From west to east: Colorado

I made the decision to drop everything, forgot the dishes, and put down the pitch fork and take a little vacation, make a few discoveries, and take some time to take a look around. East bound and down, heading out of the valley toward Colorado.

Spent the first night in Idaho, got up early and witnessed a magnificent sunrise

Had some of the best campfire food I've had in a long time, little blue cheese pizzas, roasted veggies, and local brews, all whilst camping in Colorado's Rocky Mountains.

Under the Colorado moon.

When I first rolled into Colorado this is what I saw, no joke, the sky was absolutely black. Thunder storms and rain fallowed with perfectly sunny skies. That pattern continued the whole time I was there.

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I dipped down into Utah for a bit. The northern part was actually pretty beautiful too.

At least the skies.

But then I was straight back out again into Wyoming for a lengthy (and straight) hall across the whole flat barren state.

Driving through Wyoming was very lonely. These wind Mills were every where though, and I found them very comforting, like big tall giants poking there heads over the horizon.

Landscapes changed continuously, as time and tide..

It was hard to leave, but great to be back in the beautiful Willamette valley!

Summer Harvest Salad

The garden, the files that are stacked, 271 e-mails to sort, the house to clean ... all the ingredients of the recipe for a busy and productive day! So between chores I'm going to try and sneak in a couple posts here. Yes, alternative to the chores I head out to the garden and fill my basket with fresh tomatoes, zucchini, lemon cucumbers and basil. Today, intrigued by these fresh ingredients, I'm making .. some kind of crazy salad, and calling it a Summer Harvest Salad!

Summer Harvest Salad

1/4 c vinegar (red wine, or 1/2 balsamic/1/2 apple cider. or whatever)

1/4 c chopped fresh basil

1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 garlic clove minced

4 large tomatoes, chopped

4 medium cucumbers, chopped

2 medium zucchini (yellow or green), chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 c pitted Greek olives, or a can of black olives

Fresh baked french bread

Some kind of good cheese (Parmesan, or extra sharp white Cheddar)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a jar and shake. You can also add oil to this, like up to a half cup if you want, but I do not oil my dressings usually. You be the judge.

Then combine the tomato and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently, cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

When your ready to eat, toast the bread and melt the cheese over the top (I recommend using the oven or toaster oven for this) and serve to salad over the top or on the side of the bread.

Peach Liqueuer

Awww! Been way too long! I've been working (throughout the last few months) on my garden here in the beautiful northwest and on some wonderful new recipies straight from the fresh produce I'm beginning to harvest from it! I've also been working on some very homemade liqueurs.. the very best!!

Today I am thrilled to be making a peach liqueur..

Peach Liqueur Recipe

1 cups sugar

1 cup water
2.5 pounds fresh peaches, stemmed and washed

1.5 cups vodka

1 cup brandy

2 teaspoons lemon zest

Make the simple syrup: Bring the sugar and water to boil over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly to prevent scorching. The liquid should be clear. Let it cool.

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. (Don’t throw those pits away though! They’re going to go into the liqueur.)


Slice the peaches. Put everything into a 2-gallon container that has a tight-fitting lid. Give it a good stir and then cover.

Put it in a cool dark place for two weeks. Give it a good shake once in awhile during the two weeks so that things don’t clump together.
After two weeks use a fine-mesh strainer to get the solids (including the pits) out. Discard the solids. Transfer the liquid into a clean container. Cover and let stand for another 2 or 3 weeks.
Rack or filter the liqueur into its final container. (We’re going to use clean wine bottles.) You should get about one gallon of liqueur.