So much to share this week. Let’s go…..My California granddaughters, Clara (L) and Emma, are 16 and 18. For nine years of their lives, Michael and I lived nearby, seeing them often. After he died and I moved home to Aspen, everything changed. My one hesitancy about moving 900 miles back to Colorado was just that – not being present for every birthday, holiday, and school activity. I shed tears over that, lotsa tears, with Melissa promising, “We’ll figure it out, Mom. We will.”
Two of the Aspen Junior Environmentalists who spearheaded the local climate march are Freshmen Isabella and Willow Poschman (Twins, Carrying White Signs). Their proud father, a Pitkin County Commissioner, told me jokingly that they were ‘out of control.’ We both agreed that was a good thing. (I apologize for not identifying the other two students. I tried) Deb Overeynder photo.
And, she did. Melissa decided every week the girls, 12 and 10 at the time, would each write me an e-mail. The e-mail was to be 3 paragraphs, each graph a different subject. I can just imagine the eye rolls, groaning and sisterly discussions over Mom’s new rule. And while Missy never threatens, I have been told there were bribes.
I, in turn, wrote them, utilizing every imaginative ounce of creativity I could muster to remain relevant and involved in their lives. Once, after seeing Common (an American Rapper) at the Aspen Institute, I even “rapped” my e-mail to them. Impressed, they “rapped” back!
https://marchforscience.org/
During the past 6 years, having received about 300 e-mail letters from each of them, I feel I’ve earned a graduate degree in understanding, on some level, Post-Millennial life (kids born in 1997 to present day). What I know for sure is my world is enhanced and invigorated by these younger generations, Millennials (born 1981-1996, 22-37 years old) and P-M’s.
Naturalist (and, Millennial) Adam McCurdy who heads up the Forestry Program at ACES led 4 different hikes through the burn zones of the Lake Christine Fire. Planning to do only one excursion, he just kept adding hikes until he exhausted the Wait List.
I’m not so eager to judge them against our generational standards. They are not Us, born of the three previous generations. Even more important, they don’t want to be Us. My activities the past few weeks revolved around two of their leading concerns, climate/environment and agricultural/food issues. I share those concerns also so I climbed aboard for the ride.
A Border Collie, a handler and Sheep. Let the Games begin. The sheep with red collars need to be separated from the others in timed events.
2019 NATIONAL SHEEPDOG FINALS
The gal holding the scorecard added a little flair to the event.
I just attended the 2019 National SheepdogFinals at the 460-acre Strang Ranch located near Carbondale. This 50-year old ranch, with an easement secured by the Aspen Valley Land Trust and held in perpetuity, will remain rooted in agriculture for future generations. The county fair-like atmosphere (there were funnel cakes and bar-b-que’ed pork sandwiches) in combination with remarkable performances by the Border Collies and their handlers will be a repeatable experience for me.
LAKE CHRISTINE FIRE HIKE
You can see a reason for the hard hats in extremely distressed areas. You never know when a tree will fall.
The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies sponsored a day-long hike through the 12,000 acres of forest burned by the 2018 Lake Christine Fire near Basalt. Led by Naturalist Adam McCurdy, we hiked through the burn zones and observed the regeneration/recovery of the forest ecosystems that were affected.
This is an elaborate wasp paper nest that was constructed this year. Look closely and you will see the bald-faced hornets who live in the nest.
Adam is just ready to lead the group into the fire area.
GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE
Mayor Torre expected to speak to the climate crowd inside City Hall but we were too many. Instead everyone was invited to walk through the building, were greeted by employees, went out the back door and congregated in a nearby park. Most of these kids had never been in City Hall.
Last Friday many locals joined 401 school students during their coordinated march with the Global Climate Strike. Starting at the high school, picking up kids at the middle and grade schools, it ended at City Hall with a rally led by students and the Mayor.
Councilman Ward Hauenstein was the first speaker. Aspen has committed to a 2020 goal of a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
COOK the BOOK FRIDAYS
While Dorie’s World Peace cookies are my all-time favorites, these Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies loaded with crunch are truly taste-worthy. The are-you-sure-about-this ingredient is one cup of rolled oats. Thus, the crunch. “I can’t imagine a time when I won’t be creating a new chocolate chip cookie,” she says.
