Archive for August, 2011
HOW TO SPIKE PINK LEMONADE
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on August 22, 2011 – 5:54 am -It’s hot here in the mountains! Really hot…
I’m not complaining though because it’s only hot like this for about three days a year and I try to embrace each and every one of them.
Last night after working all day pulling weeds and stacking firewood, getting ready for winter (which will be here in about 20 minutes), I came in hot, sweaty and dirty, ready for a shower and a cocktail. A pink cocktail!
So, I dumped a can of frozen Minute Maid pink lemonade in a pitcher
added a cup of cranberry juice
a bunch of ice
then put even more ice in a glass with a slice of lime squeezed on top
filled it with the lemonade mixture
and added a good glug of rum…stir and enjoy! Repeat as necessary….
CHEATER’S SUMMER PASTA
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on August 19, 2011 – 6:16 am -
This is the kind of thing that you can have on the table by 7:00, even if you get home at 6:00! Perfect for a hot summer night when the garden has a ton of tomatoes and basil, but you don’t have time to cook a proper pasta sauce from scratch. You can cheat a little by starting with a can of pureed tomatoes.
Ingredient list:
1 large can pureed tomatoes
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of mushrooms, coarsely chopped
handful of fresh basil, chopped
handful of fresh oregano, chopped
3 or 4 large fresh tomatoes, chopped
Parmesan cheese
pasta of your choice – about 1 lb
Chop the onion
mince the garlic
saute in a large skillet with the mushrooms until everything gets soft – about 15 minutes
chop the tomatoes
add the basil & oregano to the skillet
add the pureed tomatoes and fresh tomatoes, move the whole thing to a larger pot because (1) this won’t fit in the skillet anymore (2) it’s not a good idea to cook tomato sauce in an iron skillet
let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes while you pour the wine (I think a pinot noir would be just lovely) and cook the pasta.
Top with additional basil and parmesan cheese….
easy peasy
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Tags: PastaPosted in She Cooks | 6 Comments »
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WOMAN BUILDS HER DREAM HOME – PART XI
Written by Rocky Mountain Woman on August 17, 2011 – 12:02 pm -This post is in honor of the letter “R” and part of Jenny Matlock’s Alphabet Thursday. For more rocking “r” posts, please click here http://jennymatlock.blogspot.com/
Ahh, summer in the mountains…
I saw a plaque in a gift shop in Park City that said, “If you’re lucky enough to live in the mountains, you’re lucky enough.”
I felt that way during the summer of the build. The weather was spectacular, warm days, cool breezy mountain nights. My horses were back up on the property and seemed content to just hang out and smell the sage brush with me. The trailer was cramped, but not uncomfortable. It had air conditioning, but I rarely turned it on, the mountain breezes kept it cool inside.
Work was progressing on the house. There were lots of decisions to be made, one of which was what type of heating system to install. I opted for radiant heat because it’s more efficient than forced hot air heat and more comfortable. It’s more expensive to install, but since I didn’t need air conditioning (so didn’t need to install vents) and the house was too far out in the boonies to have natural gas and so had to be heated with propane (which is expensive), efficiency became more important than the extra cost.
So, the next step was to install the tubes that carry the hot water in the floors for the heating. First a grid was constructed.
Then a layer of concrete poured and the orange tubing that was to hold the hot water to heat the floors was laid in a winding pattern on the floor. There were about a dozen different zones so I could adjust the heat in different parts of the house to different temperatures.
after the piping was all laid, a thin layer of concrete was poured over the entire floor.
I hadn’t heard from Dick in weeks. I typically left for work before he got there and he was gone by the time I got home, so we didn’t have any interaction at all (yippee!) I just quietly went about my life. I fell into a routine of working, taking care of the horses, driving to Park City for showers (at the gym), food and laundry. Life was good.
To be continued…
For the beginning of this story, click on the “She Builds” button on the right.
Posted in She Builds | 24 Comments »