Kimchi noods with miso butter

This is a probiotic bomb, and it will leave you pleasantly full and satisfied for hours. Plus it's super tasty, fast, and you can eat it hot, cold, or at room temperature. 

Kimchi Noodles with Miso Butter

Serves 4

8 oz. stick pasta (anything--buccatini, angel hair, soba, etc. etc. Soba is pictured above.)
1 cup kimchi, drained
1 tablespoon miso butter
2 cups broccoli florets or packed baby spinach
toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

In well-salted boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente.  In the last 2-3 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli (if using spinach, add in the last 60 seconds). Drain, stir in the miso butter until completely melted, then toss in the kimchi and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.

Miso butter for almost everything

This is hardly a recipe, but it will up your game anytime you'd normally use butter.  By adding white (don't substitute another flavor) miso to your unsalted butter, you're adding an almost cheesy pop of umame that works with just about any cuisine. Just combine room-temperature butter and white miso in a 2:1 ratio (a small container of 4 tablespoons butter to 2 tablespoons miso will keep nicely in the fridge for last-minute additions) and mash it together with a fork until it looks pretty well mixed.

What can you do with it?

• Toss it into steamed vegetables with a little hot sauce for a side.
• Put it on your toast in the morning, immediately followed by some thinly sliced avocado and a perfect, 9-minute boiled egg.

• Add it to hot noodles as a quick sauce, before adding veggies and/or proteins.
• Slap a pat onto cooked fish or land animals as a finishing sauce.
• Use it in place of plain butter on corn on the cob or a baked potato. 

I will have all of the sangria, please

I am so done with rosé, and never really did get the appeal in the first place.  But sangria is definitely something I can wrap my brain around...a crisp white wine (go with something cheap), made more interesting with fresh fruit and maybe fortified with a little sweet liquor--what's not to love? 

"Orangey"
1/2 cup (1 to 2 oranges) freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup (3 to 4 lemons) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine (anything but Chardonnay)
1 bottle (10 oz.) soda water
1 orange, sliced
1 lemon, sliced

"Grapefruity"

1 750 mL bottle riesling
1 750mL bottle prosecco
1 cup grapefruit juice
1/4 cup simple syrup (optional)
1/2 cup club soda
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries
1 grapefruit, cut into chunks/slices

"Cucumber-Melon"

4 cups honeydew melon or canteloupe, cubed
1 cup sliced English cucumber
1 750ml Prosecco
1/2 cup white grape juice
1 cup fresh mint leaves

"Skinny"
1 bottles of crisp white wine (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio...)

1 bottle of sparkling white wine (Vino Verde, Prosecco)
2 ripe peaches, sliced
1 pint raspberries
2 kiwis
several sprigs of mint
Stevia or other sugar substitute to taste

I often skip the additional sweeteners, but for something a bit more like soda pop, you may elect to keep them in.  Whichever recipe(s) you try, plan ahead so that it can sit in the fridge for about an hour before serving.  You can also substitute any amount of fresh fruit for frozen.

Weekend in Old Colorado City/Manitou Springs

Thanks to Air BnB, I had a pretty sweet couple of nights in a 1979 Airstream down in Old Colorado City recently. OCC, as I like to call it when I'm being lazy, was the original capital of Colorado. By the 1920s they were going broke and voted to incorporate into Colorado Springs, so what's left today is a cute selection of old-timey architecture filled with restaurants, pubs, and overpriced clothing. Manitou Springs, home to a bevy of amazing hikes, looks similar. They're both tucked into the Pike's Peak/Garden of the Gods mountainous area, providing a nice respite from your climbing and hiking adventures. Here are my recommendations:

Local grocery stores (OCC):
King Soopers, 1750 W. Uintah St
Safeway, 3275 W Colorado Ave

Restaurants:
PJ’s Diner, 915 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 (authentic Polish + burgers)
La Baguette, 2417 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 (French bakery serving a full menu through 6pm)
Alchemy Irish Pub, 2625 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Paravicini’s, 2802 W Colorado Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80904 ($9 lunch menu) 

Red Dog Coffee and Cafe, 739 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829

In Town:
Old Colorado City wandering: along Colorado Ave.
Manitou Springs wandering: Manitou Ave & Canyon Ave

Outdoors:
Garden of the Gods: take either Pikes Peak Ave or Colorado Ave West to 30th St, North on 30th
Red Rock Canyon Open Space: Take US-24 W, turn left onto Ridge Rd, turn left onto W High St
Manitou Cliff Dwelings $ (open 9-6): same as above, but continue on US-24 until Turn right onto Cliff Rd/Sunshine Trail
Miramont Castle Museum $ (closed Mondays): same as above, but continue on US-24 until continue on Serpentine Dr. Take Manitou Ave to Capitol Hill Ave
Manitou Incline: US-24 to Continue on Serpentine Dr. Take Manitou Ave and Ruxton Ave to Hydro St (towards Cog Railway)
Manitou Heritage Museum: 517 Manitou Ave (11:30-4:30 daily)

If you think this Airstream looks like a cute place to bunk, I couldn't recommend it, and the host, more highly. Go here for more info.