If you love chocolate, you’ll love these cookies. Here I am in the process of chopping up semi- and bittersweet chocolate bars.
CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES by DORIE GREENSPAN, Everyday Dorie, The Way I Cook
Makes 35 Cookies
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I always use High Altitude Flour in the mountains.) 1 cup rolled oats (not instant) 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3/4 cup to 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup to 3⁄4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or 3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks; 7 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and still warm 3/4 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into irregular bits
DIRECTIONS 1. Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 2. Whisk together the flour, oats and baking soda. 3. Working in a large bowl with a flexible spatula, stir together both sugars, the salt and cinnamon. Drop in the eggs one at a time and beat with the spatula to blend, then stir in the vanilla. Pour in the melted butter—do this in two or three additions—and stir until you have a smooth, shiny mixture. 4. Add the flour and oats all at once and stir gently until they’re almost incorporated. Add the chocolate bits and stir until the dry ingredients are fully blended into the dough. (You can wrap the dough and refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.) 5. Portion out the dough using a medium cookie scoop (one with a capacity of 11⁄2 tablespoons), or use rounded tablespoons of dough, and place about 2 inches apart on the sheets—these are spreaders. 6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets from front to back and top to bottom, until the cookies are golden and somewhat firm around the edges but still soft in the center — they’ll set as they cool. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for about 3 minutes before carefully transferring them to racks to cool to just warm or room temperature. 7. Repeat with the remaining dough, always using a cool baking sheet.
STORING: The cookies can be kept at room temperature for about 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
WORKING AHEAD: The dough can be made ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’d like, freeze scoops of dough and then bake directly from the freezer, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac and who doesn’t have a copy of that hanging out on the kitchen counter, if you’re superstitious, be wary.
Tomato, Peach & Arugula Panzanella
COOKtheBOOKFRIDAYS, the thirteenth of September and a Harvest Moon are in spooky sync. In America we haven’t had a nationwide Friday the 13th full moon since October 13, 2000. Take a long look, Readers, because it won’t happen again until August 13, 2049.
BOO.
PALINDROME WEEK
Let’s forget scary and segue from astronomy to celebrate pure mathematics. It’s Palindrome Week, a week when each date can be read the same backward and forward. Try it backward: 9-13-19. The next 6 days are all neatly reversible. Enjoy Palindrome Week because it’s the last of the century.
A PANZANELLA PAMPHLET for PALINDROME WEEK
(Indulge my silliness. I just had to do that.)
Mise en Place – the ingredients needed for PANZANELLA
This week’s CooktheBookFridays recipe choice welcomes adaptions while also guaranteeing a big jolt of deliciousness. Who ever knew stale bread could be so magical?
Panzanella is basically an Italian salad buoyed by chunks of dry/toasted bread, tomatoes tossed or marinated in a vinaigrette and topped with chopped basil. Using that as a thrifty framework, Dorie threw together a delicious Tomato and Peach Panzanella. Among the many variations she suggests is to add ‘assertive greens like arugula’ which I did. When have I ever turned my back on being assertive?
Unlike baking when it’s necessary to follow a recipe precisely, the panzanella recipe below is simply a blueprint, do this, takeaway that, add what’s available and toss in the kitchen sink if you’re so inclined. It’s hard to wreck panzanella. That’s why we’re buddies.
TOMATO and PEACH PANZANELLA by Dorie Greenspan, Everyday Dorie, The Way I Cook
Six Servings
According to Dorie: You can serve the salad as a starter or as a lunch or light dinner, in which case you might want to add assertive greens, such as kale or arugula and perhaps some shrimp; or, if dinner, as a side dish to something light.
Juicy Tomatoes and Peaches
INGREDIENTS:
1 baguette or other sturdy loaf (about 7 ounces), preferably stale
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
Fine sea salt or fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes
2 peaches or nectarines (or watermelon, plums or cherries)
1 lemon
1⁄2 small red onion or more to taste, thinly sliced, rinsed and patted dry
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, or more to taste
Shredded fresh basil leaves or other herb(s)
Stale Baguette Pieces, Nicely Browned
DIRECTIONS:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Tear the bread into pieces just a little bigger than bite-sized, or cut it — often easier when the bread is stale. Spread the pieces out on the baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil, season with salt and pepper and toss. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the bread once or twice, until the cubes are dry and lightly toasted.
