Colorado hiking, wildflowers and a Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake

To me, hiking and Colorado are synonymous.   It’s my favorite activity during summer trips.  Easy as it seems, for us Texans it’s not something we can dive into upon arrival.  We sea-levelers fight altitude sickness and a serious lack of oxygen that has us panting and gasping for air every few feet we rise further from the sea.  

My all-time favorite Colorado hike was a few years ago when we started off at the Smiths’ cabin at Pearl Lakes, near Creede.  Led by resident Eagle Scout, Ralph Smith, we hiked for four hours until we reached the rocky summit of Finger Mesa - a rise of over 2,000 feet!  At the time, favorite Son was working on his Camping merit badge (on his way to Eagle) and one of the requirements was a hike such as that.  Challenging at every vertical step, we traversed beautiful valleys and rocky wind-swept fields, and soon realized that objects were always a lot further than they appeared!  Just when we thought we were at the summit, another valley or steep slope presented itself as a challenge. 

The payoff was worth every altitude-induced headache:  the vista was an unobstructed 360 degrees of mountain ranges and peaks for miles and miles in the distance.

Alex and Teague appraising the scenery

This year, we came across this tiny stream (pictured at the top).  It is so much prettier in reality.  My friend, Stacey, thinks that the picture would make a great jigsaw puzzle because when we’re not hiking, fishing or playing darts, we’re putting together 1,000 (tiny) piece puzzles.   Would you like to try matching the leaves, flowers and grasses of that one, Barbara?

Stacey, Barbara and Emilia working on puzzle #3

Back to hiking…..During our hikes, we stumble upon so many lovely wildflowers and of course, I have to photograph just about every one of them (brace yourselves for a slew of pictures taken by this amateur!).  Great variations in altitude (3,500’ to almost 15,000’ above sea level), climate, and terrain allow for a plethora of flora.  Early in July, we went for days without seeing the state flower and finally found these two Colorado Columbines behind Castle Rock:

King’s Crown blooms

 Elkslip Marshmarigold growing in a tiny creek over 10,000 feet above sea level

  Wild Iris

 Rachel and Emilia taking a break from the climb near Castle Rock

We walked through an aspen stand (it felt like we were being watched!)

Early morning dew

If you get up early enough, you might see a shaggy-coated mule deer behind the cabin

Baby pine cones 

Alpine Wallflower

Silky Phacelia

Geum triflorum, purple avens, or simply ‘old man’s whiskers’

And then there are the controversial four-wheelers, only for when a hike would be too long…right!   I’m not a big fan of the noisemakers and even the slightest tilt makes me feel like I’m falling off (a daredevil I am not).  But they did afford me a trip up the ridge to a most beautiful lake:

Black Lake

Karley led me to Black Lake.  She’s the cutest teenager and when I asked her to slow down on the way back because I am not a speed demon and I wanted to take a few pictures, she casually put her left hand on her waist and we cruised back.

I made a Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake before I left Houston and it travelled well over two days in the car.  I believe the time spent sealed in a tin allowed the cake to become very moist, and the tartness of the lemon and sweetness of the blueberries to blend beautifully.  Next time I’ll try it with fresh cranberries for an über tart cake!

Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake   adapted from Fine Cooking, September 2006

1⅓ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal (I used Goya’s Harina de Maiz)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs

zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon, or about 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup buttermilk
1½ cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

Preheat oven to 350° F.   Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9 x 2-inch round springform cake pan.  Line the bottom with a parchment round cut to fit the pan.  Lightly flour the sides, and tap out the excess.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until blended.  In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 3 min.  Add the lemon zest and lemon juice (the batter may appear curdled; don’t worry).
On slow speed, fold in half of the dry ingredients, then the buttermilk, and then the remaining dry ingredients until just combined.  Do not overbeat the batter.
Scoop about half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread with a spatula until even.  Spoon blueberries in a single layer on the batter in the pan.  Scrape the rest of the batter on top of the blueberries and spread evenly.  Bake in the preheated oven.  After 35 minutes, test the cake for doneness with a cake tester or toothpick.  If it comes out clean, it’s done. 
Let the cake cool on a rack for 15 min.  Remove side ring of the springform and cool completely.  Carefully invert the cake and peel the parchment off the bottom.  Flip it over onto a serving plate.  Dust with confectioner’s sugar or ice with my Cream Cheese Icing, if desired.  Serves 8-10.

