Italian Caponata Appetizer

We had a very Happy Thanksgiving and a very happy 40th Birthday celebration for our daughter! Thank you for all your good wishes!

Our Christmas tree was up and decorated for the very first time, ever, before Thanksgiving Day. We decided that getting a large real tree was getting too heavy and hard for us to bring in and out of our home every holiday, so we bought a new pre-lighted artificial tree.  Since we were concerned about supply chain issues we ordered it early online and put it together to make sure the lights were working.  It is 9 feet tall so once it was up we decided to keep it up and decorate it, and we were very happy with the final results.  Thanksgiving eve we had snow flurries, and our backyard Colorado blue spruce tree collected some snow but sadly not much else accumulated. The Denver area record for the latest snow was broken a week ago and has had temperatures into the 70s. It is very strange weather and a bit worrisome as it has been very dry

Some of our Thanksgiving Day appetizer lunch is in the first photo collage, and these were the entrees I made for our dinner. Lots of food, lots of favorites, and everyone took home leftovers.

 

Desserts were birthday ice cream cake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, and apple pie.  The apple pie crust decorations before on the right, and after on the left. They looked better before baking!

One appetizer we really enjoyed this Thanksgiving was homemade Caponata. Caponata is a Sicilian sweet and sour version of ratatouille, with a mixture of eggplant, celery, red peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives, etc, in an agrodolce sauce. I made some crostini to serve with the caponata by thinly slicing baguette type loaf bread and toasting the slices in the oven, brushing them first with olive oil, garlic, and parsley on top,

To make the Caponata I used a New York Times recipe with the addition of pine nuts (pignoli nuts) imported from Italy.  Caponata is best made the day ahead of serving, so it can marinate and is best eaten at room temperature.

 CAPONATA

 Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds eggplant (1 large), roasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, from the inner, tender stalks (the heart), diced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 red bell peppers, diced
Salt to taste
1 pound ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped, or 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes (in puree) 3 heaped tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted green olives
1/2 cup toasted Italian Pine Nuts (pignoli nuts)--optional.
2 tablespoons plus a pinch of sugar
3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (more to taste)
freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation:

1) Roast the eggplant, allow to cool, and chop coarsely.

2 ) Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet and add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook together for a minute, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant, and add the peppers and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until just about tender, about 8 minutes. Add another tablespoon of oil and the eggplant, and stir together for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. The eggplant will fall apart, which is fine. Season to taste.

3) Add the tomatoes to the pan with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stir, and scrape the bottom of the pan often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and they smell fragrant. Add the capers, olives, remaining sugar, and vinegar.  Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and the mixture is quite thick, sweet, and fragrant. Stir in the pine nuts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Allow cooling to room temperature. If possible, cover and chill overnight. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy spoonfuls of Caponata eaten plain or served on slices of crostini or crackers.

November has continued to give us some remarkable skies and sunsets. 

 

Let's hope December will bring us some well-needed snow!

Wishing all who celebrate this week a very Happy Hanukkah!

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November Happenings and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

It will be a busy week ahead as I prepare for our Thanksgiving dinner and our daughter's "new decade" birthday!

Our Thanksgiving buffet photo collage from 2020

As our family gathers we have a large appetizer-style lunch with delicious orange, pineapple, and strawberry champagne punch we make every year. 

For dinner, l roast a large turkey, and sometimes a baked ham if we have many guests, and many sides--giblet gravy, sausage and mushroom stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, a few varying vegetables, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls and of course apple and pumpkin pies and a birthday cake for dessert. Everyone takes home a good portion of leftovers for the next day's meal.

It is wonderful to give thanks for the blessings of family, our country's freedoms and abundance, and our good health! 

More than ever, during this pandemic, we can not take good health for granted. 

Now for what's been happening this month of November...

A view of some of the Colorado front range taken from the Denver International Airport area

Tomorrow, the Denver area of Colorado breaks a weather record that dates back to 1934--a Dust Bowl year--for the latest snowfall!  Our autumn has been unusually warm and dry. The ski resort areas above 9,000 feet have had some snow and they supplement with man-made snow, but the front range has been extremely dry. It's not something to celebrate and I hope our weather returns to normal and does not continue this way for much longer.  Wildfires are always a danger when there are drought and high wind.

