Thursday, October 15, 2009

Friday, February 27, 2009

It is a sad day in Denver


Final Edition from Matthew Roberts on Vimeo.

After 149 years and 311 days, the Rocky Mountain News published its final edition on February 27, 2009.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day



This has been a beautiful Valentine's Day morning. Scott and I had brunch at Bistro Vendome on Larimer Square.

Below I have shared a beautiful, romantic video. It is magical.


Friday, February 13, 2009

Phatveggie is back in the Kitchen


During a cold winter day, there is nothing better than a soup and panini. Today we had our new favorite soup. It is a mix of potato soup, butternut squash soup and corn chowder. It is called "New World Corn Chowder" from Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread cookbook by my favorite Crescent Dragonwagon. Here is the recipe:

New World Corn Chowder
2 quarts vegetable stock
4 fist-sized all-purpose potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 3/4-inch dice
2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen corn kernels (although fresh is better)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Pickapeppa or vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
3 ribs celery with leaves, finely diced
1 tablespoon good-quality chili powder (or to taste)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, peeled and put through a garlic press or finely chopped
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 Morga vegetarian bouillon cube
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced
Crumbed corn tortilla chips, sour cream or plain yogurt; salsa; and/or fresh cilantro sprigs; or green chili and red pepper purees for garnish

1) In a large heavy soup pot, bring the stock to a boil. Lower the heat slightly and add the potatoes. Let simmer, covered, about 10 minutes. Add the squash and continue to simmer until both the squash and potatoes are barely tender, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the corn, honey, and Pickapeppa. Turn down the heat to very low and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, in a 10-inch skilled, heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery with leaves and saute 5 minutes more. Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, and garlic over the vegetables. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring another minute. Gradually add the milk, stirring to smooth the lumps, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer about one-third of this mixture to a food processor and set the remaining mixture aside.

3) Transfer about half the potatoes and squash from the soup pot to the food processor. I prefer using hand mixer stick in the pot and then I don't have to dirty more dishes. Add the cream and puree. If using the processor, stir the puree back into the soup in the pot and add the remaining sauteed vegetables. Add the bouillon cube, salt, plenty of black pepper, the jalapeno and the jalapeno juice.

4) Heat the soup over medium-low heat until very hot, stirring frequently. Do not allow it to boil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into soup bowls and add your choice of garnish.

Serves 6 to 8 as a generous entree

This was a big hit when we had it for Christmas Eve this year. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Yellow Pages Goes Green



Yellow Pages Goes Green.org is a website dedicated to the movement against the printing of phone books. I don't know if you are like me, but I hate it when I come home to find stacks of phone books on my doorstep, and they end up in the trash. I have signed up to have them stop the delivery. One of my goals this year is to be more GREEN.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Slumdog Millionaire

Long Live Bollywood Dance

Today was such a beautiful day. We went to have brunch with an old friend of Scott's. What a delight. After fasting or cleansing for a day yesterday, it was nice to eat some solid food. Of course we choose the healthiest restaurant in the city - Watercourse Cafe. It was the first time to eat out since we started our cleansing program with Isagenix.
For some crazy reason we do not go to movies very often, but today we decided to go see Slumdog Millionaire. It is a wonderful story. I was going to cry at the end, but they broke out into Bollywood choreographed dance for the credits and that made me laugh. Long live the Bollywood dance!

Friday, January 09, 2009

New Year, New Time


It is a very exciting time in our lives. Yes we are experiencing a economic depression that has not been seen in many years. It is also a good time. It is a time when we focus less on consumerism and more on our personal budgets to our federal budget. It is a time for change. We saw the powerful force of change in this election. I can not be happier for and of the American people right now. I can relate to what Michelle Obama said during the campaign about being proud to be American. It has been a long time since I have been proud to be an American. January 20th will be great day when Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States of America.
I am looking forward to posting to the blog again during 2009. Have a great year!