Best Burgers

Steve and I have been eating many typical summer meals. As part of our CSA, we receive a box full of fresh vegetables every week. Aside from the local, organic and seasonal vegetables, my favorite part of the CSA is that I don't have to wander up and down the Boulder Farmer's Market trying to decide what to buy and where to get the best deal. With our CSA through Cure Farm, someone else does my shopping.

Thanks to our CSA share, our meals are usually built around vegetables - grilled zucchini and squash, tomato and onion salads, carrots of some sort, braised greens, more salads, etc. These vegetables would be wonderful on their own, and usually are, but Steve and I usually prepare a "side" of meat to go with our vegetables. We've eaten a lot of burgers this summer, and have developed a few tricks to make them as delicious as possible. Notably, some sort of mayonnaise- or oil-based sauce, grilled onions, and a very simple burger preparation.

A few weeks ago, I made a mayo sauce with toasted and ground cumin and coriander seeds, and garlic. Yesterday, I used at least a cup of garden basil to make an aioli. Our sauce usually replaces the ketchup.

Then I grill large onion circles (just cut the onion down its length, keeping the rounds intact with eachother, coat with oil and salt, and grill on each side until grill marks appear). It's an easy twist on the regular burger toppings.

Lastly, I used to put all sorts of junk in my ground meat - onions, garlic, ketchup, Worcestereshire sauce, etc. I've learned that this not only makes the meat too crumbly, but it's difficult to grill, and it falls apart easily in the final burger. So, now I only mix with a pound of ground beef salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder to taste; one egg; and about one quarter cup of fine bread crumbs. The seasonings do add a lot of flavor; and the eggs and breadcrumbs help keep the meat together not only while assembling the patties, but on the grill and in the burger.

I will take pictures next time!

Here is a link to our CSA, with newsletters, and links to recipes: http://www.cureorganicfarm.com/csa.htm

Getcha Enchiladas

Last Friday, on our way to Carbondale, Steve and I stopped in Minturn, CO (outside of Vail) to eat at Chili Willy's. It was a decent experience. We were both very hungry, and Steve used to eat there when he was on ski trips with his Dad. Plus, after hiking a 14'er one weekend last summer (Mt. of the Holy Cross), Steve had tempted Schivonne, Kris and I with the idea of Chili Willy's on our way home, and it was an absolute letdown when we pulled up for our Tex-Mex meal, only to have to restaurant be closed. So Steve and I redeemed ourselves, and finally ate there. It was pretty good, and that's that.

In any event, it reminded me of my favorite Mexican restaurant (although Chili Willy's is Tex-Mex) in Denver, D'Corazon. The chile rellenos and enchiladas are perfectly seasoned, not too greasy, and an overall delight. I'd highly recommend it, and please, seriously consider the combo. It's in downtown Denver, LoDo area:

EAT AT D'CORAZON!

Bacon Wrapped Sausage Wrapped Bacon

I am going to make mixed bean chili to bring over to Joe and Vanessa's Superbowl party. I asked Steve if this sounded good to him - yes. I then asked him if he wanted to bring anything - pause. He answers with Bacon Explosion. Bacon Explosion. That's it. Steve loves bacon. I know that a lot of people love bacon, but Steve probably loves bacon more than you. I really thought he was pulling my ham hock, because all he said after that was bacon wrapped in sausage, then wrapped in bacon. He mumbled something about the New York Times, and I told him he was lying.

Hold the phone! He was serious! I should have known. Steve knows all the news, all the time, and he reads the NY Times - which featured the Bacon Explosion - on a hourly basis. I'm a simpleton, I like bacon, a piece of bacon, alone, but this looks like a serious bacon explosion could happen in my mouth, and I think I'd like it. Read about the "massive torpedo-shaped amalgamation of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and slathered in barbecue sauce" aka bacon explosion: Take Bacon. Add Sausage. Blog.

Who Moved My Slippers?

I work from home, which means a lot of things. First, I don't do work in my underwear. Some people have actually told me that they would work in their pajamas, which would make for a very cold day for me. My office is in the basement, which means cold temps. I never work without my big blue down vest, otherwise I get so cold that it's distracting. Well, I guess I never go anywhere without my big blue down vest. I've been harassed in public about wearing my down vest on a moderately warm day. I say a) I can where whatever the f I want, that's none of your monkey business, but 2) who cares! It's so comfortable! The arm holes and length and neck fit me perfectly. Why would I even want to take it off? I should wash it though. I think I got chicken blood on it a few weeks ago.

I'm not sure that that was even a tangent, as the blue down vest is a critical element to my work productivity and overall happiness.

But back to work at home. Again, no work in underwear, although I would really like to meet the person who would spend their entire work life in their underwear. Seriously, I'd prefer to be dressed. Slippers are the limit of my wardrobe adventures here in the dungeon. Working at home means that I am the cook, housecleaner, chicken tender (not the fried kind), trash taker outer, laundry doer, and many other things. Steve does a lot of this too, so I'm not the only person in the household who does chores, but by default, I do these tasks. Which is fine - I'd rather stay at home and be able to do that, then work in Denver and spend 1.5 hours commuting and have to take care of chores after a long day at work. Instead of hanging out by the water cooler, I spend five minutes putting underwear in ther dryer. It's a matter of priorities.

