Sweating my butt off at the Rangers game :)

Met up with a few former co workers in Dallas for a Rangers game. My old boss bought us great seats!  It is really humid and hot.

Fresh Cherry Crisp

We received 3 pounds of pitted pie cherries and 4 pounds of rhubarb in our fruit share this week. So, Erica made cherry cobbler tonight.

Ingredients

• 4 cups pitted sour cherries
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shortening

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine cherries, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, and 4 tablespoons flour. Pour into 9x13 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, oats, and brown sugar. Cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle over cherries.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.

Actually Delicious Turkey Burgers

Erica is going to be in Dallas for the next few days, so she has tried to make meals the past two nights that would leave good left overs for Chris. Last night we made turkey tacos and tonight we made turkey burgers and kale chips. We tried to use as many vegetables as possible on top of the tacos and in the burgers as we could.

The turkey burger recipe that served as inspiration can be found here.

1.25 pounds extra lean ground turkey
2 eggs
Worcestershire sauce
white onion
fresh garlic
fresh parsley
season salt
cracker crumbs
pepper

We also made kale chips and have perfected the recipe: tear kale into bite size pieces, toss with a small amount of olive oil and salt, spread on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

Fresh Rhubarb Pie

This is in the oven right now! I omitted the butter - no need for it.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Combine sugar and flour. Sprinkle 1/4 of it over pastry in pie plate. Heap rhubarb over this mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and flour. Dot with small pieces of butter. Cover with top crust.
3. Place pie on lowest rack in oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

All About the Bikes

Saturday morning we went out for 28 mile bike ride on the Clear Creek Trail. We hopped on the trail just 2 miles from our house and headed west all the way to Golden, past the Coors factory. It was a nice ride to ease into things. This was the first ride of the season on the road bikes - we finally got them tuned up last week using a half off Groupon.

We were pretty pooped after the ride and laid low in the house, and out of the heat. For dinner, we used a Restaurant.com gift certificate to Sabor. This time, we hopped on our single speeds and biked 1.6 miles to the restaurant. Sabor is a South American/Latino restaurant. They just overhauled their menu and from what we have read, it used to be more authentic. Erica had a Pisco Sour, we shared the ceviche, and then both had the Paella special. It was all very good. The Paella had chicken, scallops, shrimp, and was topped with a grilled Orange Roughy filet.

We were hoping that after dinner it would be cooler, but it was not. Chris had the real chore of carrying our to-go box of left over Paella on his bike all the way home.

Mid Day Break

Erica had a hair appointment today at lunch time. She thought about canceling because of not having a car, but when she mapped it out, it was only 2.7 miles away from the house. So, she got on her Big Shot Bike and rode to the salon. The stylist she booked with was recommended by Erica's previous stylist in Salt Lake City.

It was the fastest haircut ever and she did a really good job. The best part, was that the salon was right next to Little Man Ice Cream! Home made Cookies and Cream ice cream is what Erica had for lunch. Then she got on her bike and rode home and went back to work.

A Saab Story

UPDATE: Spoke with Saab Service and all issues were caused by a bad mass airflow sensor. So, the engine didn't know how much airflow it was getting. Of course they don't have this sensor in stock and they have to order it and it might not get here until Monday. Good thing I am technically a work at home employee.

On the way home last night I had a Traction Control Failure, Stability Control Failure, and Limited Performance warnings a few miles from the house. It powered itself down and went into Limp Home mode so I couldn't drive faster than 30 mph. I got it home and parked it. I turned the car on again a few hours later and the Engine light was on too.

So, I called Saab Roadside Assistance this morning and had it towed to the Saab dealer for service. What you might not know is that it was in the shop the week of the 4th for an issue with the brakes. Not feeling too good about the Saab right now. On a positive note, I was happy with the service at the dealer the last time and Geoff the service manager is on top of things (knock on wood).

Good thing this bad boy is under warranty through 2013! I might have to seriously consider getting rid of it before then if this car is a problem magnet. It only has ~18,000 miles on it!

Kohlrabi and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Dressing

This week in our vegetable share we received Kohlrabi! I improvised on this original recipe.

Ingredients
1 Kohlrabi
2 apples
light sour cream
light honey dijon dressing
fresh parsley

Preparation
Slice the kohlrabi and apples into a bowl. Add sour cream and honey dijon dressing until you get the consistency and flavor you like. Chop fresh parsley and mix into the salad.

Great summer salad - clean and refreshing.

Cheddar Ranch Chicken

I had 2 chicken breasts in the fridge that needed to be cooked soon. I also had a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix that I wanted to use with the chicken. Don't ask me why, I just had to use it! So, after Googling "chicken breast ranch seasoning" and reading through some of the recipes, I came up with my own.

