Gotta Love Springtime in The Rockies

 As I write this column, I am sitting at my desk, just outside Richmond, VA, having been out here for a little over a week as our Fair & Festival Season has kicked in. It has been in the 90’s the past few days and thank goodness the summer humidity has not kicked in yet!

We did The Central Virginia Wine Festival on Saturday and as I was talking to people there and they found out that I still live in Colorado most of the time, two subjects were coming up a lot. The first was almost always about Colorado’s new law regarding the ‘Green’ and I try to explain to them that I do not live in Boulder or Denver and that the Western Slope is just… a little different than the Front Range. (Gee, ya think?)

The other subject was the snow that was hitting the Rockies and how could I live out there when the weather is like that.. In the Spring!! Smiling, I try to explain to them about our little ‘slice of heaven’, The Grand Valley and while, yes, the mountains around us do get nailed, we seem to have our own little eco-system, which spares us from most of mother nature’s fury. But as most of them seem to keep thinking that all of Colorado is like Denver, they just do not understand.

So, while I continue to grow our VA operations, I still am proudly a Palisidian and a small part of the Grand Valley!

Now that people have survived this last onslaught of our lovely Springtime weather, it is time to start getting ready for the Fairs, Festivals and Farmer’s Markets, some of which have already started, some are this weekend, (Try explaining to people in VA what Mike The Headless Chicken is all about!) and starting up in June, we will have the Farmer’s Markets starting up in Grand Junction, Palisade, Fruita, Rifle, Glenwood Springs and more!

If you have been getting cabin-fever this past weekend, why not come out to Fruita and check out The Mike The Headless Chicken Festival on Friday and Saturday!

When I think of Festivals, I always think back to when I lived in the Almaden Valley in South San Jose. When the wind was right, it would blow up from Gilroy and the garlic that grows there. My first major festival out in California was The Gilroy Garlic Festival, back when they only had a few thousand people show up, yeah, they get a few more than that nowadays,

Now that I got myself thinking of garlic, our ‘Website of the Week is from The Gilroy Garlic Festival and as you may guess, it ‘reeks’ at the Stinking Rose!  (http://www.garlicfestival.com/garlic-festival-recipes)

Our 'Recipe of The Week' is from that same site, Baked Garlic! Talk about an easy and tasty treat!

And don’t forget to come out to Palisade this weekend for the 1^st Brews & Cruise Festival!

You can know also follow us on Pinterest; Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes and Decadence Cheesecakes Cooking Thoughts... Check them out and let me know what you think!

You can now also follow the adventures of Decadence on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Decadence-Gourmet-Cheesecakes/171538834903 ,on Twitter (www.twitter.com/decadenceGJ) and on Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/circ2000/decadence-cheesecakes-cooking-thoughts/).

We are loading up recipes and discounts on our Facebook page and will also be letting our ‘fans’ know of upcoming events, sales and the like. There are even videos! Check it out and become a fan!

Baked Garlic
Ingredients Whole garlic bulbs Dried thyme or oregano Olive oil Directions Preheat oven to 350ºF. Peel loose, papery skins off garlic bulbs. Slice top of each head (pointy end) so that the flesh is exposed. Arrange in a baking dish or garlic baker and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover with foil or baker lid and bake for about 45 minutes until the garlic is soft and golden. Cool before serving. Squeeze soft garlic out of skins and spread on meat or French bread. Serve toasts with remaining oil.

Springtime; Baseball and Festivals

 Ahh, the first vestiges of Spring are here! Finally, we seem to have shaken the cold tendrils of winter.

The apricot trees have sprung their white blossoms, we are starting to see the first buds on the peach trees and baseball is back in full swing!

To many of us who grew up out east, Opening Day of Baseball was the true sign that spring is here, don’t get a lot of fruit trees down on the Jersey Shore, but when the Phillies came home from spring training and major league baseball was again back in Philly… Break out the hot dogs, Cracker Jack and head up to watch a game.

