use real butter

I had my last radiation treatment yesterday afternoon (Wednesday)!!! Sweeeet.

Surgery: check.
Chemo-frakking-therapy: check.
Radiation: check.

Unlike chemo, radiation is a big lounge scene. I love my radiation techs and because it’s a daily thing, you really get to know the other radiation patients scheduled around your time slot. Last week, one of my favorite patients, Glenda, finished her treatments and I baked up a batch of cookies for her and everyone else. The waiting room is more like a living room for social visits (except half of us are in gowns - people are so used to stripping down at the drop of a hat for radiation). So when I walked in yesterday afternoon with a batch of baklava, I saw the usual crowd… AND Glenda. “What on Earth are you doing here?” I asked her. She told me she called to find out when my last day was and came just to see me. And she had brought me a rose. What a sweetheart.

small gestures, big heart

She gave me a hug and kiss and wished me well. I knew what she meant. When cancer patients say good-bye to one another and wish each other well it’s not the normal “kayseeyabye” that people litter mindless conversation with. No, what we’re really saying is, “I hope that fucking cancer stays away forever and ever. I wish that you never have to do this again. I want you to live and I want you to live happily. I want you to live without pain, without fear.” You can see what they mean when you look in their eyes and you know what they are saying because you are saying the exact same thing back to them. The embrace lingers longer than usual because maybe holding on to each other will help us through it better?

It’s a fraternity that I never wanted to be a part of, but had no choice in the matter. Once in it, I fended off the hazing ritual of pink ribbons and yellow wristbands the way I squirmed out from under pretty dresses and bows as a little kid. I didn’t want to be a cancer victim because I Am Not A Victim. What I didn’t realize what that I would be meeting so many wonderful individuals during this journey, not just patients, but doctors and nurses and techs and staff. The active treatment is over now. One more milestone on this long path to I Have No Idea Where, but I’ll tell you what - I will make the best of it.

Our house is stocked to the hilt with fresh fruit. I went nutso crazy on the fruit shopping the other day because despite my love of winter (ahhhh, triggered memories of tele skiing the fluffy pow!) I am a summer produce whore.

fresh figs are here!

nothing better than a perfectly ripe, drippy, messy, luscious white peach

It’s a bit of a task to stuff yourself with as much fruit as possible before it rots. I’m beginning to feel like a fruit roll up extruder. ha! Oh, but we don’t stop with teh lovely fruits. Summer produce includes vegetables too. One of my favorites: corn.

puppy likes corn

We typically boil our corn, but recently I began grilling corn. I think I’m addicted to grilled food this season. Could it be some primitive attraction to fire? or perhaps the aversion to oven and stove usage? or the easy cleanup? Grilled corn gives those delectable kernels that extra dimension of chewy sweetness with a hint of smoky (sometimes a lot of smoky when we forget to turn the cobs). I tend to like my corn nekked, as in no butter, no salt. Nada, Tostada… But recently I was turned on to one of the loveliest pairings in the food world: lime and corn.

here’s the lime

Actually it is lime, corn, and chili with butter as the rug that ties the room together. It is a fairly simple recipe requiring a smidgen of work and patience.

fo shiz, baby!

Strip the outer leaves of the husk off and then peel back the rest of the husk without detaching so you can remove the silk from the corn. Then cover the cob back up with the husk and soak in water for 30 minutes. While all of that is soaking, I melt some butter and then toss in the lime juice and chili powder.

best not to wear a white t-shirt when making this

After the corn has soaked long enough, I like to pat the insides dry before applying the butter mixture. The husks get a little curly and are a pain to fold back around the corn entirely. Well, those little buggers are gonna burn anyway… Expect your hands to look as if you just murdered a piece of carne asada.

apply the goodness to the cob

Grilling time is going to vary depending on how you like your corn. Less time for tender and plump, a little more time if you like the kernels slightly chewy and charred. If you have a grill that heats unevenly like ours, you can have both on one cob!

yes please

Grilled Chili-Lime Corn

8 ears of corn
1/4 cup butter
1 lime, juice of
1 tsp chili powder

Remove the outer husk of each ear and peel back the inner husk. Remove the silks and fold the inner husks back up. Soak the ears in twater for 30 minutes. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in the lime juice and the chili powder. Pat the ears dry. Pull the inner husk back and brush butter onto the corn. Cover with the husks and twist the tops. Grill on medium-high heat for 15-25 minutes (depending on desired doneness), turning often. Serve hot.

This past Saturday marked three years since we moved to Colorado. In celebration, we did nothing. We celebrate living here every day, folks. As if the ski and flower porn weren’t enough to convince you of how much we love it… Actually we did something this weekend, but it had nothing to do with the 3-year mark and everything to do with the summer bloom in the mountains.

yeah, puppy came along too

Talk to people around Colorado and many of them will swoon when you say the words Crested Butte. The skiing is phenomenal, the mountain biking world class, the wildflowers are some of the best in the country. The mountains and forests will take your breath away with dramatic expanses of wilderness in every direction. The town is charming, quaint and high end. Everyone has their reason for loving Crested Butte. It’s also a favorite for nature photographers.

poor air quality due to a wildfire 30 miles away

I called this trip a vacay in the previous post, but it was really work. Anytime I plan to actively shoot it becomes work. We woke up at 4 am in the mornings and weren’t done shooting until after 9 pm (and driving past 10 pm). It’s all dictated by the light and we were exhausted when we got home today. Jeremy commented that he gets much more sleep when I shoot the fall colors ;) True dat.

flowers abound

Probably not a one of you would have considered this a relaxing trip. It wasn’t relaxing, but it was rewarding.

So I have another savory recipe in my archives here… It’s a good recipe because it has bacon in it. Precious, lovely, beautiful bacon. I always double the recipe because it actually tastes better the next day after the flavors have had 24 hours to blend together, but we’re too impatient to wait that long when it comes out of the oven smelling like the dinner you so want to eat.

cutting the shortening

pressed pie crust dough

While I abhor those pre-made pie crusts you can buy at the store, I am just about the laziest pie crust maker ever. I probably overmix my dough and it’s too crumby and not flaky enough. Maybe one day when I start to care, I’ll start to improve my technique. I guess I just add more bacon to the filling, because bacon masks any deficiencies in a quiche.

mixing milk, eggs, and the goodies

toss the gruyère with flour

The gruyère adds a lovely dimension to the flavors. I used to use any old Swiss cheese when I first starting baking quiche. Then one night I had leftover gruyère from a party and used that instead. We have never looked back.

fill the pie shells

baked and ready to serve

The biggest problem I have with serving quiche right out of the oven is the ooze factor. You know what I’m talking about - cut one slice and the rest of the quiche seems to slo-mo vomit into the space you just vacated. This last time I made the quiche, it came out of the oven and we rushed off to… shoot some wildflowers. We were back within 20 minutes, but that 20 minutes of rest time for the quiche set it up nicely and no one was vomiting anything after the initial slice. Nice.

perfect with some salad on the side

Quiche

1 pie crust
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 medium onion, minced and sautéed
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 head broccoli, chopped and blanched
1 1/2 cups gruyère, shredded
1 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt

pie crust
from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening or lard
3-4 tbsp cold water

Mix together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening until it is in pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of water over the mixture and toss with fork. Repeat until all is moistened and form dough into a ball. Roll dough out on lightly floured surface, rolling from center to edges until about 12 inches in diameter. Press and form into a 9-inch pie plate.

Quiche: Line the pie crust with foil and bake at 450°F for 5 minutes. Bake another 5-7 minutes with the foil off. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 325°F. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, onion, bacon, broccoli, muhsrooms, and salt. In a separate bowl, toss the cheese and flour together. Add the cheese to the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into pie crust and bake 35-40 minutes. Let quiche rest out of the oven for 15 minutes before serving. The flavor really improves if eaten the next day (which is why I make two quiches at a time).

