Maroon Bells: hike to Crater Lake

We got up around 6am to beat the crowd to the popular Maroon Bells hike to Crater Lake driving straight to the trail head.  The gate is closed to car traffic at 8am and reopens at 5pm, so we decided it was best to go early.  The hike was longer than projected, because we got…

Around Aspen

This BBQ sauce was de-licious at Hickory House Ribs!  I slathered my veggie burger in this stuff and scarfed it all down.  We stopped here for our first meal in Aspen at lunch time and was a terrific experience catching the tail end of the lunch specials with no crowd to fight for good service….

A Mountain Wedding: Sweets & Spirits

Day two in Aspen wedding celebrations Specific location:  Hotel Jerome Garden Terrace The mini Lemon Tarts were amazing as well as the Apple Fritter Donut Holes. The open bar complete with coffee and accoutrements     Steve Tyrell–from Father of the Bride wedding–sang tonight for an extra special surprise from the father of THIS bride.     The…

A Mountain Wedding: Bluegrass, Blue Jeans, and Brews

Day one:  Let the revelry begin in Aspen, CO A close up of my favorite gift from the bride and groom: S’well water bottles! Yummy chocolates Specific location:  Zeno Aspen (next to the Aspen ski lift!)             Best cheese table ever…until tomorrow night   

The Mountains Are Calling

Click for panoramic  Twin Lakes We stopped to fill our cooler at a liquor store in Frisco.  Luckily the laws in CO allow the sale of refrigerated high point beers, so this O’dell Double IPA was icy cold.  Toast to Independence Pass–almost to Aspen!

The Leadville Experience

   City on a Hill Coffee Roastery and Cafe Bakery was a great coffee shop.  I can’t officially say I loved their coffee, because I opted for the delicious hot chocolate made with silky smooth steamed milk and whipped cream.  Paul can verify that they make a mean Cafe au lait.    We could spend…

Sassafras

This quaint cafe is tucked in the neighborhood of Northwest Highland- Denver and is a wonderful breaky spot!  We started with a homemade biscuit n mushroom gravy drizzling it with their homemade hot sauce and jalapeno pepper jelly.  I chose the Fried Green Tomato Benedict–the usual option when I can find it–with a side of cheddar…

The Exquisite Beach Towns on 30A

Alys Beach is a beautiful beach community like no other I’ve seen… My favorite coffee shop here…they even served cold brew!          A gorgeous view of all the houses along the water The fancy bird house cluster    ..next to the old school ornamental windmill  The driftwood horse statues are a must for this…

Glaze of Denver: “Happiness is a Piece of Cake” indeed!

Here is the amazing cake baking oven that rolls and bakes the cake in layers on a spinning wheel sort of mechanism.  A rack of cake rods (or wheels) The glass cake baking room for rubbernecking   The cake bar The options for the amazing final baked creations to try   I prefer Matcha   …

Gelato al Limoncello: Molto Fresco!

Gelato al Limone  1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream 1/2 cup cold milk 1/2 cup sugar (I used my superfine homemade vanilla bean sugar) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3-4 lemons) 1-2 T Limoncello Italian Lemon Liquor 1/2 t lemon zest 1 t vanilla extract Mix the cream, milk, and sugar together and stir until the sugar…