I was on 8 different planes this week...finally I arrived home on Friday morning, or should I say Friday afternoon and looked forward to a quiet weekend.  When I went to bed on Friday night, there was a steady rain falling outside and I anticipated a wonderful, peaceful night sleep in my own bed.....that's what you get for anticipating!  Sometime around 2am, the failing battery in my bedroom smoke detector decided it was finished, so the beeping commenced.  So, at 2am I'm standing on a barstool trying to get the beeping to stop...finally I figured out how to open the thing and yanked the battery...seconds later...beep.....beep.  The smoke detector is hard wired, so although the battery is out, it will continue to beep.  Tired and defeated, I closed the bedroom door and went to sleep on the couch.  Not to be deterred, I got up around 7am (yes, on a Saturday) to head to the store to buy a new battery (by the way, yes I do have batteries in the kitchen drawer, not the size I needed, of course...and yes, I bought extra for the other smoke detectors).  Since I was up and wide awake, and the drizzley morning was screaming for some delicious breakfast, I whipped up a Breakfast Quesadilla.  As I've said before, you can put just about anything in a flour tortilla and I'm up for it.  So, with a couple eggs, some onions, a little bacon and some cheese, I have turned the day around...maybe the weekend won't be all bad!

Check out the breakfast quesadilla recipe in the recipe section.

Last night I hosted a tasting for a birthday party I'm catering in July.  The menu is completely inspired by the fresh produce that will be plentiful in late July.  It's a great variety of tastes all tied together with fresh, readily available ingredients.  You can find the recipes for the Watermelon Gazpacho and the Veggie Pizza in the recipe section.

Tuesday night I got home from 5 days in New York City.  It was my first visit to the city during the warmer months, and I have to admit, it's a totally different vibe.  The one thing that continues to inspire and impress me is the food...and the art...and the stores...and the people.  We arrived around 1pm on Thursday and after checking in at the hotel, made a b-line to Bobby Van's for filet on toast with gorgonzola sauce and a dirty martini.  The dirty martinis at Bobby Van's are the most consistent martini I have ever had...and trust me, I have had enough of them there to compare.  We left Bobby Van's and grabbed a black and white cookie and headed to Central Park.  We listened to the saxophone player and took a long walk through the park.  We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the first of three shows we would see....Wicked.  One word...amazing.   Dinner after the show was a pretzel from one of the street vendors. 

Friday morning we had a late breakfast/early lunch at a place called Le Pain Quotiden.  I had a turkey tartine with chipotle aioli and chorizo chips...so simple, but soooooo delicious.  We did some shopping at Fishs Eddy (check out their website if you need anything for your kitchen)...Stopped and got a cupcake at Crumb's (red velvet), but the most amazing find...New York Cake & Bake....it's like the promised land of baking.  Anything you need to make cakes, cookies, etc is in that store (you can check out them online too!!!).  We went back to our hotel to get ready for our second show...Promises, Promises starring Kristen Chenoweth and Sean Hayes.  I loved the show.  The costumes, the feel, the dancing...it was all very visually impressive.  After the show we had dinner at Carmine's.  Ceasar salad, stuffed mushrooms, and meatballs with rigatoni...and of course, a dirty martini.

Saturday we spent most of the day at the MOMA.  Some very interesting exhibits and when they closed at 5:30, we stopped off for what turned out to be about one of 3 visits to H & M.  Several pounds of new clothes later, we changed and took the subway to Spring Street for dinner at Balthazar.  I have to start by saying that the french fries at Balthazar are the best french fries you could ever eat.  I mean, the risotto with fresh morels, the goat cheese and carmelized onion tart, the mango cheesecake...they're good and all, but those french fries may very well change your life!

Sunday started with a subway ride to Brooklyn and a walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge.  We had lunch at a place called Red at the South Street Seaport, walked through the financial district, then headed back to Times Square for tickets to see another show.  We decided to see "The Fantasticks".  It was in a small 200 seat 1/2 round theater and was really well done.  After the show, we headed over to Serendipity for a frozen hot chocolate.  It was well worth the 45 minute wait for the table.

