Who remembers that jump rope ditty? "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes momma with the baby carriage." So too goes the nutritional lexicon for plant-based foods, where first comes fruit, then come vegetables. But think, who ever talks about 'vegetables and fruits'? It's always 'fruits and vegetables', 'fruits and veggies'. But if we want to improve our health through our diets, vegetables must come first. So first off --

Tyler Wiard (pronounced wired, not weird), the executive chef of Elways Steakhouse in Denver, won this years Taste of Elegance for his cumin roasted pork loin and braised shoulder with green chile, posole cake, smooth avocado and red chile. Thats a very Coloradan dish, featuring the green and red chile of New Mexican cuisine, which we Coloradans have adopted. Its a tough event. Chefs compete regionally, and then the winners all meet for the nationals. This year 22 chefs were supposed to compete, but only 21 did as Patrick Ponsaty, the local winner from Bernardo in San Diego, had to back out suddenly.  read more »

1. Butchers I love Italian butchers. I have never met an unfriendly macellaio, anywhere. Most Italian food purveyors are happy and even eager to talk about their goods, but my butcher has an amazing amount of interest in what I will do with the 1/2 kilo of whatever I just ordered. This is especially true when I demonstrate an inadequate thirst for his knowledge.  read more »

By Chef & Owner Scott Conant Ingredients: 2 cups extra virgin olive oil 1 shallot, thinly sliced lengthwise Kosher salt 1 cup frozen peas 1 to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for a garnish 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, plus more for a garnish 2 slices bacon, preferably thick cut, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick lardons 1 cup very thinly sliced asparagus (from about 10 asparagus) 1 cup very thinly sliced green beans (from about 25 green beans) 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion (from 2 large or 3 medium shallots) 1/2 cup finely diced carrot  read more »

Nothing Hits The Spot Like A Bowl Of Cozy Homemade Soup Some of my favorite recipes were created by chance and circumstance.  read more »

How do you jump start a lagging lambing season ?  read more »

Donkey Doodle Dandy On Fire Watch Duty There are many things to love about living on a very remote farm . You can, for instance, go outside and howl at the top of your lungs at the coyotes at midnight, blast the stereo until the speakers threaten to blow, or run around the yard naked because there's no one around to care. (Not that I ever do the naked yard thing.) You also don't have to worry that the neighbors are going to complain about the dogs barking or the donkeys braying or the sheep baaing or the rooster crowing.  read more »

Here is a Leftover Queen classic! Remember all those greens from the Farmer’s Market several week ago?  read more »