Some beautiful November sunsets that we've marveled at.

Local deer visitors to my back and front yards.  It's always a joy to see them! They have been having a good time munching all the fallen leaves from our trees.

One of our backyard tree's resident squirrels has enjoyed eating a leftover Halloween pumpkin.  We had a lot of fun watching him from our window for a few days as he devoured all the pumpkin seeds first and then worked on eating the pumpkin flesh. 

My youngest grandson is one of the trombone players in this photo of his elementary school's 5th-grade band.  They played in a wonderful combination school district concert this month, along with 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade junior high school, as well as a 9th-grade high school band.  Bravo to all the students who are learning to play music as an extracurricular activity! My older grandson plays viola in his junior high school orchestra.

My husband and I attended Opera Colorado's production of one of our favorite operas this month--Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca" in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, Colorado.  The cast takes its final curtain call bow in the collage above. Bravo!  We loved it! 

Wishing all who celebrate this week 

a very Happy Thanksgiving!

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Immersive van Gogh Exhibit

My husband and I attended the Immersive van Gogh Exhibit in Denver in October.  As a lifelong fan of Vincent van Gogh's artwork, I was excited when I learned this exhibit was coming locally after premiering in France and subsequently touring in many US cities. 

(All photos will enlarge if clicked on)

For 35 minutes many of the famous paintings of van Gogh, through various stages of the artist's life, are projected on large screens in a show designed and conceived by Massimiliano Siccardi, with a soundtrack by Luca Longobardi, who both pioneered immersive digital art experiences in France. There were 500,000 cubic feet of projections, 60,600 frames of video, and 90,000,000 pixels of light and color that make up the show.

The venue we attended had two large rooms with surround screens that simultaneously played the same videos. There were benches and lighted rings on the floor in which to sit. The video not only filled the screens but also spilled down onto the floor and the audience to give an immersive experience.

The show began with an array of  Vincent van Gogh's early works. You can click on his name to learn more about his life and paintings.

Then the exhibit moved on to his brighter, more impressionistic paintings that most people are familiar with.

It really felt as if the paintings became a part of us.

In this video, the irises grew up from the ground to finally become his famous painting.

Vincent van Gogh's room in Arles begins to 

come alive piece by piece.

Street scenes light up...

..movement and color explode on the screen all accompanied by dramatic music.

If you'd like to see some short videos I took during the exhibit you can see them on my Mille Fiori Favoriti Facebook page at this link.

In the sequence above you can see how "Starry Night" begins to evolve...

...and as more and more of the painting begins to reveal itself we become part of it!

"Wheat Field With Crows" was one of Vincent's last paintings. It is a dramatic expression of his mind gone mad and sadly his impending suicide at age 37 in 1890.

An array of self-portraits.

We really enjoyed the exhibit and sat through it two times to see things we may have missed the first time.  My only complaint was that I liked it so much that I wished it were even longer in length! I could have sat through it many more hours.  It made me appreciate Vincent van Gogh's work in a completely new and unforgettable way.

Are you a fan of Vincent van Gogh and have you seen this immersive exhibit in your town? I'd love to know what you thought of it.

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 Mosaic Monday, Blue Monday, Through My Lens Monday, Hearth, and Soul Link Party, You Are the Star Blog Hop, Inspire Me Monday, Home Matters Linky Party,  Good Random Fun, Nature Notes, Grand Social, Travel Photos, Travel Tuesday, Happiness Is Homemade, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, Tuesday's Treasures, Tuesdays With A Twist, Wordless Wednesday on a Tuesday,  Party in Your PJ's, Wordless Wednesday, Oh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Wednesday My Corner of the World, Wonderful Wednesday, Signs2,  Little Things Thursday, Thankful Thursday,  Thursday Encouraging Hearts and Home,  Thursday Thinking Out Loud, Thursday Favorite Things, Friendship Fridays, A Morning Cup of Joe, Friday Features Linky Party, Skywatch Friday, Weekend Roundup,  Pink Saturday, Saturday Sparks, Saturday Critters, Sunday on Silverado

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Canon City, Colorado

The last week in October a group of friends and my husband and I decided to take a trip on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Most of us drove down to Colorado Springs the day before so we could get an early start the next day to drive further south toward Canon City, where the train is located.  It was the second time my husband and I rode the train--click here--to read a prior post I wrote then in 2017. That trip we took in summer, so this time we were looking forward to seeing autumn colors on our drive and along the train route.

