Tag Archives: dinner

It’s a $10 million home…

… and I still have a few issues with it! We went on a home tour today and I only saw two, the first was 5,000 sf and the second a ski-in, ski-out 10,000 sf on the Canyons Resort. This is a designer’s showcase and the first one we saw was sold. The second is for sale with designer furnishings. Both were lovely.

To live out here with a heated roof and garage and driveway… that’s the way to do it. Now how do we get the $10 million? Different countertops in each bath, onyx or fossilized marble or granite. Put up your skis and boots and come in where at least ten people can take a steam shower. And there’s ski storage inside in two places (in-season and off-season) plus three front-loading washers and dryers, two pair on the living level and one pair downstairs for ski gear.

The kitchen was amazing. We were at least at 8,000 feet above sea level. We stopped on the way out of this private complex of multi-million dollar homes to take a photo and Jim’s mother (his mom and dad are visiting from TX for a week) said she thought someone was burning something. I said that was the brakes on our AWD vehicle!

Friends are driving into town tomorrow so I’m meeting them for lunch. Jim and his folks will continue the tour or go to Park Silly market first. It’s good that he also has some quality time to spend with them without me. We’re having a good time together. It’s always good to see them when they’re “off” work, really off work. His dad still sits on the corner of the sofa and reads a book. Mom is more animated and likes hanging out and wants to help but I haven’t let her so so much as she’s on vacation! Dad’s off the ranch and can’t do anything with the cattle but call the guy who’s helping out for a few days. The guy’s in his 80′s and they’ve been friends for probably 40 years so what can they talk about that hasn’t been talked about in that time?

Jim and I’ve been married near 7 years and while new things come up, new jobs and moves and issues, the old stories remain the old stories! I wouldn’t trust him to take care of this place when I was away. He’d go back to clean pile, dirty pile for laundry and he’s good at taking the dog out but I’d definitely have to get a maid and he’d run up some restaurant bills, to be sure.

So we came back to our probably 1,300 sf townhome happy to be where we are and hope we can stay a while. So what if the hot tub is 18″ from a public pathway. We had it drained. Oh, there was a nice one that the skiers schuss through on the deck of the $10 mil home but those skiers don’t stop to tell the residents “You’re planting those herbs too soon, it’s going to freeze!” and all the other unsolicited advice we’ve received over the last five months.

I cooked a nice simple dinner that you’ve heard before. Baked chicken breasts dipped in milk, flour, egg and panko crumbs. Loaded baked potatoes, and sliced cluster tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried basil.

I couldn’t take pictures of stuff. We have guests and the counter is not quite camera-ready. Hope you’re cooking away and having a marvelous weekend. Cheers, Dee

El Paso II

My hombre braved the big mall and crowds and traffic, just to make it to the Apple Store to buy new video software. En route home I asked him to stop at the store and pick up milk and honey. He called from the store.

That was the first time he left home today, nearing 5:00 p.m. Three things I asked him to do today: replace a pendant light bulb I really need to cook by (and I had one on hand) that I couldn’t reach; walk the dog; and go to the store for two things.

Upon returning he walked the dog and stepped in a dog mess because there have been no bags out here or irresponsible owners or holiday caretakers don’t give a darn about picking up after their pooches. That really irks me, that people don’t pick up. He’s just had me wash everything he was wearing (yes, Val the Vet) and just took a 30-minute shower while dinner is in the oven.

I really don’t want to write something nasty about all of the people who make our lofts work, but so many things were left undone before they took off for the holidays. Simple things like doggie bags and paper towels and toilet paper for residents and their guests during a long weekend, in the public areas.

This is our second Christmas here, out of five. During the latter portion of the week, we basically were meringue mushrooms sitting on a chocolate hazelnut buttercream yule log cake, so far. Now we have a weekend but are still getting over this cold we got from different places starting at Thanksgiving. Personally, I’m working on pneumonia and am sitting up, here, in the middle of the night so as not to fill my lungs with fluid. ‘Tis time for drastic measures, Whole Foods beckons for Wellness Formula.

Even though this is a semi-transient locale, some of us actually stay here for the holidays. I’m even learning how to make latkes. So we need the people we pay to prep this place when they close things down.

