Elk Stew
I’ve had enough beef stew out of a can on youth camping trips and during college days. No more overly thick stew with too many potatoes and no flavor for me any more. For this I used an elk roast cut into small cubes but you can easily use beef and get a great result too. I do not like huge pieces of vegetables in the stew, I prefer smaller more approachable sized vegetables.
Ingredients:
2 pounds elk roast well trimmed and cut into ½ inch pieces
6 large stalks of celery, cut on the bias in ¾ inch pieces
2 onions, cut into long pieces
4 carrots cut into random shapes at about ½ inch
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ½ inch dice
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 bottle red wine, merlot or cabernet (or equivalent amount of box wine)
½ tsp dry thyme
Searing & carmelization
In a 8 quart soup pot heat 3 Tbsp oil to just smoking
Lightly dust the meat in flour and sear in the hot oil, remove when all sides are browned
Sautee the onions in the same pan until they carmelize lightly
Add the celery to lightly carmelize
Add the red wine directly in the hot pan and allow the wine to begin reducing
Return the browned meat to the simmering wine & vegetables
Add the tomatoes, diced butternut squash, and dried thyme
Add water to near the top of the pot and simmer for 3 hours.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste
This makes enough for 8 people
Serve with a green salad and hearty country style bread.
“Sufferin’ Succotash”
A phrase made famous by Warner Bothers character “Sylvester” the cat, and sometimes Daffy Duck. In the culinary world, succotash is a dish usually made with corn kernels, lima beans or some other shell bean and vegetables. I have used variations of this many times at the restaurant as a side to accompany lighter bird dishes. Personally I prefer small white beans to all the others. In summer I load the succotash up with lots of fresh sweet corn, ripe red peppers, summer squash, and fresh herbs.
In the winter I love to have a crock of beans around so I’ve decided to make succotash and just make a winter adjustment to utilize the winter produce instead of corn. I’ll make soup with the rest of the beans. As much as frozen corn can be a really good product it just doesn’t sound right today.
Ingredients for 4 servings
2 cups white beans, cooked
1 onion
3 stalks of celery
3 carrots, cut to the size of the beans
1 chayote squash
1 tsp chopped garlic
juice from a can of tomatoes, (reserve tomatoes for another use)
2 Tbsp fresh herb butter
parmesan cheese
for the herb butter;
soften 1 pound of unsalted butter
pick and chop finely
4 oz fresh thyme
4 oz fresh tarragon
4 oz fresh rosemary
mix the herbs and butter together, roll into a quarter sized roll in wax paper and refrigerate.
When firm, cut into pieces about 4 inches long and freeze some for later use.
To assemble the succotash,
Gently sautee all the vegetables
Add the tomato juice and the cooked beans
Salt & pepper to taste and simmer till almost dry
Add the herb butter and stir in
Grate cheese on top
Serve with roasted chicken, duck, quail, veal or ham
“A Stir Fry of Left Overs”
Putting together a really tasty stir fry is an exercise in sautee technique. The key to a really delicious meal is organization in the beginning. You must have all of your vegetables cut and ready before you start. Additional condiments and flavorings must also be at the ready. Rice needs to be started first, or already cooked, as it may take up to an hour depending on what kind of rice you are going to use. The stir-fry sautee will take no longer than 10 minutes.
For today’s dinner I used (grouped in sautee order, hardest to softest)
2 carrots,
2 green peppers,
1 small onion
1 8oz package fresh mushrooms, cut in quarters
1/8 head of green cabbage, julienne
left over round steak, 6 oz (cooked) cut into small pieces
Condiments & flavorings
½ tsp chopped garlic
1 small thumb sized piece of fresh ginger ( scrape the skin off with a spoon and cut small)
½ tsp Thai red curry paste
Soy Sauce
Rice Wine vinegar
Honey (or sugar)
2 TbspCorn starch and 1/3 cup water mixed together in a slurry,
With everything chopped, sliced, laid out and ready, it’s time to sautee
The first rule of sautee is “get your pan down and get it HOT!”
I used a 10” non-stick sautee pan, on high heat (turn on the exhaust fan and open a window). A wok would be even better.
Into the hot pan… put 1Tbsp canola oil and allow it to get hot, 10 seconds.
Put the first grouping of hard vegetables in, toss around a little and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes. Toss (or stir) often to keep from burning, I always keep the heat high and if the temperature is getting out of control, take the pan away from the heat for 30 seconds or so until the temperature is hot but not burning everything.
Now add the mushrooms, chopped garlic, (if you add garlic too soon to such a hot pan it WILL burn) and ginger and allow the mushrooms to cook and exude some of their moisture while allowing the flavor of the ginger and garlic to grow into the mix. 3-4 minutes cooking time should be enough, keep tossing or stirring.
At this time we will build the sauce in the working sautee, I will taste the juice I’m going to create 20 times to get it right.
Add about ½ cup of water and reduce the heat in half. Add the curry paste into the water to help dissolve it and spread its flavor. Add about ¼ cup soy sauce, mix in quickly. Add ¼ cup rice wine vinegar and 1 Tbsp honey (or sugar).
NOW IS THE TIME TO TASTE, TASTE, TASTE!
We are trying to balance sweet, sour, hot and salt all very quickly as the liquid is reducing and the vegetables are heading towards being over cooked.
Keep adjusting the different flavor profiles until you get what you like. When satisfied add the beef to merely re-warm in the juice and thicken the juice with some of the corn starch slurry. Only put in a little slurry at a time and allow it to cook and thicken. If you get it too thick too soon it’s hard to fix and keep the flavor correct. As the corn starch cooks it will thicken the juice and become clear when it’s ready (about 2 minutes).
Pour the stir fry over warm rice. Have a great dinner!!!
One of Dar’s favorites! We’re off to Sky’s Basketball game, GO TITANS!
Colorado Corn Soup
Shuck 12 ears of corn & cut kernels off cob, reserve
Make “cob Stock” with cobs
Just cover cobs, celery, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns with water
Bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes
Strain and reserve liquid
Sautee in butter, (do not brown)
1 small diced onion
1 stalk small diced celery
2 Tbsp minced garlic
add corn and lightly sautee
add a small amount of flour to absorb butter and vegetable fat
cook a few minutes (do not brown)
Add corn stock, mix well to dissolve the cooked flour
Add milk, do not boil once milk is added
Simmer at low temp
Season with salt, pepper & fresh thyme
Puree only enough vegetables to create a little body (no more than half)
Leaving whole corn kernels & vegetables
A Late Summer, Every Day Salad
Ingredients
1 moderate sized handful of green beans, blanched
2 small to medium zucchini squash (green skin)
1 small to medium summer squash (yellow skin)
1 small red onion, pool ball sized
1 red pepper
1 clove of garlic
2 nice full leafy stems of fresh basil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Method
Big pot blanching: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (salted just enough so you can taste the salt but no more).
When the water boils drop in the green beans and let boil 2 minutes, don’t leave them in so long that they turn army green. After two minutes shock them in an ice bath to stop the cooking and retain a nice green color. When cool remove from the water and let them drain.
Slice the squash into coin sized rounds and the onion and pepper into short julienne.
Mince the garlic clove very small.
Stack all the basil leaves on top of one another and roll them up tightly like a cigar and then slice them very thin chiffonade.
Toss all the vegetables together with the oil and vinegar, salt & pepper. Taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
This gets better for 2 days then its quality will begin to decline.
Addition of ripe farm tomato is great but will shorten the refrigerator life.
You can eat this plain as a meal, add it to cooked pasta, put it on top of salad greens or even heat it up to have along side a hot dinner.
Enjoy, Tim
Thank you for creating this wonderful site! Can’t wait for the recipes!
I just read your blog and just wanted you to know that Heidi will come around . Your a a great mom. My teenage daughter and I have been watching the show from beginning till end .She will realize you only have her best interests for her. My heart goes out to you and your beautiful family.
Thank you SO MUCH!!! How very kind of you to take the time and tell me. I appreciate your support. (: God Bless, Dar
Aw, THANKS! I appreciate your encouragement and support! God Bless, Darlene
Thanks for sharing your recipes – I am always looking for new ones! On Heidi, I have watched the show since it first came out. She will come around. I am 25 and realizing more and more every year how much my mom means to me. As one becomes older the more wise one becomes. Reading your blog brings tears to my eyes. I just had my daughter 7 months ago & I cannot imagine what you are going through. I would be crushed. She is going to wake up one day and be like I am done I miss my mommy. Praying for you & your family<3 Stay strong Darlene:)
My husband, an awesome chef, will be developing that whole section next week when he becomes unemployed ): GREAT news for the blog!!! Congratulations on your daughter! What a gift! I have complete faith in Heids and toal trust in God that he will make ALL things for good! Thanks for taking the time to write! God Bless, Darlene
I just stumbled onto your blog by accident. I’m a native and am homesick for Colorado much more frequently than I’ll ever admit to my husband. Maybe I can secretly soothe my wish be there by making your corn soup — it sounds incredible. I hope that you’ll post more recipes soon? I can get them anywhere, but when I know they’re “Colorado” recipes, it somehow makes it special.
Cheers…
My husbands gonna get on that SOON!!! And they’re his own recipes! He’s still overwhelmed with legal issues and the closing of the restaurant, I never imagined all that was involved in going out of business, yucky stuff that stinks BIG TIME! Thanks for the encouragement, I just told him! (: blessings, Darlene
Hi, i just wanted to tell you that you are a great mom. Heidi will realize how lucky she is to have you. You remind me of my mother and it took me some years to understand that she only want the best for me. Good luck with the future and God bless!