Here in the Grand Valley, we already have the Colorado Rockies on TV and radio, Colorado Mesa University is already in action and all of our local high school teams are in action. If you want to see a game, chances are there is one near you. Our own Grand Junction Rockies home opener is June 20^th.

Springtime also brings the beginning of our Fair & Festival season here; Palisade has its inaugural ‘Brews & Cruise’ Festival in Memorial Park on Saturday, May 3^rd, The Grand Junction Art & Wine Festival is on May 9^th & 10^th and Fruita host’s it’s ‘Mike The Headless Chicken Festival on May 16^th & 17^th. (We will be at the Brews & Cruise Festival as well as the ‘Mike the Headless Chicken Festival!)

So, put away your muck lucks and heavy parka’s, wash the winter off your trucks, grab your kids and/or friends and head out, see some games, take in some of the festivals…

It’s Springtime!

Time for a giveaway!! Email us your favorite thing about Spring here in Western Colorado! We will pick one winner to get… drum roll please.. An ‘IN-N-OUT’ decal!!

Yeah, our ‘Website of the Week is on Baseball Food! From our friends at ‘Sheknowsfood.com) (http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/953637/gourmet-baseball-recipes

Our 'Recipe of The Week' is from that same site, Pulled pork sliders with avocado and caramelized onion

You can know also follow us on Pinterest; Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes and Decadence Cheesecakes Cooking Thoughts... Check them out and let me know what you think!

You can now also follow the adventures of Decadence on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Decadence-Gourmet-Cheesecakes/171538834903 ,on Twitter (www.twitter.com/decadenceGJ) and on Pinterest (http://www.pinterest.com/circ2000/decadence-cheesecakes-cooking-thoughts/).

Pulled pork sliders with avocado and caramelized onion

(from Sheknowsfood.com)

Serves: 8 (16 sliders) 

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced into rings
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 ripe, fresh Hass avocados, seeded, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 16 small dinner rolls, sliced in half
• Pulled pork (see make-ahead recipe below)
• 16 thin slices low-fat Gouda cheese, cut to fit rolls

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add onion and stir, cooking for 6 minutes. Mix in vinegar and salt. Cook and stir an additional 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
2. Cut each avocado slice in half and toss with lemon juice.
3. To prepare sliders, top the bottom half of a roll with 1 heaping tablespoon of Pulled Pork, a slice of cheese, several cooked onions and four half slices of avocado. Add the roll top. Repeat process with all sliders.

Pulled pork recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound boneless pork shoulder roast, well trimmed of visible fat
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/3 cups apple juice
• 1/3 cup prepared barbecue sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Instructions:

1. Up to 5 days before serving, combine paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Lightly sprinkle some of the seasoning on the pork roast. Keep pork roast covered and refrigerated until cook time.
2. Heat oil in a 2-quart pot with lid over medium-high heat. Place pork roast in pot. Cook pork roast for 3-4 minutes or until browned. Turn and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until browned; remove from pot.
3. Add onion and garlic to pot, stir and cook until golden brown. Stir in apple juice and remaining seasonings.
4. Return pork roast to pot. Bring liquid to a boil; then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly with lid and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Remove pork roast from pot and let rest for 5-10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Pour pot juices into a bowl; cover and refrigerate.
5. Shred pork roast, removing small amounts of fat as needed; cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
6. On the day the sliders are to be served, remove pot juices from refrigerator and skim off fat. Pour into small pot; bring to a boil. Stir in barbecue sauce and chipotle peppers. Mix in shredded pork meat and heat through. Keep warm until sliders are assembled.

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.

Note: The Pulled Pork for this recipe also can be prepared utilizing a slow cooker. Prepare Pulled Pork recipe as directed through Step 3. Then, transfer pork to a 4- to 6-quart electric slow cooker. Bring onion, garlic and juice mixture to a boil; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and transfer mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 2 1/2-3 hours or until meat is very tender and falling apart. Continue recipe as directed.