Vacation

I got back from vacation today...a week in Northern Michigan, in a cottage by Bass Lake. It was the vacation I had been dreaming of for months. The kind of vacation when you forget what day it is, or even what time it is and you spend your day in flip flops and shorts. I read, laid on the beach, searched for beautiful rocks, walked and of course cooked. We (Dan and I) set out for Michigan on Friday night around 6pm and stopping for just a quick snooze somewhere in Iowa arrived to a rainy Michigan on Saturday evening. We made quick work of settling in to the little cottage on Bass Lake and headed for the grocery store to buy food for the week. We ended Saturday evening as we ended many this week with a glass of wine at the water's edge. Sunday morning we visited the local farmer's market in Interlochen and bought all kinds of fresh produce.... Blueberries, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, plums and watermelon and local honey. After the market we headed out for a drive, stopping at Point Betsie and the Sleeping Bear Dunes State Park. Monday rolled around and it was one of the best days of the whole week. The sun was shining and we spent the entire day sitting by the lake, reading and sipping on mimosas. Nothing else except for the delicious dinner we made from our farmer's market purchases. Grilled Chicken with a Peach-Honey Barbeque sauce, corn on the cob, cucumbers with onions and potato salad that Dan had whipped up. Tuesday brought around a bit of rain so we headed up to Lake Charlevoix, walked around the downtown then stopped and ate at a mexican restaurant in Traverse City. Wednesday morning started with a 3 hour walk, and the afternoon we headed to Esch Beach on Lake Michigan where I started my second book of the week. Dinner was wine, cheese, bread, olives and salami and smores over the fire pit on the beach. Thursday started innocently enough with a drive to "wherever the wind blows us" and we ended up visiting 4 wineries. Michigan is full of wineries and we sampled and bought at almost every stop. Friday was Dan's birthday so we headed back to Point Betsie and laid on the "somewhat chilly" beach and read our books until the rain started, then headed back to the cottage to "use up" the stuff that was in the fridge. I concocted a chicken dish, where I pounded 2 chicken breasts flat and then stuffed them with roasted tomatoes, sauteed spinach and garlic and brie cheese. Dan made some mashed potatoes, sauteed green beans and a blueberry crisp....and of course wine and cheese. Saturday morning we woke up to rain, steady rain and loaded up the car to come home. We stopped at 2 more wineries in southern Michigan and headed back to Denver, sad for vacation to be over, but so grateful that it was exactly the vacation I needed. I'm not including a recipe with this post, just some great pictures of the delicious food we ate this week.

I'm cooking dinner....that's final!

This week, as most do, flew by at lightning speed. Monday morning I was off to Yuma, Arizona. I love to go to Yuma, even though it's miserably hot, it provides me the opportunity to indulge in my "every 6 week" IN n OUT burger...which I find to be one of the most delicious burgers I have ever eaten in my life. I flew back to Denver on Wednesday night, headed straight downtown to the Oxford Hotel to pick up Kelly who was in town working for 2 days. Dinner at Zengo. Soft shell crab tacos, sushi, and braised short ribs...it is truly one of the most consistently delicious places I have ever eaten, and it is very near the top of my list of places I love to eat. Picked her up again on Thursday night and we walked through Larimer Square and the 16th Street Mall, then back to Zengo (not only is it one of my favorites, it is absolutely one of hers, so being that she doesn't get to Denver often, she had to take advantage of her time here). Friday night dinner at Le Central and "Julie & Julia" with Dan. While I'm not a food critic, although I could probably play one on tv, I was not really impressed with Le Central. The best part was the French martini!!! The movie however, was great. Sometimes it may sound frivolous to think that someone could be so passionate about food, but it was nice to see that and know that following your passions can really pay off. So, by the end of the week, I hadn't eaten a home cooked meal all week and I was determined to cook dinner on Saturday night. Armed with a idea I had been thinking about for a couple weeks and fresh from the inspiration of the movie, I whipped up some Lasagna Rolls, baked a couple loaves of bread and then stirred up a chocolate-coffee cake. A little red wine and ah.......bon appetit!

Lasagna Rolls

9 lasagna noodles

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 medium onion, diced fine

6 button mushrooms, diced fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

2 tablespoons dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Bechamel Sauce (see below)

Tomato Sauce (homemade or store bought)

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until they are pliable. Don't over cook them. Lay them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet to cool. Set aside. In a large skillet, saute the mushrooms and onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook until garlic is tender, being careful not to burn the garlic. Remove mushroom mixture and brown the ground beef in the same skillet. Drain any grease and add the mushroom mixture back into the pan. Let cool slightly and then add herbs and cheeses. (It may be necessary to add more ricotta cheese if mixture seems too dry). Spread a layer of meat mixture onto each lasagna noodle and roll up, like a cinnamon roll. Set aside.

Bechamel Sauce

In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter until melted. Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir until combined. Slowly stir in 1 1/4 cups warm milk. Stir until thickened. Add a dash of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. (Although not traditional bechamel, for this dish, I also added 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to the sauce).

To assemble, pour the bechamel in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place lasagna rolls, seam side down, in the sauce and then pour your favorite tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with more parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 35-40 minutes. Remove foil and let cheese brown a bit.