Blorange Bronco Breakfast imBibement. Boom.

This recipe is terribly simple, but also quite delicious. Sort of like Peyton Manning. I kid! I kid! Mr. Manning is one smart dude, totes obvi. I mean, the guy understands football. That's something I can't even begin to hope to have the brain juice to accomplish. But you know what kind of juice I do have? Orange juice. And you know what tastes darn good in a blender with a couple of handfuls of tiny frozen blueberries? Huh? You guessed it -- orange juice. If there's anything this recipe has in common with the Broncos, it's the fact that it's a winner.

Super Simple Superbowl Smoothie

Frozen blueberries

Orange juice

Combine. Blend. Pour. Drink. Cheer.

GO BRONCOS!!!!!! XLVIII!!!!!! WOOO WOOO WOOO!!!! YES WE CAN!!!!!!!

Bronco Bites part deux

We TDs are not particularly athletic. In fact, as a very young child, I told my mom my coach had cancer to get out of playing soccer (she discovered my deception after sending soup, the dear lady). And yet, despite our distaste for "the game" we are a fiercely competitive bunch. We'll hoot and holler and tussle over almost any competition we can devise. Cheeks bleed after a couple rounds of chubby-bunny, and don't get me started on the horror that ensues when board games are brought into the mix.

And so, armed with this knowledge, Charity threw down the gauntlet, and challenged us to a color-coded, game-day tournament. A culinary clash, with rivals engaging in comestible warfare. A Super-

Supper-

Bowl if you will. And so, miz. Sunshine, I see your

punkin-dumplins

, and I raise you PUDDING (with balls--like footballs, but more smaller and roundish, but I still deserve points for the balls).

Peyton's Puddin Smack-down

(Coconut tapioca with apricot sauce and blueberry compote)

Peyton Puddin (sweet and smooth, just like our guy)

1/3 c. small pearl tapioca

1

½ c. coconut milk

1 c. whole milk

1 egg yolk

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 in. vanilla bean segment)

Add milks and pearls to a medium saucepan and let soak for 45 min to an hour. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients and cook over medium heat until pudding reaches thee texture of thick gravy (about 15 min). Pour into serving dishes, and chill.

Manhattan Apricot sauce (like New Jersey, but better?)

1/3 c. apricot spread or sauce (I used

this stuff 

, but trader joe's has awesome apricot sauce too

)

1 T. rye 

whiskey

1 t. sweet vermouth

1 dash rhubarb bitters

Mix well.

Sour

Grapes

 Blueberries(?) Compote (

Richard Sherman

, I'm lookin at you)*

1/2 c. frozen blueberries

1 t. lime juice

Toss and let sit on the counter for 40 min. (Alternatively, microwave it for 40 seconds.)

*I definitely deserve extra points for knowing stuff about sports. definitely.

Bronco Bites

Color Me Orange (gnocchi) and Blue (cheese crumble) Gnocchi

1 large yam

1 cup cream cheese or ricotta

2 eggs

4 cups flour

2 tbsp salt

A pinch of nutmeg

Cream wet ingredients together, then knead in dry ingredients. Add floured until dough no longer feels wet to the touch. Separate into four balls and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate til ready to use. Roll dough into long pieces and cut or twist apart at 1 inch intervals for "footballs". Pan-fry with paprika or boil til pasta float to the top, reserving 1/4 cup water.

Crumble

1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup blue cheese

2 large pieces stale bread

Combine in food processor or blender. Plus til fine powder develops. Toss with pasta and pasta water or sprinkle on top of pan fried gnocchi before serving.

Today is a good day.

We're celebrating a

bit of an anniversary

in the Tillemann-Dick clan. (If you're at all confused,

this link

might help clarify some things.) I can't say in words how grateful I am to the person who chose to preserve life in the midst of death two years ago today. That decision has changed my life and that of everybody I love for the

waaay

better -- especially that of a certain

sister

with a penchant towards

strong opinions

and

delicious foodstuffs

. Wherever you are, Thank You. Thank you so much.

To everybody else who might be reading this, please consider

registering as an organ donor

. Please consider asking your friends to register as organ donors. It's a good thing. I promise.

In fact, if you have any questions or concerns about registering as a donor, send me a note at

nonitd@gmail.com

. I would love to talk through any uncertainties about the registration or donation process you may have, I just need to know about them first. It's not exactly a pleasant subject to have a conversation about, but it's important.

Have a exceptionally lovely weekend.

Fusion-y

It snowed last night in Denver. For those who don't live here, the combination of sunshine and a blanket of powder turns the landscape into a sparkling wonderland. Cascades of natural glitter rain down from overhangs and branches and the sheer brightness of things is otherworldly. Looking out the window my eyes open wide, straining to take it all in.

Days like today call for

cookin

. Food that'll stand up to the day, put hair on your chest, and take you home. This recipe was an attempt to simultaneously take both Premal and me back. The addition of spicy Indian chili power adds a kick to this traditional Hungarian recipe, and paneer stands up beautifully to the rich gravy. My nokedli--or spätzle--are multi-grain to mimic roti, the whole-wheat flatbread served with most meals in India. Club soda keeps the dumplings light and fluffy, despite the heavier flour.

