When we lived on the front range (aka Denver) we attended a few VERY memorable food and beer pairings. Each one we attended was fantastic and well planned. Because our experiences were so wonderful, we really wanted to attend more of these delectable pairings. I mean you really can’t go wrong with food and beer. So one day I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and Kannah Creek Brewing, a local brewery in Grand Junction, had just posted the most delicious photos of their recent food and beer pairing dinner. The food looked so delicious! After looking at the photos, I made a mental note to buy tickets for the next dinner. Lucky for me, the next dinner was 6 days after Valentine’s Day (2019). It was the perfect date night/Valentine’s gift for my husband.
I got cleaned up and put on some make up. This is a really big deal for me, since I tend to live in leisure pants, otherwise known as yoga pants. I put on jeans, oh yes, and I curled my hair. It was on! Arrival time–6:00 pm. Of course, we were there on time. The dinner is held at the 12th Street location. The dinner was held in a back room passed the main dining area. The room looked quaint and romantic and also very organized. I know that those adjectives don’t match but I love organization. The décor matched the winter theme, with twinkle lights, candles, and some natural elements. Each table had individual clipboards with a very descriptive menu, and your name. All attendees had preassigned seats. Once we sat down we were given a welcome beer, Hefeweizen. It tasted so good. Dinner started at 6:30.
Here is what we ate:
**First on the menu was the Fig Chutney & Haystack Goat Cheese appetizer. Fresh baked crostinis topped with sweet, savory black mission fig chutney, toasted walnuts, fresh basil, and creamy Haystack goat cheese from Boulder, Colorado, served with the Edgewater Kölsch.
What I liked about this pairing–the mellowness and low IBU of the beer really matched well with the sweetness of the fig, the tanginess of the goat cheese, and the ripe flavor of the basil. Each person had 3 crostinis per plate. The crositinis weren’t too big, which I appreciated. I didn’t want to get full on the first course and not be able to truly enjoy the rest of the items on the menu.
**Next up, the Radish & Blood Orange salad. This lovely salad had blood oranges, navel oranges, watermelon radishes, mint, toasted pistachios, and was tossed in a blend of honey, extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, oranges, and cinnamon. The salad was served with the Chinook IPA.
What I liked about this pairing–I loved the lightness and freshness of the salad. Citrus is perfect for a winter themed dinner. I am usually not one to drink an IPA. I have been known to get pretty severe headaches from drinking IPAs. However, I took a chance with this IPA (team player :)). Lucky for me it did not give me a mind numbing headache. The IPA ended up nicely balancing out the citrus in the salad. The real stars of the salad were the watermelon radishes. They were so pretty and crunchy. I could eat them daily! This salad served as a nice palate cleanser as well as being light and tasty.
**Cue the music, the main course–Osso Buco. Veal shank braised in Talon Winery Wingspan Red wine (local Colorado wine) for six hours, served with roasted beets, parsnips, and sweet potatoes and served with the Dopplebock.
What I liked about the pairing–let me start off by saying, I have never eaten veal, at least not intentionally. I am not a picky eater. For example, one NYE in Denver, we ate at a restaurant with a prix fixe menu. First up on the menu was some sort of steak tartare, otherwise known as raw meat. Um, I like my meat cooked well. Out of my comfort zone, absolutely. My husband was shocked when I ate the tartare. But I thought, hey it is the new year and decided to….go for it! BUT, the thought of eating a calf has always bothered me, especially when I see them frolicking ALL OVER the western slope. How was I going to handle this? I mean I powered through the IPA like a champ, regardless of the fact that I could get a mind searing headache. So I did what any adult woman would do, I talked it over with my husband and my mom before the dinner and I decided to………..just go for it. I am going to be perfectly honest. I felt guilty upon first bite (I said a little prayer in my head). After all of my internal drama, here is the part you are not going to believe, it was the most tender meat that I have ever tasted. When I put my fork into the shank it literally fell apart. It was so good and it melted in my mouth. It could be best described as buttery and the braise wasn’t overpowering, so the flavor of the meat really was the frontrunner. Veal is not gamy or tough, or fatty, or bloody. Two really unusual words that I can think of to describe the taste, mild and calm. The Dopplebock was the perfect accompaniment to the veal. The beer was actually a little heavier than the veal, which was a nice balance. Isn’t is funny how we can get so worked up about something internally and have it work out beautifully? To think, I almost gave up my ticket to my husband’s friend because I wasn’t sure I could eat the veal. I am so glad that I persevered. Also, for the record, I ate the whole darn shank!