The only thing I miss is human interaction. I am lucky to have worked with most my colleagues in person before, so I feel like I am an extension of a real office, but it would be nice to have some friends around once in a while, if anything to bitch about the Raiders or talk about where we're going to get lunch. That brings up another point thought - a good one - I get 24/7 access to a working oven. I can warm up lunches like it's my job - unfortunately, it's not - and I even get a steady stream of refrigerated items at my fingertips, to accommodate my latest cravings. Other people say that they would not be able to work, because they would always think about food. I always think about food, but I've stopped worrying about it. I know myself well enough to know that if I want to eat something, I will eat it, so I might as well get it over with. No use in arguing with myself about it.

All in all, I am blessed to work from home, but talking to chickens for interaction might appear odd to some.

Yes, I've Cried at Chipotle Before. So What.

I love Chipotle, I really do. It's quick, efficient, tasty, fresh, healthy. I sometimes look forward to a Chipotle burrito as much as a vacation. Vacation for my mouth. Ay Ay Ay, burrrrrito! What. You like Illegal Petes? Really? Is is the shithouse-grade sanitation, the snarky service, the bottom of the barrel ingredients, or the dim lights? Really? Which one's your favorite?

Yes, I have cried at Chipotle because of burritomaker/customer miscommunications, mostly due to the fact that I don't like to be rushed down the line, and I sometimes can't can't put two words together to say what I want, but the tastiness of the burrito is redemption, salvation, and cooperation.

I like this guy, with his rice issues: Breaking News Chipotle Employee Just Gave Guy In Front Of You More Rice.

Three disturbingly real excerpts:

"Adding to your frustration are new reports that the customer behind you has received the same amount of rice as the customer ahead of you, thereby confirming your suspicion of wrongdoing. However, if an earlier incident at the coffee shop or yesterday's conversation with your landlord are any indication, you are expected to take this lying down, like you always do."

"More shockingly, birth records indicate that you are a full-grown adult presumably capable of communicating your thoughts and desires to an unthreatening 19-year-old burrito-assembler. Yet you reportedly continue to avoid even the most minor confrontation, despite the ramifications it may have on your upcoming sour cream and cheese allocation."

"If consulted, the Chipotle employee manual would surely verify that this is a clear breach of company policy, which dictates that a scoop and a half of rice be provided to every customer regardless of age, race, or inexcusable cowardice. Therefore, all sources confirm that you should stop acting like a little bitch who allows the entire world to walk all over him and just say something already."

Winter Weekend

I'm looking forward to this weekend. The weather's back to normal January temps. Tonight, Schivonne, Kris and I are going to the Winter Brew Fest in Denver. A chance to taste seasonal beers and try new things. I really love tasting new beers, especially in small doses, where you can just move on. I think around 25-27 breweries will be there. Some of my favorites are Avery, of course, Deschutes, Rogue, and Stone. I love most microbreweries, actually, but I am not usually a huge fan of their high production/money maker beers. An example would be Fat Tire. Tastes gross. I prefer their small batches that might not make as much money, but that experiment with different flavors and represent the craft of brewing.

Steve gets back to Las Vegas tonight, so that'll be good way to finish the evening!

I'm not sure what we'll do tomorrow. I'm sure we'll spend the day doing something either productive or fun, or both, together. If it doesn't snow, I'd like to either mountain bike Marshall Mesa, maybe go for a hike locally, go climbing, or even go snow shoeing up in Rocky Mountain National Park. I went running yesterday pretty high up, and there was still snow on the ground, despite four days of 60+ temps. So there might be too much snow to hike. I'd also enjoy going for a long run (I've been wanting to run the entire Mesa Trail for a long time), then going to the movies. One boring but necessary task is to clean the garage. Now that I think about it, though, it's in my best interest to to stay on good terms with Steve, especially after his long week of travel, so maybe we'll put that off. I can't get to the 12+ bikes we have in there over all the other crap - there has to be a better solution to our garage arrangement (and by the by, if you're interested in buying a fridge, range, oven or hood, make me an offer). We'll see about all that stuff!

We're going skiing with Ryan and Sarah at Copper (or Winter Park, if the mood strikes) on Sunday. There's a 40-60% chance of snow in the high country through Sunday, so cross your fingers for powder. Hoo ha meadows!!! If I can get my act together, I'd like to make a beef stew to have for lunch that day. I'm tired of the lunch fare at Copper and would rather have something hearty and homemade. I found an easy and good looking recipe in my Earthbound Farm cookbook that I can make in my new Creuset crock pot.

Looking forward to the weekend!!! Two more hours..

Fit for a Woman who Offers Indiscriminately for Sexual Intercourse Especially for Money

Puttanesca is one of my favorite and easiest weeknight dishes. It's a perfect dish - it basically requires a saucepan, and limited prep time.

It's somewhat of an Italian pasta dish (not entirely traditional) whose name has to do with hookers - something about a dish fit for a whore. There are other liberties taken with the interpretation. I'm not too interested. Back to food. Make it with garlic, tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, anchovies, and crushed red pepper. It takes no more than 10 minutes to prepare, and has no fancy ingredients. I keep all these ingredients as pantry staples, and usually stock up at the store, so I have the items ready when I'm in a pinch for dinner. It's a basic tomato sauce with some acidity and spice. Just make sure that you have about an hour to let it simmer. No supervision is necessary during the simmering, you can stir occasionally if you're able. Just note that it's exponentially tastier when it has the chance to cook together for an hour (and it's always better the next day too).

All you need is a 2 oz can of anchovies, 4-6 garlic cloves, a +/- 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a +/-16 oz can of tomato sauce, a jar of capers, a jar of pitted/halved kalamata olives, crushed red pepper, and penne pasta (a light wheat version is excellent, or white also works - the sauce can hold up to wheat). This is all fluid - use what you have, that's the beauty of the dish. These are just my favorite components of the dish, and the way my mom and aunt used to make it. If you're worried about anchovies, don't worry - you can't taste it (a kin to fish sauce in Asian food). It just adds depth of flavor.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat, and add the garlic and anchovies. As they soften, crush them together to form a rough paste with the back of a wooden spoon (I've started using a mortar and pestle to do make the paste before adding it - this is just easier for me, but does not affect taste). Once the garlic and anchovies cook together for about 5 minutes, toss in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce, capers, olives and about 1/2 of the brine (personal trick), and as little or as much crushed red pepper for your taste. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for about an hour.

Once it's simmered, generously spoon over penne pasta, serve with green salad. Delicious and satisfying. And easy!

Food

I like to cook. I also like efficiency and maximizing time spent actually enjoying cooking rather than using the wrong tool for a job and getting frustrated. Off the top of my head, these are some of my favorite and most versatile tools:

- Peeler - not just for vegetables! Cheese, spices, chocolate.

- Mini-chopper and grinder - for garlic, spices, herbs, sauces, emulsifying.

- Lemon juicer - I don't care what Mark Bittman says, it's easier this way.

- A good paring knife and a good butcher knife - most knives are unfortunately one-dimensional. For good results either of these two usually does the trick.

- Plastic cutting boards - and lots of them!

- One other thing I like to do is have all of my oils/vinegars/sauces, and all of my spices very clearly displayed. This way, I am aware of all the ingredients I have at my disposal so that I can make the best decision and I can be creative because it's inspiring to see all sorts of products well presented.

I also love cookbooks. I have many, but always seem to go back to the same ones for help figuring out what to make. Not all cookbooks are great. I prefer those with pictures or simple layouts, a mix of resources on a wide range of foods, but also down to earth, appealing recipes, and also those that make it approachable to try new recipes and flavors. The three that I use most often for everyday cooking are below. Otherwise, I pull recipes from magazines, online or other cookbooks I have, when I have time and am inspired to try something new. Or when Steve has a yen for a far off food.

- The New Basics Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins: a resource for info on most any ingredient you can think of, also with very American-type recipes for all seasons.

- The Working Cook:Fast and Fresh Meals for Busy People by Tara Duggan: more like fast, easy, delicious and simple meals for a weeknight.

- Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook by Myra Goodman, Linda Holland, and Pamela McKinstry: taught me how to make my own granola and has great recipes and the story of Earthbound Farm.

Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture

Schivonne and I signed up for the Summer 2009 Cure Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture. CSA. You pay up front for 20 weeks of fresh, seasonal, organic and varied vegetables and herbs (June - October). This investment not only pays for the food you get, but also helps them gather capital to support new development, innovation and farm maintenance. We got a large share, to split between our two families (feeds 4-5 people a week). We had to purchase our share this early in the year because Cure can only produce so much food on their 6 acres and needs to plan accordingly: CSAs for 150 families, their farm stand, selling at the Farmer's Markets, and produce supply for local restaurants like The Kitchen. I also believe they're one of the best in Boulder County. We're very lucky.

Here is the chart of vegetable varieties we'll get:

Vegetables Arugula Beets Braising Mix Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Carrots Cauliflower Chard Cherry Tomatoes Collards Cucumbers Dry Beans Eggplant

Fava Beans Fennel Garlic Green Beans Head Lettuce Heirloom Tomatoes Kale Leeks Lettuce Melons Onions Peppers Potatoes Pumpkins

Radish Salad Mix Scallions Shallots Snap Beans Snow Peas Spinach Sugar Snap Peas Summer Squash Sweet Corn Tomatoes Turnip Winter Squash Zucchini

Herbs Basil Cilantro Dill Parsley

Registration for new members opened today, and I'm sure they'll sell out by the end of the week. This is a great way to get healthy food throughout the season for a reasonable price, and to support our local community and the sustainable food movement. I would highly recommend it! Here are some other organic farms that offer CSAs. I've had a great CSA from Abbondanza before (eatabbo.org):
www.stonebridgefarmcsa.com
www.redwagonorganicfarm.com
www.pachamamaorganicfarm.com
www.eatabbo.org
www.monroeorganicfarm.com

www.communityrootsboulder.com