Boulder Summer

Wow, I have really let this blog slide lately.

To those of you still checking in here, 

thank you, and I apologize.

With everything going on this summer, 

the blog hasn't been a priority, 

but I've still been taking lots of photos, 

so I can catch you up on things!

Food Truck party

A little hiking

Creek sittin'

Tea parties

For more photos from this album, see here.

Thanksgiving 2011 OR Diary of a Turkey Virgin

This Thanksgiving was a day of firsts:

our first Thanksgiving in Colorado, 

our first visitors (Z's parents & brother from NC), 

our first time hosting the meal, 

and my first time cooking a turkey.

As a long-time vegetarian 

I was a little nervous about cooking a 

Thanksgiving turkey, 

but as a food/cooking enthusiast, 

I felt up to the challenge.

I decided not to take any chances with a frozen turkey

and ordered a fresh one from our local market.

Then I searched online for recipes.

After reading that brining is the best way to avoid

dry meat, I settled on a recipe from

The Pioneer Woman.

Hard to go wrong with her

(unless you are on a diet).

So the brine was made and the turkey guts pulled out

(I didn't use them in the gravy, so I just tossed them out), 

but then there was the little problem of 

finding a brining bag.

I could not find them in any grocery stores.

A couple of specialty food stores had them, 

but they were outrageously priced, 

so I had to be resourceful.

I bought some Ziploc XL bags (10 gallons)

poured in my brine & my 11 lb turkey, 

then fit it all into my biggest stockpot, cinched it

with a chip bag clip & let it soak overnight.

Thankfully it fit perfectly, so I didn't have to turn it!

I also made the cranberry sauce &

chocolate caramel tart ahead.

Thanksgiving morning, 

with the turkey thoroughly rinsed & the potatoes cubed, 

we headed over to watch Z run in the Turkey Trot.

It was a glorious 65 degrees & sunny, 

which was great for the spectators but too warm for the runners.

A very Parris Thanksgiving.

Back at home, we had to get down to business.

Z & his brother baked a pumpkin pie from scratch

while I got the turkey going and worked on the 

fontina & parmesan potato casserole.

Here's the turkey part-way through.

Unfortunately since I was keeping so busy

basting the turkey, making the casserole, 

brown sugar shortbread, brussels sprouts, & raspberry tea, 

I didn't have much time to take pictures, 

but believe me, that bird was golden brown in the end.

The set up was a little crazy, too. 

We don't have any real eating area in our place, 

so the plan was to set up two tables

and all 9 chairs that we own in the living room & 

use the side table as a buffet.

It actually worked well, but since everyone was gathered 

in the living room watching football we didn't get to set it up

until right before we ate, so again I failed to take any good photos.

This gives you an idea, but it actually looked much cozier & pretty.

Some friends of ours brought some delicious sweet potato casserole, 

2 types of dressing, and Z's cousin brought the rolls.

I really enjoyed cooking everything, and aside from

an issue with the gravy (really hard to season something properly

when you can't taste it...oh well) I thought I did pretty well...

for a turkey virgin.

Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful, too!

Challah recipe!

Ok, dear friends, 

here is my challah recipe, 

as given to me by my father.

(Thanks, Dad!)

Ingredients (Makes 2 loaves)

Group A:  2 Tbsp yeast

                4 tsp sea salt

                  3/4 cup honey

                          1 3/4 cup hot water

                Group B: 2 cups all-purpose flour

           Group C: 1 1/4 cup canola oil

                                3 eggs (lightly whisked)

                    Group D: 5-6 cups all-purpose flour

     Group E: 1 egg (for wash)

Instructions: 

(I prefer to to this by hand/fork/wooden spoon.)

Mix together Group A & let sit for about 5 minutes.

Mix in Group B until incorporated, then stir in Group C.

Start adding flour from Group D to mixture 1 cup at a time until 

it forms a sticky dough.

Start kneading the dough in the bowl (you can turn it out

onto a floured surface if that is easier for you), adding flour as needed

until dough becomes an elastic ball.

Cover & let dough rise in a large bowl until doubled.

Punch down.

Divide dough into 6 equal portions & roll into smooth strands/snakes

about 12 inches long. (Just like playing with Play-Doh!)

Take 3 strands & place them parallel to each other

& vertically to you |||

*Important*

Start your braid in the middle of the strand.

I know it sounds weird, but it will make the braid

more even & your loaves will turn out much better!

Starting in the middle, braid one side of loaf & then the other.

Tuck ends under the loaf.

Repeat with second set of 3 dough strands.

Place braided dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 

cover and let rise until doubled again.

Whisk 3 eggs from Group E & brush onto the doubled loaves, 

covering as much as possible of the tops & sides.

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven & bake for approximately 

50 minutes at 350 degrees. 

