Hatch Chili and Sweet Potato : Chicken Enchiladas

This is a fun spin on chicken enchiladas and if you are looking to eliminate processed/GMO foods (like corn tortillas) you will love this. This is  ALMOST a dairy free version and can easily be dairy free with one tweak., don’t add the cheese 🙂  It’s also gluten free.

I’m in love with hatch chilies and I always look forward to August when they come out!

The sweet potato gives these enchiladas a nice texture and the slight sweetness goes great as a replacement for corn tortillas. Give it a try and let me know how it goes 🙂

Prep: 30 min

Cook Time: 15-30 min

Makes: 7 enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 2 Chicken breast, cooked and shredded. Get pasture raised chickens.
• 3 Hot Roasted Hatch Chilies and 3 Mild Roasted Hatch Chilies, remove the top.
• 1 Organic Purple Onion, small (about 1/4 Cup).
• 1 Organic White Onion, small (about 1/4 Cup).
• 2 Cloves of Wild Garlic
• 1/2 C. Organic Coconut Milk (you can use lite if you would like).
• 1/2 Teaspoon of Celtic Salt.
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cumin
• 1 or 2* Organic Sweet Potato, sliced thinly long ways on mandolin.
• 1 Teaspoon of organic coconut oil for baking dish.
• OPTIONAL: Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese (Grass Fed Cow Cheese) for topping the enchiladas if you desire.

Instructions:

1. Blend up hatch chilies, onions, garlic, coconut milk, and spices in a blender until consistency of salsa.
2. Cook on med / low for 25 min.
3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add sliced sweet potatoes to boiling water and cook for 6 min. Drain and set aside.
4. Reserve 1/2 Cup of hatch chili salsa. Mix chicken into the remaining large portion of salsa.
5. In a large baking dish smear the coconut oil down and lay down 7 or the 14 sweet potato slices (I broke some while slicing so I just placed them back together).  *If you want them all to be “perfect” you may get 2 sweet potatoes to have reserves just in case…
6. Add chicken and salsa mixture to each potato and top with another slice of potato. Once you are done take the reserved salsa and put a little bit on the top of each potato enchilada then sprinkle with cheese.
7. Either reserve dish to bake later or bake NOW at 300 F for 15-20 min.
8. If you are waiting for later, heat oven to 375 F and bake for 30 min or until warm all the way through.

Green Curried Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

This is an awesome and simple meal that’s full of flavor and a heat, a good heat… not too long lasting but just right.  This is a good dish to prep early in the day and cook later on for dinner!

It’s under 400 calories (about 375 ), approx: 19 grams of fat, 40 grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber, and under 10 carbs (mainly complex).

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 10-25 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb Ground Chicken Breast
• 2 Large Portobello Caps
• 1 Cup Organic Spinach Packed (Fresh or frozen will do).
• 1/4 Cup Onion, diced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1/3 C. Organic Coconut Milk
• 1/2 tsp. Celtic Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Fresh Pepper
• 3 tsp. Green Curry Paste
• 1 tsp. Organic Coconut Oil
• 5 Cashews, chopped

Preparation:

1. Steam Portobello caps for 6 min. Pat dry with paper towel and set aside.
2. In medium skillet on medium high, add coconut oil, onion, and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add ground chicken breast and cook until 90 % done or so.
4. Add curry paste and coconut milk and reduce heat to low, simmering for 10 min. Stirring often.
5. Place a mound of the chicken mixture onto each cap. If you are cooking immediately preheat oven to 350F and bake for 10 min. If you are cooking later, place meal in fridge until ready to cook, when ready, preheat oven to 375 F and cook for 20-25 min or until hot.
6. Top with a pinch of chopped cashews.

Serve with green beans or a salad. 🙂

A “Lighter” Version of Crawfish Étouffée That Will Keep Your Waistline Happy :)

Using a stick of butter or even a half a stick of butter just doesn’t sound very appealing to me especially after the holidays. So I made one of my favorites with a quarter of the fat and it turned out awesome!  You will notice I served this in a “bread boat”, this is how Evan likes it. You can do it plain, in a boat, or on top of rice-your choice!

