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{nom nom, fresh pineapple}

22 Feb

after many years working in the organic food industry, i learned a lot about picking good produce.  it’s hilarious to watch me at the market – i take my time when picking out my fruit and vegetables, mostly because i know i’ll be fotographing them. and hey – aesthetics matter!  plus, food is outrageously expensive these days and i’ll be damned if i’m going to spend five dollars for a pineapple and not have it be incredible!

therefore, i browse the produce stands carefully when choosing what to buy. have you ever purchased something and it spoiled two days later or when you cut into it, the flesh was rotting or brown? not everything you pick up at the market is necessarily fresh and/or tasty at any given time – it’s another reason i prefer to buy and eat with the seasons… stuff just tastes better when it’s in season! i mean, wouldn’t you like to be picked during your prime?! 😉

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speaking of which, do you know how to pick a good pineapple?  the beginning of their season is just around the corner… and i’m already salivating thinking about them.

one thing to look for when picking out a pineapple – is how the leaves feel when pulled out from the top.  if they remove easily with little force, it’s a pretty sure sign your pineapple is ripe.  you also want to pay attention to the scent. i often sniff the bottom of the fruit, looking for a fresh scent that is strong enough to seep through.  and finally, you want to look for a pineapple that is a little darker in colour… not quite brown, but just golden… Continue reading

{thirsty thursday – “snapshot” from new belgium… it’s like they finally made a beer just for me!}

20 Feb

when i first spotted this at my local liquor store, i literally squealed, and then immediately grabbed my phone to take a picture.  are you kidding?!  i mean, you know they’re my absolute favourite, right?!  and you know i’m a fotographer, right?!  …

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snapshot wheat.

i didn’t buy it right away because i was walking… but then just yesterday, as i was having brunch with one of my girlfriends, i totally got to try it on tap!!!!

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it is SO DELICIOUS!!  super cloudy and blonde, definitely a true wheat beer… full of flavour but not over-the-top strong.  it went down like orange juice, and so i had to have another… i am eager to try it from the bottle as well. and then, i’ll take a food-and-foto style pic of it 😉

ohhh, new belgium – you never fail me.

cheers!

{whatever wednesday – an unofficial review : town.}

19 Feb

so, i randomly and spontaneously my have potentially found my new favourite restaurant. the charming place is called town. and the period is part of the title, so don’t forget it. 😉 if the rumour that their menu changes up frequently is in fact accurate, i may make it official.  in the meantime, here is what i had for lunch the other day with a friend.

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maple-braised pork belly with caramelized onions, pear, and bacon bits on a bed of brussel sprout leaves… and my favourite thing we ordered — it was just heavenly!

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rabbit tacos with some kind of amazing salsa and a creamy mild cheese… shredded carrots, pepitas, scallions, and some other deliciousness.  and hey – don’t judge me.

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shrimp po’ boy… done a little differently, but still good. shrimp was super tasty as well as the homemade sweet potato chips, and the perfectly dill/sweet combo pickles were also excellent.

i tell ya one thing – i cannot wait to go back for dinner!!!!!!! 😀

aaannnnd, i really want to take pictures of/for them!  

{happy full-moon-mercury-retrograde-friday! *shew*}

14 Feb

how ya’ll feelin?

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{post “soup-or-bowl” post}

3 Feb

soooo – the broncos lost the superbowl.  yeah, in like a MAJOR WAY!  *sigh*

i’ll leave the rants for the professionals – all i’m going to say is it’s a good thing i was surrounded with fun people and lots of delicious food.

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it was a “soup-or-bowl” party – bring a soup or a bowl of salad. i brought maryland crab soup.  so i thought i’d share the recipe 🙂

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i had never made this before – though i remember eating it almost every day for lunch when i was living in aberdeen, maryland many years ago.  my favourite little cafe on the side of the highway always had the biggest vat of it simmering all day and it smelled so amazing!

i just made it based on what i remembered and “winged” the rest… Continue reading

{snowy saturday}

1 Feb

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{foto friday – so, it’s been snowing a little… and i was kind of a major slacker at work today}

31 Jan

…and i took a ton of pics with my favourite iphone app, shake-it.

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beginning with a shameless selfie 🙂

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POWDER DAY!