2 chicken breasts (these were BIG)
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
Milk
Mayo
Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips

Mix the milk, mayo, and ranch mix. You can follow the directions on the packet, or use my favorite method: eyeballing it. Coat the chicken in the dressing and roll in crushed potato chips. Throw the chicken in a baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

It had really good flavor.

Dinner at Brian & Steph's

Last night Brian cooked us an excellent dinner of scallops and steak. We also drank lots o wine and ended up staying the night.

The Brick Work Continues

We took the awning off the front porch today to make room for scaffolding. So, the awning got a good cleaning which it needed badly.

The roses are still hanging tough on the front porch. Bill, the brick guy, told me today that they can be planted again in a couple more days.

The Saab gets a Love Tap

On Wednesday night we had dinner with Ivan, Joy, and Brian who is in town from Atlanta at Tortugas in Longmont. It took me nearly 1.5 hours in crazy traffic all the way from the Tech Center. I was nearly there and waiting at a red light when I was hit by the driver behind me, who was luckily also stopped before he decided to take his foot off the brake for reasons that will never be known. We both pulled over after the light in a not very ideal place on the main drag into downtown Longmont.

We got out of our vehicles and the first thing I asked him for was his insurance. He said "No English". Great. The man who hit me didn't speak English, didn't have insurance and I am not sure he was even driving legally. He presented me with a Matricula Consular ID which I had no knowledge of until that moment.

At this point we hadn't even looked at the cars yet. So I turn to my car and he was pointing to my bumper saying "es okay, es okay" I know a little Spanish and all of it had escaped me at that moment. All I could think to respond with was, "No bueno! No bueno!" In reality the damage was extremely minor - you can see there are 2 marks on the back bumper that we would be crazy to have fixed.

So, I took his ID, got into my car and called Chris. We decided we were pretty much screwed. I was so flustered, I thought the 2 marks represented all of the damage, but you never know. So, I took pictures of everything - his ID, him (you can see him below), his license plate, the front of his vehicle. He probably thought I was crazy - I was running around taking pictures, I didn't tell him what I was doing - it wouldn't have done any good, anyway.

When I was finished, I handed him his ID back. I was not happy. Again, the only thing I could think to say was "Bueno Suerte", which means good luck, and it wasn't necessarily meant as a well wish.

On a bright note, I made it to dinner and it was very nice. We did have to move inside from the patio when a thunderstorm with hail passed through. We have had rain and storms every day for at least the past week.

Salsa Chicken

We made this last night and it was easy and delicious with salad on the side, of course. We ate it without the cheese and sour cream. The hot salsa we used gave it a little kick and the chicken was very moist.

Ingredients
Chicken Breasts
Taco seasoning
Salsa
Cheese (optional)
Sour Cream (optional)

Directions

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with taco seasoning and place in oven safe baking dish. Cover the chicken in salsa. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees. You can melt cheese on top at the end if you like and serve with sour cream.

Cube with a View

This is the third day Erica has been working from the Denver office. Her work area is in a corner with full windows for walls. It might just be the best seat in the house!

Free Fresh Express Salad

Click here: vocalpoint.com/FreshSavings

To get a coupon for a free bag of salad and a bag clip when you become a Vocal Point member.

Share #2

After work, we walked in the rain around the block to pick up our second share of vegetables and our first share of fruit. We received 2 bags of greens, kale, white onions, broccoli, rhubarb, baby beets, parsley, garlic, and garlic scapes and a dozen eggs were thrown in this week as well. This was our first week for fruit, but the cold weather this spring has hurt some of the fruit crops. So, we received cherry apple cider and Colorado cherry wine. We were also given another dozen eggs for a promotion that was going on when we signed up for our shares.

Tonight for dinner, we had an egg scramble with spinach, onion, dill, and parsley with toast on the side. Chris also roasted some more broccoli. Last night we used up almost all of the week one veggies with these yummy salads:

Spinach, baby beets, apple, walnuts, bleu cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. We had toast on the side with Bright Basil Bean Dip and honey. It was delicious. We still have to use up our collards and scapes.

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to cherry apple cider overnight oats for breakfast.

In other house news, there was more brick work done today, but the roses are not ready to be put back in the ground yet. It has been raining like crazy here, which is holding things up a bit. The good news, is that it was cooler today, overcast, and rainy. The roses are still looking good in their pails on the front porch.

Sink is Out

We are starting the bathroom upgrade!

We need to chip out some tiles before we can get the vanity with faucets in. The tile cup and soap holder and the towel rack behind the door are in the way right now.

Roses are Out

The brick work started yesterday and will continue today and the next couple weekends as well. Bill, the brick guy is very excited about our house. He said we got a good one - it is well made, with beautiful bricks in a very modern design for 1939.

The roses came out easier than we thought. The root balls were still pretty much intact from when we planted them 2 months ago. Erica hopes they can go back in the ground after today's work. She is very worried about them. They aren't expected to start work until this afternoon.

What Goes up Must Come Down

Erica Climbs Some More

Shaky arms and legs and some sore fingertips later...

