The Santa Fe Cookie Company

There are some things in life that should really be this simple.   A friend introduced me to the Santa Fe Cookie Company in the fall.  The shop is on 16th and Tremont (Republic Plaza) in downtown Denver.   The business model is simple.  One dollar.   That's it.  One dollar for three freshly baked cookies.    Three cookies to a bag and they are sorted by flavor.   You put your one dollar bill or four quarters or twenty nickels in the plastic bottle and leave.   You can say hi to the Cookie Lady or just sneak out quietly.   Brilliant.

                                    



Euclid Hall, Take 2

In late November I ate at Euclid Hall for the first time.   In mid-December, I went back again and took my sister for some "crafted" food before hitting the DCPA for the Broadway revival of West Side Story (which was awesome....I was mentally singing along the whole time!).    The food does not disappoint, and this time, it was light enough for me to take pictures.

Hello appetizer!  Growing up in the fine state of Wisconsin, we take our cheese curds seriously! 

A lame frozen mozzarella stick is not the same.   

Served with buffalo ranch for dipping.

My first time ever having Chicken & Waffles.  

The chicken was pounded flat and had a light crispy coating...so savory

in contrast to the waffles and maple syrup.

And when cheese curds and chicken and waffles aren't enough, I ended this culinary

adventure with the Bacon Sticky Bun.   I'm struggling with the proper

adjectives to describe the caramel sauce studded with bacon.  

Just do it.

Denver Restaurants: Ondos

Pintxos on Toasted Bread

I'm pretty convinced that sangria makes life better.  I've pretty much perfected my red sangria and it is an essential staple for the summer.  I can scarcely imagine City Park Jazz without it.   One of my friends recommended Ondos to me for their sangria and happy hour specials.   We had a coupon that was not valid for happy hour, so we stopped by around 8pm on a Thursday just for a little snack.  I think I'll have to go back for happy hour so I can try all the different pintxos...and maybe the red sangria.

This photo is not my best work, but these Croquetas were delish!

White Sangria

Denver Restaurants: Hickory House

I'm just going to come out and say it.   I LOVE Hickory House.  When I first moved to Colorado I started driving around my neighborhood....about 10 miles in every direction.   One time, when I'm sure I was looking for something like Target or Old Navy I headed south down Parker Road.   And kept going.   And then I saw the Hickory House and made a mental note.   In the past six years, I've taken most out of town visitors here for dinner.  It's one of the few places I've found completely on my own without a friend's recommendation or an online review.   It was an added bonus when a coupon came up a few weeks ago from Denver Perks...and that I had a $10 credit.  That made dinner a big $5 plus tax/tip.    Just writing about this now makes me hungry.         

Always start with the onion rings

Combo #2 with smoked pork

Put some pork and baked beans into your baked potato and dive in

Hello October: Cider Days and Taste of Denmark

I want your sole! This October (and early November) I'm participating in the Soles 4 Souls Flippin' Good Deeds Challenge. For more information about the challenge and how you (wherever you are) and your shoes can get involved to help others, please click here. That being said, I am going to try and incorporate shoes in every post I do this month. So here goes....


Today it is cold and alternating between rain and light snow, depending on where you are in the Denver area.   But last weekend it was 80 degrees and sunny.   What gets you into the fall spirit faster than apple cider?  My sister and I met up with two other friends at the city of Lakewood Cider Days.   You can eat giant turkey legs, drink cider floats, see old-time crafts (tatting anyone?), watch the tractor pull and hand crank your own cider.  

As a part of our participation in the 10 Day Give - we stopped at this booth

to play a game and to make a donation to Camp Paha

Antique tractors on display at the tractor pull.  I used to live in Moline

(world headquarters of John Deere), so felt obligated to take this photo.

I liked the reflection in the barn window - including the mule ears

Wild Wings Environmental Education was also at the event and Sophie, their owl, was very photogenic. 

Since we were already in Lakewood we ventured to the Taste of Denmark bakery.   Growing up in southern Wisconsin, the grocery stores sold a Danish pastry called Kringle.  Raspberry kringle is my absolute favorite.  Earlier this year, my grandma surprised me by sending me an unexpected birthday kringle, so I was on an unofficial mission to see if there was a bakery somewhere in the Denver area that sold them.  As you can see, we bought all kinds of good things.   One thing I like about danish pastry is the use of almond paste.  More things in life need almond paste.   Sadly because we were there in the late afternoon they were out of kringle, but I don't feel cheated at all.

And as promised - these were the Cider Day shoes.  

If the event was today instead of last Saturday it would be something entirely different. 

And much warmer.

Project 365: Where Did September Go?