Meanwhile, core the tomatoes and cut into chunks. Halve and pit the peaches or nectarines and cut into similar-sized chunks, catching as much of the juice as you can. Toss the tomatoes, fruit and juice into a large serving bowl.
When the bread is toasted, stir it into the bowl. Grate the zest of the lemon over, squeeze over the lemon juice and stir again. Mix in the onion. Let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes (or for up to 1 hour).
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the vinegar to the salad and season with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit for a couple of minutes again, then taste it for oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Scatter over the herb(s) and serve.
S T O R I N G: Even though this salad is meant to be soft, it’s best shortly after it’s assembled.
I am able to post this recipe because Dorie Greenspan has put it on her own blog.
Is stale bread is an issue for you? Do you obsess over wasting it? Here’s another link from a Food&Wine, 2018 issue to help: 18 Panzanella Recipes That Show Bread Salad in All Its Glory
CooktheBookFridays is an international group of food bloggers who are cooking virtually through Everyday Dorie, The Way I Cook by Dorie Greenspan. See what our group is posting here. Join us, if you wish. Or, just cook along with us and send us photos of your efforts.
It needs to be said. Summer arrived, lingered a bit and in the blink of an eye, vamoosed. Or, so it seems. I’ve spent the last week dealing with that. And, you?
We’re all cutting our herbs and flowers before the first frost. Statice, Basil and Rosemary – gifts from friends
For me it’s September Spa & Self-care month, something I invented ten or so years ago. Honestly I’ve never observed SS&S for the full thirty days. It’s like a diet. Good intentions but bad follow-through. But to my mind, a week or two devoted to self-care is better than none at all.
Squash blossom. Garden of Karen Kribs.
First, let’s say this. Self-care is NOT selfish. Believe me or believe psychologist Dr. Maria Baratta who calls self care ‘an armor to protect the energy needed to survive and thrive.’
Every week I drive downvalley to Rock Bottom Ranch, an 113-acre wildlife preserve and educational farm, to buy eggs. The Ranch is owned and managed by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. When I arrived the gals were moving goats and sheep to greener pastures.
Self-care is also not limited to those in the work force. Moms and Dads need self-care. Caregivers need self-care. Students need self-care. And, yes, even aging retirees need self-care. As I’ve written before, as an older person living alone, the most important thing I do is to take care of myself so others don’t have to.
Hanging out together like the newly-famous Waffles, the miniature horse, and Hemingway, the goose.
SS&S month is not just taking a break and stepping away from that glass of wine each night or losing 2-3 pounds or finding time for your 10,000 brisk steps a day. Here’s the Self-care List* that I try to follow…..at least for 30 days:
Eggs. Rock Bottom Ranch. Basalt, Colorado
Self care means knowing who you are and your limits;
Self care means getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night; (According to a 2018 American Psychological Association survey 45% of the women in this country report laying awake at night due to stress.)
Self care means making sure you’re well fed.
Self care means finding ways to decompress throughout your day. (Besides your brain needing rest at night, it also needs to pause during the day.).
Self-care means if something isn’t working, rethink how to do it differently.
Self care means identifying what you enjoy doing, what’s fun for you and finding time to do it.
Self care means taking time to like and be proud of who you are.
Kale. Community Garden
WELL FED, LET’S DO IT
Apricots. Leelee Harriman’s orchard
Taking the well fed-suggestion to heart, using apricots from a neighbor’s tree and inspired by Dorie Greenspan’s Dimply Plum Cake in BAKING, From My Home to Yours, I whipped up this phenomenal apricot cake.
Note how the batter takes on a satiny sheen.
Although Dorie’s award-winning cookbook was published in 2006, I came to it late – in 2010. It’s made me a better, more confident baker. Each recipe has a “Playing Around” section which provided me the confidence to improvise with a large sack of plump apricots. This is billed as a brown sugar-based coffee cake for breakfast, brunch or a snack. That’s silly. This is also dessert, served plain or dolled up with home-made vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche.
