Going crazy for potatoes - sweet and otherwise

I am tired of boring side dishes. So this week I went in search of recipes for side dishes that would be better than my typical sautéed vegetables, pasta or fries.

First, some wine. My husband brought home some wine "made from organic grapes" from Alfalfa's, the new organic/natural foods store in Boulder. It was lovely. It was a mild Malbec, and we will definitely purchase it again. It was called Pircas Negras (on the left).

Now back to potatoes:

Left-hand low, guys teach girls wrong, and other stuff I'm learning in my golf lessons

I am taking golf lessons as part of my 40 by 40 goal to play a 100 game on a par 72 18-hole course. I've never kept score on a game before, so I have no idea how close – or likely how far – I am to reaching that goal. Regardless, this class has taught me that I certainly have a lot to learn. I've never learned the fundamentals of golf before. And some of them have taken me by surprise.

What lies beneath: Oh the joys of preparing a house for sale

This is probably a time I shouldn't open my house to visitors via my blog, but the process of preparing my home for sale has unearthed some surprises like this old Netflix DVD that I never returned. I vaguely remember paying a late fee a long while back, which I suppose means I get to keep it. And yet, I never watched it. I found it while cleaning out my desk a couple of weeks ago before putting it in storage to make our second bedroom/office look bigger.

I have time now, so perhaps I should take advantage of it
and finally watch the movie everyone else has seen: Slumdog Millionaire.

Tales of a Novice Mountain Biker: Fixing a Flat

You would think that I would have fixed a flat on my own before today, but I haven't. I'd helped my husband do so ... but I had never had a flat while alone. That changed today. I went to get my bike down, and the tire was flat. I was home alone, so I set forth on changing that tire. I wasn't going to let a flat tire keep me from getting out on the trail today.

Shots from the Trail: Greenbelt/High Plains

Some shots from my quick ride south of Boulder today on the Greenbelt and High Plains trails. Not difficult, but a quick, fun ride. Perfect for my current fitness level!

Suffering from a severe case of under-seasoning

I have had so much steak in the past month or so, and while I recognize a regular diet of steak is not necessarily a great idea, I do love a good steak. It's the Nebraskan in me. But I apparently suffer from a severe case of under-seasoning. I watched my brother season some steaks this weekend when I was in Nebraska for a mini-vacation, and he – the king of cooking meat – seasoned those steaks like mad.

Steak with a beer and brown sugar marinade: Oh how I love cooking with beer

If you haven't figured it out yet, I have not tapped the Betty Crocker cookbook in awhile. I wasn't satisfied with the first few recipes I tried, and so I've decided to use it for comfort food and baked goods, and to use the goodness of the web for everything else. In fact I am using the Betty Crocker chili recipe as a base for a pot that I have cooking right now.

Last Thursday night, I decided to take my friend's advice and make steak to supplement my iron levels for giving blood the following day. Really I love any excuse to make steak, and I feel like I am steadily improving my steak-grilling skills. I have not overcooked a steak in awhile.

Thursday I found a simple marinade: Beer and Brown Sugar Marinade.