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Serves: 4-6 People

Ingredients:

• 1lb Crawfish meat (shelled and deveined)
• 1 C. Celery, chopped
• 1 C. Red and Green Bell Pepper Mixture, chopped
• 1 C. Sweet Onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Bay leave
• 1/2 C. Chicken Stock, no sodium
• 2 TBS Butter
• 1 TBS Coconut Oil
• 1 TBS Favorite cajun seasoning
• 1/2 TBS. Jalapeno (fresh), minced
• 1 tsp. Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1.5 TBS Flour dissolved in water

Instructions:

• Heat butter and coconut oil on medium, once hot add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add the Holy Trinity: Bells, Onions, and Celery! Saute for 12-15 min
• Add Crawfish, seasoning, bay leave, and chicken stock and simmer for 10 min.
• Add flour to thicken sauce and season to taste with salt or more cajun seasoning.
• Serve over white rice or in a bread boat.

Enjoy!

Vegan Italian Sausage – You won’t believe it’s not meat!

I recently did a 40 Day Yoga Challenge where I wasn’t eating any meat other than seafood. During that time Evan and I went to a party at our good friends Liz and Kyle’s house for some Paella! She made vegan Spanish chorizo for some of the other non meat eaters and I instead of using real meat (thanks Liz)! It was awesome, texture and all, that’s right… I said it… texture and all- and even better it wasn’t made from tofu! I made her version during my 40 Day Challenge in my own Paella at home with great results. So I decided to make an Italian version for fun a couple of nights ago. It turned out fantastic, even Evan was a big fan!

This Italian sausage goes great in pasta dishes or in a salad like you will see below. I’ll also include the nutrition facts 🙂  It contains 16 grams of PROTEIN!, pretty good for a vegan “meat” 🙂

I made this simple salad today for lunch: Baby Kale, Spinach, Red Onion, Cucumbers, Grape Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and of course my Italian Vegan Sausage. With a Greek Yogurt, Lemon, Sage, Sirracha Dressing. It hit the spot!

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 40 min

Serves: Approximately 9 : 2 oz servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. Pinto beans, rinsed. You can use canned beans- I used canned organic beans…
• 1 C. Organic vegetable broth
• 1 TBS. Olive oil
• 2 TBS. Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Lemon zest
• 2 Cloves of garlic, grated
• 1 1/4 C. Vital Wheat Gluten
• 1/4 C. Nutritional yeast
• 1 TBS Basil, chopped very fine
• 1 TBS Oregano
• 1 TBS Marjoram
• 1/2 TBS Onion powder
• 2 tsp. Red pepper flake
• 1/2 TBS Black pepper

Instructions:

1. Set up steaming apparatus. (Large pot, little bit of water, steam tray, and lid.)
2. Lay out 3 sheet of foil to wrap sausage in. A sushi roller will help for this later.
3. Mash beans well in medium bowl.
4. Add all ingredients IN ORDER to bowl.
5. Once all ingredients are added, knead “dough” with hands until all ingredients are incorporated.
6. Divide dough into 3 balls, roll each ball out into a link shape and place each one on a separate sheet of foil. This is where the sushi roller comes in handy… Roll the foil around the link and use the sushi roller to roll and compact your link making it nice and firm. Twist off ends of foil and repeat with the rest.
7. Place sausages in steaming apparatus and steam for 40 min on low/medium.
8. Unroll- careful they will be hot and let cool. Then you can slice and cook up on the stove to get some crispiness if desired. DO NOT USE HIGH HEAT, they will burn.

Serve as you wish! On a salad, pasta, sandwich, wrap, the possibilites are endless.

Paella Made with Vegan Spanish Chorizo!

Check it out! Show some LOVE!

Hello Fellow Foodies!

Today is kind of a hodgepodge post… As you know from the last post I entered another contest via Marx Foods! It was a lot of fun because I got to experiment with cocktails and mocktails! I think the Pimmentine Cocktail is now a favorite drink of Evan and I’s! The clementine ice cubes are HIGHLY addictive! I have juiced over 35 clementines in the past 3 days to make more 🙂 Anyhow I would love it it you would be so kind to cast a vote for Zestybeandog! No email registration required, which is always nice, just a click! 🙂

VOTE HERE

Here is a peak into some food that’s been made in the ZestyBeanDog kitchen lately! Enjoy!

Chicken Bacon and Kale Roll Ups

Yard Bird with Bacon Mustard Glaze

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Escargot and Portabella Pizza

Quail Egg Pizza

Paella with Vegan Sausage

Spider Roll

Sushi

Caper and Tomato Trout with Crab Cake

Bibimbap

Eggplant Parm

Pan Seared Ahi Tuna with a Cilantro Ginger Slaw

This is a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner dish that is super simple to prepare. You will love it!!!

