Our First Winter in Colorado

For the most part, our first winter living on the front range of Colorado has been a good one weather-wise. It is often sunny, and since this area of the country is considered high desert and very dry, the cold temperatures do not feel as harsh as they did in New York City. So far, we've had temperatures as low as the teens and as high as the mid-'60s.  We finally had a significant snowfall this past week of eleven inches.  I loved the view I had of the falling snow from my bedroom veranda.
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One of the daily visitors I have in my backyard every morning, besides deer (see this post), are rabbits.  I know, I am doomed not to be able to grow any flowers or vegetables in my backyard because of these herbivores, but this city born and bred girl is OK with that, as the only wild animals I saw in NYC were squirrels and birds. I love watching the new animals I see here, and so does my cat!  As you can see in the photos above, my cat and a rabbit had a long staring contest one morning! (all photos can be enlarged by clicking on them once, and then again when they open on a new page)

Afterward, our little Peter Rabbit guest hopped away on a new adventure!

My entire neighborhood looks so beautiful dressed in winter white.

I enjoy watching local children sleigh down the hills.

There are over twenty-five miles of private trails in our community, and this winter I've taken many walks on a nearby trail that is paved. I know I will enjoy seeing the views along this, and other, more strenuous, hiking trails in my neighborhood in every season of the year.

The foothills and red rocks look so beautiful framed by the deep snow and bright blue skies.  A Magpie sitting in a pine tree along the trail was very proud of a peanut he found and was announcing the fact to other birds.

My house is located on a block behind this ridge. I think you can see that winter suits Colorado very well.  It's one of the reasons I love living here!

Of course, having my very own Cabbage Patch Doll is another reason. Our little granddaughter looked so cute sitting among my daughter's childhood dolls. I knew there was a reason I saved them all for so many years!

Craving Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Orecchiette Pasta

Broccoli Rabe with Sausage and Orecchiette pasta is pure comfort food for an Italian family like ours.  The slightly bitter broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic and sweet sausage has a wonderful enticing taste, and the orecchiette pasta (which translates from Italian to English as "little ears") holds the juices like little cups and lets the flavor of this dish explode in every mouthful!

Broccoli Rabe or Rapini (also known as cime di rapa or broccoletti) is a common vegetable in the cuisines of southern Europe.  Despite its name, it is not related to broccoli, but rather is related to the mustard plant. It is a favorite vegetable of my husband and me and also my son-in-law. We found it easily in Brooklyn, NY, in most of the local supermarkets or green-grocers, but when we moved to Colorado it was not as readily available. The more we couldn't find it, the more we craved it!

Our local supermarkets have wonderful varieties of fresh fruit and vegetables, and, as you can see in the photo above, almost every ingredient necessary to make authentic Mexican cuisine, but our favorite vegetable, broccoli rabe, was nowhere to be found!  Thankfully, when asked, the produce manager told us they could order special order it for us, and about once a week we will finally have a supply to cook.

Preparing this dish is really easy...I slice about a pound of sweet Italian sausage and saute them in olive oil in a skillet until cooked. Meanwhile, I begin to boil water for the pasta. I wash and drain a pound and a half of broccoli rabe well and cut off the ends and any hard, woody pieces of the stems, and then chop it well. To the cooked sausage I add chopped garlic to taste, a few tablespoons of Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to taste, and about a teaspoon of dried red pepper. Next, I add the broccoli rabe and a few extra teaspoons of olive oil, if needed, and saute till the broccoli rabe is cooked and tender. I add the orecchiette pasta to the boiling salted water and cook as per directions on the package. When cooked al dente I drain the pasta, but reserve about a cup of pasta water. I now add the pasta to the skillet and mix well over medium heat.  Add the reserved pasta water, (you can also use chicken broth), as needed, to moisten the entire contents of the skillet

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!

Our little granddaughter is already two weeks old and is beginning to open her eyes and be more responsive.  I think she is beginning to look more and more like her Mommy. She definitely has her pretty dark eyes. It is a wonderful joy to hold my grandbaby and watch her grow!

My daughter and I decided to go out for lunch together this past week and I treated her to something she has been craving but was not allowed to eat her entire pregnancy.....

Sushi!

Sushi can contain raw fish, so pregnant women are advised not to eat it, but now my daughter has the green light to indulge in it if she wishes. We tried some special rolls, including the decorated Dragon Roll which made us smile!   We really enjoyed this delicious platter and even more so having some quiet girl time together.  It's one of the joys I have now that we live close to each other again!

Of course, another joy I have is also having my two grandboys and their parents close by!  The boys are fascinated by their cousin, but until she is able to run and play with them their moments together are just quick looks, touches and questions.

Our community had some snowfall last week, like so many other areas in the US, and it made everything look so beautiful and magical. I love the blue cast the snow gives to the foothills. I think many people think there is snow on the ground here all the time, but the weather has been quite mild, for the most part, this winter. There is always a concern in Colorado about drought, which could lead to summer forest fires, and so far the snowfall has been below average. The snowpack is so thin in parts of Colorado that the government has declared an “extreme drought” around the ski havens of Vail and Aspen.  So, as much as I love the sunny blue skies we have here most of the time, I am really hoping that the snows and rains increase as spring approaches!  It is snowing again as I write this...let's hope it's a good, deep drought quenching one!