Sunday, February 3, 2013

A Dear Blog Friend Surprise, and my Deer Visitors!


My husband and I have been living in Colorado for three weeks now, and while we have unpacked about 90% of our moving boxes, we still have quite a bit to do to become fully settled.  Our car's license plates have been changed, our Colorado driver's license should be in the mail any day now and we have registered to vote, so we are beginning to feel like natives. But, as you can see by the sign above, that was a farewell gift to us by a good friend, Brooklyn, New York will always be our "home" and have a special place in our hearts. It is where we have a lifetime of memories.

A wonderful surprise package came in the mail for me this week from Barbara,  Barbara lives in the New York City borough of Staten Island -- right across the Verrazano Bridge from Brooklyn, and while we never met, we have been blog friends ever since she wrote to me about how much she enjoyed my blog.


Barbara sent these lovely reminders of New York City to me!  They are products by the delightful store called Fishes Eddy.  The four beautiful glasses and tote bag are from the Bridge and Tunnels line and are such iconic symbols of NYC.




As you can see in the close-up photos, the Verrazano Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge are depicted in line drawings on the glasses and bag.  I love this wonderful surprise, Barbara! I will enjoy using the bag and glasses, and every time I do, I will think of you! Thank you so much for your very thoughtful well wishes!


As much as we love New York, my husband and I now love Colorado, our new community and our home.  We are learning much about where we live and we are enjoying the change of scenery!



I can't get enough of the big blue sky! Did you know that Colorado gets more sunny days than San Diego or Miami?




I love the scenic winding drive into our community...

...and I love that I now know what a "hogback" is, as the entrance to our community lies between two of them!



 I love that in our home we have many large windows in our kitchen that face our backyard. One evening this week the snow was softly falling and I decided we'd eat our dinner by candlelight so we could enjoy watching it.



I was having fun taking a few shots at different angles to see which photo would come out better when all of a sudden.....



...two eyes made contact with me and I saw a mule deer outside in my yard!



I love that I get an almost daily visit from this deer and that...



...different herds of deer pass through on their way to and fro, morning and night.
Yes, it is so different from Brooklyn, New York, but I love it!



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Monday, January 28, 2013

Flourless Chocolate Cake


We had our first family dinner at our new house this weekend, and since my daughter-in-law is on a Gluten free diet I knew I had to make a dessert that she would also be able to enjoy. This flourless chocolate cake was the answer!


It was very chocolaty and fudge-like in texture and "melt in the mouth" good! Even my youngest grandson loved it!  You don't have to be Gluten free to enjoy this cake -- it definitely was a crowd pleaser.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Serves 10| Hands-On Time: 20m| Total Time: 2hr

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for the pan
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for the pan
1/4 cups heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with cocoa powder.
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter with ¼ cup of the heavy cream over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth; remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and cocoa powder; whisk in the chocolate mixture.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until puffed and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 1 hour. Run a knife around the edge of the cake before unmolding. Dust with the confectioners' sugar. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.



This is one of the beautiful sunsets we see almost every evening over the nearby foothills.  It reminds me of the John Denver song when he said: " I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky!"


Last week I showed you a beautiful buck that happened to visit my backyard--click here to see that post. This little guy drops by daily to nibble on some grass and sun himself.


My cat sits by the door for hours watching him and other wildlife. Life is certainly a slower pace here for us all, and we're enjoying every minute of it!


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