Delicious Denver

As promised, here is the recipe for roasted potatoes and squash. It’s a simple but flavorful fall side that make you feel warm and cozy, and let’s be real that is has been FREEZING these last few weeks, so you want it. Please forgive my Florida blood, but you can only wear so many layers before the layers start to look like rolls.

Stay warm out there Denver, and enjoy!

-         Four large Yukon gold potatoes, cut into at least eight pieces each

-         One butternut squash, cut into pieces approximately equal to the potato pieces

-         Two large garlic cloves, finely diced

-         Extra virgin olive oil

-         Small slice of butter, melted

-         Salt and pepper

-         Additional seasonings to your preference – rosemary, oregano, parsley, cumin or paprika…get crazy with it!

Preheat your oven to 350 F. In a large baking sheet, cover the veggies and garlic with the olive oil and melted butter. Season, and toss it all together. Let the mixture roast for half an hour, stir it all up and let it go for at least another half hour. Leave the pan in longer for crispier finish.

And we’re back! I apologize to the lovers of deliciousness out there for holding out on you for months but it’s been an interesting summer. Beyond the fact that my camera is…god only knows, there have been breakups and break downs, traveling and couch surfing, loving and dying, going as hard as one can for as long as one can, and living what can only be described as the best/worst/wisest/most foolish summer of my life (at least so far).

But enough of me and my excuses for being negligent, Delicious Denver is back in a new home with wonderful friends and a stocked kitchen, ready to start anew and whip up fabulous eats.

Tonight, I prepared a vegetarian-friendly dinner comprised of a veggie frittata, and roasted potatoes and butternut squash. Dive back in and enjoy.

Veggie Frittata

• 6 eggs
• Two garlic cloves, chopped
• Handful of yellow onion, chopped
• Half a tomato, chopped
• Spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• Half a green bell pepper, chopped
• Salt & pepper
• Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• Oregano
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Grated parmesan cheese
• 4 caps of milk

In an oven-friendly pan, sauté the garlic, onion and green peppers in the EVOO on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add the tomato, spinach and parsley, and seasons ingredients again.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with milk, parmesan and seasonings.

Add the egg mixture to the pan and stir gently for a minute. Let the mixture settle, and once it starts to stabilize in the middle broil the whole pan for about five minutes or until the eggs are no longer runny.

…Roasted tots and squash to come tomorrow. Till then, eat well and good night.

Since coming to Denver, there have been few things that I love more than beer. I will fully admit that I only drank it out of a college-town necessity because the keg at any given frat house was the only thing available, but I now truly love it in all of its different forms and complexities. A great spot to grab some brews, and just as importantly delish food, is Euclid Hall. Located at 1317 14th Street in Larimer Square, this place has some truly unique items to choose from and is worth every delicious moment.

Pickled Veggies

Sausage Sampler with Mustards

Chicken and Waffles

Roasted Duck Poultine

Red Velvet Cupcake

Spring finally feels like its here for me. The sun is shining, and it is glorious outside. It’s the perfect day for laying out and basking in the awesomeness that is Denver, but in between baking sessions you can take a break with this quick-make lunch (and not feel bad about getting back into your bikini after).

2 Tilapia fillets
Spring greens mix
Half a lemon
Small slice of butter
Salt & pepper
Cumin powder
Chili powder

Salsa:
2 tomatoes
1 large green chili pepper, cut into large pieces
Cilantro, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic
Half cup pineapple, chopped
Half of a small white onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
For salsa: Blend all the ingredients in a food processor except the tomato and onion. Don’t liquefy it though! Season with salt and pepper. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small baking dish, place the butter and tilapia and squeeze the lemon juice over them, Season the fillets with the salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder on both sides. Cover with tin foil and bake covered for 10 minutes, then take off the foil and continue to bake for about 10 more minutes or until the fish is flaky.

Plate the dish by putting down the salad first, place the fish on top and spoon on the salsa. I’m kind if a salsa addict so I go a little heavy. Pour on a little of the lemon juice from the pan too if you feel so inclined. Happy Spring, and enjoy!

If you’ve ever been to Snooze in Colorado, you know that there are endless ways to get creative with poached eggs, so here is my stab at it.

Last night, I had one of those moments when I said to myself, “what the hell can I possibly make with all this?”

Let’s paint a picture, shall we? No protein except eggs and an array of canned beans; no fruits or veggies sans an onion and some garlic cloves; and an array of random bread products such as crackers, half a box of pasta, one bagel, and tortilla chips. Can’t forget the salsa, which is always crucial.

Anyone who knows me or has been reading this long enough knows that I delight in playing the “whatever you’ve got in the pantry” challenge, so this was a fun time for me. Let the games begin.

Ingredients

1 can of unsalted black beans, partially drained

1 large clove of garlic, chopped

¼ cup of onions, thinly sliced

1 large spoonful of cream cheese

Balsamic vinegar

A splash of olive oil

1 egg, cracked in a bowl

3 caps of milk

One small pot of boiling water

½ a bagel

Slice of havarti cheese

A solid scoop of salsa

Seasoning:

1 bay leaf

Italian seasoning

Salt & pepper

Chili powder

Sauté the onions and garlic in a skillet on medium-low heat, season with seasonings listed above (sans the bay leaf), and then add the black beans. Add all of the seasonings listed above. Stir in a splash of the balsamic, cream cheese and 1 cap of milk. Turn the heat to low and cover.

Now for the egg. Crack it into a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Boil enough water to cover the egg. Once it comes to a boil, add in the remaining milk and a bit of balsamic. Season with salt.