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so pretty. Continue reading

{whatever wednesday – “the dark side of snow” : volume one}

29 Jan

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walking through the filthy snow-packed hills during x-games this weekend, i became inspired… and thus, i have begun working on an actual artistic series called “the dark side of snow” 😉

i’ve been taking my camera with me to fotograph such things, but i wanted to share these few i snapped with my iphone.  do you ever stop to look at the details these old and dirty piles of snow create?! between the melting and re-freezing and various winds and plow trucks, snow forms from fluffy white flakes into slushy mixed-coloured mounds and stark white turns pitch black. it transforms from graceful to treacherous, from beautiful to ugly, from light to dense, from snow to something else entirely…

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by the way, it’s almost time for mercury to go retrograde again… 😉

{travel tuesday – the winter x-games : from a slightly different perspective}

28 Jan

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this weekend i helped work at the winter x games in buttermilk.  it was pretty unbelievable.

however, i didn’t go to see the athletes or even watch any of the event, and yet i had access to almost every venue and space on the mountain… what exactly then, was i doing at x games?!

sorting through this enormous pile of trash :

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i’m not even kidding.  there were 2 other huge piles just like this in the two days i helped…

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i was part of the “green team” for the weekend – sorting through waste to divert it from a going to a landfill. the goal was to divert 80%, and i believe we came damn close! that team is so amazingly dedicated!!!   Continue reading

{some stuff that happened this week – via the shake-it app}

25 Jan

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i went to work – this is what i see when i arrive… 🙂

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i had edible flowers in a salad i bought at the market…  that was a first, for sure! especially considering i just grabbed it from the salad bar… i also discovered that they sell boars head meat, which got me all kinds of excited and happy! 😀

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i took a selfie at the bus-stop…

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i enjoyed this amazing spread with some friends…

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i saw this sunset over mt. sopris…

and now i’m off to check out the WINTER X-GAMES!! 😀 pics to follow…

have a great weekend, ya’ll!

{whatever wednesday – sometimes i just take pictures of pretty vegetables…}

22 Jan

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even though we have a ways to go yet before it’s in season…

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i’m totally craving asparagus lately…

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and sometimes i just take pictures of produce… in case you haven’t noticed 🙂

watching me at the grocery store in the produce section is pretty hilarious, no doubt.  i take a long time to pick out my vegetables, mostly knowing that i’ll eventually have them in front of a camera… so i like them to be pretty 😉

happy wednesday!

{thirsty thursday – a toast to all this white stuff outside!}

16 Jan

two delicious NBB brews to add to the list :

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snow day – dark and rich and full of caramel notes…

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accumulation – bright and hoppy with a crisp finish…

both brews celebrate the winter season, and the fanciful snowfall that comes with it. fanciful… how fun is that word.

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please drink responsibly… for real, though.

{thirsty thursday – the commuter javapress}

9 Jan

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how cool is this on-the-go french press coffee maker/holder that my neighbour got me for christmas?!  it was a total surprise, i can’t believe she bought me something, let alone something THIS COOL!

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and so practical, too! Continue reading

{organic beef roast}

8 Jan

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i don’t eat a ton of red meat.  however when i do, i prefer it be as local, organic, and grass-fed as possible.

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have you ever had grass-fed beef?  you may think to yourself, “what do you mean, don’t all cows eat grass?” when you think of a cow, you picture a field or pasture and you see them eating grass, right?!  well, you may be surprised to know that most cows are actually fed a grain or corn-based diet – that stuff is in everything!… again, i encourage you to do your own research.

there is lots of fresh, organic, local, grass-fed beef where i live.  and that makes me so happy!  i have mentioned before that i don’t really subscribe to any “diet” per se – but if i had to pick a category to fall into, i would say my diet is totally intuitive and mostly organic.  and it varies all along that spectrum.  this time last year, i was totally vegan and coming off a major 2-week cleanse of only veggies, fruit, kombucha, and water. i remember around christmas, trying some of the ham at whole foods one day and i actually spit it out. and now, i can’t seem to eat enough meat!  so i’m just listening to my body and rolling with it.

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i recently bought this adorable little crock-pot, which is perfect for the tiny home, and it fits about a 2-pound roast just perfectly!  it only has one setting – ON. but it totally does the trick!

