Progressive Dinner.
Prime Rib @ Cherry Creek Grill.
California Cappuccino @ The Market.
With the most-to-die-for Tiramisu EVER.
We kinda closed the place down.
Crisp Fall Air. City Lights. Good food. Great coffee. Fine company. I’m a lucky girl.
We discovered a little corner of the city so secluded that we were the only ones there to witness the glory of the changing leaves. And dip our toes into the cool water. And draw on the sand with sticks. And throw golden leaves into the water and then watch as they were carried away by the current. Nature is powerful. I think because of the way it inspires as it connects us to something greater than ourselves. And witnessing a child fully throwing himself into enjoying it makes it all the more amazing.
It was a beautiful weekend to explore the mountains around us. 
It’s amazing to see the shimmery gold aspen leaves up close and in person. 
J noticed this street sign on our way so we stopped to snap a pic of it. 
We found a fun trail that took us into downtown. A friendly passerby took this… it’s out of focus but at least it’s proof we were there :)
Enjoying the 80 degree weather.
Colorful bridge…
With a dispenser for fishy food! Only 25 cents.
The view was free.
Cutest Starbucks I’ve ever seen.
We opted for the less traveled “Clint’s”.
It had an air of enchantment to it.
We shared a giant slice of carrot cake and some regular coffee. When trying a new coffee place, we usually order their drip coffee to get an unaltered taste of the brew.
We ate our giant slice on a rock and looked out on a killer view as some clouds rolled in to provide much-needed shade.
Little J watched as J shook some golden leaves from the tree…
and then of course had to try it.
giggle-filled run from dad.
So much to explore!
New recipe we love! Crispy chicken with cucumber salad. I call this my angry chicken since I made the recipe one night while I was angry (I’m so creative with names, I know). I just kept sprinkling on seasonings and low and behold it tasted great! I started with pieces of a whole chicken and coated with olive oil, then sprinkled with lemon-herb and cayenne pepper. I covered those bad boys so it was a little spicy but we love spicy. Cook at 425 for one hour. I didn’t used to eat chicken skin. Unfortunately this crispy crunchy skin is irresistable. While watching me chow down on it, my husband told me he wouldn’t judge me if I sucked on the bones for awhile. Believe me, I was tempted to.
The salad is a spin off of a cucumber tomato salad my mom used to make. But I kicked it up a notch since I love goat cheese (my mom hates goat cheese so don’t tell her I added it! ;)
The ingredients I used for the salad are 1 chopped cucumber (I never peal them-more nutrients), 2 tomatos, 1-2 cobs cooked corn, 1 bell pepper, 1 green onion and goat cheese sprinkled on top.
The dressing is 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 4 tbsp EVOO and 8 basil leaves chopped.
It stays good in the fridge for a couple days with dressing on it because the veggies are so dense. Lettuce-less salads are my favorite! This one is so hearty I had it for lunch and dinner 2 days in a row. It is so refreshing with its sweet and sour dressing. If you’re making a large batch and plan to keep some in the fridge, I recommend putting on the goat cheese as you serve it instead of mixing it all in with the veggies. Enjoy!
My new favorite breakfast! I love eggs in the morning- it’s a great hearty start to the day and keeps me full for a long time. I have fresh basil from our aunt’s garden and so that inspired the recipe for this morning.
I start with real butter in the pan (I always go real vs. artificial like margarine). Then I crack open 2 cage-free eggs and break up the yoke a tiny bit, then sprinkled on fresh pepper. When the eggs were almost done cooking, I sprinkled on crumbled goat cheese, chopped fresh basil leaves (about 5) and 1 chopped green onion. Tomatoes would also go well, but this morning I wanted to keep it simple.
And, of course, I paired it with a cup of coffee. We just got a french press and it has been a wonderful switch.
I got this idea from a hairdresser I used to go to. It’s called spa water and it’s simple and delicious. There are a few variations but I will start with my favorite.
Start with filtered water and a glass pitcher (don’t use plastic because the citrus can sometimes eat into it).
Then grab some fresh mint (this mint was provided by our aunt’s outdoor garden), 2 slices cucumber, 1-2 slices lemon, and a chunk or a few shreds of fresh ginger
Drop produce in, refrigerate, and enjoy!
Some other variations are
lemon & lime, lemon & cucumber, lemon & orange or any combination therein.
And this jar was purchased at a thrift store for $1… score!
This salad is delicious! And perfect for summer.
The hand-written recipe fell out of my recipe book. I apologize that I don’t know who to thank for it. I certainly didn’t come up with it on my own. I vaguely remember a conversation with my mom over the phone about it. Maybe it belongs to a family member?