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 6 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Ahi tuna steaks (I like to do about a 4-5 oz steak).
• 2 cups Green cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups Purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 TBS Pickled ginger
• 3 TBS Cilantro, chopped rough
• 1 TBS Black sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper
• Coconut oil

Dressing for slaw

• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• 1 tsp Agave nectar
• 1 TBS Yuzu juice
• 2 TBS Rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Wasabi paste

Instructions:

1. Wash Ahi and pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Place in fridge while you prep slaw.
2. Mix cabbage, cilantro, sesame seeds, and ginger in a medium mixing bowl. Place in fridge.
3. Mix up slaw dressing and reserve, dress right before serving.
4. In medium to large skillet heat 1 tsp of coconut oil on medium high.
5. Sear tuna for about 3 min on each side, at the end of the second side sear the edges quickly- serve rare.  You can always cook longer but do not over cook! You want it to be pink in the middle. 🙂
6. Place tuna on top of dressed slaw salad! Serve with anything else you like, I did sweet potato gnocchi!

Tempura Veggies with Awesome Sauce and Voting Polls are Open

We had a sushi night last Saturday and it was amazing! I’m doing a 40 day yoga challenge and one of my commitments was to NOT eat meat… so I haven’t had any meat but some occasional seafood. I’m halfway through it and doing well. 🙂 See the end of post for details on how to vote for my Marx Foods entry!

These tempura veggies are a light and tasty snack or side to a meal.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 4 min or until lightly golden

Ingredients for batter: 

• 1 C. Flour
• 1 TBS Corn Starch
• 1 1/2 C. Club Soda
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Peanut oil

Veggies:

You can use what ever veggies you would like. I like sweet potato, bell peppers, Carrots, and Brocoli. Make sure you don’t slice too thick.

Awesome Sauce:

• 1/2 C. Soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Sesame oil
• 1 TBS. Green onion
• 5 Thin slices of ginger, fresh
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. Lime juice
• 2 TBS Rice wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Slice veggies and make sauce.
2. Heat fryer oil to 375 degrees.
3. Coat veggies in batter, shake off remaining batter and fry for 3-4 min.  Doing small batches at a time.
4. Place on paper towel. Repeat until done.
5. Serve with sauce.

Please vote for my submission to Marx Foods, I made a Chile, Yuzu, and Jasmine Tea Granita, it was DELISH!  The voting polls close Thursday evening! Thank you so much for the support!

Vote For ZestyBeanDog

Hi there everyone! The voting polls are open for the 4th Annual Marx Foods Morel Recipe Contest!!!  Please take a moment to vote for my:

Morel, Bacon, and Parmigiano-Reggiano Stuffed Egg Rolls with an Agave Yuzu Soy Sauce Infused with Garlic, Ginger, and Purple Scallions.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

Please help me spread the word! Thanks and CHEERS!

Marx Foods 4th Annual Morel Challenge!

So I’d first like to say sorry for not having a pizza post this week, I’ve been sick for the past week almost.  Dry your tears everyone because I will be making it up to you with the most amazing pizza in ZBD history this week. 🙂 But for now enjoy this delicious recipe.

VOTE HERE NOW

I have entered into another contest with Marx Foods and this time it’s their 4th annual Morel Recipe Contest. Some of you may remember the Fregola Contest from a while back. ZBD took first place with the Bacon and Vanilla Fregola Cupcakes. This year the voting is a mix between public and internal! Voting starts 5/1/12-5/3/12. I’ll let you all know where to go to vote when the voting polls go live and would truly appreciate your support 🙂

Morel, Bacon, and Parmigiano-Reggiano Stuffed Egg Rolls with an Agave Yuzu Soy Sauce Infused with Garlic, Ginger, and Purple Scallions.

These are not your average egg rolls! They were incredible and I’ll be making these again for sure!

