Airport survival

We're getting good at airport survival. It's my third flight east of the year and Dave's fourth so we're navigating the trials of airline travel. Last week we had two flight cancellations and it made me thankful that I do overpack snacks as our 8 hours of travel time doubled and instead of landing in Boston at 3pm it was closer to midnight....and we felt lucky as one itinerary of the 5 we had during the day had us landing in Boston the next morning.

This morning I'm enjoying a banana, Luna gluten free protein bar and a Peter rabbit peach and apple fruit snack. I know those fruit snacks are trendy with the 7 and under set but I need my fruit too and I'm really picky about how it looks. I'm pretty impressed with the flavor and these might become a staple for long road trips as well.
I'm also getting some quality knitting time in too and have made great progress on a sweater for my four year old nephew.

camping near the Alta Lakes

 Last week we loaded up the 4Runner with dogs, camping gear and some firewood and headed up towards Alta Lakes just outside of Telluride. We made it to the campsite in time to catch some good views of the Wilson Mountain Range.

We don't camp at the lake as the dogs love the water... we had gotten a late start so the last thing we needed was wet pups in a small tent. We got a fire started and cracked a bottle of sulfite free wine.

 

Dinner for the evening was made via our Jet Boil. Hot water added to a Backpacker's Pantry pouch along with a can of chicken was ready in around 20 minutes. 

Simple and tasty- while they don't certify gluten free they do list allergens. We had the Chana Masala with rice and garbanzo beans.

The Peanut Sauce Revisited

My menu lately has included Thai Chicken pizza (love) and Gabo Gato. Over the last few years I've begun using the same sauce for both with just a slight modification of added oil for the noodle sauce. I've tweaked the sauce and although I usually don't measure- I go for taste and color now- I've got the basics here:
3T Peanut Butter
3T GF Soy Sauce
3T Brown Sugar
3T Vinegar
Spice to taste with garlic, cayenne, ginger or the like...
Optional thin out for pasta with 3T + 1t oil

I've been making a big batch each week then using it on the pizza and using the leftovers slowly during the week. Last week I was asked if it could freeze well... I gave it a whirl and the answer is YES! I put it in an ice cube tray and made handy little cubes to portion out for my peanut cravings. The ice cube tray wasn't perfect and I think next time I'll roll with silicone cups so they'll pop out easier. They did defrost quickly.

I pulled the peanut butter cubes from the freezer and whipped up a pizza dough with the Bronski's recipe. I've been taking the easy way and using a Chebe dough lately but felt the urge to go real.

I proofed the yeast and mixed the dough then par baked it for just under 10 minutes before topping with Peanut Sauce and a few veggies for a slight variation of our Thai Chicken.

The peanut sauce wasn't the only thing I tweaked recently... my ankle also falls under that label and 10 days later it's no better. I was climbing and took a small fall with a big smack against the rock with my foot taking the brunt of the force. I was pretty jazzed up and it did hurt right away but the pain hit in force later on.

After 9 days of on and off pain I finally broke down for some X-Rays and a Doctor's visit which didn't produce any results so it's a wait, rest, ice and see game. Not the one I want to play as we have to run through the United area at DIA tomorrow from a little plane to the big plane. I'm hoping it holds up enough so I can get away with Chacos for our week in New England's 90 degree heat and humidity.

lunch- going to the dogs

The other day I went home for lunch, it's the nice part about living just a short walk from work. I needed to let the dogs out so I could hit yoga after work downtown. There's a great new studio in town, Shantihi, that offers hot yoga. I never thought I'd be a fan of moving in 98 degree heat but the heat really allows a slacker like me to get a good stretch in. I'm a big fan of the fusion class as we tend to do some good balance poses which should help out my skiing as well a my overall well being.
I took advantage of the time at home and made up a quick single serving size of Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta. I like the texture of the gluten free grains and it's my go-to here at home. It always makes it into my travel bag as well for a road trip or a cross country journey. The nuttiness of the quinoa pairs well with peanut butter and makes a great Gabo Gato.
 For a quick lunch I toss with a bit of EVOO and some freshly cut basil and enjoy in the sunshine with my favorite golden monsters.

From think outside the breadbox

a bit of local love... Oak (the new Fat Alley)

Life changes, people change and of course the backdrop of restaurants in a ski town changes. Sometimes the change is hard to swallow... like when an old favorite moves locations and (gasp) changes it's name. The beauty is that sometimes change is truly for the better and allows the old favorite to grow in a good direction. That is the case with Oaks (aka the old Fat Alley). Robbie moved from his longtime home at the top of Oak Street to Oak Street Plaza at the base of the gondola. The new space has almost twice the table space and  four times the bar space plus it features a patio. The new space isn't a new restaurant location in Telluride as it's formerly been home to X Cafe, Chair 8 and Wildflours but it's new to Robbie and changes the game that he's played for over a dozen years with Fat Alley.

The old space had it's special charm with it's crooked and sometimes sticky floors, and long wood tables that made it a hot spot for locals to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions as well as tourists looking for good BBQ. After all a place can be full of charm but it does take good food and service to make a place last. I've stopped going to a lot of places since going gluten free- we've taken the Chinese food place off speed dial, but I never had to give up Fat Alley. The quarter chicken and side of steamed broccoli was naturally gf and nothing changed with that during the move. We'll still celebrate birthdays and other good times at long tables with dear friends and perhaps a few Mitch Morgan's.

From think outside the breadbox

Yesterday we enjoyed a classic Telluride 4th of July complete with a parade down Colorado Avenue (our Main Street) and an afternoon with friends and their new addition and grabbed a late lunch at Oaks- our new Fat Alley with the same good faces and great food.

From Priest Lake and Happy Birthday USA Day

The little guy is just a few days old but I've managed to finish a sweater for him, which he'll need at Telluride moves from summer into cool nights (it happens fast here...) The pattern was sized for a one year old but I bet this little guy will grow quickly with the fresh mountain air.

From Knitting