Some More S'Mores- Cooking with Duncan

My grandson, Duncan, came for a visit.  We had fun at Ada Hayden Lake both biking and fishing.

We decided since it was summer to make s'mores, but this time the chocolate and marshmallows were melted in ice cream cones over a summer bonfire.  

I saw this idea on Pinterest from many posts.  For more versions you can go to Pinterest.
  We made a version of the recipes we saw and added the fresh fruit we had on hand.

The results were unanimous...They were excellent!

 Gimme S'More!

 We spent the morning riding bikes around Ada Hayden Lake.

Then in the evening, Grandpa took us fishing at the Ada Hayden Lake.

Time to head back home and make the S'Mores!

The traditional ingredients are used, chocolate candy bars and marshmallows.

Instead of graham crackers, use a waffle ice cream cone.

Then add fresh fruit.  We used strawberries and bananas.

 Slice the fruit and break up the chocolate bar.

 Drop the chocolate in first so it melts in the bottom.  

Remember the Drumstick Ice Cream Cones 

that had the last bite of melted chocolate in the bottom?

 Layer the ingredients in any order.

 Wrap each cone in aluminum foil and put in a grilling basket to place over the fire.

You can also put these on a grill if you are barbecuing.

 Get the fire ready and place close to the edge so they don't burn, but melt.

 Enjoy!

I think Grandpa wants s'more of these!

Thanks, Duncan, for a great visit!

Fly Fishin'

This is the last day of our trip, so we wanted to make it spectacular.  We used Summit Fishing Guides to lead us to the best fishin' spots in Frisco.  Brandon was our guide, and he gave us introductory lessons before we waded into the waters at Dillon Reservoir.  Doug had been fly fishing before, but it was the first time for me. Brandon taught me and refreshed Doug's skills at casting.  It was a lasting memory in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

We were at our fishing spot by about 8:30 AM.  It was about 48 degrees.  The water is cold as it comes down from the mountains as the snow melts.  The elevation here is about 9,097 feet.

Just look at the photos below.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words... Yes!

My catch of the day was a big stick.

Our guide, Brandon, keeping a watchful eye on us.

There are several anglers down stream from me trying their luck (and skill).

"Do these waders make me look fat?"

Doug and I are at the Blue River arm of the Reservoir.  This is where Doug caught two fish and had a big one that got away!

Here I am with our experienced guide, Brandon.  He was very knowledgeable and a great teacher.

We stopped for lunch there in scenic Frisco.

The Lost Cajun...where we had authentic Lousiana cuisine.

For dessert we had beignets.  There will be recipe posted to this blog.

The perfect end to a memorable vacation.

Beignets
The word beignet (pronounced bey-YAY) comes from the early Celtic word bigne meaning "to raise." It is also French for "fritter." Beignets, a New Orleans specialty, are fried, raised pieces of yeast dough, usually about 2 inches in diameter or 2 inches square. After being fried, they are sprinkled with sugar or coated with various icings.


Beignets are like a sweet doughnut, but the beignet is square shaped and without a hole. Beignets are considered the forerunners of the raised doughnut. When you hear people in New Orleans say, "Goin'  fo' coffee an' doughnuts," they mean coffee and beignets. Beignet is one of the most universally recognized names for fried dough desserts which are basically fritter batter. For many years, beignets were shaped into balls or squares and covered with mocha frosting. Later the beignet was cut in the shape of a doughnut, and the raised doughnut was born.
from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/BeignetsHistory.htm

Simple Pizza Dough Beignets

Upon returning home, I looked up some recipes for beignets.  I wanted a simple one to start with.  So, I made one using refrigerator pizza crust.  The recipe came from blogger, Stephanie Wise.  I had to modify her version because the dough was in too large of pieces and did not cook evenly on the inside.  It works better to cut the dough into smaller pieces and then cook in the hot oil.

 The main ingredient is refrigerated pizza crust.

Shape the dough into a ball and roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick.

Then cut into even pieces.  I suggest cutting it into 12 pieces if you want large beignets,

 or long strips so they are beignet bites like we had in Colorado.

 Heat the oil to about 350 degrees.  If the oil is too hot,
the outside will burn and the inside will be doughy.  Keep an even heat.

 Cook until the outside is brown.

 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

If you want original beignets, here is a recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup lukewarm water 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, room temperature and beaten

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

Vegetable oil for deep frying*

Powdered (confectioner's) sugar for dusting

Go to Beignets for the complete recipe and history of Beignets.

Fun at Breckenridge Fun Park

Today we spent the day on the slopes on Ten Mile Mountain.  Of course, during the summer season, there is no snow to attract skiers.  So, there are a variety of activities to attract people of all ages to the ski slopes. This park opened for the season on June 13th, so we arrived just in time to enjoy the summer activities and to view the area from the top of the mountain at Peak 7.  It was majestic.  I do not like heights, but I traveled to the top on the Independence Super Chair with Doug.  I do think if I rode the lifts on a regular basis, I would learn to love it.  I can verify that I love the views and the scenic landscape from the mountain tops.

 We arrived at the Breckenridge Fun Park.  

We rode the gondola from Breckenridge to the park.

 This is a view of the Alpine Super Slide.

You ride one of the chair lifts to the top of the slide, and then slide down the mountain.

 A little snow left on the slopes.

 Riding our chair lift to the top.

 Ready to ride down the slope.

This is probably the closest I will get to "skiing".  (In the summer, with no snow!)

 This is a view of the Gold Runner Coaster from the ski lift chair.

 Starting the ride up the coaster.

And coming down to the finish line.

We rode to the top, and then walked down on the "easy" trail.

 Walking down the mountain after riding the chair to the top.

I found a little patch of snow.

We are ascending even higher on the Independence Super Chair.

If you can read the stats, the elevation is 10,100 ft. with a vertical rise of 1,320 feet.

Our ride time was 6.5 minutes.

And remember, I don't like heights, but I think I could get used to them.

The higher we ascended, the more snow we saw.

This is the view from Peak 7.

I threw a snowball at Doug.

Scenic view going back down the mountain.

 We rode the ski lift back up the mountain and our bikes were loaded onto the lift.

Then we rode down the mountain on the easy trail.

Dinner with our friends, Frank and Sarah, that we met at the lodge.

A beautiful day with treasured memories.