Since moving to Montrose, Colorado, a variety of factors have contributed to a massive increase in gourmet home-cooked foods and meals. One of these factors is that Adrienne and I work very well in the kitchen together. She doesn’t mind chopping an prepping ingredients and I enjoy putting it all together in an interesting and delicious way. Another factor is that we share a similar taste for what we enjoy eating as well as a similar level of flexibility to new ideas and it makes decision making very easy.

For a long time I have enjoyed high quality artisan breads and while in college, my friend Peter and I started buying bread for our dorm from a woman in the community that was baking hundreds of loaves of bread each week in a hand-built wood-fired earth oven. When she moved, Peter and I went to her new property and helped her build a new earth oven to bake her bread in. Then, fast forward a few years and starting a few summers ago when Peter got married, I was asked to go with him to help pickup the bread for his wedding. I was instructed that we had to get to the “bread lady” a head of time to ensure we got any bread at all—and I’m never on time. As it turns out, this woman started baking bread in an earth oven and selling it from a stand on the side of the road. Her business has expanded only via word of mouth and her bread has become so popular that in only 30 min from opening, she sells out of all of her bread, muffins, scones and whatever else she has baked for the day. This inspired me and made me want to finally start baking my own bread. So, that year for Christmas I asked for a good book on baking bread. In turn, I was given a book that touted, “artisan bread in five minutes per day.” The book sat in my collection, collecting dust for a few years until my recent move to Montrose…I finally have 5 min a day to bake bread.

Not only do I have 5 min a day to bake fresh artisan breads but many other culinary and confectionery delights as well. The result is many delicious meals—here are a few of them to paint a more accurate picture.

It all started with a craving for salted caramel chocolate covered macadamia nut clusters that developed while I was up in Alaska. We made them the day we moved from Evergreen to Montrose. In the weeks, and now, months that followed we have created many, many more treats like bread loaves, rolls, bread bowls for soup, pizza, home-made meatballs, yogurt, stromboli roll-up, fresh and local corn chowder, cornbread, freshside (uncured bacon fried with salt, pepper, honey, and liquid smoke) a fruit tart, oatmeal chocolate ginger chocolate chip cranberry cookies, chocolate chip raisin macadamia nut cookies, candied Colorado peaches and Belgian waffles with home-made whipped cream, and milkshakes and smoothies of all kinds. Here are some photos!

A delicious pizza we made (1 of 2) this was one of the best pizzas either of us had ever eaten.

Corn chowder made from 10 ears of Olathe sweet corn.

Bread bowl with corn chowder.

Fresh bread rolls.

Candied Colorado peaches atop fresh waffles.

Homemade mac n’ cheese with broccoli.

Fresh corn bread with a cheesy sunny side up egg for breakfast.

With a side of freshside bacon. mmmm

Homemade turkey meatballs smothered in cheese and fire roasted tomatoes on a fresh homemade roll.

Homemade yogurt atop pancakes with diced apples, granola, and maple syrup.