This is quick (about 15 minutes) and delicious and light all on its own, but you can add your desired protein (already cooked) to it if you want. It’s great with lightly sautéed chicken breast.   Ingredients   8 ounces...

Noodles and Cottage Cheese   This simple dish from my childhood is far more delicious than its humble ingredients imply. Use any short pasta. Bow ties are traditional, but go ahead and explore the wonderful world of pasta...

An absolutely wonderful—and easy—summer salad. This has an extremely light dressing with very little oil, so should slide down easily with a light main course.    Smashed Cucumber and Melon Salad   Ingredients    4...

You may know Barbara Kingsolver as a novelist of some note. She’s also a dedicated environmentalist and gardener, with a terrific book that showcases her views: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This lovely recipe demonstrates her understanding of how...

This lovely, simple dish translates a summer favorite salad into a main dish. Fresh basil is the key here.   Caprese Chicken Bites   INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a combination, cut into...

Another perfect summer dish, bursting with Mediterranean flavors. As always, season to taste (I would add LOTS more garlic). You can substitute Kalamata or other flavorful black olives, but that will change the briny taste. Serve with rice or...

Canyon Tavern celebrates Father’s Day John Scarffe Coal Creek Canyon The Canyon Tavern at 32138 Highway 72, Golden, CO 80403, celebrated Father’s Day during the weekend of June 14 and 15, 2025. On Saturday, June 14, at 5 p.m., Scrapyard Izzy...

As we move into summer, we’ll want more cool dishes. Here’s a good one.   Ingredients: 8 oz rice noodles or soba noodles 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 cucumber, julienned 1 carrot, julienned 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 cup fresh...

  This light and easy pasta dish screams summer. Lots of fresh ingredients, but incredibly easy to put together.   Freakin’ Good Summer Pasta   Ingredients 1- 16 ounce) package of your favorite pasta, long or short 2...

This is a ridiculously easy dish. It comes together quickly, and can easily be halved (and baked in an 8x8 or 9x9 dish). If you don’t want meat, you can eliminate the sausage and still have a delicious meal. You might want to add a chopped onion...

From Mountain Burger to sushi DAVE GIBSON NEDERLAND – We’ve come a long way from the B&F’s Mountain Burger served before the pandemic to sushi at The Market at Nederland (the grocery store’s new name) beginning on May 22. While the beloved...

I saw this on the website The Kitchn the other day, and had to try it immediately. They call it “lemon curd,” but it’s nothing like the stuff you get in a jar. It’s lighter and dessert-ier. Maybe “lemon fluff”? If you’re a lemon lover, you will...

Definitely Asian in flavor, this dish is easy to adjust for varying tastes. You can save some chopping by substituting powdered ginger or garlic. Adjust the spice level to your taste.   Chicken in Coconut Peanut...

John Clower is sharing his ginger cookie recipe with Mountain-Ear readers. You may have tasted these when he was selling them at the Train Cars a few years ago. They are big and soft and chewy and absolutely delicious.   GILPIN...

Orzo is the tiny pasta that looks like rice, but cooks more quickly. This dish is easy to make and a terrific side dish for lamb or chicken. Can serve as a main course when it’s too warm out to cook.   Greek Orzo...

A surprisingly light meal. No fresh fruit for juices? Use frozen orange juice or limeade concentrate. Or find Mojo marinade (Goya® Mojo Criollo Marinade is my go-to) and use it instead of juice and some spice, although you will probably want to...

Here’s another quick and easy meal for one of those days when you just don’t want to do much. It’s also easy to replace the ground beef with another meat (turkey?) or meat substitute. You will also probably want to increase the amount of spice you...

    This is a variation of the original Betty Crocker recipe, which, in typical ’50s fashion, called only for pepper and mustard powder. I would never make macaroni and cheese without garlic powder—and this is really just very simple...

Brussels sprouts are having their moment right now—they turn up in all kinds of recipes. Some people love them, some tolerate them, some hate them. I, alas, am one of the latter. But this recipe just might get me past the “no, thanks” stage. I...

Ricotta lemon pasta A perfect dish for transitioning from winter to spring—light, yet filling. Add a light protein if you wish (my favorite is always smoked fish). Ingredients: 12 oz pasta of your choice (such as spaghetti, fettuccine, or...