The salad is fresh spinach, strawberries and sliced almonds. (Technically it’s 9 cups of spinach, 1 pint strawberries, and 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds. But I don’t measure things)
The dressing is:
1/4 cup veg oil, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tbsp minced green or red onion, 1/4 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp worcest. sauce. I skipped the poppy seeds and sesame seeds, as you can see. Extra hassle and I don’t miss it.
So first I wash the spinach
I tear it up by hand. I love feeling my food before I eat it. It adds to the experience!
After I make the dressing, I soak the strawberries in it for a few minutes. That way they are nice and flavorful.
Sometimes I toast the almonds in butter on the stove top until crispy and golden. Other times I throw them in plain. This salad is simple, healthy and delicious. A winning combination.
My two favorite red heads.
The lovely Leach family is visiting us here in Denver! Today we went to Cherry Creek Mall. I had my camera along so we took some funky fun pictures in Anthropologie (Michelle’s and my fave store). 
We love Michelle, Kevin and Maggie! Such a fun, sweet family.
Michelle and I have been friends for 23 years now! I cherish her. She is a GEM. We’ve celebrated a lot of life together as well as seen each other through hardship. Most recently, we’ve been dealing with seeing our parents fight through returning cancer. It’s super tough to watch someone you love so much suffer. She makes my life better.
I love her craftiness! She wants to make a replica of this adorable little apron for Maggie love. Check out her creations at LeachLove.blogspot.com
I recently broke a bowl and needed more, so we had fun choosing these colors. $5 a piece, love this store!
Little Magpie enjoyed playing with Mr. Giraffe.
I could have bought their entire line of jewelry.
But I didn’t.
Auntie Michelle bought Andrew an adorable checkered, brown button-up shirt from JCrew. Thanks girlfriend!
A day spent with friends is never wasted.
I hate wasting things- food, time, money, paper … I think it’s a result of being raised in the “recycle, reduce re-use” era. I had some leftover brown rice in the fridge from a salmon dinner and was debating what it’s new purpose could be. I decided on stir fry since I had a drawer full of veggies from the farmer’s market. I had a strange mixture of veggies, but I just went with it- cabbage, red onion, carrots, celery, fresh parsley, and a few radishes. 
I sauteed everything but the parsley in sesame seed oil and soy sauce. I also added in garlic and good old salt and pepper. I cut up the radishes really small for a little spicy crunch and then sprinkled in the parsley.
Then I added in the rice.
And I had some of this delicious marinade in the fridge and threw some in. Side note- this marinade is amazing! I’ve used it with lettuce wraps- delicious.
And voila! My husband especially enjoyed it. Delicious, healthy, and it all was just waiting for me in the fridge.
The boys and I went over to the the Cherry Creek Arts Festival this last weekend. It took place on 2nd and 3rd Street, by Cherry Creek Mall on July 4 weekend. 
Fun festivities, inspiring art, and great food! We decided on Borriello Brothers for
lunch.
We shared “the Godfather”- a trio of meat, provolone cheese, lettuce and roasted tomatoes on a sub. Seriously so good. 
We ate by the theater for some great live music. And this old guy was entertaining us all!
We also tasted some wines, courtesy of Robert Mondavi.
After seeing some amazing artists display their work and walking around in the heat, we headed back home. We were surprised and delighted to see a firework show take place right in view of our building. We watched the show from our balcony.
Happy 4th of July!
While staying with my mom in CA recently, I learned an amazing secret. My mom came downstairs one day and looked at the shower. She said, “you know Megan, if you don’t want to use the squeegee every time to clean the glass you can just use your towel to wipe it down and then throw it in the wash.” And with that simple notion, I realized that the everyday chore of using that painful little plastic tool could be no more. She then said, “I just get a new towel out every day to use- it’s nice to have a clean towel every time”. Huh. Use my towel to clean? So the next day, I did just that. I used my towel to wipe down the glass doors. But then I saw the toothpaste smeared in the sink… and the marks on the mirror… and the dust on the floor… so I put the towel to work and cleaned up the whole bathroom. Granted nothing was sanitized (which I know it needs to be from time to time)- but the dirt and grime was gone. Eureka! This opened up a whole new world to me. Before I felt I had to wait until I could put on my cleaning clothes, bring out the cleaning supplies, and bust out my cleaning gloves before I could tackle this space, or any other space for that matter. Now I had it whipped up in 2 minutes flat. So from now on I don’t wait to wipe the floors or sink clean until “cleaning day”… I just use my towel. Now this may seem trivial to some. But for a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom of a rambunctious toddler who still likes to have a social life- this is a priceless tidbit of information.
So this morning I noticed our small sink area was in disarray. So I grabbed a t-shirt from the laundry pile, put some hot water onto it and went to work. My bathroom looks clean all the time and I still have a life. I don’t kid myself- sometimes having a room that looks clean is just as good as having one that is actually clean!
