Happy National Pistachio Day

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Breakfast, Citrus, Coffee, Healthy, pistachio, scone, yogurt

Yep, that’s right. Pistachio nuts have their very own day of celebration. Every year on February 26th we are supposed to rejoice in the pistachio (and my mother-in-law – she is lucky enough to share her birthday with the pistachio – Happy Birthday Susan!). For some reason I don’t find many reasons to use pistachios on a daily basis, and I rarely have them in my kitchen. To honor this 9000 year old nut, I bought a pound last time I was at the store. I wasn’t sure what I was going to use them for right away, but I knew I wanted to use them with these awesome Tahoe Gold Mandarin Oranges. I thought it would be a great flavor combination since pistachios and mandarins are both prolific in the Mediterranean. 

Denver Dines

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Breakfast, Coffee, denver, Travel

 

My trip to Denver this past weekend meant that I could hit up all my favorite restaurants from when I used to live there. It might come as a surprise, but one of my favorites is a breakfast spot – Gaia Bistro. Of all the great restaurants in Denver, my heart (and stomach) goes out to Gaia. I think my husband and I lived in Denver for about a year until we found this place, but after that it became habitual. The restaurant is a small house nestled on Pearl Street. They have a large garden in the back and a wrap around deck and patio for summer dining. In the winter you have to get there early since there are only about nine tables inside and a wait list forms quickly (no reservations). The decor inside is all about food, and their lights are made using large egg whisks and colanders.  

Off to Denver

Tags

Coffee, Travel

I started my morning with a cappuccino brewed with Amante Coffee Beans from Boulder, CO. I sort of have a thing for good coffee. What would you expect though when you grow up with parents that don’t own a regular coffee pot but rather an imported espresso maker from Italy? I have known from the age of 9 how to pull a shot of espresso and how to steam milk with the proper consistency of foam. My fixation with coffee only grew when I lived in Oregon. Since then my husband and I spoil ourselves by buying beans from our favorite coffee shops when we can. My Amante coffee this morning though was a gift from my mother-in-law for my birthday. She lives in Denver (we live in Reno) and knew we would appreciate the imported beans. Amante’s beans are roasted in Italy, which is where my husband and I spent our honeymoon this past April. Their medium roast coffee is super creamy and reminds me of the espresso at the cafe’s in Rome. As much as I would love to be in Rome, my husband and I are doing the next best thing and flying to Denver this weekend! My husband is originally from Denver and we lived there together for a couple of years. So although our trip is to visit family and friends, most of our plans revolve around what restaurants we will eat at while we are there. Hopefully we will even get up to Amante, where at least for five minutes, while we sip our espresso, we can feel that we are back in Italy.