**Last up the dessert, Lemon Mascarpone Crepe Cake. The cake was made with layers of delicate baby crepes, mascarpone cream and whip cream lemon curd, and topped with blueberries, raspberries, and a dusting of powdered sugar.
What I liked about the pairing–we have been cutting our carbs for about a year now. So I am going to be honest, I ate the whole darn cake. Every last bite. No leftovers, no “can I get a to go box so I can enjoy this in the morning with coffee,” no. All of it gone. Every single berry eaten. I liked that the crepes were small. A lot of times crepes are made so gigantic and filled with so much that I feel overwhelmed. The “baby” crepes were manageable. I like that this dessert was stacked, it made it fun to cut into, almost like dessert Jenga. The combination of mascarpone and lemon curd was a light accompaniment to the heaviness of the crepes. This dessert also photographed extremely well. I think we were served a beer with this dessert, but in all honesty I don’t know what it was. I was too focused on making sure that my plate was clean, because isn’t that a sign of a meal enjoyed?
This beer pairing dinner was a wonderful, intimate experience. During the dinner each course and the coordinating beer were described in detail. The food and beer were thoughtfully paired. The ambiance was casual yet, romantic (I used this dinner as a date night with my husband). I believe there were only 20 tickets that were available. There is another beer pairing dinner at Kannah Creek Brewing in the spring. From what I was told, this is going to be a seasonal occurrence. The tickets were $45 per person plus tax for this last pairing. I am glad I bought tickets and didn’t live vicariously through the photos posted on social media. Such a fun night eating, drinking, and meeting new people!
You can find me on Instagram @lovelivingincolorado
My love for the western slope has grown exponentially. I obviously love living in Colorado, but the western slope has really solidified my love affair with this great state. No, I am not a native. But my husband and I have lived many places and our decision to move to Colorado in 2010 was one of our best choices. With that being said , I have to be honest, not everything has been rainbows and butterflies. I have struggled trying to find a job. The job market on the western slope is vastly different from the front range. It seems no one is interested in a technical trainer with an educational background. But, the silver lining—love living in Colorado is doing great! On Instagram I now have 20,600 followers and I have been published in two local publications. The first, Spoke and Blossom (
It isn’t until you drive up to the Mesa that you find its true gifts. I love that the Mesa makes you work, so to speak, for its beauty. Unlike other iconic and prominent peaks in our great sate, the Mesa is very understated in appearance. I am going to use the seasons (out of order) as my way of describing the its hidden beauty.
Now if my fall description of the Mesa hasn’t enticed you to visit, let’s discuss late spring/early summer. If you like wildflowers, well you are in luck. Wildflowers up on the Mesa come in all colors of the rainbow. They are everywhere. If you enjoy photographing flowers, this is the spot for you. During this time of year the Mesa is green and filled with robust color from Columbines, Paintbrush, Thistle, just to name a few.
Up on the Mesa you are more than likely going to experience a traffic jam. A cow traffic jam that is! Yep, up on the Mesa, cars aren’t our source of traffic. It is cows. I can’t tell you how many cow photos I have. Oh, and videos. I can’t resist taking their picture. They are free range and graze all over the Mesa. Sometimes they appear out of nowhere or they are along the side of the road, so be careful!! I especially like to see the calves during this time of year. Watching them frolic around on the Mesa is sweet. You can tell I grew up in the city! 😊 *Other animals we have seen are deer, rabbits, elk, and marmots.
Summer.
I thought it was time to dedicate a post to Colorado wine country. Especially since the 26th Annual Colorado Mountain Winfest is this weekend in Palisade, Colorado. The Winefest is Colorado’s largest wine festival featuring unlimited sips from over 50, yes 50, Colorado wineries. The festival is held in September, perfectly planned with the changing of the seasons.