A yellow dusting of pine pollen appeared on *everything* just two days ago. Pine tree sex has begun in earnest. Before long, nothing that remains outside will be safe from a plastering of yellow pollen - NOTHING! I don’t mind the pollen powder getting all over the place as long as I don’t think of it as a major orgy going on in my yard… But it does wreak havoc on my allergies. It didn’t seem to bother Kaweah much while she sprawled out on the deck this afternoon.

what, is there something on my face?

We were all chilling out on the deck this afternoon because our second visitor P.C. (post chemo) arrived at noon. My dear friend was in the state for a wedding and dropped by our mountain abode for lunch and a short stroll before flying home. Neither of us considers ourself to be an emotional creature, but we could not help a few tears when we greeted and embraced.

a lovely friend on a lovely day

I prepared a simple, yet incredibly satisfying and happy-making menu for this, the second day of summer. It was almost as delightful as the company!


orange and toasted almond salad with citrus dressing
grilled asparagus
yukon gold potato galette
grilled marinated flank steak
lychee panna cotta

salad

yukon gold potato galette with gruyère, parmesan, and shallots

slicing the flank steak

After lunch we went for a quick walk on a local trail to drink in the burst of blooming wildflowers and the lush forest and understory. The bloom is in full swing at our house elevation and we loved it! We also happened upon the mystery flower from the last post (I know it’s been driving poor Diane crazy). I think I’ve identified it now.

anemone multifida: ranunculaceae (buttercup family)

drummond’s rockcress

gorgeous green gentian

the tiniest orchid, a spotted coral root

i love aspen stands throughout the year

not a fan of the color orange, but i love orange wildflowers

Clouds had moved in and made for very pleasant walking conditions, adding a light and cool breeze. That is my kind of weather, and E was happy to have a break from the heat since she lives in So Cal. I missed an opportunity to shoot a red-winged blackbird (with my camera) because Kaweah was acting up…

finishing off the dandelion

e and the blinker

Once back at the house, we had enough time left to indulge in little shots of lychee panna cotta (recipe to come later). I won’t go on and on about what a phenomenal, brilliant, adventurous, creative, kind, deep, and utterly hilarious woman E is, because it will just make you sad that she’s not a part of your life ;) We had such a wonderful 4-hour visit with her. She is one special chica.

The recipe for the marinated flank steak is super duper easy and mucho mas mejor rico (delicious)! Another keeper I got from my ILs… along with my guy. If you have 24 hours to let it marinate in the refrigerator, you have the makings of a Great Meal.

i recommend fresh lemon juice and parsley

flank steak is a great cut for grilling

I like to drop the flank steak and all of the marinade ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag. It is a more efficient way to marinate and it takes up less space in my refrigerator where real estate is at a premium in the summer!

piling everything into the ziploc

After 24 hours of sitting happily with the likes of soy sauce, mustard, lemon juice, parsley, and other friends - the flank steak is ready for the grill. While it grills, I like to pour the marinade into a pot and bring it to a boil. I stir up some cornstarch and water to add and thicken it into a lovely sauce. If I weren’t so lazy, I’d make a small amount of roux for thickening… but I get lazy at times.

let the flank steak rest a few minutes before slicing

slice and serve to the adoring applause of your guests

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

1-2 lb. flank steak
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag and marinate for 8-24 hours in refrigerator. Grill the steak on high heat to desired doneness (we find 3-4 minutes a side gives us a nice medium rare to rare color). Pour the marinade into a pot and bring to boil. Thicken the marinade by adding 1 tsp of cornstarch mixed with a tbsp of water. Once sauce is bubbling, remove from heat. Let the flank steak rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain. Serve the flank steak with the sauce.