Prijatno!

Colorado Vacation and Shredded Pork Tacos with Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

Paradise on earth!  That’s how I describe the Colorado Rockies.  This picture was taken from the scenic Silver Thread highway, just north of the historic town of Creede, near the headwaters of the Rio Grande River and the Continental Divide.

It’s always a special treat to spend time at the Smith Cabin at Pearl Lakes Trout Club.  Our hosts, Ralph and Barbara Smith, are dear friends.  We met when our daughters, Stephanie and Emilia, now nineteen years old, were in second grade.   Common interests in gardening, wine, cooking, photography, travel and books has kept our friendship lively and we cherish it.

This is the cozy Smith cabin near Creede, Colorado, a perfect setting in which to trade the Texas heat, emails, texts and phone messages for hiking, fly-fishing, morning walks and games.

Five lovely teenager girls kept us amused at all times: Karley, Stephanie, Emilia, McKenzie and Rachel (with her big, burly blanket I named Mečka – a descriptive Serbian word for ‘bear’, which describes it perfectly).

 

Russell, Stacey, Barbara, Ralph and Mrs. Lura Smith enjoying an assortment of artisanal cheeses and champagne on the deck before dinner:

 The hummingbirds were marvelous to watch for their speed and agility.

I found them highly territorial after getting caught by surprise in the midst of war between two hummingbirds.  They are so fast that by the time you hear them buzz by you, they are already gone.  The Master of them all guarded his feeder from this perch, just a few yards away:

Mrs. Smith delighted in feeding the birds and chipmunks and she distributed seventy-five pounds (yes, 75) of bird seed on every possible surface around the cabin, and was panicked when there was only one bag left at the caretaker’s store!

By the end of the week, she had spoiled them rotten and they were eating out of our hands: 

This little guy is filling up his cheeks before running up the hill to hide his winter provisions. 

 A Cassin’s Finch joined in the feast:

 Girls can outfish boys any day!  Stacey and her catch - a Rainbow Trout!

 

Emilia weighing her fish - a Brown Trout:

Ok, ok!  Boys can fish too!

Every evening there were intense dart throwing competitions.  The girls could out-smack the men in the smack-talking department, much to their surprise!  Here’s McKenzie showing us her form:

Cupcakes at the Fourth of July celebration.

After two hard days of driving over one thousand miles and two speeding tickets (awarded me on the same day while driving through *charming* north Texas towns which shall remain nameless), we were pleasantly greeted in the cabin by the aroma of a pork shoulder braising on the stove.  It was heartwarming. 

Towards the end of the braising, Stacey did a wonderful thing:  she slathered the roast with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  It added a touch of heat and spice which was complemented by the sweetness of the salsa.  Simple but delicious! 

Stacey’s Pork Tacos with Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

We generously served 11 hungry hikers and fishermen by doubling the recipe and had meat left over for sandwiches the next day. 

One 6-8 lb pork butt (contrary to popular belief, it’s actually cut from the shoulder)

¼ cup oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ bottle red wine or port.  In typical Smith fashion, Ralph pulled out a ‘99 Shafer Port – sweeeeet!

2 cups beef or chicken stock

4 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, mashed with a fork

24 corn or wheat tortillas

Grape tomato and watermelon salsa (see recipe below)

Salt and pepper the pork butt on all sides.  Heat the oil in a heavy pot.  Carefully place the pork in the pot and brown it on all sides. 

When pork butt is browned, carefully add ½ bottle of red wine or port and the stock.  Reduce head to low and cover pot tightly with a lid.  Simmer gently on stovetop for 4-5 hours or until the meat separates easily when twisted with a fork.  Remove from heat. 