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Makes: 6 egg rolls

Ingredients:

• 1 oz Morels, dried
• 1/2 C. Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 4 sliced of cooked bacon, diced
• 1 Green onion, chive part, sliced very thin and chopped
• 1 TBS of Butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp Pepper, fresh ground black
• 1 egg, beaten (to seal egg roll).
• Egg roll wrappers 6
• Peanut oil, enough for frying

Sauce:

• 4 TBS Yuzu juice
• 3 TBS Light soy sauce
• 2 TBS Agave nectar, light
• 1/2 Clove of garlic minced
• 4 Purple scallions, sliced about a cm thick
• 5-6 sliced of peeled ginger, slice very thin

Instructions:

1. Reconstitute Morels 
2. Make sauce while you reconstitute Morels, By combining all “sauce” ingredients then place in fridge.
3. Chop up morels, grate cheese, chop bacon, and green onion chive and combine a medium mixing bowl with 1 TBS of butter and pepper. Divide into 6 balls
4. Lay out egg roll wrapper and place a ball of the mixture on the top corner and roll down until it’s a triangle, then fold in the corners and finish rolling, sealing with egg wash on the seams. Repeat until done.
5. Heat fryer oil to 350 F. once hot place egg rolls in and cook for about 5 min or until golden. Turning occasionally throughout the duration of cooking. Transfer onto paper towel before serving.

Serve with sauce and enjoy! Cheers!

Stay tuned for the next post, you won’t want to miss the OXO Gadget Giveaway! 

Marx Foods has provided me with 1 oz of Dried Morels to experiment with. I received the Morels at no charge to me and I am under no obligation to return the product but can keep it for me own personal use.

ZBD is Back : A Whirlwind Post of Denver

3 Girls from Texas went to Denver on a mission and that mission was accomplished!

We went, we saw, we drank, we ate, we conquered. It was one of the most fun trips I’d ever taken, all that was missing was Evan (he would have been in heaven)!  We made loose plans on where were wanted to go and what we wanted to see and did pretty damn good at getting a lot of it done. We didn’t see everything (we would have need a week for that at least)! It was a whirlwind of fun, beer, food, and I even got to reunite with my God Father Kent and his wife Lisa!

DAY 1:

When we first arrived to Denver before we could even leave the airport we had to stop in the lounge for a local beer. A Singletrack Ale by Boulder Beer.

Our friend Hannah (the redhead) and her friend picked Lori and I up from the airport (in a convertible I might add) Yes we dropped the top! Who cares about hair and the fact that it was 57 F. outside, we were on vacation! We got dropped off at our humble abode, which was pretty sweet: an older 3 bedroom home decorated in retro modern furniture and art posters. It also has a great backyard patio! It was perfect! After settling in a getting ready for our first adventure we made our way to the bike rental place The Bike Doctor they were nice over there and hooked us up with some bikes for our downtown excursion. We all managed to stay on our bikes and not have any malfunctions so that was a plus!

Beer time: We biked all over downtown hitting up these places…

Flying Dog was the first stop (they were closed) 😦 We never made it back… I was sad…

Breckenridge Brewery: We tried a sampler of 6 beers. I’m a bit biased because on of my favorite beers is the 471 Small Batch IPA, they had this beer on cask aged in Stranahan’s Whiskey Barrels…. MY NEW FAV!  It was wonderful so complex, delicious, and I shouldn’t forget HOPPY, I love hops!!!  I have to say that Breckenridge was my favorite spot for a beer in downtown, Stuart (the GM) was serving our beer and he was so friendly and personable. He let us walk in the back and check out the beer set up. We liked him a lot! We felt at home here! I definitely recommend going here the beers are well rounded and there’s something for everyone here, including some BBQ.

Stranahan’s Whiskey  : I know this isn’t beer… but I love whiskey too… A LOT. The whiskey was good, it was no Jameson’s but it was good. They use Rock Mountain Water to make their whiskey so I thought that was really cool! I also was very curious to try the whiskey that the barrels were used for in the 471 Small Batch Cask! While we were there I had a Deviant Dales IPA which was pretty damn good (note if it’s an IPA chances are good I’ll stay it was damn good, I’m a biased IPA snob remember).  We decided to have a bite to eat while we were there and after a suggestion from one of the locals named we ordered the Chefs Plate, which consisted of American style cheeses • cured meats • appropriate condiments • all for $ 17 it was delish! The table next to us had burgers that were ginormous and looked phenomenal.