Chris Climbs

These are pictures from our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th climbs. They were much more difficult than the 1st climb.

Erica on her First Climb

This is the very first time Erica has ever gone rock climbing. There were 2 other climbers in our group and we started off easy. She went first out of the group and Chris was impressed with how well she did. Chris has climbed a couple times in the past.

Rock Climbing at Garden of the Gods

This morning we got up bright and early and headed to Colorado Springs and the Garden of the Gods for a 4 hour guided rock climbing session. We both loved it.

I Slept Through the Haboob

Erica is in Phoenix for work this week. There was a massive sandstorm on Tuesday night. Erica was fast asleep by 9pm and missed the whole thing. Although her room probably didn't give that great a vantage point any way.

The rental car looked like a mud pie the next morning.

Haboob is an Arabic word meaning phenomena. It is usually reserved for large sand storms in the Middle East. This storm was so large, it qualified as a Haboob. Many are calling it a 100 Year Storm.

Vegetables Coming out of Our Ears!

Having lots of veggies is not a bad thing. Erica worked with a nutritionist for 10 weeks last year and her biggest downfall? Not enough veggies. Sad but oh so true. We shouldn't have that problem anymore with weekly vegetable deliveries.

The broccoli from this weeks share is already gone. Chris roasted it in the oven last night (recipe to follow). It was simple and yummy. We also had baby greens with thinly sliced baby beets, blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. Beets are very underrated!

A couple items that we think will present us with a fun challenge are the garlic scapes and the collards. We didn't even know what garlic scapes were before this weekend when we Googled them. It turns out, they are the green tops from garlic. They look like little green snakes. They have a more subtle garlic flavor and can be used to flavor dishes. We are taking suggestions for recipes that use collards if you have any.

Roasted Broccoli

1 head broccoli

1 1/2 tbs olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Break broccoli head into medium florets and toss with remaining ingredients. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Bake 18-22 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through the cooking time. Remove from oven when broccoli is a deep green color with some darkened spots.

Makes 4 servings.

Our 1st Share

Here it is folks. Our Community Supported Agriculture share was highly anticipated by both of us all weekend. We just walked around the block and picked up our vegetables. We won't get our fruit for a couple more weeks.

We got:
broccoli, baby beets, garlic scapes, dill, green onions, 2 bunches of spinach, bag of baby greens, and collards.

A good salad is in our very near future :)

Colorado Rapids Game

We were very lucky to come across great seats at tonight's Rapids game (thanks C&B!). Apparently, Chris was a goalie for his high school team which Erica did not know until tonight. It was a great break from the continuing house organization that went on all day today. Things are looking much better!

The Rapids are taking on the Houston Dynamo. It was a scoreless game, but still fun to watch. Especially at the end as the Rapids had many failed attempts at a score. There were also some yellow cards and a red card was also issued at the conclusion of the game. Pretty intense.

Afterwards, we were let onto the field to watch one of the best fireworks shows either of us has seen in a really long time.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

We took our new single speed bikes out for their first ride to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. We ordered them from Big Shot Bikes. We valeted them. We always love a bike valet.

After an 8 mile bike ride, we were hungry! So, we each got a gourmet hot dog. Chris got The Italian (artichoke hearts, garlic aioli, olive tapenade, and tomatoes). Erica got the Jelly Dog (grilled cream cheese and jelly). We washed them down with a blue raspberry shaved ice.

We also saw a lot of cool art, had another shaved ice, and biked 8 miles back home.

Community Supported Agriculture

We just signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture or CSA Share with Grant Family Farms. So, what is a CSA share, you ask? Read on.

What is Community Supported Agriculture?
CSA is a partnership of mutual commitment between a farm and a community of supporters that provides a direct link between the production and consumption of food. Supporters cover a farm's yearly operating budget by purchasing a share of the season's harvest. CSA members make a commitment to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer or grower. Members help pay for seeds, fertilizer, water, equipment maintenance, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season. Becoming a member creates a responsible relationship between people and the food they eat, the land on which it is grown and those who grow it.

This mutually supportive relationship between local farmers, growers and community members helps create an economically stable farm operation in which members are assured the highest quality produce at a fair price. In return, farmers and growers are guaranteed a reliable market for a diverse selection of crops.

So, we purchased 26 weeks worth of organic, local, vegetables and 22 weeks of organic, local, fruit. There are volunteers throughout Denver and the Front Range who serve as 'pick up locations' once a week. Our pick up location is a block away at a neighbor's house.

We will get 10-12 different vegetables a week and will be making our meals based on the veggies we get each week. We were turned on to this idea from one of the guys Chris works with who also happen to live in our neighborhood.

I foresee lots of veggie and fruit recipes coming to the blog. Our first delivery is this Monday, the 4th. Erica will be traveling next week, so we'll see how things go week one.