A Toast to 2014

2014, you've been good to me.

This past year has been full of ups and downs, surprises, changes, new adventures, and lessons learned. Hence why it's been so good to me.

Here's a little summary of my accomplishments and adventures from 2014:

1. Broadening my vegetarian cooking and not eating meat during January. I know it doesn't seem like much to only challenge myself for one month but the goal was to make nutritious meals that were filling and plant based. I don't plan on becoming a vegetarian anytime soon but the experience only further supported my ideals of eating the meats that I truly want to eat (aside from the occasional hand dipped corn dog at the fair because you're kidding yourself if you don't want one).

2. Challenging myself in a fitness competition. For me this was going beyond running the several 5k's I run every year and doing something more. In May I finished my first Spartain race coming in 267th out of 1855 women. It was a long road, but worth every mile. We will see was 2015 brings.

3. Hiking higher and higher. Just when I thought I'd be in Missoula for another amazing summer, life took a turn and I found myself in New Mexico. For all of you who read my blog or know me, you know that I love food and hiking more than most things. My journey to the Southwest not only expanded my stomach and love for chile, but I set my personal record for summit elevation with Wheeler Peak (13,159ft) and then two weeks later exceeded it with Mount Lindsey (14,042ft). After returning to Montana, I hiked over 60 miles in just over a month as a weekend warrior which I hope to shatter this summer in Utah. Thanks to hiking, catching the 14er bug, and my favorite La Cumbre beer, I took on the life motto: get elevated.

4. Montana to Utah. Deciding to make the move from Montana to Utah was huge, but I was ready for something new. With all of the adventuring I had done all summer I realized that there are so many places that I needed to go out and explore. Salt Lake has been full of mountains, new food, people, and lifestyle. It feels fresh. Change is a good thing and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations keeps one from becoming complacent. Keep life exciting.

Some of my favorite moments from 2014:

Exploring Wilderness in New Mexico

The introduction of the gilded ski jacket

Mount Lindsey - and it's false summit

Celebrating hikes with my favorite beers

Celebrating one of my oldest friend's bachelorette party in Vegas

The thing I love most about the new year is making new goals. Goals can and should be an ongoing activity, but there's just something about reflecting on a year and thinking about what goals you attained and what is yet to come that I really enjoy. If you aren't working to better your self, life, or surroundings....what are you doing?

I don't want to go into detail about my life goals, but there's something contractual about blogging about them which will hopefully boost my accountability.

Here is a brief insight to some of my goals for 2015:

-Listen more, swear less
-Ski at least 5 Utah ski resorts
-Hike the peaks of the Wasatch front range
-Conquering a few specific yoga poses
-Visit  Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Parks (why else am I in Utah?)
-Change my own oil
-Keep hiking...too many places to name.
-Visit a new state

If all else fails, just do more of whatever makes you happy.

"Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing" -Barry Finlay

Adios 2014, Hello 2015.

k.

Friends(&thanks)giving

The holiday season is upon us full of friends, fun, and so much food. As of a week ago, ski season has also begun here in Utah. I was lucky enough to have my best friend Melody travel from Boulder to come explore SLC for a week, get our first turns of the season in, and cook a Thanksgiving feast. 

Our adventures at Snowbird last weekend began and ended with one run being open, drinks, friends, and snowy laps. I can't wait for the season to finally take off. 

Snowy and matching. Opening weekend at the Bird

Lines for days.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.This year was my first time preparing a turkey and preparing most of the feast. Melody and I pooled our skills and resources together to put on Thanksgiving for us and my roommates. 

A couple of tips to make Thanksgiving a great success:

1) Turkeys, so I've learned, take quite awhile to thaw so start early. 2 days before.

2) Have lots of wine on hand, but don't break it out too early - that turkey isn't going to carve itself...and you probably shouldn't be handling a hot bird with a carving knife while sporting red wine lips either. 

3) Make your pumpkin pie from scratch with fresh pumpkin. I could eat this pie every day. Recipe below!

4) Put goat cheese in your mashed potatoes for added flavor and creaminess. 

5) Always say what you're thankful for. It's the best tradition. 

Thanksgiving was a success. Here's a recap of the day plus two recipes that will be in my feasts to come without a doubt.

Green bean casserole and pumpkin pie are my two favorite Thanksgiving dishes. This year I'm certain that we found the two best recipes that will be used in my Thanksgivings to come. Here are my modified versions:

Green Bean Casserole with Portobello Gravy:

1/4 cup olive oil

6 medium shallots or half a white onion, sliced into rings (about 1 cup)

1 1/2 pounds thin fresh string beans, trimmed

1 pound portobello mushrooms, slices

6 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 cups 2% milk, I used lactose-free of course

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots or onions and cook until soft. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Leave remaining oil in the pan. 

Place the green beans in a steamer basket fitted over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam until bright green and still crisp, about 3 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the reserved shallot oil in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom liquid is evaporated and they begin to brown, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a bowl.

Whisk together the milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. Add the mixture to the skillet and, whisking constantly, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, the parsley, nutmeg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon the green bean mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle the top with the crispy shallots and the remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake until golden on top and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Fresh Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

3-4 pound sugar pumpkin

2 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups solid pack pumpkin puree

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup pecan halves.(chopped)

Prepare the pie crust beforehand in a standard 9 in pie pan.

Prepare the pumpkin:

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the sugar pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Put cut sides down on a greased cookie sheet for 1-2 hours. Scrape the center of the pumpkin out of the rind and place into the blender. Puree pumpkin until smooth. Increase heat of the oven to 450 degrees.

Combine eggs, sugars, spices, flour, and salt. Blend in pumpkin. Gradually add milk, mix well.

Pour into pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes. 

Make pecan topping: Combine two tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon orange zest, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and chopped pecans. 

Sprinkle the pecan mixture on top of the pie for the last 10 minutes of the baking time. 

By now your kitchen most likely smells amazing and you should be overly excited to dive into this....

Hope you are all nursing your food hangovers well, it was worth it. 

k.