August 2010 - Having Fun in Colorado

8/31/2010

Hammer pants
August 31, 20100 Comments
So the worst trend of the 80's are officially back. Last night I had the pleasure of seating a couple and one of those people were rocking honest to god hammer pants. I haven't see a person wear those since 6th grade. No picture since I can't use my phone while on duty.
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8/30/2010

Farmers Market Bounty
August 30, 20100 Comments
So we finally hit one of the many farmers markets in Colorado today. This one is only a few minutes away in Frisco and the best thing about the is that they are open everyday, hopefully thru October. They even sell organic meat so they might end up being a one stop shop.

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8/27/2010

Breckenridge Hooker?
August 27, 20100 Comments
Nah, just kidding. But this is a dude that I saw on our way home from grabbing some groceries in town. Just let's you get a preview of the characters that live in Breck.
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Todays view from the deck
August 27, 20100 Comments
Thank goodness I can still post from my phone. Hopefully this picture shows up, I'll try to check later.

This is the view off our deck today. Tomorrow is the last day of our move and to tell ya the truth I'm so over it.
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8/25/2010

Moving and Computer Problems
August 25, 20100 Comments
Anyone out there reading this sorry for the lack of posts but we're in moving hell and now my computer decided to stop working. Stay tuned....
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8/11/2010

Home Sweet Home
August 11, 20100 Comments
Not wanting to jinx anything I've been holding off on this post for about a week now.  I'm excited to say that we're moving out of the ghetto (otherwise known as the Big Horn Apartments) into a house on Peak 7 in Breckenridge.  It's really almost unheard of.  We are only minutes from the Gondola.  This season is going to be Epic.

I haven't really taken too many pictures of it since we didn't want to seem over eager but the ones from the owners site are good.  Here is the outside:

As you can see from the first picture there are some stairs that lead from the road to the house.  Hopefully it won't be too hard to move stuff down.  Here's a shot of the stairs going up.
It's got a great deck so we can get back to grillin'  I'm psyched to get to use my Bobby Flay Cookbooks that have been collecting dust for the past year.
And I know it doesn't sound like much we have a half acre to ourselves.  It feels like 50 after all these years living on top of people.  We can't wait for winter so we can (maybe, we need to check first for insurance reasons) put up some boxes and rails in the back to practice on.  So much better doing it in your our backyard where there are only a few people to point and laugh at you when you fall.


The main thing that we were looking for, since this is going to be a business as well as a house was the vaulted living room ceiling.  Gotta have a good drum room.  (These are more pictures from the site.  I'll post new ones when the house it set up with our stuff)  It has a gas stove, which will be great after a long day of skiing.

The kitchen isn't ideal but I'll work with it.  It has a dishwasher and a moderate sized pantry.  I've been dying in our apartment now since the refrigerator/freezer has no where near enough shelves to keep everything organized.  So the saving grace of this kitchen is the double door fridge.  It's really the little things that make me happy.  We plan on taking some of this dead space in the basement to use for cold storage.  Plus there is a mud room off the kitchen that could be used for the same.  I have a feeling that will be where all the bikes/skis/skateboards/snowboards/boots/jackets will be going.  Just wait until we have to get kayaks!  


There is a master suite that has it's own balcony, but we're giving that up to our wonderful roommates for the first year of the lease.  We'll take it over when they move next summer.  For now we're on the main floor.

So on to the basement.  It has a ton of storage which is great because Pete will finally have a place for all his gear and it's nice and chilly down there so it'll cost less for AC.  The laundry room is down here too.  Tons of storage!  I'm so happy to be able to spread out in more than 4 rooms.  It's about time.
On top of all this other good news, I managed to get a job too!  Nothing special at the moment, just a hostess, but I do have some opportunity to grow.  Plus it's nice to learn the business with no pressure.  I can't wait until we're settled in Breck since it'll cut my commute in half.  Gotta love that summer traffic.
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Who will be the next Michael Scott?
August 11, 20100 Comments
I was wondering what they were going to do about replacing Steve Carrell on The Office.  The show would be dead if some new blood wasn't brought in.  Today I read that two actors I really enjoy, that both have shows on Showtime, and that are hilarious, are up for the part.