Monday morning we took the subway to Canal Street for some "shopping".  We had lunch at Lombardi's ( the oldest coal fired pizza joint in America)...delicious.  We wandered through Little Italy and Chinatown, Soho and the Village.  Had a vanilla cupcake at Billy's Bakery and then took the subway to the hotel for a quick nap and then dinner at the Carnegie Deli.

Tuesday we made another stop at H & M then walked up 5th Avenue to Madison Square Park and lunch at the Shake Shack....the shroom burger, much like the Balthazar french fries, could change your life.  Sadly I kicked and screamed all the way back to the hotel to take the car to the airport....
All in all, I came back inspired, as I always do...ready to write some recipes, create some artwork and wear some new clothes!!!!!!!!!

I spent the week after Mother's Day in Illinois at my mom and dad's.  I did, of course, indulge in my favorites while I was home...Monical's Pizza to be more specific.  It was delicious and I really enjoyed being home and seeing all the blooming flowers and green grass before I returned to Colorado.  With the arrival of the weekend, came an impromptu trip to Aspen.  The Drive By Truckers were playing at Belly Up in Aspen and having recently been introduced to them, decided "why not"?  What I hadn't counted on was being open to the Meat Puppets who were the opening act...Let's just say on the when choosing to "take it or leave it", I'll leave the Meat Puppets.  Anyway, this time of year in Aspen (which I believe they refer to as "mud season" was far from fabulous.  It is not the Aspen that comes alive during ski season or during the summer with the Food and Wine Festival, etc. etc.  This past weekend included a high school Lacrosse tournament and from what I understand Aspen's Prom.  It was however, a welcome break from people.  There was no waiting in line or waiting for a table, everything was ready and waiting.  Dinner was at La Cantina, the same place I dined last summer when I went to see Rufus Wainwright.  Something had changed, either the food or my memory, because I was far less impressed with my meal this time.  The saving grace, as far as meals go, was breakfast at this little place called Poppycock's.   They have some really delicious Oatmeal Pancakes that they describe on the menu as a "must try"...so I did and they were delicious.  It ended with a beautiful, sunny drive back to Denver on Sunday.  I was lucky enough to stay put  this week, but put in a lot of hours, so not much cooking going on this week.  I will say lunch at Udi's (the cuban sandwich to be specific) was extremely good.  I've been working on Inspire for June today and hope you try some of those recipes too!

Saturday night dinner was quite an event....To begin, it took us all day to decide on a place to go.  Secondly, when we finally arrived at Second Home Kitchen and Bar, we walked smack into the middle of a large Kentucky Derby party.  Hats, hats, hats galore.  It seemed like one of those places to "see and be seen", but really I was in the mood for a little more quiet.  At any rate, dinner at Second Home, which is located in the J.W. Marriott in Cherry Creek, was exactly the food I had spent all day longing for.  After weeks of giving up meat and bread, I just wanted some real food.  We decided to do small plates, rather than order an entree.  Hummus, Calamari, Spicy Tuna Tartare and Sliders.  They offer sliders in 4 varieties, meatloaf, burger, chicken or prime rib.  They were celebrating the derby with mint juleps, I passed on the mint julep and had a very strong Italian Margarita.  Our waitress, was the best.  She even twisted our arms for dessert...cookies and creme brulee, complete with waffle cone chips and oreo cookies crumbled.   Another delicious meal.

Well, this week I challenged myself to not eat bread.  This, by far, was incredibly harder for me than giving up the meat.  I managed to make it through the time I was traveling and stay away from it, but once I got home...look out.  Last night, was Dining Out for Life in Denver, so Dan and I went for a quick bite at Delite.
(hey that rhymes).  It was so good...ah gluten how I missed you!  Chicken Pesto Pizza, potato chips with truffle and bleu cheese, black beans sopes, and pork sliders.  I don't know if it was just because I was starving or because I hadn't had any bread for days, but everything was so delicious. 