Parikás Paneer with Multi-grain Spätzle

4 T. (plus more for frying) butter

1 lg. yellow onion (diced)

4 cloves garlic (diced)

4 T. sweet Hungarian paprika

1 T. spicy Indian chili powder or 1 t. red chili flakes (optional)

2 c. vegetable broth

1/2 c. sour cream

12 oz. mushrooms (sliced)

8 oz. paneer (1/2 inch cubes)

Sautee onion and garlic in butter until translucent. Add paprikas, and stir til roux forms. Gradually add the broth, stirring all the while, contents should resemble a thin gravy. Sir in sour cream. Fry mushrooms and paneer in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, until golden. Add to gravy, season to taste, and serve over spätzle.

For spätzle

3/4 c club soda

2 eggs

1/2 t salt

1 c. white flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

spätzle maker or small cutting board and medium knife

Set large pot to boil. Mix soda, eggs and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour. Mix well. Dough should be very soft and sticky (almost a batter). Let rest ten minutes. Stir.

Here's the tricky part. If you don't happen to own a spätzle maker (but really, doesn't EVERYONE have one?) you'll need to make these dumples the old fashioned way. Take the cutting board and the knife and dip them in the boiling water. Place a large clump of dough on the board and thinly spread part of it all the way to one end of the board. Dip this end and the knife in the boiling water again. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape off thin noodles into the boiling water, re submerging knife and board along the way to prevent sticking. Let dumples boil for several minutes. Strain and toss with a little olive oil. (If this doesn't make sense,

this video

demonstrates the process pretty well--even if it's in German).  

Tree fruit stew over results of recent assembly

This past week marked the beginning of COMPOTE. The star-studded event attracts luminaries from across breeds. Tree fruits from this season assembled on E street's Cutting Board and The Stovetop to discuss the results of the 2013 harvest. A dozen representatives were present. They divided into small, working groups with inch-sized pieces repesenting Gala, Honey Crisp, Pineapple Quince and Bartlet families. Granny Smith was there to advocate for the needs of older apples while twin apples from the Dwarf family lobbed apples for minority rights. The Pear Group insisted apples were over represented, but leaned in anyway.

A myriad of issues were discussed, including but not limited to:

Spicing up your apple sauce
Maple Syrup: It's from a tree too
Compassionate Peeling
Avoiding Appearence of Apple: Apples and Over Representation in Preserves

and lastly,

The Challenges of Summer: Stone Fruit or Just Stoned

Near the end of the assembly, dried stone fruits made an appearance. In the last minute, the Colorado Apricots were, in fact, stoned. The Dried Cherries fill-in started out on a tart note. But in the end everyone thought they had the sweetest results of any fruit at COMPOTE.

Applications for next years COMPOTE will be considered starting at the end of August, 2014.

COMPOTE: Annual Report

COMPOTE's found our working groups achieved the best results when a wide variety of tree fruits were represented. Experienced fruit typically achieves better results. The more bruised they look, the sweeter they taste.

12 apples, quince, pears or large pieces of stone fruit, preferably of different varieties.
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
4 cardamom pods
1/2 cup tart dried cherries
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup (optional)

Core and cut apples into 1 inch cubes. You can peel the apples if you want to. Place in pot with spices, apple and lemon juice. Cover and leave on medium heat for 8 minutes. When you return, the liquid should be bubbling. Stir and reduce to a simmer. Leave for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on desired consistency. Add cherries 10 minutes before removing from heat. When done, place in sealed jars. Cool, then refrigerate for up to a month. Eat with ice cream, cheese, yogurt, granola, oatmeal, pancakes or on it's own.

Planning vs. Postponing

If I were forced to create a daily itinerary for an upcoming trip (regardless of the destination) it would likely look something like this:

Day 1. Arrive (did I tell soandso I was getting in? eh, just cab it to the city, I'll find her later.) Wander. (I was sure I took down her phone number before leaving... Shoot.) FIND INTERNET CAFE (Read most recent Modern Love column. Find the number--or more likely send a panicked email to said friend with an approximation of my location). Reunite with old friend. Nap. Eat.

Day 2. Find a cafe. Order a cappuccino and baguette. Read... Isn't there a good shopping street or something?

Day 3. (Repeat "Day 2" schedule)

Day 4. Ditto.

Day 5. OMG I LEAVE TOMORROW AND HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING! (Repeat "Day 2" schedule.)

Day 6. Depart.

Suffice it to say, planning is not my forte. Premal on the other hand thrives on programs. Everyday of a trip with him is a meticulously mapped-out adventure. Days start early, agenda in hand, and end not too late. We took a little trip to California over the new year, and put more than 700 miles on our little rental car over 5 days! We did basically everything you'd expect someone to do in NoCal. We hiked in Muir Woods, drank wine in Napa, meandered up Route 1, ate a sundae as big as my head at Ghirardelli Square and saw tons of friends and family along the way. It's great, but it can also be exhausting, and I'll admit to longing for my old aimless way of vacationing every once in a while.

What about you? Are you a planner or do you tend to be a bit flighty?
My solution for our next vacation? I'm going to plan a day of casual meandering. BOOM. Marital oneness achieved!