WATER FOR THE WORLD

I know the average human body is around 50% to 65% water. I know life as it is wouldn’t exist without water. Moreover, I know billions, yes, billions of people have no access to water or get contaminated water, some have to walk miles under the sun to get the vital liquid or have to pay ridiculous amounts of money to be able to drink potable water, and when I take showers until my fingers are wrinkle like  grandma hands or when I open the faucet and let the water run while washing the dishes I feel guilty taking for grated such a precious treasure, however I still do it. How is that possible?

For all these reasons and because I want to change my approach to this problem I can't wait to enjoy the FESTIVAL FOR THE WATER.

This amazing WATER celebration and awareness festival presented by Water for the People and the AWWA (American Water Works Association) will not just bring tons of fantastic music but will help all of us to find a way to be conscious about the water crisis and how to take action to help the planet to surpass this difficult situation.

On June 9th the Civic Center Park will become a Nationwide focal point on this issue. Local bands The Motet and Broken Tongues, as well as New Orleans Brass Funk Rock band Bonerama will be performing while some of the most recognizable Food Trucks in town will delight everyone with their delicacies donating 10% of all sales to the cause.

MICHELANGELO IS IN TOWN.

 

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If all you know about Michelangelo is that he was the most important Italian renaissance painter and sculptor of all times; with an impressive list of creations from the naked, vulnerable David to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which by the way took 4 years to be painted in very uncomfortable positions for any human body... then you are not doing to bad.

What you might not know is that his success in sculpting human figures with so much muscular precision and sublime beauty came from the studies he made on cadavers with a special permit he got from the Catholic Church. Or that he was a very accomplished poet, yes poet, with more than 300 poems and sonnets, most of them written to a pious widow he was apparently in love with. If you don’t know that he was one of the few artists of his time that had the chance of living to enjoy his fame and wealth and see the publication of two biographies about his life... if you did not know all of that then you need to go to this exhibition Michelangelo at Denver Pavilions. 

The Hump

We live in a society of "closed hearts" is all I could think about on my Saturday morning Yoga class at the Iyengar Yoga center, when we were all struggling to open up our chest by pinching the shoulder blades together as close as possible. As I looked across the room I saw multiple stubborn "humps" on people's back.
Thankfully for all of us this ancient practice is widely available and after trying different styles I finally settled for the Iyengar style, which helps the students better understand their bodies and the habits it has been forced into for years. It is somewhat liberating and "enlightening" to see how far our broken bodies will go if we only dedicate a couple of hours a week to nourishing and strengthening them. Obviously, you can do more than that, but I am just trying to ease you into it.
The Iyengar style is therapeutic yoga, where each movement has a purpose and it is well explained and demonstrated. The use of props, such as blankets, blocks, ropes, belts, chairs, etc, allows each and everyone to achieve the best variation of each pose to fit his/her needs and capabilities. I admire the power of perseverance shown on some of the regular students, who regardless of their physical obstacles, allow themselves to enjoy the practice.
I love the "easy" atmosphere, the welcoming teachers with years of education and experience in this practice and the feeling of peace after each class.

I highly recommend it, whether you live in the city or are just visiting, as it is centrally located on the I-25 and Broadway intersection.
Easy access from the Light Rail Broadway station, lines E, F, H, C, D


By Paula Thomas

The Pork and I

Last weekend was the opening of the summer Farmers market at Old south Pearl and as you should know I simply love going to this market every week.
As I was perusing around I encountered a new vendor Four Sisters Farm, from Hotchkiss CO, these ladies have the goods...Pork! Well, they also have beef, chicken and eggs, but I was pretty stoked to have found a local vendor with organically raised piggy.  
Chatting with them you can sense how well their animals are raised, they explained to me that their pork is not the leaner kind you will find at the grocery store because it has not been genetically altered to be learner, as they said "Our pork is not your other white meat", fine by me!
I dove in head first into their Country Style Ribs, which aren't technically ribs as they come from the top end of the ribs closest to the shoulder or Boston butt. These are bone-in, but many times you will also find them boneless at the store. I personally prefer the bone in because the bone imparts a good amount of flavor.
Another confession is that I am not a grill master, in fact, I never grill! That is "husband territory" and he wasn't around when I was testing the recipe, so I did what I do best, used the oven!
Long ago I had seen Alton Brown make some baby back ribs that looked spectacular and have been wanting to use his techniques as it involves the oven. 
So I did and this is what we had for dinner that night, enjoy!

Country style Pork Ribs

Pink Party

Ahh Rosé! Memories spark every time I have a glass of a perfectly chilled, dry rosé. A wine that has been highly misunderstood due to the popularity of sweet "blush wines" like the unfortunate white zinfandel, which have no resemblance whatsoever with the decidedly dry European rosés.
Walking through the streets of Paris and stopping at one of the multiple cafes for a glass of rosé is a part of every season. I was a bit hesitant to have a cold beverage when I was pretty chilled myself, but to my surprise the very chilly wine became part of the charm of being cold like I have never been before.
Ever since, regardless of the season, I scavenge the wine list of every restaurant for a glass, whether still wine or bubbly.

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Rosé wine is made, mostly,  from red grapes such as Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and other, each of these grapes can be either used alone or in a blend based on their region. Champagne rosé can be made from a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The color is developed by allowing the juice to sit on the skins for a few hours, or sometimes longer, to draw out the amount of color and flavor desire for the specific style of the region or the wine maker. There is also a blending method, red into white, commonly used in champagne.

If you are looking for a versatile food paring wine, you can't go wrong here. This very food friendly wine will set well on a table with guests enjoying fish, steak and a vegetarian meal. Perfect for a hot summer evening, a picnic or barbeque, or even a cold night with a warm bowl of soup.

Summer fun in Denver

White blanket of sparkly snow see you next winter, now it is time to enjoy the blistering heat of the summer season and with it the fabulous events popping up all over town.
Patio parties, street fairs, Art walks, Films on the Rocks, you name it most likely Denver has it.

Here is a list of link to fun things to do this summer:

  Downtown Denver Arts Festival: Come see a big display of local artist in the heart of Downtown Denver - May 24-26

 Old South Gaylord Annual Festival: Music, food, a fun way to celebrate Memorial day weekend - May 26-27

 The Big Eat: an amazing event with 40 restaurants, 4 breweries,
wine and music. A great way to start the summer - May 26

HIGHLANDS the "it" Mix

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When I moved to Denver and I was looking for the perfect neighborhood to live, my real state agent drove me through Highlands. I was very confused about why she was showing me that area which I honestly found, disconcerting. 

But now, I understand reason. .. It was because Highlands is reverberant. The perfect mix between old and new, middle aged cool parents and young hipsters, people from all levels of income and tons of fun every day activities.

It helps as well that as a Latina, I really wanted to be surrounded somehow by “my people” and even though Highlands seems like the new “it” neighborhood, a lot of the population has been there for decades and come from diverse backgrounds, being a great majority Hispanic.

Warm vegetable and Quinoa Salad

An ancient grain forgotten in the Andes mountains for a long time gets a makeover and it is now in almost every restaurant's menu, Quinoa. I first encountered this tiny round goodness in culinary school when taking a Nutritional cooking class years ago, that sentence made me feel old.

Back to the quinoa, we were learning how to create delicious, nutritionally balanced meals and this mysterious grain was one of our go to ingredients. It is very pleasing to see it become part of the shopping list in many households. A great gluten free substitution with a heavy dose of protein for the vegetarian in your life.

Easy to cook and dress, this nutty little treat is great in salads, warm or cold, soups and even cereals.

This recipe is quick, easy and delicious and I hope it gives you an introduction to a long and loving relationship with Quinoa. Enjoy!

Kings of Arabica

A few years ago, when I was still living in Colombia, I took a week long training with the Colombian Coffee National Federation where we learned the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee varietals. During that week we also experienced the different grades of beans and the styles of roast. Arabica coffee is consider the best bean, it is delicate, highly aromatic and it is the bean grown in my beautiful Colombia. I like to compare the production of coffee with the production of wine, or chocolate for that matter. The best beans, or grapes, produce the more distinctive coffee to land product or "terroir" as the french will say, and the roast is the "wine makers touch" the end result is a premium product, be it coffee or wine.
I was quite glad to find a coffee shop here in Denver where the coffee, and its true flavor and nuances, is the main objective, no frills sugary syrups of flavored coffee, which I still can't understand.
The coffee is well balanced, nicely roasted, not too light and definitely not too strong, or almost burnt as many places I had visited.

SOUTH PEARL. DENVER'S LITTLE SECRET.