Great Divide Brewing We got here just as a Baseball game let out… it was packed and this apparently was the place to go after games. I finagled  my way to the front of the bar and ordered 3 beers 2 double IPA’s and one regular… I don’t remember which I had but I did remember the Titan IPA was the non double. We were approached by several dudes with half of their beers split down their white Denver Rockies Baseball Jersey’s, none of which had mustard stains which was quit surprising. 🙂  We left after the first beer to grab a bite.

We moseyed our way down to have some dinner at Biker Jim’s Dogs for a little Denver wiener and beer. We all had Dale’s Pale Ale and I had the Pheasant Dog it was really incredible! Had I not been so full of beer I could have eaten 2 or 3!

After cruising around town for a bit more we called it a night and biked home!

DAY 2: 

We rented a car for this day to make our ways to Fort Collins- but before a day of beer we needed brunch!

The Kitchen:  To be honest I don’t even know what I ate…  It was a scramble egg kind of dish on toast…I forgot to get a photo of this one… I do however remember my beer because I wrote it down!  I had the Strange Pale Ale and it was pretty good. We also had a side of garlic fries that were amazing!

First Stop New Belgium Brewery: This place was INCREDIBLE and it completely blew our minds! This was the only “official tour” we did and with good reason… their set up is amazing! To be honest I was not a huge fan of NBB until I came here. I absolutely LOVE how everything was so well thought out, everything had meaning, purpose, and a great story behind it. It just felt good being here. We learned so much in the 1.5 hr tour from the origins of the brewery to how they decide on beers to release. Many of you may have tried the Ranger IPA (you know I have) and may be thinking… “well that’s not a “Belgium Style Ale”… it’s not but the beer rangers told NB that they needed an IPA so they made one and I’m glad they did!

*Beer Rangers are their beloved folks out in the field. Spanning all 29 of our states from the Pacific to the Atlantic, the Beer Rangers do their best to protect, to pour and to partake. And explore many a beer from many a brewery, they do.

We tried so many different beers on the tour and each one was so awesomely explained! We of course started off with a Fat Tire, then onto Biere de Mars, then a Ranger IPA, then a Shift, and lastly and my FAVORITE of them all the La Folie a sour brown ale that I thought I’d hate but in all actuality loved and found my self craving once I got back to Texas (yes I had one last night).

This place was just incredible all around, a great company, great people, and really great beers! Everyone was so friendly here. One interesting tid bit… upon signing our tabs there was no tip option…they don’t accept tips because it’s an employee owned company!  I think that’s so awesome!  Please go check this place out asap!

Odell’s Brewery  This place it a hop away from New Belgium Brewery. It’s a sweet little spot and very lively. We supposedly met Willie Nelsons Cousin at the New Belgium Brewery and he followed us over to Odell’s… Not sure if we buy that dudirino, although he did look reminiscent of him… Needless to say he bought us our first and only beers here, thanks… *(It apparently is very common to get followed to beer places in Denver, I’m not sure if it was our good looks 😉 , the fact that we love beer, just random, or all three)hahaha!  I had a an IPA of course. From here we made the executive decision to have our Fancy dinner on this evening. I perused our map and Open Table and we decided on a 8:45 reservation at Mizuna…

Mizuna: Before I start let me just say I’m so glad we decided on a “fancy” dinner! It would have been incomplete without it! This place was hands down probably one of the top places to eat in Denver, Anthony Bourdain ate here, it’s gotta be good! We started off with some cocktails and appetizers I had the Basil Cucumber Fizz (I know it’s not beer… GASP) and we shared the Burgundian Escargot: Gruyère Crouton, Hon Shimeji Mushrooms, Parsley Aigo Bouido and the Rabbit Confit Ravioletta: Chanterelle Mushrooms, Tomme Rabelais Fondue, Grain Mustard Beurre Blanc. Oh my GOD it was so wonderful! The escargot was so wonderful and nutty the mushrooms were such a great compliment to the snails and the rabbit confit, mind blowing!

Main Courses: 

I had the Seared Veal Tenderloin Oyster Mushroom Leek Bread Pudding, Chestnut Soubise, Wilted Spinach, Hannah had the Sautéed Red Snapper Braised Endive, Sunchoke Mousseline, Truffle Vinaigrette, Garlic Nage and Lori had the Dry Aged NY Strip Au Poivre Black Truffle Porcini Gratin, Grilled Ramps. They were impeccable and well worth the money! We drank a bottle of LUCIEN ALBRECHT , CREMANT, BRUT ROSÉ – ALSACE with dinner, some of the best bubbly I’ve ever had!

