Pasta with Oyster mushrooms and Beet Greens

As I told you in the last post beets have entered my life and are here to stay!

Having found the most beautiful beets at the farmers markets on Sunday I have been on a "find a way to use beets quest" and my husband seems to be happy with my finds.

For the actual vegetable I made this raw salad which was delicious and very easy. The green tops were so crisp and fresh that I had to find a way to utilize them and what a better way than making a pasta with other vegetables and fresh herbs.

Brown Dog Farm - Golden, CO - Raw beet salad

I have had a couple of busy weeks and there are many topics for the blog so keep tune.
Yesterday, I went back to the market, which I hadn't had a chance to do in a few weeks, and had some great finds.

My favorite was a small vegetable booth from a farm in Golden, Brown Dog Farm. It is sometimes obvious when perusing the market that some of the produce isn't Colorado grown or aren't all that fresh. Reason why I was so impressed with this small booth. The produce looked fresh, vibrant and nicely displayed in clean baskets; plus the couple of young vendors were friendly and helpful.

I fell in love with the mesclun greens, arugula, the squashes, radishes and beets...yes, beets! You should know that I too used to dislike beets very much, but I have been to beet rehab and have learned to love them, I wish I could say the same about green beans!

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

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.

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.