Warm Potato Salad with Arugula

Chillin on the bus at 5 Point Film Fest

April has been a pretty quiet month for us.  We had my sister Chelsea visit early in the month, but otherwise we have just been enjoying the last month of skiing and dusting off the bikes for the change in seasons.  The mountain is officially closed, and thanks to a weekend with highs near 70 degrees the slopes are looking quite sad.  The trails are muddy, but the warm weather has lifted spirits.  Last weekend we ventured down valley to Carbondale and the annual 5 Point Film Festival, which was wonderful beyond expectation.

I created this salad after glancing at a post from the Sarah at The Yellow House.  The dressings differ, but the idea is all Sarah.  I have made this a few times, and got rave reviews at a Sunday BBQ.  

Warm Potato Salad with Arugula

Inspired by The Yellow House

• 1.5-2 pounds new potatoes
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt generously and add potatoes.  Cook until fork tender (about 30 minute depending on size).
2. Meanwhile combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, coriander, a pinch of salt and a little fresh ground pepper in a small bowl.  Whisk to combine. 
3. When the potatoes are finished slice into 1 inch cubes with skin intact and place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle paprika over potatoes.
4. Add arugula to potatoes and drizzle the dressing over.  Toss well.
5. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Some April Shots:

Highlands Bowl, Pyramid Peak, Maroon Bells

Sisters in Denver

Springtime Freshies in he Bowl

Highlands Closing Party on top of the Bowl

Mini Road Trip to Fruita for the first MTB of the season 

Friday Links: Goat Cheese

shop local!

I am pretending it is spring, even though we just got three feet of snow in a week, and I am still rocking a down jacket and snow boots.  Every day I hope to see more green in the trees, and every day I have been disappointed   Monday I fought through a snow storm in a skirt, just because.  
Spring makes me long for days when barbecues are not frigid and greens are plentiful.  And for some reason, it makes me think of soft, local chevre. While cows' milk sends me into intestinal distress, goat cheese allows me to enjoy my pizza along with the next few hours.

One of  the Avalanche Cheese Goats

Lemon Goat Cheese Souffle

Creative inspiration: Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Whipped Goat Cheese
From the archives: Lemon Goat Cheese Souffle
With fresh greens: Meyer Lemon Spring Salad
Sweet: Yogurt and Goat Cheese Tart
Savory: Zucchini and Goat Cheese Pizza

Alaska: Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill

Bishop's Beach, Homer

We spent the last ten days of March roaming around Alaska.  We flew into Anchorage 8 hours late after missing our flight out of Denver the night before, and headed south towards the Resurrection Pass Trail.  After a hut-trip-gone-awry with too much snow and moonlight skiing, we crashed in the town of Kenai.  We spent the next few days cross country skiing and exploring the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, especially Homer where our friends Katie and Grant live.  Homer has amazing food.  We gorged on Seafood at the Mermaid Cafe, ate delicious baked goods at Two Sisters Bakery, and sampled local beer and wine (we would recommend the beer... Alaska should maybe leave the wine to warmer climes).


We also spent a couple nights in where we cooked wild crab and baked local salmon.  I grew up with salmon a weekly staple.  My mom barbecued it, baked it, broiled it, poached it, and served it smoked.  The most valuable lesson I learned from her cooking was that you should never over season a good piece of fish, or you will ruin it.  The below recipe is tried and true.  I have made it at least twice a month for many years, and my mom made it many years before me.

Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill

• 1 salmon fillet (I usually buy 3/4 pound for 2 people)
• 2-3 sprigs fresh dill
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Place the fillet in a large baking dish taking care to avoid the flesh touching the edges of the pan.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and divide evenly over the fish.
4. Coarsely chop the dill and spread over the fish.
5. Thinly slice the lemon and place on top.
6. Grind some pepper on top and season with a very small amount of salt.
7. Cover with foil or a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness) until you can see white fat emerging from the flesh, and when the flesh is divided with a fork the very middle is still slightly dark.

We spent the rest of our time in Girdwood, Anchorage, and Talkeetna skiing and dog sledding.  We ate wonderful pub-style seafood at F Street Station in Anchorage and enjoyed excellent beer at the Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna.

Homer Marina

View of Iliamna Volcano, Kenai Peninsula

Lake Ski, Soldotna

  

Diamond Beach

Moose in Homer

Homer Overlook

Night Drive: between Homer and Girdwood

Turnagen Arm

Talkeetna, AK

Girdwood, AK

Friday Links: Easter Eats

Happy Good Friday from Anchorage. We have spent the past 10 days roaming AK, more on that later. Here are a few links for your Easter Sunday meal.

