just what I want and all for under $20. You can't bet that deal.

Okay, we'll I should get to it. I'll report back with tales of funny authors, great committee member and a smashing conference that is already sold out!

A Short and Lovely Get Away Vacation at Red Crags Bed and Breakfast

After all of that cleaning and painting, Larr planned a short and wonderful overnight vacation at the amazingly beautiful Red Crags Bed and Breakfast. Located in Manitou Springs, just over an hour from us, we spent the drive chatting about what we wanted to do once we arrived. One look at where we were staying and those plans were out. We simply wanted to bask in the warmth of the sun, admire the estate and relax.




This is a special piano that was made with now extinct wood from Africa.


Here's one view of the fun room we stayed in. It was originally the coach house. It was large enough to sleep all of us.




We met Rex, Perrin, Calvin and his friend, Emma, for a wonderful dinner at Adam's Mountain Cafe. I think I had the best meal.
I started with what I thought would be a simply house side salad. Eating the curly cut carrots was a lot of fun and the roll was amazing with butter and honey.

I followed that with the Criosanti with Roasted Figs, Carmelized Onions, Colorado Goat Cheese, Roasted Pecans and Pear.


They came back to the B&B after dinner to continue our visit. After they left the kids and I spent a good bit of time in the hot tub. I went in at around 10:00 p.m. The kids stayed out until midnight. They loved having the light breeze, the twinkling stars and a chance to be silly together.

The next morning Brett, the owner, cooked up a breakfast treat that was as wonderful as it was beautiful.








OnaLedge - The Artist's and Visitor's Cottage



The large antlers on this mantle were a gift from Teddy Roosevelt.




This cut building is actually part of the restuarant that is next to the Oneledge. It was built by the same folks who built Onaledge. (I've modified the photo with textures curtsey of Jerry Jones over at Shadowhouse Creations.)


As we were leaving we said good bye to the deer who were enjoying the Easter morning. Ethan spied this wonderful lamp just near the gate. (I thought it deserved the Jerry Jones style treatment, too.)


If you happen to need a break from every day life and want to feel like your a jet setter from the last century, then this is a place you should consider. I look forward to when we might be able to visit again.

A Day to Dye for, Plus Great Friends and Good Food

We spent the last day of our spring break having fun. I had Laura and Connie over to do a bit of dyeing and then we had Greg and Natali over for dinner. It was a full and satisfying day.

My girl friends and I have a tradition of doing tie dye together when we go with the school to Snow Mountain Ranch every May. Connie loved it so much that five years ago I hosted a tie dye and fondue birthday party for her. Today we simply felt the need to make some stuff. Laura did underwear for her family that will be bundled and tied to look like flower for Easter. Connie did a few pairs, too. All three of us dyed some towels. I could not find the ones I wanted,but I think I will like what I have created. They did the traditional style with twisting the fabric, securing it with rubber bands and adding the dye. That is not my style so I did something a bit different. I did strips of color on two pillow cases for Laura and her husband, Davis. I kept the stripes separate and wet enough for the colors to meld together. Her pillow has shades of purple to blue. The pillow for Davis starts off with the same blue and works its way to shades of green. I also made a few pillow cases for myself, as well as a few dish towels. I went the gradation route, starting with a very dark shade of one color and simply diluting it more as I go. (I'll post photos soon.) I made a really refreshing salad for lunch. It is one of those recipes that I forget about and am happy when I come across it again.

Big Sky Chicken-Salad Sanwiches
from Taste of South magazine, June/July 2009 issue

1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 c cranberries
1/2 c mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c honey mustard
1/4 c apricot preserves
2 c chopped cooked chicken

Combine nuts and fruit in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, and preserves, whisking until combined. Add sauce mixture to fruit mixture, along with chopped chicken, tossing gently until combined. Spread mixture onto bread slices to make sandwiches (or not - and enjoy as is). Serves 6.

For Greg and Natali I made the Magic Spinach Ring that I posted about just a few days ago. I also made two flavors of Lettuce Wraps.

Lettuce Wraps - Two Versions

Pouring/Dipping sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Chicken or Beef Stir-fry
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″ (or ground beef)
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1 - 8 oz. can Bamboo Shoots, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce

Stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Begin by making the pouring sauce. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon/lime juice and sesame oil. Mix well.

Combine 1 teaspoons hot water with Dijon mustard and garlic and set this aside in small bowl.

Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until cooked through, then remove from the pan (I kept it warm in a casserole dish in the oven). Keep oil in the pan, keeping it hot over a low flame. (If you are making the beef version brown the beef with the onions and drain off any fat.)

Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Add in the Dijon mix.

Take pan that you cooked the chicken or beef in and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until they have cooked, about four minutes. Add in the chicken/beef. Pout the stir fry sauce over the mix and stir it in.

Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce leaf wraps and the pouring sauce on the side.

The Big Purge - Spring Cleaning Style - and Tastey Food from Recipes to Feed the Purgers

Yesterday we hired some of our strapping young friends to help us with the ultra yucky job of purging our garage of 15 years of stuff. We knew it would be a huge, dusty task. They worked along side Larr and Ethan to organize it all in the back yard. We then went through to decide what went back in, what got donated and what got thrown away. Part of my task was the feed them. I made calzones and cookies for lunch and cheeseburger soup for dinner.

I actually made 12 calzones. Some for those cleaning out the garage and some for the folks over at Schwab Cycles. I wanted to make a nice lunch for them as a token of thanks for always treating my kids like royalty and for saving me money. They are always happy to see us, give us amazing deals on work that needs to be done on the bikes and discounts on things we need. I had intended to make them cookies over the Christmas break, but they had been given enough sugary treats so I opted to wait until. They were very happy to have a nice, hot lunch. (The calzones are always popular. I used to make them for Larr for his lunch when he worked in public ed. His colleagues would smell them as they warmed in the oven. People bought them or traded stuff for calzones. He traded two calzones for an awesome office chair.)