Continue reading

{it’s the first foto friday of 2014 : and i’m still obsessed with the “shake-it” app}

3 Jan

i don’t care if it’s like, 5 years old and moreover, that it resembles an old-school polaroid foto. i’m sure there are way “cooler” apps out there now, but i still love the good ol’ shake-it app.

and here are some snapshots from my week :

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i enjoyed this amazing burger from the best place in the valley…

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i made myself these amazing crab legs for new year’s eve celebration…

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then followed it with this mostly amazing tradition for lunch the on new year’s day… i say mostly because it was a little dry, but i ate it anyway. 😉 Continue reading

{new year’s eve 2013 – goodness, it sure has been an eventful 12-months!!}

31 Dec
sunrise - snowmass village, colorado © audrey michelle 2013

sunrise – snowmass village, colorado © audrey michelle 2013

it really has been a very very eventful year!  personally, i’m kind of glad to be saying good-bye to 2013.  i always say you can start over ANY time in your life, you don’t need an event like new year’s eve to make resolutions, start fresh, or even kiss a stranger 😉 but i’m still looking forward to wrapping up one year and starting a new one… i have been releasing a lot of old “stuff” over the last month… and i’m ready to welcome in the new!

i just really feel good about bringing in 2014 this year… things feel a little more peaceful in general, and that is great!

it’s been exactly 3 weeks

however, since my entire life changed in one single {terrifying} moment… i completely survived my car rolling twice on the icy highway roads on monday, december 2nd.  not a single person was harmed nor animal or lamppost involved… no semi-truck in the way, no major abrasions, pain, trauma, or overall inconvenience other than losing my awesome car, shelby the subaru. but like everyone said, “you can replace a car, you can’t replace YOU!”

i’m still shaking my head at how it even happened and most of all HOW i survived… walking away totally unscathed and mostly just in shock. the bizarre twist to all of this is that i have found many blessings come out on the other side of it all. i’m even going to write about the event, as it really did change my life. any event like that shakes up a person’s whole being… and when it’s “over”, it’s kind of impossible to claim to be the same person afterward. Continue reading

{the final meatless monday of 2013! – artisan lettuce wraps featuring organic polenta and a homemade red sauce}

30 Dec

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i like food you can consume without utensils 🙂

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and there’s something about the word “artisan” that makes things more fun and enjoyable to eat 🙂

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when i spotted this bag on sale at the market, i nabbed it up.  it looked super fresh and crisp and i had some leftover polenta at home that i just knew would go great with it.

so i made a simple red sauce with the remains of a jar of marina i had in the fridge.  then i tossed in some extra garlic, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and a little cheese, and boom! – i had a simple and delicious red sauce to pour over my polenta.

foodie side note : i only use organic corn products – corn is THE MOST genetically modified plant out there.  and it’s in everything.  do your own research, i highly encourage it 🙂 Continue reading

{it’s the final foto friday of 2013!}

27 Dec

and this is what happened this week :

———

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i worked on christmas day for the first time in my life… which was kind of okay and kind of weird. naturally, i brought my vitamix breakfast cookies to the office – and all 4 dozen got devoured! 😉

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callee was adorable – every second of every day… just look at her! 😉

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i visited the best breakfast place in town… these mugs are personal for the local regular guests – how cute is that?! 😉

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it was so damn cold in the mornings, the windshield-washer fluid in my friend’s car totally froze… but also created this cool pattern 😉

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and i saw this family of ravens… they tend to follow me around – they are my spirit animal, no doubt! 😉

i’m pretty sure this was a mama and a bunch of babies. although i’m not certain because it seems odd that they would have offspring in the winter, but i didn’t feel like researching it… does anyone know when crows/ravens typically mate and reproduce?

happy last friday of the year!!

😀

{thirsty thursday – eat, DRINK, and be merry}

26 Dec

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new belgium brewing company beer is on sale all month at my local liquor store.  and NBB just happens to be my all-time favourite, so i bought their folly pack, which included 4 throwback beers, 2 below.  i’m excited to {re}explore them all… just not all at once 😉

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HAPPY {safe} HOLIDAYS! 😉

{merry christmas!}

25 Dec

wishing you all the love and happiness this season brings…  now and always.

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xxoo

am