Turn down the heat on the water and stir in a circular motion. Once the water stops bubbling, gently pour the egg into the center, and continue to still gently for 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to pull out the egg. Here’s a video demo that I found:



Now, let’s put it all together. Toast the bagel, and place the Havarti slice on top. Top with the egg, then the black bean mixture and then the salsa.

Mission accomplished. I win again.

Never assume that a dish is difficult to execute just because it seems fancy. Chances are, it’s easier than you think. I think that I always assumed that carbonara sauce was difficult because it’s so…delicious, but in reality this sauce is a quick-fix wonder.

Carbonara

I discovered the magical simplicity of carbonara from The Food Network’s 5 Ingredient Fix, in which Claire Robinson created a spinach carbonara with fresh pasta. It is from Claire’s sauce that I drew inspiration for my own version of carbonara.

Ingredients

Garlic clove, minced

¼ cup onion, chopped

Sliced and halved sausage, whatever type you prefer

1 lb pasta of your choice (I think long pastas such as spaghetti, angel hair, linguini, etc. are best, but you can really use any that you like)

3 egg yolks, 1 egg

1 cup Parmesan

1 can of peas, drained

2 teaspoons black pepper

Dash of Italian seasoning

Salt to season pasta water

Small amount of EVOO to coat pan

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and then season with salt before adding the pasta.

Heat the olive oil to medium in a large sauté pan, and add the garlic, onions and sausage. Keep it all moving around until the onions are soft and the sausage pieces are cooked through.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the yolks, egg, pepper, Italian seasoning and Parmesan. Slowly add a large ladle full of the pasta water to the mixture, stirring it in slowly.

Once the pasta is ready, retain an extra half cup of water and drain away the rest. Toss the pasta with a pair of tongs into the sausage pan, and then slowly pour in the egg mixture. Add the peas. If the pasta seems dry, add in some of the pasta water as needed.

Taste and season accordingly with Italian seasoning, pepper or salt.

Serve it immediately with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan. It’s also great as cold leftovers from your fridge the next day. (Am I a weirdo for loving cold pasta?)

Down the street from my house, there is a fabulous coffee shop with lots of space and personality. Fluid Coffee, located in Uptown at the corner of 19^th Avenue and Pennsylvania Street, recently expanded to add more space to work, play and relax.

The ambiance is bright and artistic with tile mosaics and art covering the walls, and printed curtains. You can’t help but get your creative bug on here.

As you may know from my trip to GrindHaus, I am a huge fan of chai lattes, and Fluid’s is fabulous. It’s creamy and energizing, and it’s a great way to start your day.

Fluid also has a great selection of teas. Keep an eye out for coupons in the mail and get one for free like I did!

Sandwiches are a personal love of mine, and so are bagels. A sandwich made with a bagel is just begging for my love and devotion.

The Crushery, located at 1579 S. Pearl St., has begged and won. With combos ranging from chorizo, egg, queso fresco, & green chilies to arugula, brie, and caramelized onion, this funky fresh sandwich shop has great eats for any time of the day.

This yummy spot not only has bagel sandwiches, paninis and salads, but it also has freshly created ice cream made with liquid nitrogen.

This place is all about being creative so get weird with it and try the combinations of flavors that you love.

It is a proven fact that millions of people the world over, including myself, are addicted. To french fries. Yes, it is a harsh reality that many of us crave the papas fritas on a regular basis, and chains like McDonald’s only have to dangle these golden, greasy sticks in our faces, and we all come running. Thankfully, the solution to your addiction lies in your own home. These steak fries are a quick fix for the hard-core addicts and go well with anything that comes off your grill, not just steak.

What you need:

Russet potatoes cut into wedges (figure about 1-1.5 potatoes per human depending on their love for fries)

Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

Pinch of crushed rosemary

Somewhat spicy seasoning mix (Some examples are Gator Sprinkle, Montreal Steak Seasoning, or you can just use your favorite combo of chili powder, paprika, pepper, allspice, coriander, ect.)

Dipping Sauce:

Honey Dijon mustard

BBQ sauce

First, you want to preheat your oven to between 450-500 F, and while it is heating up start dressing the potatoes. Rub the wedges down with the olive oil, making sure that they are completely covered. Then, season the wedges with S&P, crushed rosemary and the rest of your spices. Spread the future fries evenly onto a baking sheet. Once the oven is ready, throw in the fries in for 15 minutes, flip ‘em, and then throw back in for about 15 more minutes until they are crispy on the outside and take on a golden brown color.

For the dip, just mix the sauces together and go nuts!

Now, go eat them before they get cold.

I feel like I’ve been giving you guys a lot of main dishes and not as many things to accompany them since I started D.D., but have no fear my friends. The sides are here and right in time for Thanksgiving! I don’t know about you guys, but my favorite part of the Turkey Day meal is not the bird. Bring me mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, candied carrots and peas. Onions, rolls and more green beans. Drizzle on the gravy, and it’s a happy day for mes.

Oh look, I’m so excited that I rhyme.

Alton Brown’s Good Eats is featuring brussels sprouts right now so I’ll start off the side show with 101 Cookbook’s golden-crusted sprouts. The girl who writes this is a genius for the single fact that she made a normally frowned-at veggie completely irresistible. My brother actually threw up on the dinner table after being forced to eat brussels sprouts when people still thought steamed was the only way to munch on sprouts. We’re gonna step it up a notch or three from that.

Brussels sprout (tip of the stem cut off and halved.)

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Grated parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, douse the sprouts in olive oil and S&P.

Begin to sauté the sprouts, flat side down, in a large skillet on medium-low heat.

After about five minutes, sprinkle on the cheese and flip the sprouts. Stir them up a little bit and let the little guys go until tender.

Sprinkle on a little extra cheese when you serve it, just because you can.