For seeking: how to hard boil an egg and homemade dye
For breakfast: hot cross buns
For a side dish: roasted asparagus
For a vegetarian main: carrot soup with yogurt
For dessert: key lime coconut cake

Turnagen Arm

Friday Links: Luck of the Irish

photo credit

Happy (almost) St. Paddy's Day!  For all practical purposes, I am a cultural mutt.  My blood blends Irish, Swedish, French Canadian, English, and a little Huron Indian from my parents' heritage.  Irish however, is the strongest.  My Irish blood streams from both sides, and is responsible for half of my makeup.  Therefore, I figure a St. Patrick's Day full of Irish eats is called for.

Creamy: Homemade Irish Cream

Gin-filled: The Last Word Cocktail

Starchy: Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread

Filling: Irish Chicken and Dumplings

Sweet: Wildly Wonderful Whiskey Cake

And...for your Friday Laugh, here is a shot of Steven at the all school ski day today: 

Flaxseed & Pepita Granola

It is feeling like spring.  The days are getting longer, the air warmer, and the snow slushier.  These days the sky dumps snow one day and clears to a brilliant blue the next. We enjoyed a bare-legged wander last Saturday, basking in the glorious sun.  Then we spent Sunday celebrating the hubby's birthday with sushi, skiing, cake and friends.

Springtime

Flourless Chocolate Rum Cake for Birthday Celebrating

Lately I have been lazy in the Kitchen.  As my workload has increased, I turn to my standard recipes with little desire to create.  I start most mornings with granola.  Topped with fruit, plain yogurt, and sometimes almond milk.  I love the slightly sweet crunch, and find that it keeps hunger away for at least a few hours. Over the past few weeks I have been playing with recipes looking for a satisfactory homemade breakfast cereal.  This recipe is endlessly adaptable (see ideas below).  The brown rice flour creates small clusters, which I find delightful.

Flaxseed & Pepita Granola

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup dried coconut flakes
• ¼ cup flaxseeds
• ½ cup pepitas
• ¾ cup almonds, slivered or coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup brown rice flour
• 3-4 tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup melted butter or canola oil*
• Pinch of salt

*I use 2 tablespoons of each, you could also use coconut oil or ghee

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees and adjust rack to top setting.

2. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

3. Melt butter or heat oil over low heat in a small pan or large metal measuring cup, add honey and whisk until honey is melted and mixture is uniform.

4. Combine oats, coconut, flaxseeds, pepitas, almonds, brown rice flour and salt in a large bowl.

5. Drizzle butter-honey mixture over the top and mix to combine and coat the dry ingredients.

6. Spread ½ of the mixture onto each sheet and place on top rack in oven.  If your oven is large enough you can do both at once on the top rack, otherwise wait for the first batch to finish before doing the other.

7. Bake 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 until golden brown.

Breadsticks and/or Pizza Dough

Breadsticks and Pizza Margarita (Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil) 

I love bread.  Bread can make a bad day good and calm an upset stomache.  I also feel it gets a bit of a bad name in the "health food" scene.  While it is no kale, it tastes good, is filling, is so cheap when homemade, and wonderful for your soul (or at least mine...) in moderation. Making bread is an art form, parts of which I am far from mastering (especially at 7900 feet).  This recipe for either breadsticks or pizza dough is one of the easiest yeast doughs to master. It is also quick (90 minutes until you have hot breadsticks). So make your bread and eat it too.

note: I often halve this recipe when I am making breadsticks for 2-3 people.

Breadsticks

Adpated a little from Our Best Bites

• 1 1/2 c. warm (105-115 degrees) water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. yeast
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3-4 1/2 c. flour (I use 2 1/2 cups all purpose and about 1 1/2 cups whole wheat)

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.

2. Add salt and stir. 

3. Add 2 c. flour and mix well on medium low speed with the dough hook attachment of your stand mixer. If you are using whole wheat flour, add all purpose flour first then whole wheat.

4. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and your humidity) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.  Make sure flour completely incorporates into the dough.

5. Pull the dough away from the hook. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. 

6. Gently pull dough out of bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Prepare a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Dough ready for shaping

for breadsticks

7. Gently pat into a rectangle and cut into about 20 pieces.

8. Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and twist the dough. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. 

9. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

10. When there’s about 15 minutes to go, preheat your oven to 425. When done rising, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks, sprinkle with seasoning, or dip in sauce and soup.

for pizza dough (makes 2 small/medium pizzas)

7. Pre-heat oven to 500 with your pizza stone in the oven if you use one.

8. Cut the dough into two pieces for smaller pans/ovens, or shape into one large pizza. 

9. Gently pull the dough to the edge of the pan working to create an even layer.  

10. Arrange your choice of toppings.  (Pictured: marinara, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, mozzerella, chevre, finely chopped swiss chard, sea salt, and finished with basil after being removed from the oven)

11. Slide onto stone, or bake on sheet about 10 minutes until crust darkens and cheese begins to brown.  

12. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes.