Moonlit Hike up Buttermilk

I am so sorry it has been so long since I have posted! I rarely get on my computer anymore, as my days are filled with skiing and work, or skiing and socializing and being outside. But I have found a relaxing Monday evening to update you on my most recent adventure. A hike up Buttermilk Mountain at 9pm under the full moon last Thursday.

Every month on the night of the full moon, people hike up Buttermilk and have a bonfire and party on top. Obviously we had to partake this month, and I conveniently requested that night off from work. So Callie (who was visiting for spring break!) and I met my friends at the West Buttermilk parking lot, just a bit up the mountain so the hike would be 1 hour as opposed to 2 hours. We strapped our skis into little backpacks, swung them on our backs, and stomped up the mountain in our ski boots, poles in hand. Miss baller Callie took a sled. It was quite a grind. Up and up and only up. But boy was it beautiful! It was a clear night, the stars were out, and the moon was a spotlight leading the way.



















After an hour of huffing and puffing and struggling to find enough oxygen, we made it to a warming hut. Some people stopped there, but most dropped their skis and kept going for another 20 minutes to the very top. Once we got there, the bonfires started and the beer cans popped open. It was a wilderness party under the stars, overlooking the mountains and valleys. How perfect is that?!










After star gazing, chatting, and a couple cocktails, it was time to ski down. At 2am, we tumbled down the hill to our skis, clicked in, and rode down (all green trails by the way). What an Aspen tradition!

Polo Player Paradise

I don't know much about horse polo, but Harmony is quite the fanatic. However, hard to know if the interest is in the sport, the horses, or the polo players?

Regardless, we definitely attended the annual Aspen Snow Polo Championship last week. It was held in Marolt Park, just outside town. When we got there, we immediately noticed the insane amount of attractive men there. Polo players, polo fans, family members, models, you name it.

We walked through the tented area to see the horses, and a photographer from Florida stopped us. We became her models, holding up merchandise and posing with polo players. Obvi, we were not complaining one bit.

On our way back to the tent (rather the bar), we saw Nacho Figueras, a very famous Argentinian polo player who models for Ralph Lauren. Harmony went crazy since she knew who he was. Then I laid eyes on him...too bad he's married.

Then we saw Nick Roldan, another very well known polo player and model from Palm Beach, Florida. We all went crazy (of course staying composed). Let's just say we were amongst 2 of polo's 10 hottest horseman. NBD.

During our long conversation with Nick, he invited us to their party at the St. Regis hotel that night. That just tipped the excitement overboard. Party with the polo players too?! What a day. This Aspen adventure is far beyond what I imagined.

Ski Season Starts!

We may not have much snow, but 3 of the 4 mountains in Aspen are (partially) open now! I have been up 5 days so far, about 3 days more than the number of ski days I got in each of the past 4 seasons. I think that is a pretty good start! The first ski day was on Snowmass, a 30 minute bus ride from Aspen. Then Aspen Mountain opened, and my life changed. It is just so convenient to take a 5 minute bus ride to the gondola and head on up to 11,000 feet.

If you were not already aware, living at the base of the mountain is AWESOME. On work days, I can catch a 9 or 10am gondola, ski for 3 hours, go home and shower, then clock in at 3. It is such a perfect schedule. I am SPOILED.

The views coming down the mountain are breathtaking. You look out on town and the snow-capped 14'ers. It is especially incredible on the blue-bird sky days, which are pretty easy to come by out here. The goggle tan is coming along great.


















Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Thanksgiving!!!

As my favorite holiday approached, I was worried it was going to be really hard to be away from home and family on Thanksgiving. I was sad at the thought of not cooking all day, sitting around a big table, and being surrounded by my loved ones. I dreaded the fact that I had to work.

Luckily, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and my day off, I was invited to a big Thanksgiving potluck hosted by some of the chefs from the restaurant I work at. Lots of Little Nell employees came bearing a unique dish. There were dishes ranging from dolmadas, green chile sour cream dip, and onion quiche, to the more traditional mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, turkey, and stuffing.


Harmony and I got there early and got to witness the highlight of the evening: frying a turkey. A couple chefs set up a portable burner in the driveway with a largest pot of oil I have ever seen on top. Once the vegetable oil got hot enough, it was time to drop the turkey in. Suspended by a coat hanger that was attached to a ski pole, 2 chefs lowered a very large bird into the pot to sizzle. It was a success!

And yes, there was blackened turkey. One of the chefs brought it in and scared everyone away. But as 7pm approached and plates became overrated, we were curious and dug in like vultures. It was the best turkey I have ever had! Juicy, smokey, and so tender. It tasted so good off my fingers too. It was incredible!

Harmony and I brought a chocolate pecan pie for dessert. There was so much food, no one had room for pie so we ended up taking home the entire thing. I guess I got some leftovers!

So it was a different Thanksgiving, but a good one. I was surrounded by new friends, good food, and lots of happiness. I think being away from home for this holiday season will be okay after all, starting new traditions and having adventures. Aspen is great.

Happy holidays everyone!

Cheesy Mac Attack

The cheeses

I am obsessed with cheese. It is my favorite food, closely trailing behind chocolate. And I am not talking sliced swiss cheese in the deli section at the supermarket, or pre-shredded parmesan from Private Selection. I am all about the buttery brie, tangy manchego, nutty gruyere, and creamy herbed goat cheese. The list could go on and on. Since Harmony shares a love of cheese with me, we made the cheesiest dish possible for dinner one night, the ultimate macaroni and cheese.

Don't worry, we got our veggies in, too!

The recipe we used uses a cheese base of mascarpone (Italian cream cheese) and parmesan. Then of course there is butter, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and elbow macaroni. For variations, the recipe recommended adding gorgonzola, fresh mozzarella, or taleggio cheese. I went for aromatic gorgonzola. Or follow in Harmony's wise footsteps and add gruyere. Which ever you choose, I guarantee it will be spectacular.

Before baking

First step is melting the mascarpone, parmesan, and butter, stirring in the milk and seasonings. Meanwhile, cook the macaroni in boiling water until al dente. Combine the two and stir in your additional cheese choice. Pour into a baking dish or individual ramekins. The recipe calls for bread crumbs and cubed butter sprinkled on top, but we thought that was a little overkill. And sprinkling more parmesan and gorgonzola on top wasn't? Of course not! Pop it in the oven, and bake until its golden brown on top.

Out of the oven

This was the best mac and cheese I have ever had. It was rich, creamy, tangy, and salty. Every bite was an explosion of deliciousness in my mouth. It was the kind of dish you cannot stop eating because it was so tasty and comforting. So I didn't stop, until my ramekin was empty. Do not expect to practice self control with such heavenly food. It just is not possible.

Ready to dig in

Here is the exact recipe so you can go whip some up and warm your belly with cheesy delight...

1 pound elbow macaroni
8 ounces mascarpone
1 cup tightly packed grated parmesan cheese, plus 1/2 cup for topping
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
Course salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper
(1/2 cup breadcrumbs)
(cubed butter)

For variations add one of the following:
1 cup basic tomato sauce
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup taleggio, broken into small pieces
OR just forget about the measurements and add as much cheese as your heart desires!

Enjoy :)

American Lake Trail

We have reached the point of no return. The snow is actively falling every couple of days, and is here to stay. Just before all of the streets, sidewalks, and trails were covered in snow, we got one last big hike in. Heading up toward the Cathedral Lake hike we did, we took an earlier turn off of Castle Creek Road. The Audi was not very happy with us, bottoming out multiple times down the 3 miles of very rocky and bumpy dirt road to the trailhead.

The trail was another out and back, straight up straight down. It certainly is nice getting the hardest part done first. The scenery was, once again, beautiful. The Aspen trees have lost their leaves, but the white bark was glowing in the sun light, brightening up the forested area. It was a single file kind of trail, and I was obviously pulling up the rear trying to keep up with my speedy friend. Not to mention, snapping photos with the new SLR held me up a bit.

Still huffing and puffing, we made it to the top. Another 2,000 foot gain, reaching a final elevation of 11,370. Can we call ourselves studs yet? Because it felt pretty studly. The views were mostly limited to forested ridges, brown shrubbery, and ivory trunks. It did not seem like a path leading to a lake. A little over an hour in, we started thinking to ourselves "did we take a wrong turn? Where could a lake possibly be tucked away back here?" Sure enough, 15 minutes later we found it. And it was most definitely tucked away. Another little emerald gem hidden in the Rockies.













We soaked up the sun, caught our breath, and got lost in thought while admiring where we were. We live in the most beautiful place, and it is so much fun to explore and find all of these different spots. There is always another one to see. Life is exciting and invigorating out here in Aspen.

We had a little lunch, sharing it with two new friends we met up there. Although they weren't huge talkers. They were much more interested our sandwiches and mixed nuts. Then it was 3.2 miles back down the hill, just in time to go home and nap!




On our way down, we ran into a women who was in our cooking class. Aspen is a very small town, and we are starting to see many familiar faces as we walk down the street, and apparently in the middle of the woods outside of town, too! It is starting to feel a bit more like home, a bit more comfortable. But not quite real, my life feels like vacation everyday! So rough.

Pumpkin Carving and Cooking

After weeks of talking about carving pumpkins and making the pumpkin soup on the cover of Sunset Magazine, we finally made the day dedicated to pumpkin happen. 


By the time I finished free handing (or free-carving) a cat face, resembling my furry friends at my house here, Harmony just found a winking pumpkin face on her phone. As she worked on her replica, I seasoned some pumpkin seeds with creole cajun seasoning, salt, and olive oil and popped them in a 300 degree oven until crispy. All in prep for our pumpkin seed-mint pesto for later. We were pretty excited.



Later on, we collected the rest of the ingredients for our soup:


SOUP:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 4 1/2 cups peeled, 1-in. chunks pumpkin or other orange-fleshed squash (from a 2 1/2-lb. squash)
• 4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

PESTO

• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, plus slivered leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds

• PREPARATION:
• Make soup: Sauté onion and ginger in oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until golden, 5 minutes. Add garlic and coriander and cook until softened, 1 minute, then add pumpkin, broth, salt, and pepper. Simmer, covered, until pumpkin is very tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Purée in batches in a blender until very smooth.
• Make pesto: Pound garlic, whole mint leaves, salt, and 1 tbsp. oil in a mortar into a coarse paste (or use a food processor). Add remaining oil and pumpkin seeds and pound until coarsely crushed.
• Drop small spoonfuls of pesto over bowls of soup, garnish with slivered mint, and serve remaining pesto on the side.

We sat down to a candle-lit table, and enjoyed our delicious spiced pumpkin soup. We spooned the soup into bowls, then garnished it with our pesto sauce and roasted pumpkin seeds. The soup was smooth and thick, with a perfect cinnamon and ginger bite. The pesto added a little tang, gave it some zesty excitement. The pumpkin seeds gave it a fun crunch, making our meal more interesting than a puree diet. It was delicious!!! And a great start to Halloween week, and the fast approaching holiday season. 

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