****BEWARE THE CLIP BELOW HAS A TON OF PROFANITY*****

Eastbound and Down/Kenny Powers - Played by:  Danny McBride


Flight of the Concords/Murray Band Manager - Played by Rhys Darby



I fell in love with Flight of the Concords the first time I saw their comedy special, Highly recommended.  Anyway their Showtime TV show was filmed in our neighborhood.  For any of you out there reading this that came to 199 Engert might recognize the park in the background of the clip below.  It was filmed a block from our house (away from the BQE).  Makes me remember the good times we had in NY. 
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8/05/2010

Major Carnage

8/02/2010

The Perfect Breakfast for a Rainy Morning
August 02, 2010 4 Comments
A great breakfast for winter, especially before skiing, but today it was another cold, rainy day and I figured we should have something substantial.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy - Such a cheap thing to make.  Since it's just the two of us I buy the half size biscuits.  Soon I'll be making them in advance and freezing them so nothing gets wasted.  Plus when you make the gravy you can get 3 meals.  I portion it out and freeze what's leftover for next time. 

Scrambled Eggs - It's always a good call to have some protein with breakfast it will keep you full and energized for longer, especially when it's a carb/sugar based meal. 

Fresh Fruit - I've been on a Kiwi kick for the past week or so.  I noticed it on sale and grabbed a few and ever since I've been having 1 a day.  So good and it's almost as refreshing to me to eat them instead of having a glass of juice in the morning.  Plus eating the fruit in it's whole form you get more fiber from it. 

Although it's not an ideal breakfast it was nutritious and filling.  It definitely held me over until lunch.  
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Cheesecake with Mixed Berries
August 02, 20101 Comments
I was really in the mood for cheesecake the other night and wasn't feelin' making one from scratch so I grabbed one at the store, NY style.  This was my last indulgence.  Since I'm trying to push myself to cook/bake my new rule is I cook it or I don't get it.  Simple enough. 

I really like to have berries with my cheesecake and I knew I had some blueberries and strawberries in the freezer from the last time they were on sale.  So much easier to work with than the bagged frozen berries with all that juice. 

I added the berries, honey, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 lemon juiced and a touch of natural sugar and gave it a mash (this is before I had cut up the strawberries)

It came out so good after it had cooked down for about 15 minutes

Mmmmm...Tastes as good as it looks

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8/01/2010

Silver Plume Bakery
August 01, 20100 Comments
So Pete and I went around the other day to check out some places we found in the paper to rent. Hopefully we can find something nice, private & cheap relatively fast. We looked at 2 places in Georgetown that were OK but not ideal then we went to Silver Plume.

Silver Plume is a miner town that looks like it's still deserted. There's a old hotel in the front of town that was for rent. It's Creepy and our appointment was set for way later in the day so we canceled.

Since we were in town and don't stop here very often we decided to check and see if the Bakery was open and amazingly it was.


I was a little disappointed. I know it's small but I thought there would have been a bit more of a selection. Everyone raves about the bread but everyone was white flour based. I just want a place to buy fresh Rye bread and maybe some croissants.  It looks like I'll just have to make them myself.

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Carnage Party 2010
August 01, 20100 Comments
So "Rapid Image", the company that takes pictures of the rafters on Clear Creek, hosts a party every year to show off the flips and other embarrassing pictures that are caught on film during the season.

The party was held at BBQ Smokin Yards.  You can't go wrong when it's only $6 for all you can drink and eat.  I love this place and it took us awhile before we went over there to try it.  The BBQ is great and they have the best sauces. I'll give it to I.S. (Idaho Springs) they do have a pretty decent selection of restaurants for such a small town.

We were told the party started at 6 and since it's only around the corner from our place we went over a little after it was planned to start.  Well the most important lesson is always call ahead to ask!  Nothing is ever right when it's told to you by rafters.  The party actually started at 7:30 so we figured we'd hang at the bar and grab a drink while we waited.
This sounds much easier than it was.  We waited and ended up having to order it up front where you pay and had them bring it to the patio where the party was being held.


Eventually the place was so packed you couldn't get to the beer or food without having to throw elbows.

All in all it was a fun party.  No pics of Pete since his flip was on the Upper C.  Maybe next year.
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Sugar Plum Restaurant - Idaho Springs
August 01, 20100 Comments
So after I picked Pete up from the airport, last Sunday, we decided it was time to hit up this little restaurant that we've been wanting to try since we moved here.  It's hard to eat out here since there really isn't a schedule as to when places will be open.  Especially the smaller ones.

Anyway I only could get one shot since you aren't allowed to have your cells on.  The woman who runs the place has a pacemaker so I'd rather just shut it off than have something happen.  I just wish they had a sign up because we sat there for about 20 minutes before she told us. 

It's like having a meal in someone's living room cause I think that's what it used to be.  She was super nice and we can't wait to go back to try the ice cream & desserts.  A table near us ordered the cherry pie and almost swooned.  Pete was trying to get me to try it but I was already stuffed and he wouldn't share it with me.  Oh well, just another reason to head over there and stimulate the local economy.
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Animal Look Alikes
August 01, 20100 Comments
Pete and I have been getting the local papers a lot lately and they had an animal section where I found pictures of my mom's cats!  It looks like pictures I've taken of them myself. 

I had to use my cell to get a copy of these from the paper so the quality isn't the best but hopefully anyone who knows these crazy cats can see the similarities. 

Tiger

Siatai

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Chana Saag
August 01, 20100 Comments
A dish that reminds me so much of NY.  It was one of my favorite places to eat out, Indian restaurants are so much fun.  Mine is no where as good as ANY place on 6th St in Manhattan but it's a pretty close 2nd.  Now all I need to do is make my own Naan.  Hopefully the first house we move into will have a bread oven built in the kitchen.  A girl can dream right?
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Chocolate Chip Cookies
August 01, 20100 Comments
Just another round of Chocolate Chip cookies.  I think I'm finally getting how to bake in the altitude here.  Lets hope it goes good when they are made from scratch. 

Here they are cooling on the racks, I have to say I didn't think I'd use them as much as I do but they always come in handy.

Final Product, Who doesn't love Chocolate Chip Cookies?

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Turkey Chili with Breadstix
August 01, 20100 Comments
Nothing fancy but I had enough to freeze for at least 3 more meals.  I love it when I can do that!
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Healthy Eggs
August 01, 20100 Comments
One of my favorite things to have for breakfast, Eggs with Sauteed Onions & Salad
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Chicken Two Ways
August 01, 20100 Comments
I really wanted to make some chicken in the oven while we were having a bit of a cold snap here so I decided to roast it with some veggies.  The picture really didn't come out very well and I think you could tell how hungry I was, otherwise I would have taken my time. 


For lunch the next day I shredded a leftover piece and had it on toasted whole grain bread with some of my 'Luger Sauce'
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Wraps with Saffron Rice & Beans
August 01, 20100 Comments
I've been really slacking on the food posts so I'll pulling some of my older pics so you can see what we've been eating. 

As usual I made my beans with what I think are standard ingredients.  People in the mountains have never heard of Goya which blows my mind. 

I think this is a great summer dinner since I like to pack the wraps with tons of veggies.  You only need to turn the stove on to heat up the beans.  I make all my rice in the cooker we got for our wedding.  Makes everything so much easier.

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Look at those shoes
August 01, 20100 Comments
Now I can rock a pair of heels with the best of them (Who am I kidding, anyone who knows me knows I'll fall at least once during a night out) but these are just too extreme for me.