I'm going through all my pictures and wondering how quickly the month of September flew by.  Tomorrow is the beginning of October (and the 10 Day Give) and I'm not ready! 

September 1 - Treats accumulate at the office

September 2 - Mom and I go to dinner at Crepes and Crepes - love ending my meal with a strawberry nutella crepe and a cappuccino

September 3 - Gigi's Cupcakes and the Paris Street Market in Littleton before visiting the Columbine Memorial and then going to see the Help

September 4 - I made the amazing White Chocolate Blondies

September 5 - Labor Day Brunch (above and below) at Paris on the Platte

September 6 - No crying while reading this Nicholas Sparks novel (really!)

(time passes)

September 13 - a new fashion line causes the Target site to crash

September 15 - My prize at staff meeting

September 17 - Three new restaurants (click here)

September 19 - My sister has started using dry erase boards at work and home to "erase boardom"

September 20 - Uptown Sampler

September 22 - Beer themed dinner party (why I made the Guinness cupcakes)

September 23 - Cooking School

September 24 - Canon City (pictures to come....just not yet)

September 29 - new table in my office

September 30 - Kosmic Karma pizza at Mellow Mushroom

Denver Uptown Sampler 2011

This is the third Denver dine-around that I've done in the six years I've lived here.   I've dined my way through the Feast on the Fax and the Tasty Colfax.   Last week I added the Uptown Sampler to my list.   It was a beautiful night to stroll along the 17th Avenue visiting a lot of restaurants, which were mostly all new to me.   There were 19 venues, and we made it to 17, though we were no longer hungry by stop 14.   One of my favorite stops was "Eze Mop" which isn't actually a restaurant, but a small collection of shops (in the Eze Mop building).   But they offered gelato and had great gifts in their stores.   Here are a few pics of some of our delicious sampling.    Enjoy!

Sliders and Wings at Tavern Uptown

 I don't remember what they were other than delicious - D Bar Desserts

Ceviche!!! - Limon

 Scallop - Wild Catch



Dining Around: Stella's Coffee, Li'l Nick's Pizza, Apres Dessert Bar

Last weekend I managed to visit three new places in one day. How is this possible, you ask? First my sister and I met up for a friend at Stella’s on Old South Pearl Street. Stella’s is a converted house, so it has lots of seating in the different rooms as well as a huge patio to get sun, or shade, as needed. The baristas were entertaining and I got to enjoy my mocha in a real mug. In the world of paper cups and cardboard sleeves, it was a treat. Only latte art in the foam would have made it complete (ironically, I met someone this week who trains on latte art, among other things, for a local breakfast restaurant).

We sat there talking so long that I had to order a blackberry Italian soda as well. Now, a good mocha or latte is hard to make at home unless you have a serious cappuccino machine or steamer - my experiment with my $4.99 goodwill cappuccino maker proves that. An Italian soda on the other hand could be easily made at home - you could probably make 15-20 for the cost of two at a coffee shop. Buy the flavored syrup at the grocery store or world market and then a two-liter of the store brand club soda and call it a day. You can be very classy for a low price.

For dinner we went to Li'l Nick’s Pizza in Wheat Ridge, courtesy of a Groupon that was getting ready to expire. Prior to my trip to New Mexico earlier this year, I don’t think I’d had garlic knots, and now when I see it on the menu, it’s almost a compulsion to order. The staff was friendly and the pizza was good, but Wheat Ridge isn’t close to home, so I don’t know when I’ll get up there again.

 For dessert we went to Apres Dessert Bar which is an arm of the Generous Servings coffee shop and cooking school in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver. I had won a $20 gift certificate as a part of the Visit Denver Restaurant Week photo contest on Facebook in the spring. The dessert bar only has a few tables and is open on weekends in the evenings. I had a rich Spanish coffee and then this beautiful flourless chocolate cake with Earl Grey ice cream and mint shortbread. I have to find a way to recreate the mint shortbread. It was practically life changing.

What a delicious day!

Project 365 - August 21-31

August 21 - Fun with baking....again

August 22 - Current read

August 23 - Magazine ad...how do I get to be in first class with cute guys and balloon animals?

August 24 - Yo Craze - our favorite local froyo spot

August 24 - "Department Meeting" at the Rockies Game

August 25 - Happy Hour after our manager's outing

August 26 - The "Lowrider" Pizza at Proto's

August 27 - View from my friend's balcony

August 28 - Current Read

August 29 - Gas for under $3.00?  Gotta love King Soopers fuel points.

August 30 - Yum!  Cheese curds from Wisconsin

August 31 - Chocolate Hedgehog from Devil's Food Bakery