misSOULa

The time has finally come to bid farewell to this unique and wonderful place I have been able to call home for the last six years. Missoula is a special place. Anyone who has ever lived or visited here knows that. It's the place that makes 'casual' stylish, where one identifies by their favorite brewery, and where local always supports local. It may not be for some, but damn I love this town.

To the countless hikes up Sentinel

In the last week I've made it my personal mission to enjoy every bit that I love about Missoula. Let's be honest, I could eat Tagliare every day and I am already looking forward to my next New Edition. I ask myself, what will I ever do without Kettlehouse in my life? (Serious question) I even drove across the Higgins Street bridge coming into downtown to enjoy my favorite view of the city one last time. But the time has come to move on.

The colorful Clark Fork

In preparation for my trek to SLC, I have stocked my Subaru (of course) with all of my favorite Montana beers because....priorities. I will miss the town filled with a mutual love of Subarus and craft beer.

The best part about living in Missoula and now leaving it, is that I have experienced everything there is here. One should never live in a place that offers so many amazing things and not explore and experience what it has to offer. I don't understand the people who start panicking when they are moving away from a place scrambling to do all the things they "never had time to do". Maybe you had other priorities like a date with Netflix while your friends went to the free Lil Smokies show or you never had 20 minutes to spare on a warm summer evening to stand in line at Big Dipper when Coldsmoke ice cream was back on the menu. For those folks...you're missing out.

Fall outside of the best apartment I'll have

Norman Maclean once said, "The world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the further one gets from Missoula, Montana."

Well touche Norman, and here's to you Missoula. 

Until next time, looks like this Northwesterner is heading south. 

k 

Celebrating Fall

October, welcome.

Things I love about October:
1. It's officially fall
2. Oktoberfest
3. Sweater weather

The weather has been absolutely perfect in Missoula which is great timing given it's officially my last month in town. As for my hiking goal of 60 miles by October 1, I exceeded it with getting 64 miles of hiking under my belt in just over a month. I can't wait to start hiking in Utah and exploring a new set of mountains and terrain.

My friend and I made what will most likely be our last (for now) ascent to the top of Mount Sentinel. The view truly never gets old. While we were at the top a paraglider was setting up to take off. We were able to see him take his approach and fly off the mountain. Definitely something I had never been able to witness before, pretty amazing.

Looking east from the summit

For my last long hike in Montana I decided to make my second attempt at Upper Holland Lake which I had tried to hike to a year ago but had been misguided. The Seeley/Swan area northeast of Missoula is one of my favorite areas in western Montana. We made it a few weeks too early to see the larch turning in full swing (which is absolutely incredible) but nonetheless still beautiful.

View from above the main Holland Lake

Upper Holland

I'll miss these colorful river rocks

The weather is cooling off which can only mean one thing for my kitchen: crock pot time. 

In light of me needing to dwindle the items in my refrigerator and pantry before my move, I decided to go with Honey Soy Chicken by The Recipe Critic. Instead of using soba noodles, I made a batch of quinoa with mushrooms to top with the chicken. I also mixed in a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter to each serving. Enjoy!

This past weekend was Oktoberfest, a celebration I had been counting down for from a year ago. The six hour drive to the mountain town of Leavenworth, Washington was worth every mile, carb, and bruise from the weekend. For those of you who are not familiar with Leavenworth, the entire town has a theme of Bavaria. The shops and signs are all in English and German and it is amazing. I highly recommend making the trip there along with planning some hiking in the Enchantments which I unfortunately wasn't able to do (this time). Our group was rowdy and festive -- I love lederhosen. 

October may be my new favorite month, two weeks left in October and two weeks left in Missoula.
Time flies doesn't it?

k

Colorado Lovin'

In attempt to do my best to try new things and check things off of my bucket list, I made my way down to one of my favorite places, Colorado. 

When I found out John Butler Trio was playing at Red Rocks, I had to go. Not only do I love JBT, but I had been dying to go to a show at the famous amphitheater. Luckily I have three great friends who live in the Denver area that were all lined up to go to the show as well. 

I was able to spend my first night in town with my college friend, Olivia. We feasted on Whole Foods salads and in the morning she took me to Snooze. For those of you who don't know, the one food I refuse to eat is regular syrup (think Mrs. Butterworth's). This has led me to steer clear of most breakfast foods that are topped with it, pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc. Snooze may have changed my pancake outlook. I decided to indulge in a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie pancake, a half order of Italian-style eggs benedict, and bacon, of course. 

That afternoon I made it out to Boulder to stay with Melody, my partner in crime from high school. She frequents Mountain Sun Brewery, which I also love, so we decided it would be a great place to eat before we got on the shuttle for the show. A basil bleu burger, an F.Y.I.P.A, and a cheers to Mel getting her first teaching job later, we were off to the show. 

