Westward Adventures

For the past 1 month, 1 week and 2 days, it seems as though life has been moving faster than I could mentally comprehend; it was almost as if I was watching my days transpire in third person. It all began mid-May when both Joe and I graduated with our graduate degrees in the same weekend. I was sleep deprived and frazzled as our families came to Madison to join us in celebration (probably from higher caffeine consumption to complete my thesis and tie up other responsibilities in the lab before that day). Following that, we had to finalize plans and small projects for our wedding the next weekend, May 21st. Our friends and family began arriving in town as early as Wednesday. After our wedding came a much needed eight days of vacation in sunny Antigua. We successfully managed to catch up on sleep, eat every few hours, and drink our fill with all things fruity that came with alcohol and a straw (sadly no umbrellas). Upon our return, we packed up our apartment and drove to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Kansas City for various family gatherings. We arrived at our final designation on the evening of June 7th in Denver, Colorado!

When gawking at the mighty hills seen to Denver's west, we stood
corrected by a local who looked at Joe and said,
"Son, those ain't hills.  Dem's mountains."
We had to twist the smiles off of our faces. 

Denver... the very name bleeds "cool" doesn't it? I think so. Or perhaps it is my resonating excitement to be exploring a new part of the country. Joe started his medical residency training (transitional year) this morning and I am currently, for the first time in my life, unemployed with no ties to academia. My plan from July through August (give or take) is to dedicate my time to getting my creativity back. How am I going to do that? By doing the activities that make me happiest. Spending time with the outdoors and playing with food.


I feel so blessed to have the time (key word, TIME) to explore deeper into the culinary arts. Despite my curiosities of spicy curries, baked goods, and traditional Slovakian meals, I have decided to focus my energy on one arena of food at a time. I'm beginning my adventure in the crooked, bustling market streets threading through Italy! And I'm using my beloved, The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook, as my guide.

Playing in the outdoors together as newly weds. We love
hiking dem mountains! We hope to complete a 14er, which is
climbing a peak of 14,000 ft, by the end of the season!

I have few rules about this challenge but I am taking them very seriously:
1)  No short cuts (no using pre-minced garlic in a can if the recipe calls for you to mince fresh garlic). By taking these extra steps the taste may not be noticeable but it will give me the opportunity to become more practiced with my kitchen tools and techniques.
2)  No budget cuts (if the recipe calls for a Tbsp of brandy in the sauce, but you don't want to buy a $20 bottle of something you know you don't drink, you buy it)! There are always ways to use leftover ingredients or people to give them away to. The goal is to prepare authentic tastes by adding each ingredient in the appropriate quantities.
3)  Enjoy the journey. If a mistake happens, learn from it. Better yet, laugh and sing in the kitchen. Have a glass of wine and put on your favorite album. If possible, share your final products with others to gain feedback (and most likely they will be happy to take part in the eating) and share your final thoughts. I'll be sharing many of mine right here! Salute!

My most frequent product taster (now husband!) after a picnic
dinner at Cheesman Park in Denver.