Love Karin from Norway
Thank you! I appreciate your encouragement and support! God Bless, Darlene
Dear Darlene,
This is an amazing site and you are doing a wonderful job! I just wanted to tell you that Heidi will come around for sure one day, its a sense of home and belonging you can’t fight if you get older. I’m only 27 but I myself have had a though time with a controlling dad which made me move to the other side of the world for years!! Things change with time, I am a firm believer that time DOES heal everything. I am sure Heidi loves and misses you; it might be her pride that is preventing her to not reach out to you. You might also bear in mind that living in LA doesn’t really help the whole situation; I spent my summer in California and LA is completely different than the rest of – let’s say the whole of the US. I’m sure she felt pressured into acting a certain way which she eventually became so used to, it literally took over her life. You are a wonderful person and an inspiration to all mom’s out there, what I wanted to tell you is to just hang in there, things will always work out in the end. I came around, too. I’m not living with my parents anymore but now I’m only a short plane ride away and the funny thing is that I DO want to see my mom! You truly are a wonderful person. All the best to you. Carol from the UK
Thank you! I appreciate your kind words and encouragement, stories like yours are inspiring and hopeful. I’m glad things are well with you. Thanks for taking the time to share and support me, God Bless, Darlene
I am so sorry to hear about your restaurant. Is there any way at all to save it?
I pray for Heidi and know she’ll make her way back to you. Like you said, it’s in God’s hands. You’re a wonderful, inspirational, kind, gentle soul! Your family is blessed to have you. Many positive prayers for all things good. Blessings and prayers to you Darlene!
Melanie White
Ah, no. It’s closed up and done. Thanks for your condolences and encouragement. I am deeply and eternaly blessed, I have no reason to be sad about anything. (: Thanks for writing, God Bless, Darlene
Darlene,
I thought I would add this one – you might not want to hear this as it is associated with so many ‘wanna be famous’ people but I truly think you should write a book. You are writing exceptionally well and you have a great talent in expressing what is obviously so close to your heart.
God bless,
Carol
I WANT TO!! I’m going to, it’s been a goal for about ten years, it’s just taken a different turn (: Thanks for the encouragement!!! SO NICE OF YOU TO SAY! (: God Bless, Darlene
Thank You for this, I will try it out, I know everything will be fine, I have Heidi in my heart, because I’m a huge fan of hers, and IM A HUGE FAN OUR YOURS AS WELL!!!
, I wanted to ask you if you have heard Heidi’s AMAZING album, I love it, but anayway, thank you!
YEA!!! Any fan of Heid’s has a place in my heart! I’ve heard all the songs on Superficial, I think they’re AWESOME! Thanks for writing, God Bless (: Darlene
Your pictures are beautiful and I look forward to the recipes! Your restaurant looks so wonderful – have faith that when the economy picks up there will be unforeseen opportunities in the future! The pictures of your family are beautiful – they are happy and healthy and Heidi was always so beautiful, she will regain her confidence and peace. I think what she is going through is very normal – she is so poised and smart, even in such an abnormal “reality” as Hollywood that she will have good judgement in the future!
Thank you… OK! Thanks for the encouaragement! I do too!!! As unique as her situation seems, its not that unlike what many twenty somethings go through on a path of self discovery. A girl after my own heart! THANK YOU!!! God bless, Darlene
Thanks for posting recipes…my husband always likes to try and make new things.
He is from Wales and he experiments with foods from the US and the UK…most come out great. I can burn water so I get the fabulous opportunity to stay out of the kitchen! lol.
We do look forward to some Fresh and healthy ideas…it does make a world of difference when you get the junk out of your system.
Take care…blessings to you and your family.
MUCH MORE recipes and cooking videos to come! Just trying to keep my head above water at this point, thanks for the encouragement and interest! You are like me, I only pour cereal and make toast! My kids & I had the benefit of having a chef for a father. Thanks for writing, God Bless, Darlene (:
I just wanted to say that I love your website. You are a great mother and I know that deep down in Heidi’s heart you hold a special place. She will come around.
I just want you to know that the empty nest got me too. And when all three of my children moved out of state I was devastated. My youngest daughter had a baby three years ago and I only get to see her about four times a year. I too am in a grieving process as my daughter has emotionally disconnected with her family because of her husband. I am hoping that family wills out and that your mother is always your mother. My husband and I lost our business after 25 years 8 years ago and now we are turning the corner. All will be well with you and Heidi. I just know it.
Just moved out to CO a few years ago from the Midwest & I love it here! I am always trying to snatch-up CO recipes – hardy & delish! What a great find on your site! I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for posting these recipes, Darlene! God bless you and your family!
MUCH more to come… hopefully this week! (:
More recipes please! I keep checking this tab over and over hoping and hoping to see more!!
Pretty please!
Just posted the stir fry Tim cooked for dinner last night!!! YUM SOOOOOO GOOD!!!! Thanks for hanging tough, we’re on a roll now (:
Hi Darlene,
Is threre a possability for a Q&A from you and Tim about how NOT to ruin your meal? Try as I may, I can not get lump free mashed potatoes. I finally got my gravy good but the potatoes are another story. It would be awesome to be able to “Ask the Chef” regarding things like this. Thanks. Stay warm. Shelley
I dont cook, but Tim says the only way is to put the potatoes through a food mill (:Thanks for the suggestion!!! GREAT idea! (:
GREAT! Thanks! stay tuned (: Super, healthy, simple & FRESH ideas Blessings, Dar