You can change up this recipe by swapping the apricots for other soft, juicy fruits and using a different spice or citrus zest in the cake. Dorie’s favorite combos are: plums with orange zest and a pinch of cardamon; peaches with lemon zest and a little finely chopped fresh basil; nectarines with orange zest; cherries with lime zest or blackberries (combined with raspberries if you wish) with lemon, lime or orange zest.
AMAZING APRICOT CAKE adapted from Dorie Greenspan, BAKING, from My Home to Yours
8 Wedges
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (Living at 8000’, I always use King Arthur or Hungarian high-altitude flour for baking)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup flavorless oil, such as canola or sunflower
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
5 plump apricots, halved and pitted
This recipe calls for two eggs.
DIRECTIONS:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or 8-inch round springform pan. Dust the inside with flour, tap out the excess and put the pan on a baking sheet. (You can, of course, use Joy, a butter and flour spray but spray the pan just before adding your mixed batter so the spray doesn’t “glob” at the bottom.)
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl.
Working with a mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until it’s soft and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the eggs, ONE at a time, and beat for a minute after each egg goes in.
Still working on medium speed, beat in the oil, zest and vanilla. The batter will look smooth and creamy, almost satiny. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated.
Run a rubber spatula around the bowl and under the batter, just to make sure there are no dry spots. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the apricots cut side up in the batter. Jiggle the apricots so they are comfortably settled in the batter and tap (do not whack) the pan on the counter twice.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top is honey brown and puffed around the apricots and a thin knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Transfer the cake to a rack to cool for 15 minutes before unmolding the cake. Invert and cool right side up.
You can wrap the cake and keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days during which time it will get softer and more moist.
My favorite recipes from the cookbook, BAKING from my home to yours are: Parisian Apple Tartlet, p. 319 All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake, p.187 Classic Banana Bundt Cake, p. 190 Double-Crusted Blueberry Pie, p. 361 French Pear Tart, p. 368 Honey Peach Ice Cream, p. 437
*Thanks to Dr. Maria Baratta for helping with my Self-care List.
Next week for COOK THE BOOK FRIDAYS we’re making Tomato and Peach Panzanella.
Writing today’s post makes me happy and quite nostalgic. This summer marks six years since returning to Aspen to this comfy Gant condo where, I assured the front office executives, I would live ‘a year or two.’
Funny how that happens, isn’t it?
CINNAMON BABKA, MADE AT THE WOMEN’S INNER CIRCLE BAKING CLASS AT THE CHABAD JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER IN ASPEN
SUMMER’S SLIP, SLIP, SLIPPING AWAY
By Labor Day Aspen will seem lighter. The last music concert for the 70th season was Wednesday. Its eight weeks’ run featured a staggering 400 events. Nearly 700 students from 40 U.S. states/34 countries came to play in five orchestras, sing, conduct, compose and study with 200 esteemed artist-faculty members. Today begins a 3-day sale to sell the 150 Steinway-designed pianos used for the Festival. Mic drop.
WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN, BUCKSKIN TRAIL, ASPEN Here’s a fantastic photo of this Alpine bird, a member of the grouse family and difficult to spot as it blends into the landscape. In the winter Ptarmigans are pure white. JUDY WENDER PHOTO, SUMMER 2019
The theatre tent goes dark, Aspen’s Santa Fe Ballet, Jazz Aspen and the Aspen Institute scale back their programming while local organizations shift out of hustle/bustle gear. Smokey Bear, however, is allowed no downtime. He’s too busy shepherding wayward bears, prepping for hibernation and in search of easy pickin’s, out of Aspen. Our Colorado black bears are usually harmless but clever and a nuisance right now. In a single day this week the police answered 18 bear calls.
This week along with eight other volunteer Rangers, I joined a geology class sponsored by the Forest Conservancy and taught by my colleagues, Master Naturalist Donna Grauer (binoculars) and Geologist Shauna Young. (Lotsa volunteer Ranger Brainpower in our Forest Conservancy!) Crater Lake Trail, Maroon Bells
Our Valley’s next stunning show begins with the arrival after Labor Day of Leaf Peepers. Mother Nature grabs our attention with her slow rollout of Aspen trees with their shimmering yellow leaves. Every day until the snow flies will be a costume change.
