Colorado nature

Just a few shots from my recent trip to Colorado.

There were rabbits & other wildlife everywhere!

We took a short trip up into the mountains

for lunch one day.

We ended up in the adorable town of Nederland,

where we ate delectable dishes

at The Savory Cafe.

I got to shoot a few pics of the area before we

headed back to Boulder.

We are moving early next week, 

so I'm busy with packing, 

but look for more pics soon from Colorado!

Road Trippin'

Last week my mama flew to CA to take a road trip with me.

Our mission was to find a place for Z & I to live in CO, 

where Z has gotten a new job.

But instead of taking the quickest route, 

we decided to take advantage of the opportunity

to visit places we'd never been.

Just like Thelma & Louise

(minus the guns, murder, theft, Wild Turkey, 

and the whole driving over a cliff thing)

we set out for an adventure!

We found out that the name Grand Canyon

is a bit of an understatement, 

and know that we will have to return some day

when we have more than 2 1/2 hours.

Then we made our way through

the Painted Desert, Monument Valley, 

and past Arches NP before

heading over the Colorado mountains.

Love this shot Mama took of the arch

out the car window!

It was such an awesome trip

seeing part of this country I had never seen, 

laughing and talking with my mama,

and getting to know our new home.

Click on the Flickr link on the sidebar...
there are tons more photos from the trip!

Running in the heat

Last night Z ran in another race, 

even though it was still at least 100 degrees.

It was part of a summer series of races

where your time in the first race

determines your start time in the following races.

I ran the first one, but wasn't crazy hardcore

enough to run when it was so hot, 

so I just brought along my camera.

Anyway, since Z was a top finisher in the first race, 

he was one of the last racers to start last night, 

meaning that he had to spend the whole 5k

passing slower folks who started before him.

Here he is wondering if this is such a good idea, after all.

And....he's off!

Here's a long line of runners/walkers

making their way to the finish.

As if the heat isn't enough punishment, 

the course ends on an uphill.

(And no, I have no idea why that guy

is dressed as a ninja.)

And finally, with the sunset comes a little relief.

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!

In the kitchen...

I haven't posted much about food lately, 

but rest assured that I've still been

busy with culinary creativity!

Here are two of my recent favorites.

Challah (braided egg bread) is so pretty

that you almost don't want to eat it, 

almost.

It has the best sweet aroma when baking, 

making the whole house smell divine.

I also recently had a wild & crazy time teaching 

six kids (aged 4-8 years old)

how to make challah & homemade grape juice.

It was a mess, but really fun!

Oooh, just look at that orange zest!

This beauty is a citrus zest & blueberry olive oil cake.

I used oranges for the zest & fresh juice, 

a meyer lemon olive oil that we picked up on our wine country trip,

 and finally some fresh blueberries from the farmer's market.

The result is the perfect summer cake!

Would you like me to post the recipe? I'm happy to share!

Whimsical Guest House love

I am so enchanted with these tiny guest cottages

made of recycled & reclaimed wood.

Doesn't it look like it's straight out of a childhood storybook?

There are more styles here, including 

saunas, playhouses, and even outhouses!

Just thought it was too fun not to share :)

Vacation!

Sooo excited to be heading back to Chicago

for vacation & some friends' wedding...

can't wait to be back in the city!

Catch y'all on the flip side :)

A little surprise

These little beauties popped up

seemingly overnight.

I had no idea that these particular plants

would produce blooms, 

so it was definitely a fun little surprise!

In other news, I have been having some 

difficulty with my camera lately,

so that's why there have been fewer posts.

I'm working on it, so please keep checking back!

When art meets science.

Just came across this print & wanted to share it with you.

Isn't it awesome?

I adore the vibrant colors, the range of subjects, 

the style, everything about it.

I would love to see it in wrapping paper form, 

or even matted in a frame.

What about you?

via ScientificIllustration

Charles Harper- “Giant Golden Book of Biology”

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!

Life Breathing feature!

My friend Emily over at 

Life Breathing

asked me to write a

guest post for her

Fashionista feature this week.

Be sure to check it out here!

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.