I have seen her take a nasty spill in these and it must be really hard to escape from the paps in them. 
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X Games - Day 3
August 01, 20100 Comments
What was up with the Rally race last night?  They had the running order wrong the whole time and I'm pretty sure that they waved the flag a lap early.  Here is a replay.

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Want Elvis' piano?
August 01, 20100 Comments

On August 14th Heritage Auctions' will be holding an Elvis Presley Auction at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN.  

His White Kanbe Grand Piano is being auctioned and is expected to sell for around 1 million dollars.  I would love to get my hands on the original 1955 RCA contract.  That would be an awesome addition to our studio.  I'll have to check after the auction to see how much it went for. 

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Unholy Matrimony at Ozzfest
August 01, 20100 Comments

Ozzfest is offering the “Unholy Matrimony” wedding package, which will allow couples to tie the knot at the heavy metal festival.

So what's included in this package you might be asking....
'As with other wedding packages, the one-stop Unholy Matrimony Packages provides just about everything the happy couple will need…except a marriage license,  Each special package includes a variety of items to mark the special day and 10 general admission pit tickets for the bride & groom and 8 guests; an official Ozzfest wedding ceremony by ordained minister, Ozzfest’s MC Big Dave; an Ozzfest cake and champagne toast.'

Now if Ozzy was doing the ceremony maybe I would consider doing it that way.  All these cool weddings pop up after we already did ours the traditional way.  
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Oakland loves its weed
August 01, 20100 Comments
 Oakland, CA is set to be the first city to authorize large-scale industrial cultivation of marijuana.  The city council approved a license for four factories that would grow and package the drug for medical use!  The facilities would not be limited in size, but would be heavily taxed and regulated.  It will be bringing a lot of jobs to the area but could you imagine telling someone you worked at a weed factory?
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Beer from a Dead Squirrel
August 01, 20100 Comments
This is really gross!  This is from a Village Voice article that I read.

'Scottish brewers have released a new, 55 percent alcohol version -- that's much stronger than most spirits -- called the End of History, and yes, you can get yours stuffed into a dead squirrel or stoat.


The squirrel version will run you £700, the stoat £500, all for the illusion that your ludicrously strong brew is being vomited up by a rodent. As for that beer, it's supposedly a blond, Belgian-style ale, but it's unlikely that you'd be able to taste much aside from the alcohol'
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Another Cover for Victoria Beckham
August 01, 20100 Comments
Victoria Beckham did a shoot recently for Turkish Vogue and the pictures came out amazing.  I don't think I've ever seen a shot of here where she doesn't look stunning.  

Here is the cover

And this was my favorite from the whole shoot. 

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That's one hell of a sports bra
August 01, 20100 Comments
Bodyrock Sport & Jeweler Joseph Knight have teamed up to design the most expensive sports bra in the world, The Trenta Bra.  One can be yours for only $1,850.



Here is the websites item description:
Attached to this uber stylish sports bra is a gunmetal sterling silver bracelet and necklace from K&H's Trenta collection. The jewelry is removable and can be worn as a necklace with bracelet or as a long necklace. There is gunmetal burnout fabric used on the sides of the bra, which adds ventilation and chicness.
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Yoko fights for John
August 01, 20100 Comments

This week Mark David Chapman, the man that shot John Lennon, will be up for his 6th parole hearing on his 20 to life prison term.  Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, is fighting to keep him behind bars. 

In a letter she sent to the parole board she is quoted as saying:
'"I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again. Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives."

They should just keep him locked up for life.  Isn't that what's supposed to happen when you kill rock royalty?
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Lil Jon Takes over the TMZ Newsroom
Street Ball
August 01, 20100 Comments
Here is some footage of Football star, T.O, getting dunked on at the Entertainers Basketball Classic at Rucker Park.

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This is why you shouldn't drink and ride
I need this dog!
August 01, 20100 Comments
Who wouldn't rather have their dog cut the grass?

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@way2themes