Anyway, my cowboy Knight in Shining Armor took a bullet tonight. He’s picked right up and started all over again and looks forward to dinner. Yes, this man in near middle age has never changed a diaper in his life. I’ve done at least a few hundred. Icky stuff is out there. Cowboys deal with the situation, make their peace and go on with life.

Hopefully my Jim will be able to, as all he did was essentially step in a dog patty (and he grew up on a dairy), grow from this experience and see what mothers and cooks and veterinarians and nurses and others go through every day, without whining.

Yes, he’ll get a good dinner this evening: ham with grainy mustard and honey; scalloped potatoes and a salad. And we care for all the people who make our lives easier, pleasant and interesting. Hope you enjoyed the sales today – I stayed away. Dee

ps He’s watching Alton Brown on dips, loves the science of it, not the cooking. OK, he’s redeemed, except he did wash his leather driving shoes in the shower and they may never recover. D

Date with a Car

I had a date with a car today, a Honda Pilot. Then I saw I Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Veracruz and a Saab, all sport utilities.

Yes, early weekend traffic was intense so I got there about six minutes late but the dealer I had the appointment with came out and said he was on the phone with a client and would get back to me ten or more minutes later. The car I wanted to check out was on the showroom floor so I didn’t get to drive it. Then because I’m a woman, alone, he tried to make me apply for financing. No way, dude. I’m not falling for this. We’ll arrange financing then choose a car we can live with for the next ten years.

I need meat for dinner, perhaps I can finagle something. Plus a nice Romaine salad, maybe hard-cooked eggs. Fried green tomatoes and I’m going to look up a beer batter for them as I’m still trying to get rid of the beer we bought for July 4 guests, and using one on my hair is the last possibility. Cheese (Cabot cheddar). I think we’ll have bacon-cheese pitas in the oven as the bacon is deep applewood smoked from the butcher counter.

So I think we’re set for dinner. There’s a music festival down the street this weekend, along with Hurricane Gustav. Remember when they named all hurricanes for women? Now they alternate but are only using foreign names (Edouard? Gustav?) Sounds like my family has something out for the Gulf coast. Dee

Care to Spin the Wheel?

Feels like Vegas. As job offers begin to roll in we need to decide what part of the country we’ll be living in, in less than two weeks. Roll the dice, spin the wheel, we’ll go where we’ll go.

I haven’t packed a thing yet or started throwing away any paper (cooking magazines, etc) I manage to collect on any horizontal surface to Jim’s chagrin.

We had a nice evening capped off by dinner at a local Mexican eatery where the spinach enchiladas were very tasty. Tomorrow we’re having a friend and perhaps Zoe’s sister dog (who locals named Zoe II for there was already our Zoe living here) over for dinner.

Hopefully a last quiet weekend, the calm before the storm. Actually we did quite well in Vegas, our brief honeymoon destination. We walked the Strip and put a quarter in every hotel’s slot machine. Spent $4 total and ended up with $6. Not bad! It was quite hot out so we spent the winnings on bottled water.

Curveballs

We were thrown one yesterday. A doozie that will take some time to sort out. It may take some time off our blog and I don’t want to disappoint 75-125 per day who take the time to visit. So I may do one post a day but it’s a great stress-reducer and I can’t believe I like it so much – over 1,200 hits in three weeks! Keep reading!

I love my husband, extended family, friends and our dog. Cooking for them is a pleasure, a joy (dog gets terrific healthy food without me cooking). Now I can add blogging to my list, thanks to you.

Tonight I made Jim a huge NY strip steak while I had sweet Italian Sausage. Both of us had sliced cluster tomataoes and frozen french fries. It was good, not very inventive or time-intensive but it’s one night.

Some interesting things happened today aside from cooking. A certain type of park opened across the street recently and the first thing that happened is that the no parking signs went missing. We contacted the Mayor and today ten new signs are out and we have a two-way street again.

The pyro folks showed up for the largest land-based fireworks show in the USA and the producer called out my dog’s name from afar, even though we only met a few times last year. We always look forward to July 4th and family and friends try to visit because we’re right in the middle of it! I only make 5-6 dishes now and order the smoked brisket, ribs and chicken from a local BBQ joint and heat things up prior to serving.

Hope you’re enjoying the first day of summer and having fun on vacation and at home with the kids. Dee