I also took them cookies. We are hosting a big dinner party next week and the guest of honor requested sugar cookies when I asked what his favorite dessert was. I was a bit surprised to get such a humble request since I usually end up making something fancy for these dinner parties. That sent me on a quest to find the best sugar cookie recipe. I scoured the internet and my cookbooks. I found that there are really two camps of thought when it comes to sugar cookies. There are those who like the very traditional, hardy, crispy sugar cookie of old. I tend to shy away from those as they have shortening (or lard, originally). However, that camp has such staying power that I thought I'd have to give it a try. The other camp of the sugar cookie likes a tender crumb that sort of crumbles in the mouth and has several layers of flavor. I fall into this camp. I love the complex foods that offer a reward to those who eat with careful attention to the flavors. King Arthur Flour Company came through as they always do. (If I have need a go-to recipe that I don't have to test first, they will have one in the categories that they supply. Their recipes are of the same high quality as their products!) Since I was feeding so many people I decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to do a cook off. I made two different batches of cookies and had each person give me feedback on crumb, texture and flavor. The result were unexpected. It was about half and half, with some folks not even being able to make a choice.

I then spent hours sorting stuff, being very good about purging. I rounded out the day with Cheeseburger soup. This is always a very popular recipe that I seem to forget from time to time. I made a huge batch and only had one serving left. The hungry fellows ate several bowls each.

Traditional Sugar Cookies
Old style cookies with a recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* Additional sugar

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into 1-in. balls. Roll in sugar. Place on greased baking sheet; flatten with a glass. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

(These have a very nice, crispy texture and nice flavor. About half of the folks picked this as the favorite. It clearly reminded people of my generation of the cookies their grandmothers made for them.)

Sugar Cookies - Gourmet Version


Dough

* 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1/4 cup cream cheese
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (lemon works nicely, too)
* 1 large egg


Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

3) Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts, and the egg; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

4) Add the flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed until the mixture is evenly moistened.

5) Place the 3/4 cup sugar in a large plastic bag, or in a shallow pan. Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls into the sugar, rolling them in the pan or gently shaking them in the bag to coat them with the sugar.

6) Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them.

7) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges of the cookies will just barely begin to brown.

8) Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.

(Note from the King Arthur Recipe: Simple, sweet, comforting and familiar, a good sugar cookie has it all: a little crunch, a tender center, and a familiar undertone of vanilla. This cookie can be customized in many ways to suit your taste. A touch of almond extract, some lemon zest, or a hint of nutmeg are all perfectly at home in this dough. Want a snickerdoodle? Roll the unbaked cookies in cinnamon sugar before baking. Want a cookie that's crisp through and through? Press them flat before you put them in the oven. )

These cookies had a more delicate crumb with a tender, soft middle. People liked the complex flavors this cookie offered. About half of the people picked this as their favorite cookie.)


Calzones - Bread Machine Style
serves 4 generously

Bread Dough - (You can used purchased dough, if you do not want to make your own dough)
1 1/4 cup Water, warm
2 1/4 tea. Instant Yeast
1 1/2 tea. Sugar
1 tea. Salt
1 tea. Dried Milk Powder (optional - makes it brown nicely)
3 cups Bread Flour

Put the ingredients into the bread machine in the order they are listed and turn it onto the dough setting.

Filling -
4 Italian Sausages
Black Olives (you decide how many you like. I use 1 large can per 4 calzones)
Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (I think I use about 1/4 cup per calzone)
1 cup Spaghetti Sauce (Use good stuff)

Assembly -

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Divide your dough into 4 balls. Roll each one out into a biggish rectangle. Place the Italian Sausage in the middle of the dough. It should form a line or roll. Top this with the olives, then the cheese and the spaghetti sauce. Pull the sides up to cover it and pinch them together. Then pull up the ends, pinching them to seal the calzone. At this point these can be frozen. To cook them place them on a jelly roll pan or a cookie pan with sides (in the event that the sauce leaks out, you'll have less of a mess). If time allows, you can cover them with a non-fuzzy dishtowel and allow them dough to rise a bit. You can skip this step, if needed. Bake a 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Right after you pull them out of the oven brush them with butter.

Cheeseburger Soup

1 tea. Butter

1 pound Ground Sirloin or Hamburger

1 cup Onion, diced

¾ cup Celery, diced

½ cup Carrots, diced

1 tea. Garlic, minced

3 cups Chicken Broth

2 cups Russet Potatoes, peeled & diced

1 tea. Basil

3 TBL. Butter

¼ cup Flour

1½ cup Milk

2 cup Cheddar, shredded

¼ cup Ketcup

2 TBL. Yellow Mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

Shoestring Potatoes (optional)

Croutons (Optional)


1. In a large pan, brown the butter, meat, onion, celery, carrots and garlic.

2. Stir in the broth, potatoes and basil. Cook until the potatoes are tender.

3. In a separate pan, make a roux with the butter, flour and milk.(To make a roux - melt the butter. Add the flour and stir around with the back of a spoon or spatula until the flour absorbs the melted butter.Next, add the milk and stir gently until the roux lumps are gone and the milk is thickened.) Add this to the soup.

4. At the last moment add in the cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard and salt & pepper. Stir into soup and serve. Top each bowl with a little extra cheese. It can be fun to also top with shoestring potatoes and/or croutons.