Great meal with great ladies!

After a long day we had to head home to rest and prepare for day 3.

Sorry for the poor pictures it was very dark in Mizuna!

Day 3:

Time to brunch it up again and drop of the rental car. Today is the day we will meet my God Father Kent and his wife Lisa so I’m very excited!

Brunch: The Lobby I had a bloody mary WITH House bacon infused vodka, killer! I had the blue lump crap spinach and cream over poached eggs on an English muffin and we all split green chili pork tater tots… prob not the best choice since we couldn’t eat our meals after that!

Now it’s time for hiking and fun with my God Father Kent and Lisa! I hadn’t seen them since I was 2 so naturally I don’t remember that… at all! We got picked up by Kent and made our way out to Evergreen, a lovely little town about 25 min from Denver proper. We saw tons of snow capped mountains and wildlife like Elk, black squirrels, and black tailed deer. We went out and walked around Echo Lake and made our way to hike about a 4 mile trail. It was pretty cold at the time about mid 30’s-40’s but when the wind wasn’t blowing we were fine. We collected rocks and specimens along the way (that reminds I need to check my pockets for those things) 🙂 It was a blast, us Texan girls even made us some snowballs! Haha! It snowed a bit while we were out and about which was neat!

After hiking we made our way back to Kent and Lisa’s home in Evergreen for some great BBQ: burgers, brats, bean salad, and a spinach salad! It was so nice catching up and seeing them it was the highlight of my trip! After dinner we looked through some old photographs and talked about the old days. Kent told me my Dad’s old nickname “Bird” minus the definition… I had to get it from my Dad when I got home… hahah good times for sure! Shortly after dinner Kent drove us back to Denver taking us on the scenic route! We wen’t through Red Rocks amphitheater and some small towns. Red Rocks is amazing! Once we arrived home he patiently waited for the girls to get ready for our last night out on the town (thanks Kent).  It’s amazing that 26 years of not seeing someone and reuniting with them felt so natural, like we’d been friends and in contact forever! Lisa is probably one of the sweetest ladies I know, she was so nice! I now know why my parent’s picked Kent to be my God Father… they picked a great down to earth man!

Next Stop: Falling Rock Tap House  This place was a popular hangout, it was packed and nearly impossible to get a seat, we finally did and we had…. a beer! I had the Sierra Nevada Hoptimum. It was a cool spot, def the younger crowd hangout. We had one beer and made our way on to get a snack.

Marcos Coal Fired Pizza We spilt a pizza here the Del Re: Truffle and Porcini Mushroom Pecorino Sardo Spread, Fresh Mozzarella, Topped with Mushrooms, Proscuitto di Parma, Fresh Basil it was good but I wasn’t completely blown away… I gues I’m kind of a pizza snob… go figure! The crust was off in my opinion… Oh well. Next stop Star Bar right next door.

Star Bar:  I loved this place! It totally reminded me of being in Texas 🙂 They had a nice live band that did mainly covers and people were letting loose in this place, I’m talking dancing like there would be no tomorrow! The served GIANT beers here after the first I felt so full but after the second and third we were good to go! We danced, laughed, and closed this bar down, we had to it was our last night! 😉 After this we ventured back cab style (prob the worst cabby ever), but we made it back to that humble abode.

Day 4:

The last day in Denver, luckily our flight wasn’t until 3:45 (it was actually much later because we were delayed due to slide malfunctioning). We took our time getting up, cleaned the place a bit, and packed…then got ready for one final brunch.

Strings: We walked about 2 miles to get here, it was SO windy but we made it.  We of course ordered the $12 bottomless mimosa’s I think we had like 6 each (we got our monies worth)! And we ALL ordered the crab cake eggs benny’s! It was so delish! At the end of brunch we felt we had to order dessert since we hadn’t done it all trip… crème brûlée it was and it was phenomenal! I was a bit worried upon going on this trip that I’d gain like 10lbs… surprisingly with all the walking, biking, and hiking I lost .5 a lb! That NEVER happens EVER!  Glad we got that dessert!

From here we take off to the airport and say goodbye to Denver. It was a wonderful trip with 2 of my best friends I couldn’t imagine anyone I’d rather take a beer trip with (other than Evan of course). We definitely did this trip up right!  Until next time Denver! Cheers!