Apples, Pumpkins and clouds...

    One of the best parts of Colorado is the sunshine!  We have over 300 days of this lovely brightness so when I woke up on Saturday and saw a gloomy sky - not even a peak coming through the clouds - I was a tad bit sad.  I've been missing Wisconsin lately and and with the clouds covering our blue sky in  Denver I decided I would find an apple orchard and pumpkin farm here in CO to lift my spirits.  I found a place about 95 min away - Happy Apple Farms in Penrose, CO.

     How could you not love going to a place with the word 'happy' in their name??  I called Jacqui and asked if she was up for a drive and adventure...apples, pumpkins and hay rides here we come!  We pulled in and were so excited to see the orchards, country store and hot cider being served!

We're here! We had a little rain and some snow on the drive but nothing is stopping us from apples and pumpkins.

I'm all ready for the hay ride - off the pumpkin patch we go! 

Jacqui is all bundled up - it's only 43 degrees (it was 82 on Tuesday)

Hello hay ride! Apples, apples everywhere!

Apple orchard! Pie, cider and butter - you're calling my name!

Jacqui captured me taking a pic - thought the lighting was fun.

They dropped us off at the pumpkin putch - so maybe Jacqui and I were the oldest 'kids' running around trying to find the perfect pumpkin.

Just about perfect! I kept looking around for Charlie Brown, it is that time of year for "It's the Great Pumpkin" to be on TV.

We found some goodies - they not only had apples and cider but jams, jellies, and local honey.

I'm planning to make apple pie tonight so I was ready to load up.

A few more things for sale in the country store - of course I had to pick up some mini pumpkins for my place.

All local - jams, sauces, apple butter...they also had raspberries and blackberries on the orchard.

This could make a lot of pie! What a fun morning! We loaded up my car and were off to lunch.

We found this cute little place - there were 2 places to choose from - the staff was so friendly and the food was just what we were looking for. Jacqui got a grilled cheese and a cup of chili - perfect for the cold day. 

We decided to stop at the Broadmoor on our way back to Denver.  It's located in Colorado Springs so it was a nice place to stop and break up the drive. It's such a lovely hotel with a lot of history. 

We popped in to see part of the WI game (well, I wanted to see the game) and have a glass of wine.

Back on the road and on our way to Denver - dropped Jacqui at her car - and I headed home excited to make apple pies.  My friend Katie C had posted a pic of apple pies in jelly jars - looked yummy and a fun way to serve the sweet treat. Happy Apple Farms you lived up to my expectations and brought some sunshine into our gloomy Saturday.  Thanks for the hospitality - I'll be back next summer! 

www.happyapplefarm.com

Colors of Colorado!

     Fall = Colors! Colorado is beautiful at anytime during the year but Fall in the mountains is spectacular!  A month ago my friend Kim called to see if I was free the end of the month and what are the chances I would want to watch their 2 daughters! I jumped at the opportunity!  Kim and I have been friends a very long time, we met on the golf course - yes, Junior Golf brought us together and it still gives laughs when we think about our Friday 'golf lessons', the trophies we won (snicker, snicker) getting Chef Salads, sodas, candy bars and hanging at the pool!  Kim and Dave live in Dillon, CO - about an hour from Denver and I visit them any chance I get.  They have this incredible mountain home that is so welcoming and warm - it's filled with the girls artwork, a big stone fireplace and lots of love!  It's my favorite getaway when I need a break from the city...sorry, that was a bit of rambling but I'm sure you get the reason why I was so excited to stay with Megan (8th grade) and Lizi (Sophomore)!!  I drove up on Thursday night and would be staying until Sunday morning (in order to get back for the Broncos game...priorities!)

Out for the first of many drives.

Enjoying the Aspens.... 

     We had a lot of things to do in 3 days and as Megan kept saying "it has to be bloggable or Kristin won't have anything to post"...  we had s'mores one night, watched bad TV, played golf and did a lot of  driving to take pictures of the Colorado colors!! 

A little more color

By this time the girls were beyond rolling their eyes.

I just had to keep stopping - both the girls were helpful to take pics if I was driving.

If you can't build a fire outside, find a restaurant that serves S'mores for dessert - Thank you Motherloaded (Breckenridge)

...and the golf outing begins! The River Course at Keystone.

One of the many views on the course

 I didn't know that Megan was filming this...now I know what to work on. 

I seriously can't get enough of the colors....everywhere we turned one tree was better than the next!

You guessed right, the 3rd hole.

Yes, I lost a ball and I had my dad in my head telling me to keep looking!

This was the shot I posted on Instagram. Thought the sun rays with the shadows was a fun shot.

We had a visitor. 

This is Megan. She broke her foot so she was our cheerleader or at least there to laugh at me.

This is Lizi! She's a star! You can tell how much she loves this game - the passion was visible!

Kim and Dave, anytime you want to get out of town you know who to call! I had so much fun and by the end of the weekend the girls were laughing at my 'mom voice' - I'll take that as a compliment!! xo
This week will involve Apple picking, getting a pumpkin or 2, making apple pies and more macarons!!

     

Test Drive Anyone?