I have to mention dinner last Saturday night at Potager.  Potager is a cool little restaurant on Ogden St. in Denver.  Their menu changes constantly, and is based on what is fresh and available at any given time.  I had the spaghetti with the peekytoe crab, pea shoots and parmesan.....heavenly.  (As a side note, I have to thank my fabulous friend,  Barb for telling me about this place)!!  They have a great wine selection and their desserts sounded wonderful as well.  We skipped dessert because we were headed to D Bar...here's a hint...make a reservation at D Bar (if you can).  So we headed to the Avenue Grill for dessert (tiramisu and a chocolate martini)....ah what a great way to spend a Saturday night.  I'm inspired by my Pesto Pizza last night, so I'm headed off to the grocery store to come up with something.  I'll post the results later....

So, the no meat thing has, for no real reason, continued and as of today, I have had the equivalent of a sausage patty over the past two weeks.  It's almost like a game for me now.  What can I find to satisfy my appetite that doesn't have meat in it?  I drove right past the In N Out Burger in St. George this week, didn't even have to talk myself out of it.  I was telling Dan about it this morning and I told him that it can't last forever.  I mean, over Memorial Day we'll be in New York and I can't exactly pass up a filet on toast at Bobby Van's.  So, when the urge strikes, I'll give in.  I'm excited, I've been doing some cooking for people and have some "gigs" scheduled for later in the year.  It's so great to be able to share your passion with others and for people to appreciate your talents.  My magazine "debut" has started hitting mailboxes across the country...if you live near a Furniture Row Shopping Center, stop in and pick up a copy of "Home is Here" Magazine.  There is a great brunch story, including "yours truly"....check it out.  Tomorrow night I'm going to a fabulous dinner...I'll report back about that later.

I've decided to start giving myself some mini challenges while I'm on the road.  This week I decided that for the week I would try to give up eating meat...(let's not get crazy, it was just for the time I was gone, not forever...)  I thought it would be fairly simple, and in reality it was.  I wasn't longing for meat, but what struck me was how difficult it was to find something to eat at many of the places I stopped.  I ate lots of veggie sandwiches, steamed vegetables and rice, cheese, potato chips and salad.  The good news is that I survived, 4 days, no meat and I'm still alive.  I think I decided to do that to sort of challenge myself a little on a mental level.  Sometimes I need that reminder that I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to.  Having said all that about celebrating the vegetables, I created a vegetable pizza over the weekend, based on my favorite veggie sandwich.  I thought about those vegetable pizzas that graced many a church or office potluck with the broccoli and ranch dressing...this one is an updated version, a little more sophisticated and it would be the perfect complement to my Cucumber 5 Spice Cooler I made as well.  Check the recipe and drink sections for the recipes. 

The Colorado Rockies kicked off their season yesterday in Denver, and I kicked off what is one of my favorite things to do in the summer as well.  The weather was beautiful in Denver yesterday and mid afternoon I knew there was something I had to do....it had been taunting me all winter, and finally my chance arrived.  The patio at Lime.  I was first introduced to Lime last summer when Dan's friend, Jason was in town for a visit.  Immediately it was one of those places that I knew I would visit again and again.  It's one of those places where you can spend hours lingering on the patio, talking with friends, sipping margaritas or mojitos.  They have an amazing appetizer called the Scorpion...The menu describes the Scorpion like this...." 4 jumbo shrimp layered on jalapeno halves, stuffed with chipotle cheese filling then flash fried in a crispy wrapper.  Served over red chile with guacamole".  They are so delicious.  It's something that I will definitely be working on recreating this summer, but I might have to make several visits back to Lime...just for comparison sake.

Some time in the fall I discovered the Pimm's Cup.  I had no idea really what it was, but one evening dining at The Avenue Grill with some friends, I discovered it on their bar menu and decided to try it.  A few weeks ago, I sampled another Pimm's cup at Nosh in Colorado Springs.  Then my latest issue of Bon Appetit arrived and I open it up to find..what else?  The Pimm's cup.  According to Bon Appetit, the Pimm's Cup is to England what the Mojito is to Cuba and the Mint Julep is to America.  The cocktail was created by James Pimm in the 1840's in his London bar and based on his fruit and herb infused gin (sold as Pimm's No. 1).  The magazine goes on to say that the real artistry of the Pimm's is its garnish.  I think this makes for the perfect summer time drink.  The blend of gin, liquers and fruits make it an incredibly delicious choice for sipping on the patio.  I've included the recipe from Bon Appetit on the Drink page...try one and enjoy!