When the meat has cooled a little, shred it into bite size chunks and serve with salsa and warm corn tortillas.

Grape Tomato and Watermelon Salsa

2 cups halved yellow grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes

2 cups watermelon, cut into 1/2" pieces

½ large or 1 small red onion, finely chopped

½ - 1 cup finely chopped cilantro

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Gently combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve with shredded pork and warm tortillas. 

A delicious addition to the taco would be my Cilantro Crema: a mixture of sour cream, lime juice and chopped cilantro. 

Prijatno!

The St. Patrick’s Day post, a week late!

Update: Please click on the 'comments' section at the end of this post for the recipe for Irish Whiskey Pound Cake.

Due to technical difficulties (ok, it’s blogger incompetence!), I was unable to post during our ski trip in Crested Butte. So here it is, a week late! The Irish Whiskey Pound Cake I made to celebrate the occasion is at the very end.

Top of the morning to you on St. Patrick’s Day! We are enjoying the beautiful slopes of Mount Crested Butte, Colorado. Because our blood is sub-tropic thin, we are fair weather skiers and March is the perfect time of year for us Texans to invade the quaint mountain villages of this awesome state!

Since this trip was very last minute in planning, and by then the price of plane tickets was way out of our reach, we did the second best thing: we chose to drive the 1,100 miles from Houston to Crested Butte, with an overnight stop in Trinidad, CO. Ten people, 2 SUV’s – believe it or not, it was a breeze!

Taking a break along the Arkansas River in Colorado

Delicate aspens grace the snow

We are very thankful and fortunate to be staying in the private home of Lois and Gerry Pate. The house is a short walk from the ski lifts and includes two large balconies with mountain views.

Teague and Mark enjoying a Linne Calodo 2006 Leona’s

The spacious dining area

And cozy fireplace

The kitchen is very well equipped – it even has a pastry cutter! We are cooking most of our meals with pleasure and ease: spaghetti Bolognese, migas, chili, fresh apple crumble, buttermilk pancakes, fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken, banana pudding, and pork chops with applesauce and succotash.

Check out the breathtaking view towards the small historic town of Crested Butte from the window

The house if very tastefully decorated. I love the detail in the backsplash.

It takes a lot of guts for a woman in her forties to take up snowboarding! It’s been a challenge, and a lot of fun for my sister, Vesna, to keep up with her family of snowboarders. There is more ksh, ksh, ksh and fewer bruises every year!

You have always been athletic and determined – stick with it sistuh!

When Emilia was about 10 years old, she came home from her first snowboarding lesson, sat down and drew a pie graph to describe her day. It went something like this: 60% on bum, 20% trying to get up, 10% on lift, 6% waiting for lift, and 4% snowboarding!

You’re quite accomplished now, my little Longhorn!

Alex’s ‘Mental’ cap makes it’s appearance every year!

Even though I had just finished breakfast, I couldn’t refuse the offer of hot chocolate and home-made biscotti at the top of the Silver Queen Express. “You could have said ‘No Thank You’, “ piped Vesna, at the sight of me dunking!

Who am I to refuse these two charming CB hosts?

Teague and Emilia watching the activity on the slopes

Jovan ‘owns’ the snowboard – he’s swift and graceful and the sight of his goggles and helmet prompted me to call him

Astroboarder!

These four daring young men ventured where the rest of us dare not!

Clear blue skies all week

Happy at the end of an excellent day on the mountain

Oh yeah…the recipe! Before we left home, I made an Irish Whiskey Pound Cake. Dried cherries, blueberries, pineapple pieces, cranberries and apricots are soaked in Irish whiskey. The Irish meaning of whiskey is ‘water of life’. I guess it explains how the Irish earned their ‘spirited’ reputation!

The zest of a lemon and toasted chopped almonds round off the flavors. The icing includes a generous helping of Bailey’s Irish Cream!

A slice of this dense and hearty cake is the perfect accompaniment to a strong cup of coffee. And it’s tasting better every day!

Until next time, here’s an Irish blessing for you:

May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.

Prijatno!