THE BABKE BAKE: Deb and I love the baking classes at the Chabad Jewish Community Center and a part of the Women’s Inner Circle program. This is our third class. We have mastered successfully (kinda) challah bread, honey cake and babka.
LET IT RISE.
MY FALL MENU
As I wrote in my last blog post, our CookTheBookFridays group is now cooking (virtually) through Dorie Greenspan’s“The Way I Cook, her newest, award-winning cookbook. We’ll post on the 2nd and 4th Fridays. I’ll announce our recipe choices the first of every month. Don’t have a blog but are cooking along with us? Send me photos. I’ll post them.
We’re making Tomato and Peach Panzanella (99) on September 13, and on September 27, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (246). If you are a blogger and want to join our group, link to https://cookthebookfridays.wordpress.com/
Realizing summer is in decline and we weren’t seeing enough of our friends, the Grauers tried to make amends by inviting me and two others for dinner. If dinner parties can be both delicious and hilarious this one was. Grilled Branzino was on the menu.
This is at the Fall 2018 Opening of Eataly in Las Vegas. You picked out your fish, watched it being grilled and then carried it to your table for a delicious meal.
Donna (L), an adventurous cook, had never served branzino before. On arrival she mentioned we were going to watch a How To-video on grilling these fish! Three of us voted Not Interested but Cathy (R), always the good sport and team player who unknown to us had made branzino several times, indulged Donna. Cathy’s expression translates to “I’ve Got This.” (And, she did. )
On alternating Fridays I’ll make recipes from home cooks, those food bloggers who have not published cookbooks but are extraordinarily creative in the kitchen. For the past 10 years I’ve made their recipes, often adapted to my own tastes. These women are not household names, Liz Berg, Andrea Mohr or Chris Scheuer, nor anyone you know. But you will …..
THAT SKINNY CHICK CAN BAKE, Liz Berg
A recent Indianapolis magazine featuring Liz Berg and her blog.
I first met Liz ten years ago through our FrenchFridayswithDorie group. We both joined FF’s in 2010 and made the 350 recipes from Around my French Table every Friday for the next five years. About a year into our cooking odyssey together, we discovered her youngest sister, Maddy, and my oldest daughter, Melissa, had been seniors at Ames High School together. Her family and ours lived two blocks apart. Missy knew Maddy, of course, and as a grad student at Iowa State I knew of Liz’s dad who was a well-considered ISU physics professor. Because her dad was affiliated with the Aspen Center for Physics, her family spent many summer days in Aspen.
What are the chances?
About 20 French Friday gals attended a 2013 food blogging convention in Seattle where Dorie was the keynote speaker. Liz is 3rd from (L)
The 4 Weber sisters and their families visited Aspen to relive old memories and included me in a lovely evening.
I learned to love the recipes she developed and featured on her blog everyday. I am not alone. Today Liz has thousands of followers, 145,000-Facebook, 75,000-Pinterest and 18,000-Instagram. Countless others like me subscribe to her blog. Cross out the hobby in ‘full-time hobby,’ as she calls it, and insert job.
Among my favorite recipes of hers which you can find on her website are:
HERB CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB;
WHITE CHOCOLATE MONSTER MUNCH (HALLOWEEN CHEX MIX);
KAHLUA BUNDT CAKE;
ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD WITH ORZO, MOZZARELLA & BASIL;
Since I wanted to take advantage of our peach season, I picked Liz’s quick bread to bake. Check out her website for her important TIPS for making quick breads …..emphasis on making sure its fully baked throughout.
PALISADES PEACH QUICK BREAD
A sweet, dense quick bread chock full of sweet Colorado peaches.
Mini-loaves are nice hostess and house gifts. The tins are about 3×51/2″ and each recipe makes 4 loaves.
by Liz Berg, This Skinny Chick Can Bake blog
Seves 16
INGREDIENTS
2–3 teaspoons softened butter 1 tablespoon sugar 2 cups flour (I used High Altitude flour, Hungarian or King Arthur 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup dark brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 eggs, room temperature 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup whole milk 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced peaches (drain if using canned peaches)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9 x 5-inch bread pan with butter, then dust with sugar or flour. Set aside. (TIP: I always put parchment paper on the pan’s bottom and grease that also.)
Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, oil and milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Do not over mix. Fold in the peaches after draining away any liquid.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Level batter with a spatula.
Bake for 60-70 or more minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. (Bake the mini-loaves for 30-40 minutes.)
Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let finish cooling before slicing.
The doughnut peach, also called the flat or Saturn peach, is a variety of peach with pale yellow fruit that is oblate in shape. It’s currently in our Farmers Market and is delicious.
When it’s vacation time or if visiting an unfamiliar area, I’m hoping you go all Dora (or, Dick)-the-Explorer. Whether it’s eating, drinking, sightseeing or finding lodging to fit the coins in your pocket, there’s expectation in getting it right. In fact quite often a trip is as successful as the research and planning that go into it.
Since the time I’ve had memories, I’ve been a planner, organizer, list maker, researcher, scheduler, investigator and obnoxiously curious. Which translates into my being a Tourist Extraordinaire. Drop me off anywhere. I will be able to amuse myself. There’s a downside to that, of course, the inability to chill, settle back or hang loose.
Plein Air-Aspen Style, Red Brick Center for the Arts
During Colorado’s winter months I cede my condo to skiers, escaping to parts unknown. You Readers already know I spend several of those weeks in Paris where, admittedly, I am a woman possessed. For any sane person, tasting, seeing and doing it all in Paris is simply not possible. I’ll just leave it there.
Saturday Farmers Market, Aspen
For at least the past 20-some years, there has been a private summer party with costumed bikers. These partygoers didn’t want to miss buying their weekly market stash.
The other eight months I’m in Aspen where we moved in 1988. You want truth? There is so much about my hometown of 31-years I don’t know. This summer I resolved to become a Tourist Extraordinaire here. Although when I visit major international cities I always search out Walking Tours, I’d never joined one of the many offered in Aspen. This summer I’m knocking many of them off.
This is the first Free Library Box-on-a-post located in Aspen’s West End that I have spotted. The homeowners, who I know, put this up on their property. Thank you.
I walk by our fire station daily, rely on them to keep me safe, but have never popped into the Aspen Volunteer Fire Department Museum which opened in November 2017. The potato chips at the Music Tent’s food stand which are legend? Nope, not even one. Nor, shame on me, have I ever attended a summer opera. Got a ticket for Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro next week. And, on and on.
Actress and former Crystal Palace veteran Nina Gabianelli led a Historical Society Bauhaus Architectural Walking Tour. This is the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus, a modernist art school established in 1919 in Germany by Walter Gropius.
“Anaconda” a sculpture created by Bauhaus designer Herbert Bayer in 1978 was installed on the Aspen Institute campus last year. It is 32-feet-long, seven-pieces and is made of Carrera marble.
Now I’m no slacker. I’ve packed my days full over the years with all the many Aspen and High Country opportunities. My point is that everyplace and anyplace, especially your hometown, have more to offer if you look. Again, I’ll just leave it there.
California Congressman Adam Schiff was in Aspen for the Aspen Security Forum and gave a public talk one evening. I am quite sure he is saying, “Oh, look, there is Mary Hirsch.”
COOK-THE-BOOK-FRIDAYS WITH DORIE
This week our recipe choice from Everyday Dorie, The Way I Cook is a savory Fresh-Off-the-Cob Chowder. Being Iowa born-and-bred and considering myself an authority on corn, I will admit to being curious about Dorie’s chowder. It’s delicious. (Note to Self: Never be a Dorie-skeptic.)
A chowder is a type of soup that most often has a creamy base and is chunky in texture. Although this chowder makes the most of fresh corn including the cobs, our season is short. Your taste for this chowder will not be short-lived but you can substitute frozen corn. Vegetarian? This chowder can work for you. Best of all, you can do the work-intensive part of the recipe the day before.