After escaping an evening thunderstorm, we made it to Red Rocks and found this beautiful lady that I hadn't seen in about four years, which was four years too long. Please note the natural wine lipstick Melody and I are sporting. John Butler didn't disappoint. I'm glad to say I've been able to see them live twice in six months and that I have now experienced a concert in one of the most beautiful venues. 

Our Saturday plans were just as exciting as the concert: Rollerblading brewery tour around Boulder. Greg, Melody, and I are all "bladers" so we took this opportunity to kick off the season of weird looks and high fives from our choice of transportation. We first drove to Oskar Blues in Longmont for a tour of the brewery. Oskar Blues has always been into canning their beers, which I love. Fun fact: the recipe for Dale's Pale Ale (their flagship brew) was found on only the second attempt of home-brewing. Pretty damn good luck.

After Oskar Blues it was time to blade. We traveled first to the 303 Distillery which was one of the most laid back and eclectic places I've been to. I got a Spicy Pineapple which is pineapple juice, cayenne, and vodka. We bladed to a newer brewery called Sanitas after the distillery where we played cornhole. This place would be a perfect fit in Missoula, with a fun atmosphere and discounted beer when a train goes by. I have never felt a better time to sport the "socks and sandals" look which didn't seem as ridiculous considering we had roller bladed to the brewery. 

Sunday was another day of breweries, games, and walking around Boulder. The other breweries we visited were Bru, Boulder Beer, and Avery, home of the Sour Fest which I hope to attend next year. If you haven't tried a sour, I dare you. Six breweries and a distillery in two days had us in pretty good shape. Colorado puts up a mean fight to Montana beers and I highly recommend visiting any and all of them if you are ever in Boulder. 

It was time to head back to Missoula. Turns out that that John Denver wasn't so full of it. Colorado you've stolen my heart yet again.

Get ready for an adventure...

April, You Filthy Animal

I have been a little behind posting. I apologize... I've been having way too much fun.

Let me just give you a brief overview of what has been going on:
1) Spring skiing
2) My birthday
3) Easter - I never knew this could be such a fantastic holiday.

This season has been absolutely fantastic. I don't think I could have spent the winter with better people, snow, adventure, and cheese fries. Lots and lots of cheese fries. I can't believe it took until the last day of the season at Discovery to finally ski with my lovely friend Allison. Bikini clad and buzzed we rang in the season.

Next came Montana Snowbowl's closing weekend. I have to admit, we didn't actually ski. Myself and a few friends are pretty much in love with costumes, ski hills, and bloody mary's. Snowbowl's bloody mary's have won the 'Best of Missoula' for countless years and I had a local contender to compare it against. Both are delicious, I may just have to give it another shot before I make a decision. I mention my love for cheese fries fairly often, but I'll admit that Snowbowl has the best mountain food ever...and cheese fries aren't ever an option. I highly recommend any pizza and the strawberry/brie platter. With our fellow skiers and porch loungers in costume, it made for a fantastic day of people watching and festivities.Lindsey has acquired potentially the best beer carrier of all time, I introduce to you "the snackpack".

To the best birthday I have even had: 24, you were a good one. Such a bum age, can't quite rent a car yet but hey, we can still have fun. My parents had flowers delivered to my office which were fabulous, the birthday cake bouquet!

Finally, we come to Easter. I'm glad that people in their mid-twenties can still make an Easter brunch, paint eggs (and beer cans), and enjoy the holiday overall. My friend and I decided to barbecue which only means one thing: Heather and I are going to make entirely too much food for the two of us. At least it's delicious and at least you all are getting a recipe out of it. My favorite and probably only potato salad I will ever make in the future.

Sriracha and Banana Pepper Potato Salad from The Food In My Beard 

This salad is full of flavor and brings a spicy twist on the traditional dish with the cooling flavors of cucumber and mint.

Ingredients:
5 lbs of potatoes, mostly peeled
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch mint
1 bunch scallions
1 cucumber, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz jar of banana peppers, chopped, save the juice in the jar
1.5 c mayonaise
1.5 c sour cream (I used non-dairy)
1/4-1/2 c Sriracha (I would start with 1/4 c and add from there)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the potatoes by dicing into 2 inch chunks. Toss in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast on a baking sheet for about an hour or until fork tender. Meanwhile, chop cilantro, scallions, mint, and cucumber. Add to a bowl and toss with the juice of one lime and some salt. Set aside in the refrigerator. In a very large bowl, mix the red onion, garlic, and chopped banana peppers. Add about half the liquid from the jar. Next add the mayo, sour cream, and Sriracha. Mix well.

When the potatoes are ready, chop and mash them up a little bit while they are still hot and add them to the bowl. Mix everything together and continue to chop and mash the potatoes until the consistency is about half mashed with a few chunks.

