The Ins and Outs of Cooking

The first week of February started with preparations for a “Cooking With Anton” show with special guest stars Jill St. John and Robert Wagner!

Anton found this beautiful serving dish at Kitchen Collage; I absolutely love the shape!  He also found the chargers you see beneath it. We needed something in warm colours to suit our Valentine Show.

Jill wanted to cook one of their favorite dishes, penne with vodka sauce.

Anton got not only the penne, but several other pastas as well. He also baked his special puff pastry cheese sticks, which are extremely habit-forming, if not indeed addictive, especially when fresh out of the oven….

Our guest stars arrived.

I have to say they look amazing: young, energetic, fun, and full of life.

There is some history there as they knew Anton’s mom back in the days when she had her restaurant on Aspen Mountain, Gretl’s. The stories I hear from those times, what I term the “Cocktail Era”, always sound like everyone sure had a lot of fun!

The cooking began…. the kitchen smelled absolutely amazing. Anton was grabbing ingredients, Jill was giving directions to Anton while stirring away at the stove, and the rest of us were filming it all.

Not only did the kitchen smell great, it looked great, being full of fresh herbs, vegetables, pastas, breads, and fruit.

We had put the spicy peppers to soak in vodka the night before BUT we put in the whole pepper when we were meant to just put in the seeds. Muy caliente! But yummy. And strong. The alcohol in the vodka gets cooked out in the simmering process, so it is suitable for all as long as you like-a the spicy stuff. We do.

When the pasta was ready, Jill retired to the dining room so that Anton could serve her and R.J. (Robert Wagner), her husband of  20  years. It turned out that Valentine’s Day was their first date! Pretty cool indeed.

We finished up the show with Anton’s “Be good to those you love, and be good to yourself.”

Everyone dug into the pasta, yum-o-ed like Rachel Ray, and then Anton whipped up some dessert which didn’t get onto the show but was enjoyed by all present.

Our guest stars departed, leaving plenty of time to clean up before doing the school run.

I wish to thank them for the time and energy they devoted to Anton’s show! It was an honor to have them in our home.

That was Tuesday. The rest of the week? I won’t post any photos of that since it was spent with us all taking turns getting the stomach flu! I am so, so, SO glad that we do not live in a one-bathroom house anymore and that our one bucket was sufficient. Enough said.

Anton is editing like mad in order to get this done before Valentine’s Day.

We have a lot of fun doing the show and are constantly learning.

The kids are just glad if we can do it during school hours!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2010

Check Out the New Library!

The new Basalt Library finally opened at the beginning of January (yes, I’m a little late getting this in) and wow is it wonderful!

Airy and spacious with a great view out of every window. Comfy chairs, too!

The kids’ section has a grove of Aspen trees to sit among….

Or to admire as you are working (playing) on their many computers.

The picture book section is like walking into the Natural History Museum!

Just don’t expect him to fetch a book.

I love their chess set. I can’t play but I could stare at it all day.

The staff is, as always, kind, courteous, and helpful.

There are reading programs, Wii Wednesdays for after-school fun, and book clubs and storytime.

My kids want to go at least twice a week!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2010

Midland Baking Company

A Passion-Fruit Cupcake. Delicious!

We went for lunch the other day and not only did we have their delicious chili ( a regular item), we split 3  desserts.

Fresh bread is available every day; with your food, to take out, or to order early and pick up.

On the must-have list was this mini-cheesecake covered with almonds, cranberries, and dried apricots. With all that, I could even convince myself that I was eating something good for my body (fractionally, anyway).

The flourless chocolate cake is very rich, almost like a solid chocolate mousse. Excellent with coffee or red wine, of which they have a nice selection.I also recommend their breakfast beignets, made to order with fresh cream and jam on the side.

And, um, did I mention that their cupcakes are unavoidably mouthwatering? Light and fluffy? Delicious?

Try them out if you haven’t already at 305 Gold Rivers Court, Basalt, CO. 81621    970-927-2253

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2010

Aspen Winterskol

Saturday was Aspen’s annual Winterskol.  I always love to see what they have done in the way of snow sculptures, so I grabbed the kids and off we went.

The first thing we heard was the sound of brass and bagpipes. It sounded pretty darn good, too, so we headed in that direction. I had heard that there would be no parade this year, and the kids were disappointed, but there it was so we carried on regardless and had a great time anyway.

This guy flew over the town on skis and made a perfect landing in the park!

We followed the music, and soon found ourselves in the midst of the bands!

Buttons the Clown, a Very Popular Person at events and parties in the Aspen Valley, was there doing her fantastic face painting.

The kids were thrilled to find FREE kettle corn and cotton candy!

There were also magicians and jugglers, but the band was moving on and we followed them…

They traveled over to Wagner Park, where we also found the snow sculptures and the bagpipers!

They were all working hard as the deadline to finish was 4:30 P.M.