Growing up in Northern California I was well aware of wineries. After all, when you hear Napa, the first thing that comes to mind is wine. But, in my humble opinion, Colorado has a lot to brag about as well. I remember the first time I discovered Colorado wine country. We were living in Denver at the time and I had to go to the Western Slope for business. While driving along I-70, I was passing Palisade and I did a double take. I couldn’t believe my eyes. All of the vineyards! It was an amazing sight. Unfortunately, on that business trip I couldn’t partake in any vino tasting, but I made sure to tell my husband, “we must visit the Western Slope and check out the wineries!” Well, we did!!! We took a little mini vacation and explored the wineries. It was an awesome experience. Lots of very nice, hospitable folks, and of course delicious wine. Another plus, almost every winery is dog friendly. We were so impressed by the landscape, the wine, and of course the people, it was a great visit.
Wine country in Colorado offers a wide range of wines. If you like wine, you are covered. White, red, rose, sweet, honey, you get the idea. If you aren’t a wine person, no worries, there is also a brewery and distillery in Palisade as well.
One item on our to do list is to cruise around the wineries on bikes. Now is the perfect time to bike the Fruit and Wine Byway because the temperatures are starting to cool down. Bring your own bike or rent one locally. There are plenty of places to spend the weekend. Including the Wine Country Inn, which can be seen off of I-70.
Now that we live on the Western Slope and about 15ish minutes from Colorado wine country, I want to sing its praises! We regularly take little drives through Palisade, (that is where I took the pictures for this post) where I chase the setting sun to get dreamy pictures of that perfect light hitting the wineries. I am always in awe of the majestic beauty out on the Western Slope. If you haven’t made a trip out this way, I invite you to visit what I enthusiastically call home. Raise a glass to a hidden treasure on the Western Slope, Colorado Wine Country! Cheers!
We usually buy our peaches at the local Farmers Markets or we take the short drive to Palisade and buy them at the various orchards.
The pick your own peaches at this location were $1.00 a pound. We ended up buying $8.51 (to be exact) worth of peaches. We went home and I immediately made peach cobbler. So good!
“Welcome to Colorful Colorado,” the phrase that greets people at the state line. This phrase is a welcoming beacon after a long day of travel. It greets visitors and residents in the same manner, with open arms and opportunity. When you see those 4 words you know that you have arrived at your destination. These words, almost as soothing as “I love you.” Ok, I know that may be pushing it a little, but in reality if you are traveling and Colorado is your destination, sometimes it feels that way. Depending on what direction you are traveling, that sign may be a sign of relief. **Did you know–Colorado has 7 border states–Wyoming, Utah, Arizona (part of the infamous 4 Corners region), New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Kansas.
We have been in Colorado since 2010 and we had never hiked Hanging Lake until just recently. We decided that we should probably hike the iconic and quintessential trail sooner rather than later because recent reports of vandalism to the trail had sparked conversations about possibly closing the trail. (FYI, today is June 21, 2017 and I have read and heard the trail will probably implement a permit system instead of closing down).
Currently, there is no fee to hike the trail. The exit to the rest area which will lead you to the trail head is well marked off of I-70. Keep in mind that this is a VERY popular trail, especially in the summertime and the parking lot gets full very quickly. Keep this in mind while planning your trip. Please keep in mind that the park staff works very hard to make sure that the flow of traffic and the parking spots are monitored. Please don’t get angry with park staff because of parking or traffic, plan wisely to avoid frustration. Another tip, hike on a weekday if you can and arrive early or later in the afternoon when the crowds have cleared.
This hike is absolutely beautiful. The lake is stunning and majestic. When you make it to the top and round the bend and your eyes first catch a glimpse of the infamous lake, you immediately forget the strenuous hike and realize the best views do require some hard work. “Hanging Lake is a rare example of a lake formed by travertine deposition where the natural geologic and hydrologic processes continue to operate as they have done for thousands of years. The site is also noteworthy for its thriving hanging garden plant community.” – See more at: 
We bought a house in Grand Junction, Colorado, aka the Western Slope. We now have an investment and we are no longer paying exuberant rent. We feel blessed. Everyday we get to see the beautiful, confident, underrated Mt. Garfield outside our bedroom window! However, with all of our blessings we have quite a few homeowner lessons that we are learning along the way. First, let me point out that I am a very organized person. I still keep an old school check register because I have to highlight and mark off transactions and pending transactions. I like to know what our monthly bills are, to the decimal point. So with all of this border line OCD happening in my head, home ownership has had many unexpected costs. I would like to share these costs because in my mind, well, this information is just really helpful.
lovelivingincolorado 