This will vary according to your oven, so be sure to 

check on the bread while baking.

I typically rotate the pan for more even baking. 

When done, the top should be golden brown (not too dark). 

This bread is definitely time intensive, 

but so delicious that it is absolutely worth it!

(If you want to cut down on time, 

quick-rise yeast works just fine for this.)

I hope you enjoy and let me know if you have any questions!

Vacation Road Trip

When it was time to leave our

lovely Sonoma Valley hideaway, 

we made our way over to Napa.

We stopped by 

the Oxbow Public Market

where we picked up some

cherries from the farmer's market, 

some of Kara's Cupcakes,

a fresh loaf from 

the Model Bakery, 

& Z's favorite, 

some charcuterie delicacies from

the Fatted Calf.

We took our yummy treats

& headed for San Francisco.

It was raining as we drove over 

the Bay Bridge...

But by the time we arrived at

Golden Gate Park, 

the precipitation had paused.

We had a cozy picnic in our car

before taking a stroll around the park.

We hit the road again, 

driving along the coast on the 

gorgeous 101

until we reached Santa Cruz.

Finally, we stopped for 

a bite to eat before heading home

& came across this fellow.

We could have used a few more days of vacation,

but what a fabulous way to end the trip!

Sonoma Valley: What to do...

...or at least what we did!

There are so many vineyards & activities

in wine country, that it can be overwhelming

to decide what to do.

Since we didn't have a lot of time, 

and we really just wanted to relax, 

I made sure we didn't schedule too many things.

First off, we were really glad that we 

stayed in Glen Ellen instead of Sonoma.

Glen Ellen is a gem,

just 10 minutes from Sonoma,

but it's quiet, picturesque.

It truly feels like you are in a story book.

One vineyard that I knew we had to visit

was Valley of the Moon.

I had some of their wine on our honeymoon

and loved it.

They were so incredibly nice to us,

explaining the finer points of wine tasting, 

talking to us about what wines we normally

liked & making suggestions.

Our favorites here were the Cuvee

and the Port...oh my goodness, the Port.

It was overcast & rainy for nearly our whole trip, 

but the sun would peak out every now & then, 

allowing us to snap a few photos of the gorgeous area.

Grapes everywhere.

If it had been sunnier, I would definitely have been

tempted to rent bicycles.

We also visited B.R. Cohn, 

where we tasted some fabulous

Cabs & olive oils made on the property,

& took a short tour where we learned

the winery's connection with 

the Doobie Brothers,

as well as how the wine is actually made. 

But the rain started to pick back up, 

so no photos from there.

Both of these winerys were just a few miles 

from our Secret Cottage.

Glen Ellen also has some

gorgeous parks that are wonderful

to run or stroll through, 

as well as tree-lined streets

& quaint bridges.

We drove through the Sonoma Developmental Center

which is a campus for folks with

developmental disabilities 

that boasts some gorgeous historic buildings.

It was there that we came upon Tuggy, 

& I just had to get a picture.

Other Glen Ellen musts

are lunch at The Glen Ellen Village Market

 & dinner at The Fig Cafe, 

both just steps from where we stayed.

Of course we wanted to visit Sonoma, too, 

so one evening we headed down to the

town plaza for some scrumptious

thin crust pizza at The Red Grape

& browsed through the many

shops selling vintage wares, kitchen goods, 

and our favorite: books.

Glen Ellen Inn Secret Cottages

Z & I just returned from 

our 5 year anniversary trip

up to Northern California.

The goal of the trip was

RELAXATION,

and the Secret Cottage

that we stayed in definitely

helped us with that!

Secret Cottage #3

was tucked away,

hidden away from the entrance

to the other cottages.

We had an awesome view

of a one-lane bridge over

a bubbling creek.

And a big basket of fresh fruit,

cookies & scones that

was replenished daily.

The Huntington & Beyond

The Huntington & Beyond, a set on Flickr.

In addition to our coastal adventure, we also spent an day in LA & Pasadena before Matt & Chris had to leave.

We met up with our friend Jen for a delicious Greek lunch where we dined just a few tables away from one Dan Aykroyd & his adorable parents. Then we made our way over to The Huntington Gardens.

Unfortunately we didn't have near enough time to get through all of the gardens covering the sprawling grounds, much less make it into any of the indoor art galleries. But I completely fell in love with the gardens, so Z & I will definitely be going back to spend more time there.

It was a bit chilly, so we stopped by Intelligentsia in Old Pasadena to warm up over coffee & tea. We noticed a cupcake shop nearby and could not resist picking some up. Then we followed the signs to the Rose Bowl (Z loves stadiums.) and had an awesome cake break while watching the sun set over the stadium. Even after the cupcakes, we were hungry, and thankfully we found the Oinkster...so good and so much fun!

Don't forget to click the link under the photos to see the whole set on Flickr!