Even though we’ve had Spring weather for about the past two weeks, much of the time the wind has been howling, gusting, tossing patio furniture about the yard and in general just being pesky enough that grilling hasn’t seemed a fun option.
In a fry pan and In olive oil (I used basil flavored oil)
Saute’ par-boiled cubed potatoes until starting to brown
Add wedges of yellow and green bell pepper
Add broken up pieces of Italian Sausage
Flavor with a couple of good pinches of Italian Seasoning
(I used a Tuscan blend that contains flakes of hot red pepper)
Cook, stirring occasionally until everything is mostly done
Cover with lid and let steam for five minutes
Italian Saute’…It’s What’s For Dinner
We’ve been doing a little “branding” here on The Ranch. As you can see, I’ve got a whole new look and feel.
I’ll certainly miss my bright vivid orange and green Mango leaf design, but let’s face it, I’m not sitting around on a beach overlooking the ocean in Hawaii sucking down umbrella’d cocktails while snacking on ceviche.
The fact of the matter is, I live in Colorado. I’m sitting around in Highlands Ranch, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop. We snack on meat and potatoes and suck down sip red wine. Even though it’s not officially a “Ranch”, the land our town sits on was in fact once a large working cattle ranch…that was long before Denver urban sprawl claimed the land.
We live close to the Historic Highlands Ranch Mansion which once headquartered prominent Denver families and complete with windmills, barns, and bunkers provided a compound to run a working cattle ranch. You might remember, this very house was featured in the television mini-series “Centennial”, a story about pioneers heading west and settling along the Front Range of Colorado. If you’re interested you can read about our History at this web site. Or here.
I’ve renamed my blog “Cooking…On the Ranch”. The URL www.highlansranchfoodie.com remains the same.
VICKIE’S KICKED-UP CORN
Don’t you love the smell of fresh popped popcorn? My all time favorite snack food, has been, currently is, and will always be popcorn. What’s yours?
For St. Patrick’s Day, I threw a corned beef tri-tip roast in the crock pot along with some potatoes, onions, and cabbage and we enjoyed a traditional Irish holiday dinner.
Sunday morning we turned the leftovers into this unique breakfast. A corned beef sandwich dressed up with a fried egg and some horseradish cream sauce.
Let’s take a look.
“Call up a couple of friends that share your love of wine and invite them over. Tell them that you have been waiting to open these bottles and that you couldn’t think of anyone that you’d rather share them with. Fine wine, like life, is meant to be enjoyed.” Loosely quoted from Matt Kramer, Wine Spectator, April 30, 2012.
A shot at our booth, a lunch outing at Patsy’s Inn, the oldest Italian Restaurant in Denver.
My husband is a Denver native and grew up in what we affectionately call “the old country” and officially known as the “Little Italy“. In recent years, the area has undergone a renovation and now is part of “The Highlands“. Rich in Denver history it’s located just West of Downtown.
Winding your way through this partially renovated and unique neighborhood you’ll find historic brick bungalow homes next to upscale boutiques, next to run-down liquor stores, next to a razed modern loft projects and then you get to Patsy’s. Let’s take a look.
This is what one would officially refer to as “hauling out the big guns”. I’m sharing my award winning Chili Recipe.
About five years ago, I won 2nd Place with my chili recipe in a Douglas County Chili Cook-off down in Castle Rock. I had to come up with a name for it when I entered, and since it was nothing like my Dad used to make when I was growing up in Kansas, I called it “Toto, I Have A Feeling We’re Not In Kansas Anymore Chili”.
This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at GirliChef.
Thinking about Salisbury Steak inspired me to make this Southwestern version. I wasn’t all that impressed with my gravy, but I did love my pickled onions for a topping. I’ve blogged about these tangy sweet wonderful onions before and you can find the recipe at this link.