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These 3 blocks apparently lost in the south of Denver metro area are a gem. South Pearl is an old mom and pop business area that for over a century has revitalized itself every decade. Having, in my opinion, its best era yet to come.

The area is vibrant and full of hipsters who walk their dogs everyday. Don’t think this neighborhood is fun only on weekends; weekdays are always packed with students in the cafes, moms jogging with the strollers, and doggies tied up to light poles waiting for their beloved owner to have a quick bite in one of the multiple restaurants.

ROLLING CAN GET YOU FAR...

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I remember years ago when watching Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, for those too young to know what I am talking about, that is a classic Italian movie that every single person on the planet should watch. In this movie there is a scene where the 2 main characters take a bicycle ride, with a sublime melody as a background...Anyway, I am bringing this up because I fell in love with bicycles that day. I dreamed of biking around like that around my dusty little town. 

In New York going on a bicycle is not the safest, everyone is rushing when they drive and the bike lines are not popular, however I decided to buy a one that I never used.

Canvas and Cocktails

A couple of weeks ago I went with a few friends to Canvas and Cocktails in Cherry Creek. I had no expectations going in,which I believe it helped me see the experience with an open mind.
Yes, I liked it! The place is well set up and conducive to fun.
The front of the store has a small boutique with cloths, hats and other accessories. The bar is located to the right of the entrance and offers wines (glass or bottle) and beer, and on the weekends they also offer Mimosas and Sangria, which I might do with my girlfriends one of these days.

Everyday there are different classes being offered, we went for the Wine Bottle Painting class. I was wondering how that was going to work since I am really not a painter on flat let alone on a round object. The set up is simple and streamline, no confusions here, pick up an apron, collect your paint, go to your table where brushes and water are already set and wait for the class to start.

National Chocolate Chip cookie day!

Yesterday was National Chocolate Chip cookie day, well do I never need an excuse to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and if I did, this is it!
As I started the batch of cookies, I remembered a client who desperately asked why her cookies didn't work in Colorado, but always worked in California where she had lived her whole life. Well is the altitude! I said as we went onto how she could fix her problem.

Many think that pastry chefs have better recipes, I am sorry to burst anybodies bubble, we don't! We do however, have tips that many mistakes have taught us. Here are my non-failure tips to making this cookies at higher altitude:

1- Lets begin with this statement, I, personally, use the Toll House cookie recipe, keeping in mind that it must be adjusted for high altitude. No margarine here, full on butter in these cookies, if you are going to have a sweet little morsel why fill it with transfats?
The recipe call for 2 1/4 cups of flour which i change to 2 1/2, because baking in high altitude requires recipes to have more flour, less leavening agent and lower sugar. Having said that, the baking soda takes a small 1/8 tsp hit from the original 1 tsp, and the sugar lowers just a  tbsp each, brown and white.

SANTA FE FUN

SANTA FE FUN.

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One of my favorite places in Denver is the Santa Fe Arts District. It is fun most of the time, but it becomes a real party every First Friday of the month, when those four blocks full of galleries, shops and restaurants, get packed with vibrant people getting in and out like little ants from one door to the other, seeing art and getting inebriated with ideas of their own. Musicians play in every corner, next to the food trucks that smell like heaven.

An Italian night

Pillowy eggplant stuffed pasta, Halibut and white balsamic caviar, Yes, please! Those were just a couple of the great dishes we enjoyed at Barolo Grill this past weekend. The staff at Barolo never size to impress me, great people to talk to, simply well balanced service and deliciously interesting food.
The cuisine is Piemontese Northern Italian with a modern twist. The ingredients always fresh and delicate, like the spring peas in the Crudo salad and the Ricotta gnocchi, very different flavors both outstanding dishes.

The highlight of the night was having the pleasure to chat with Ryan Fletter, General manager and Wine director, about his upcoming test for The Court of Masters Sommeliers in Aspen, Colorado. The grueling test is the highest certification a sommelier can get and without a doubt one of the most difficult exams in any profession period. Every year many, tireless, study day and night for the gratification of the tittle, Master Sommelier, and an average of only 10% pass.

 There are currently 180 MS (master sommelier) in the world, only 180, a very exclusive title indeed. We are very lucky here in Colorado to have 12 of these amazingly knowledgeable wine professionals and to see their influence on the restaurant scene and the professionals working to make it better everyday. To Mr. Fletter good luck, we are "willing" for you!
To the restaurant keep up the good work! Yum

By Paula Thomas