SUMMERTIME, AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY

The beginning of August marked the arrival of the monsoons here in Colorado. Sunny mornings give way to thunderstorms in the afternoon - or cloudy mornings give way to rain in the afternoon and on into the night.
We have had heavy rains on a couple of days, but nothing like the front range cities - Ft. Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Denver even had tornado warnings yesterday evening! As I write this, flash flood warnings are posted for the urban areas along the front range, where the Rockies meet the plains to the east. Here in the high country, we are experiencing only light sprinkles.

We woke up to clouds this morning, so went to one of the two local trails that I think of as "daily walks" - a short drive to a pretty hike that doesn't take all day. This one (top photo) follows an abandoned railroad bed, so the grade is gentle. Wildflowers line the trail, which runs above a narrow road alongside Chalk Creek. We finished our walk before any raindrops fell.

Instead of high-altitude views, I have a couple recipes to share. I recently made Farmer's Market Garden Salad for a meal we shared with Jackie and Buddy, and they asked for the recipe. This is the perfect time of year (in fact, the ONLY time of year) to make it: fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, and fresh green chilis.

The other recipe is a very simple, very plain-looking, pie. I pulled the recipe out recently for our friends Joann and Doug.

They are workamping at a guest ranch this summer, and desserts figure prominently in their days. When pecan pie was mentioned on their blog recently, I sent the recipe for Francis Oliver's Coconut Pie - very similar to pecan pie, but made with coconut. It is unusual and rich and, in spite of it's unassuming appearance, it is always a hit. Comments on their blog today indicated that the recipe should be in wider distribution.

These both are recipes I have had for many years, tried and true. A summer meal of grilled salmon, Farmer's Market Garden Salad, and Coconut Pie... YUMMMMMMMM!