     It's been a crazy week (sorry this has taken a few days to post) - Burton movie premiere, friend from Chicago in town ( I got to watch her 1 year old), trip to ER with a friend, so why not add car shopping to the list of things to do!  A couple weeks ago the car dealer called me, yes - they CALLED ME! Asking if I want to get rid of my car (2009 VW Passat) apparently there is a shortage of 2009 cars for sale (everyone call your dealership).  I told them I would stop by on Friday but seriously went in for the entertainment and didn't expect to land a deal.  As a female, I must tell you buying a car is right up there with trying on swimsuits or jean shopping - definitely not my idea of fun!  I'm in sales so I understand when I walk in that door the amount of schmoozing that is about to start dripping, especially being a woman, they love this and wait for us to come 'looking'...well, once again, my dad would be proud. I looked around, had an idea of what I wanted, had done my research and know that I can call my brother-in-law Darin if I need some questions answered.  I took the VW Touareg out for a spin, the entire time the guy trying to sell me on the features and benefits of a car he's probably been in twice. We got back to the dealership and he asked what I thought, "nice"- but I won't know until I try to take it to the mountains and considering it was Friday at 5pm I wasn't going to attempt that one but thought I could try it out for a couple days and see what I think... he laughed and said "we don't let people take the cars for weekend" -  to keep this story short - they did. I had the car until Monday at noon.
     I woke up Saturday and called my friend Jacqui, "are you up for a drive and in return I'll treat you to lunch?"I picked her up at 11am and away we went. I wanted to test the car on I-70... per Darin, that is the road to test the "pick up and go"... so we did. Jacqui was up for anything so we started our adventure through Evergreen, CO - to Morrison, CO taking the canyon road. We stopped for lunch at a favorite Mexican Restaurant and shopped then drove a mile down the road to Red Rocks.  If you aren't familiar with this...its an amphitheatre built into the rocks - Jacqui and I have been known to walk the stairs for a few hours, you can have picnics, they have great concerts and lots of hiking.  So, come along and enjoy our day!

The Morrison Inn - Morrison, CO is located 17 miles SW of Denver. Population is less than 500 and this restaurant has some of the best Mexican food and margaritas. They have a rooftop patio with live music and serve you chips and salsa (has a kick) when you sit down.

I was trying to capture this photo for Instagram (you can follow me at Kristin303)

Jacqui and I walked down the main road after lunch and stumbled across this boutique. They had new, old, china to clothes, vintage and lace along with jewelry and gifts. 

We both got a laugh when we saw this sitting on the shelf. Redneck Wine glass. 

Kristin and her new friend 

This was the drive in from the entrance off the main road in Morrison. Stunning. 

A glimpse of Red Rocks

This is the amphitheatre - Denver is in the distance.  These are the stairs we walk - add in some altitude and you have quite the workout!

Jacqui and I  - another beautiful day in Denver! The sun and blue sky never gets old.

This is worth a trip to Denver! It's a fun place to visit anytime of the year.  They offer group workouts on the weekends - if I tried to tell you how many people participated you wouldn't believe me. Colorado loves their fitness and workouts!

Vermont has become a favorite state of mine - as Jacqui knows whenever I need a little good luck I'll ask to see a Vermont license plate - well, look what we saw as we left the park! 

My new car! 2013 VW Touareg! It's black, beige leather interior and my first SUV. Can't wait for the snow to fall and my drives to the mountains!

As you can see the day was successful - not only did I get to test drive the car (I bought it today) but I was able to do a little exploring with my friend Jacqui!  Next up the Bronco game! I'll work on getting some pics posted and later this week I'll be heading to Summit County to stay near Keystone for the weekend. xo  

A Taste of France!

     What does one do on a Sunday in September when your football teams aren't playing - not sure about all of you, but I made my first French Macaron.  I wanted to clarify they are French vs the American Coconut Macaroon.
     I went to Paris years ago and spent my vacation in Southern France earlier this Summer and I must say, the French KNOW their sweets! Chocolate filled croissants, crepes and my favorite the macaron (by the way it rhymes with phone)!! LOVE them! All the colors, the flavors and fillings - with a cup of tea or a glass of bubbly, delicious!
     My mom, sister and I have been talking about Paris a lot these days - talking about making a trip next year and it got me thinking...I want to make a Macaron!
     So here we go, started with the help of Google - how do I go about making a French Macaron??... well, thanks to Joanne Chang, a Pastry Chef that not only gave me a fairly easy list of ingredients, a written recipe, but also a video I could watch and replay throughout the course of events! Thank you!!

Ingredients ready - Kitchen Aid mixer prepared to bring it all together, parchment cut and placed on cookie sheets so let's get this cookie made. 

Egg Whites, Powered Sugar, Almond Flour, & Sugar - whisk it until the batter becomes a meringue - light, fluffy with peaks - YES, I had peaks. Success!! 

This is where the fun began - using a piping bag!  Just filling the bag provided a challenge for me but it all turned out OK.  Next time I will make them a tad bigger but for my first time, I'll take it. 

Fresh out of the oven! They have the glossy look, crispy and yet soft - I think they turned out OK...now onto the filling.

I made Chocolate Ganache, Vanilla Buttercream (I even scraped a vanilla bean), Chocolate Cream and Strawberry Rhubarb.  My friend Jacqui's mom sent me her homemade jam so I thought why not include that as a filling!!

TaDa!!! Here they are! I can't wait to make a cup of tea and bite into one.
I have dinner with some friends on Wednesday and I thought it would be the best surprise to bring along a taste of France!!
If I wasn't for Joanne Chang - today would have been much more challenging! Give her video a look and her recipe a try - I'm no longer intimidated to make a Macaron!
http://www.finecooking.com/videos/how-to-make-classic-french-macarons.aspx