high altitude hard-boiled eggs

cooking at altitude can sometimes be tricky, but even us Denver folk gotta have our hard-boiled eggs!

Ingredients:

• Water
• A healthy dash of salt
• Eggs from happy chickens

1. Place the eggs into an appropriately sized saucepan- eggs should fit in the bottom, but not too tight

2. Fill the saucepan with enough cold water to cover the eggs & give it a healthy dash of salt

3. Bring eggs to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and then let them boil for 3 minutes

4. After 3 minutes of boiling, take the pot off the heat, place a lid on top & let them sit for 22 minutes

5. When the 22 minutes is up, run cold water over the eggs until there's no warm water left in the saucepan. All that's left to do is crack 'em open & gobble them down :)

friday's fave 5: summer traditions

I love traditions, and the Big Green Tent slumber party is one of my favorite summer rituals

1. 1995 was the first year for Big Green tent- we were 8 years old & getting ready for 3rd grade
2. This year, 2012, was the 18th annual BGT- the girls may have changed, but the spirit is the same
3. We always curl up in blankets, set up the projector outside & watch Hocus Pocus on the "big screen"
4. Along with grilling burgers (and veggie burgers) we make s'mores- regardless of the calories :)
5. No matter how old we get, I always cover the kitchen table with paper so we can color with crayons- this year I made custom coloring book pages from old photos of previous years

What are some of your favorite summertime traditions & how do you celebrate them? The BGT was just last friday, but I'm already getting excited for next year!

raw cereal

if you're craving a cereal with nothin' but good stuff, look no further than this version right here

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbs raw sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 Tbs raw pumpkin seeds
• 12 raw almonds roughly chopped
• 1 Tbs raisins

• 1/2 apple diced
• a dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup rice milk

1. Place the seeds, almonds, raisins, and diced apple into a bowl
2. Sprinkle the mixture with a dash of cinnamon & give it a stir, so everything is nicely coated
3. Pour the rice milk on top, grab your spoon & dig in!

friday's fave 5: the denver county fair

At the Denver County Fair last weekend, there were crafts, animals & quite a few meatless treats

1. Red velvet funnel cakes?! Oh my. Yes please.
2. Fun, colorful arrows pointed the way throughout the fair- the Geek Pavilion was my favorite place
3. There were tons of handmade items, and I couldn't resist buying this beautiful Colorado necklace
4. One of the best parts of any county fair is always the animals- I ♥ goats!
5. Not only were there competitions for dips, and pickled vegetables, and pies of all kinds, but there were vegan and gluten free categories too! I absolutely love that. I'm definitely entering next year :)

I hope you enjoyed a small peek at my Denver County Fair fun. Does your county have a fair & are you planning on checking it out? I highly recommend it! I had the best time EVER!

caprese salad

just 'cause it has a fancy name, doesn't mean it's hard to make- so easy. SO delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 tomato
• fresh mozzarella
• basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil

• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper

1. Slice the tomato and mozzarella into rounds about 1/4 inch thick
2. Arrange on a plate with the fresh basil leaves
3. Lightly drizzle the tomato, mozzarella, and basil with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar
4. Add a pinch of salt and pepper over the top & fall in love with this fresh, flavorful salad!

14,000 foot burrito

if you need something to eat at the top of your first fourteener, a black bean burrito is a tasty choice

Ingredients:

• 1 large wrap-size tortilla
• 1/3 cup black beans
• dash of cumin
• dash of garlic salt

• your favorite salsa
• 1 Tbs. cheese
• 1/4 avocado sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped iceberg lettuce

1. Sprinkle the black beans with cumin and garlic salt, and then mush everything up with a fork
2. Place the tortilla on a piece of foil & stack the remaining ingredients on top
3. Roll up the tortilla, tucking in the ends & wrap it completely in foil
4. Put your burrito in your pack & dig in when you've reached the summit!