RECIPES:
Just out of the oven, Peach-Jalapeno Cornbread baked in 8″ Springform Pan
PEACH-JALAPENO CORNBREAD
Cornbread is perfect with this chowder. Adding 2 peaches and 1/3-1/2 cup chopped jalapeños makes it even more perfect. When fresh peaches are gone, use canned, drained of syrup. If you’re like me, you’ll all about simple. I’m doing simple by using two 8.5 oz. boxed mixes. I prefer Original Jiffy Cornbread mix. Make the mix according to package instructions. Carefully stir in the peeled, sliced peaches and chopped jalapeños. Pour into a buttered 8-cup pan (I used a springform pan). Cook for 45-50 minutes at 400 degrees. Check for doneness and cook longer, if necessary. Cool.
Ready for some alone time in the oven at 400 degrees for 45-55 minutes or to doneness.
FRESH OFF-THE-COBB CORN CHOWDER by Dorie Greenspan, Everyday Dorie, The Way I Cook
Makes about 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
4 large ears corn, husked 2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped 1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped 1 to 2 garlic cloves, germ removed, and minced 1 tablespoon olive oil fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper 2 sprigs fresh rosemary 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 5 cups water AND 1 tablespoon chicken or vegetable bouillon base, or 1 bouillon cube 3⁄4 pound potatoes, peeled, quartered if large, halved if smaller 4 slices bacon 2 tablespoons white wine
1⁄2 cup half-and-half (optional to pour on top when serving soup)
Sprinkle minced fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley and/or basil over soup
DIRECTIONS:
Set two large bowls on the counter. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and put half of the corn in each bowl; reserve the cobs. Divide the celery, onion and garlic between the bowls; cover the second bowl and set aside. (By separating the vegetables and later dividing the potatoes, you’ll get a soup with great textures.)
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat.
When it’s warm, add the vegetables from the first bowl, season with salt and pepper, lower the heat and cook, stirring, just until they soften, about 10 minutes. Toss in the herbs and the reserved cobs. Pour in the water and add the bouillon base or cube. Drop in the potatoes.
Turn the heat up, bring the liquid to a boil and season with more salt and pepper. Lower the heat, partially cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is . Test the potato pierced easily with the tip of knife.
5.Remove from the heat.Using a slotted spoon, scoop half of the potatoes out of the soup and onto a cutting board, and cut them into small cubes. Set them aside for now. Remove and discard the corn cobs, the bay leaf and any stringy or woody herbs you can see.
Cobs with no Corn, for broth
(YOU CAN MAKE THE SOUP UP TO THIS POINT A DAY AHEAD AND REFRIGERATE IT. )
Working in batches if necessary, puree the soup in a blender, food processor, or handheld immersion blender. Whatever you use, try to get the soup as smooth as possible.
Rinse out the pot if there’s anything stuck to the bottom, then pour in the puree, cover and bring to a simmer over low heat; keep at a gentle simmer while you cook the bacon and the remaining vegetables.
Place the bacon strips in a heavy skillet and cook slowly until crisp, turning as needed. Transfer the bacon to a double thickness of paper towels and cover with more paper towels to remove excess fat (leave the fat in the skillet). Cut the bacon into 1⁄2-inch pieces.
Put the skillet over medium heat and, when the fat is warm, add the vegetables from the second bowl (not the cubed potatoes). Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for about 6 minutes, until barely tender. Pour in the wine, raise the heat and cook until it almost evaporates.
Add the skillet vegetables, bacon and potato cubes to the soup and cook at a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is piping hot. Taste for salt and pepper.
Ladle the chowder into bowls and, if you’d like, drizzle with half-and-half and scatter fresh herbs.
STORING:
Leftover soup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently for about 10 minutes before serving. Because of the potatoes, the soup will thicken when chilled. If you’d like it thinner after reheating, add water or broth.
TIPS:
The soup lends itself to lots of add-ins and swaps. If you don’t want bacon, sauté the reserved vegetables in a tablespoon of olive oil. If you opt out of the half-and-half but still want something extra, try a drizzle of chive or even chili oil, a little pesto or some grated Parmesan. You can sub small cubes of ham for the bacon or add chunks of cooked shrimp, lobster or thinly sliced raw scallops. The heat of the soup will cook them perfectly.
Last evening, after suffering through an horrendous week with most other Americans, I attended the “English in Action” Dinner to benefit this 25-year old organization that provides an integrated language learning program that prepares non-English speaking adults for work and academic success. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who was an immigrant herself, had a conversation with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Sanger. Nice.