All aboard!  We had seats in the "vista dome" and some of us ordered food and drinks to enjoy while the train was loading.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad offers daily departures with several classes of service and dining to choose from, and first-class lunch, dinner, and murder mystery train rides. The interesting history of the original Royal Gorge Route Railroad, which began back in 1879, can be read on their website at this link.

The Royal Gorge is a 1,200-foot (365.76 m) high canyon on the Arkansas River, forming a 10-mile-long gorge.  The river was running lower than when we saw it in the summer of 2017, and there were no rafters on it this time of the year, although the weather was very pleasant.  The autumn sunlight gave a beautiful glow and deep shadows to portions of the gorge walls.

We saw workers setting up the life-size "North Pole" winter wonderland village on the north side of the canyon in preparation for the special "Santa Express Trains" that runs during the holiday season.

As we ride west through the gorge, we see the Royal Gorge Bridge suspended 1,053 feet above the river! The bridge was constructed in 1929 and only took 7 months to build at $350,000.  It was the highest suspension bridge in the world for 70 years. Now it is the highest in North America.

We were outside at this time on the observation deck car to enjoy the open-air experience and 360-degree views. Notice how close to the canyon walls the train travels at times.

This is the deepest point of the gorge and it is a thrilling sight to see the bridge above! On our last trip, my husband and I walked across the bridge--click here--to read that post. It was a thrilling experience! 

Do you see the aerial gondolas high above?   They glide 2,200 feet across the Gorge, 1,200 feet high above the Arkansas River, and bring visitors from one side of the gorge to the other side. We rode on the gondolas when we visited the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park in 2017.

A short video above that I took of the train passing near the Royal Gorge Bridge which is 1,053 feet above! You can also watch this on YouTube at this link.  I also have this and another video on my Mille Fiori Favoriti Facebook page at this link.  The train ride is fully narrated live the entire ride, with interesting facts and places of interest pointed out along the way.

A collage of the colorful rock walls of the Royal Gorge. The gorge's sheer walls are made of Precambrian gneiss and granite. The Arkansas River has cut into this hard rock for the past three million years, making it more steep and narrow than other canyons of the American West. 

One fascinating point of interest is this hanging bridge structure built at the narrowest portion of the gorge, literally located above the Arkansas River.  It was an engineering marvel when it was built in 1878.  When the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was building this rail line they found one portion of the gorge narrowed to 30 feet wide. The railroad would have to travel over the river at this point and a 175 ft plate girder suspended on one side by "A" frame girders spanning the river and anchored to the rock walls.

In the early years of the rail passenger service, trains would stop to allow tourists to get off and marvel at the “world-famous engineering feat.” Passengers posed for their picture standing around the train while the engine was on the bridge. President Theodore Roosevelt made history when he stopped and picnicked at the Hanging Bridge on May 8, 1905. Archives say the president was on an excursion train to Canon City, Florence, and the Royal Gorge a day after a speaking engagement in Pueblo.  The Royal Gorge Route Railroad train narrator had a photo of this event on his phone and I took the photo above of it. President Roosevelt is in the middle of his entourage and is wearing a top hat.

Another interesting sight along the way was the now unused water pipes that once brought water into Canon City. In the early 1900s, Canon City installed a dam and pipeline in the Royal Gorge for the town’s water supply. Prisoners from a territorial prison were used to help build the pipeline, which was mostly constructed of redwood. The system was abandoned in 1973, but much of it still exists today.  An abandoned caretaker's house from that era could also be seen.

Some of the beautiful autumn foliage we saw as the train traveled back east at the end of its two-hour journey.

There are several giant old cottonwood trees located along the railroad boarding and exit site.  I am always fascinated by these beautiful trees that are also known by their nickname of "Pioneers of the Prairie." You can read a blog post I wrote about these western trees on this link.

I asked my husband to take another photo of me standing next to one of the trees as I did in 2017, which can also be seen at the end of that blog post. It's now a new tradition established for the next time we visit the Royal Gorge Route Railroad!

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