This one was the winner: “Sumo Reads About Dancing”. We all liked it, too.

There was a lot of effort and some great ideas, along with a lot of fun mixed in.

A lovely day.

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2010

The X-Games Are Coming!

From this beautiful spot atop Buttermilk Mountain, the X-Games will commence on January 28th, 2010. OK, not exactly at this spot, but at least SOME of the races will start here!

The snow machines are going 24/7 as the mountains could use more snow before the crowds arrive. It’s supposed to snow today…..

I’m going to go check out a new restaurant for lunch!

Holiday Seens

Wow! Needless to say, it has been a crazy couple of weeks! Just a few of the latest seens from the places I’ve been…

Holiday baking at home, for a start. Anton makes the best apple strudel in town! His mom was famous for it. They called her “StrudelGretl”.

Family ski day at Buttermilk. I kept dropping my iphone in the snow (darn mittens!), so I finally resorted to an old-fashioned film camera! Have yet to have time to get the pics developed, however….

Lunch at the Basalt Bakery. We LOVE their chili, and their treats are too tempting to be passed up, especially at this time of year!

Shopping at Pier 1. Great holiday fun everything!

Sledding with friends in the back yard, there’s LOTS of snow now!

Making mulled wine and spiced cider for “Cooking With Anton”, along with some very tasty baked apples.

Yes, roasting chestnuts over an open fire, and maybe some marshmallows, too! (Roasted snow optional.)

Baking those Holiday Cookies…. Anton and the kids got up early and baked all morning!

And, sadly, there are always the Holiday Casualties…

And so it is Christmas Eve, we’ll be having our traditional family beef fondue tonight before opening some presents and waiting for the Big Guy to arrive. Oh yes, mustn’t forget the mulled wine!

Happy Holidays to All!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2009

Tree Time!

Every year we got our tree from Eagle Crest Nursery (http://www.eaglecrestnursery.com/).

Every year, we run into friends that also have a family tradition of coming to Eagle Crest on the same mission: to find the Perfect Tree!

This can be challenging, as there are so many wonderful trees and everyone has their own opinion…

Eventually, we all agree on one (or two) trees and then the next step begins: checking out the wreaths, decorations, hot cider, and snacks that Eagle Crest provides for their joyful (but frozen) customers!

They always have so many beautiful decorations it is difficult to restrain from going overboard….

The firepit is a very popular place to hang out and eat cookies and candy canes.

On certain select days one can even find Santa and a helper or two sipping hot chocolate while the reindeer graze nearby!

After a good time is had by all, it is time to say goodbye, load up the tree, and head home to start decorating!

Until spring, Eagle Crest! When we will return for flowers galore!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2009

Fire and Ice

Early one morning, we dropped the kids off at school and went swimming.

Glenwood Hot Springs is always fun, but to be the first people there on an icy morning when the fog was rising in huge waves from the pool was just magical!

I rushed out and took these BEFORE I got my bathing suit on. Once you are in the pool it’s like being in a perfect bath,however it is cooold getting from the dressing room to the pool!

Getting OUT of the pool is always a challenge in winter!

Swimming in the pool it was absolutely silent; the fog was so thick that even nearby people could not be seen or heard. Occasionally the wind would blow some wisps of fog away and I could see a bit of building, or a person. I had this beautiful, silent world all to myself….

After marinating in the hot pool as long as we could, we made a mad dash for the dressing rooms and back to the usual reality.

I think we’ll do it again soon!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2009

Off To The Caverns

Off I went with my son’s class to the Glenwood Springs Caverns!

All the young Dudes and Dudettes piled into the gondolas and off we went up the hill, along with their teacher and various parental units.

The views upvalley toward Aspen were pretty cool, and looking below the swinging gondola can be a little iffy if you are afraid of heights. Fortunately I am not, but some of the kids are not so lucky.

Everyone enjoyed the Fun Fair Mirrors!

I want to do the Wild Tour! They take you places in the caves that are not open to the general public! They have a great roller coaster, too, but we were here to study Geology, so down we went into the earth….

I have to say, not bad for hand-held in the depths of the earth!

Eventually, we resurfaced, and found a beautiful view of Mt. Sopris awaiting us. OK, the adults. Did the kids notice? Not really. They were too busy looking for a baby skunk.

OK, I’ll admit it: I wanted to see the baby skunk, too!

Back down the hill again, and the end of the school day. Fun!

all photos and content © leslie hunter uhl 2009

Kitchen Collage

There is a new kitchen store in our neighbourhood! And we love, love, love it!

It is virtually impossible to walk in here and leave empty-handed, they have something for everyone. Or several somethings. Maybe even more…

If you’re not into dishes, they have a fantastic array of coffees, teas, chocolates, salts, napkins, candles, and …I could go on! If you are in the Willits Center near Carbondale,CO…GO!

all photos and content© leslie hunter uhl 2009