If the mixture is too dry, add either more mayo, sour cream, or sriracha to taste. Allow this mixture to cool for about an hour before adding the herb and cucumber mixture. Serve! The salad will keep for about 5 days and only gets better in time. Enjoy!

April has been a fabulous month. I can't wait to see what else spring has to offer. xo

Benefits, Beers, and Bacon

And then it was Sunday.
Why do the weekends always seem to escape us?

In the midst of spring trying to make an appearance in Missoula, a little rain doesn't scare my friend Jory (an Oregon native) and I from running a 5k. Our biggest obstacle seemed to be the smell that the Noodle Express truck was creating just before the finish line. Rain, running, and teriyaki sauce do not mix.

Luckily, the clouds lifted just and time and a couple hundred people came out to run, walk, and support the Okon and Capen families in memory their loved ones. I was happy to run with coworkers and alongside one of my best friends which only reminded me of how fragile life can be and to make the most of the time you have with the ones you love most.

After you run a race, that justifies any beer drinking you may do later that day...right? Which leads me to the important milestone that was made on Saturday. After 7 years on and off in Missoula, my friend Jory FINALLY enjoyed her first beer actually at the Kettlehouse taproom. Next stop, KH North.

Given that I start my buckled down training for the Spartan Race in two days, I decided to treat myself with a recipe I had been eyeing for the last month. Spicy Beer Candied Bacon. Yes, it was one of the best things I have made. Ever. Try it, you won't regret it. I modified it to fit my personal tastes and throw in some Montana flare. The multiple fights with my testy smoke alarm were still worth every strip. Enjoy!

Spicy Beer Candied Bacon:

Ingredients:
1 pound thick cut bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons Bayern Face Plant beer (any dark beer will work)
2 tablespoons Sriracha, because it is the best. (but any hot sauce will work)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, beer, and hot sauce.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place a rack that is the same size or smaller than the baking sheet on the sheet.
Lay the bacon on rack. It will shrink when it cooks so don't worry about it overlapping.
Place in preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes
Remove from oven. Using a spoon or brush to paint the bacon with the sauce on both sides.
Return to the oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Repeat this process until the sauce is gone and the bacon is golden and crisp. I had to repeat the process about 5 times. Every oven is different. You wouldn't want your bacon to be burnt and hard.
Remove from the oven and allow the bacon to cool for 1 hour.

Store the bacon in an air-tight container or eat it all at once, my lips are sealed.

Spring Begins - First Sunburn of the Year

The Northwest has seen some serious swings in weather in the last two weeks. One Friday, the entire city of Missoula shuts down due to a blizzard, a week later, the snow is basically gone, the sun is shining, and the Chacos emerge from the closet. In a last minute decision to go skiing Saturday, I decided to bring out my shell instead of my mid-winter jacket. Risky decision.

However, within minutes of sitting on the chairlift. We had our gloves off, arm and leg vents open, and our beers were starting to warm up. I was nervous that the heat wave was going to ruin all of the snow on the steep back side of Discovery. I was pleasantly surprised. My friend Lindsey and I were able to find fresh snow for the first half of the day that hadn't turned to ice or mashed potatoes. Success.

At lunch we headed to the car to shed some layers. You would have thought it was May by the way everyone was hanging out, grilling in the parking lot, and wearing t-shirts.

The second half of the day we had to work a little harder to complete turns. Given we had a time constraint, we decided to head home a little early to visit the Philipsburg Brewing Company which neither of us had been to. After a Rye Ale and a Double Red (which were both great) we made our way back to Missoula. Spring is upon us.

Sunday morning I decided to have a gathering at my house with some girlfriends for breakfast. I'm heading out of town this week and there's no better way to decrease the food in the fridge and catch up with your friends. Besides, I had a Costco sized bottle of champagne that wasn't going to drink itself.

Sometimes the easiest thing to make when you have a kitchen sink of ingredients is a quiche. My dad always gives me homemade breakfast sausage that I have trouble using up given that I live alone, but it's so flavorful and lean that this was a perfect opportunity to use it. So here you have it:

Crustless Sausage Quiche:
Ingredients:
1 cup sausage cooked and crumbled (any type, give or take 1 cup)
1 cup red peppers (roasted)
1 clove roasted, minced garlic (optional)
5 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I used sharp white cheddar and some herbed goat cheese)
1 tsp basil, oregano, or Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to season
Cooking spray

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 
Grease deep dish pie pan with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs of choice. Layer the sausage, cheese, red pepper, and garlic in the pie pan and pour the milk and egg mixture on top. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the center is firm. Remove from the oven and let the quiche set for 5 minutes. There may be some residual liquid from the peppers in the bottom of the dish, don't worry. Drain the best you can and serve.

Overall it was a great weekend with great people, all of which made the "spring ahead" loss of an hour all the more tolerable.