Monday, September 29, 2014
The Colorado FFF Blog: Hello there!
The Colorado FFF Blog: Hello there!: well everyone else has a blog, so i guess i had better get one too!. my name is kellie keenan-heatherly and im a fly fishing guide in color...
The Colorado FFF Blog: Rawah, Ribs and a Road Trip....
The Colorado FFF Blog: Rawah, Ribs and a Road Trip....: So the Hubbs and I took a little road trip yesterday. we headed up to Northern Colorado, practically to Wyoming. We had already talked abo...
The Colorado FFF Blog: Amazing Seafood in Landlocked Colorado
The Colorado FFF Blog: Amazing Seafood in Landlocked Colorado: Since I live off of South Federal, I have a plethora of Asian markets offering up all types of seafood. The problem is that most of this se...
Amazing Seafood in Landlocked Colorado
Since I live off of South Federal, I have a plethora of Asian markets offering up all types of seafood. The problem is that most of this seafood is frozen. Yes, it's cheap and plentiful, but its usually frozen. Now there are places like Pacific Ocean Market and Tri-Ocean, where a person can get live Tilapia, Dungeness crab and oysters. They also offer interesting things like Conch, Periwinkles and occasionally Blue crab. If Blue crab is your thing.....being from the West Coast, I admit I DO NOT get Blue crab. Seems like a HUGE amount of shell with not much crab meat reward. But anyway.....
Now these places on Federal will certainly sell my white American butt some funky, long-past-prime seafood without hesitation. New Saigon Market on Federal and Mississippi USED to be my Asian market of choice. Until I bought a Red Snapper that I didn't quite sniff and examine as much as I should have. Well, I brought the offensive fish back to them, telling the guy at the seafood counter that it was way overdue, and he proceeded to bark at me "you buy, you go!!!" So I dropped the nasty thing in the middle of their floor and left, never to return. Now I go to Little Saigon Market in the Far East Center when I need an Asian market. I am still cautious of the meat/seafood there though. BUT....
When I want top quality seafood in a landlocked state, I head to Lakewood to Tom's Seafood. They are located on Xenon, near Alameda and Union. Actually I should say "He is located..." since its basically just Tom Butler there. Tom knows everything there is to know about seafood and is happy to discuss it with you. His seafood is impeccable because he flies it in every other day. I have had the fresh Grouper, Albacore Tuna and Ahi, along with his shrimp, scallops and mussels. The scallops are buttery, sweet and amazing. And the mussels are also wonderful while being only about a buck more per pound than the ones at Kings Sooper. Here is a pic of one of the shrimp I picked up the other day. They were HUGE!!
These shrimp were flavorful and delicious and made amazing tacos. With pineapple corn salsa and fresh tortillas, mmmm...... They also have aged Ribeye steaks, Lox/smoked salmon and really good bacon. If you are looking for primo seafood in Denver, hit Tom's.
I have a new favorite beer. I love micro-brews, imports and good beer in general. But my new fave is Boulder Shake Chocolate Porter. I love porter and I love chocolate, so this is a natural. It actually smells more like chocolate than tastes like it. That aroma that hits you just as you take a swallow is perfect. So far I have only found it in bomber bottles. But I tell ya, if they made it in 6-packs, I would probably be buying it in cases!
.jpg)
We have a great little veggie/fruit stand right over here on Federal too, south of 285. Forte Farms sells peaches, tomatoes, potatoes, plums and other produce, as well as local honey and salsas. I spent around $20 the other day and came out with all this. Some of the peaches were as big as softballs! And sweet as sugar:
Now these places on Federal will certainly sell my white American butt some funky, long-past-prime seafood without hesitation. New Saigon Market on Federal and Mississippi USED to be my Asian market of choice. Until I bought a Red Snapper that I didn't quite sniff and examine as much as I should have. Well, I brought the offensive fish back to them, telling the guy at the seafood counter that it was way overdue, and he proceeded to bark at me "you buy, you go!!!" So I dropped the nasty thing in the middle of their floor and left, never to return. Now I go to Little Saigon Market in the Far East Center when I need an Asian market. I am still cautious of the meat/seafood there though. BUT....
When I want top quality seafood in a landlocked state, I head to Lakewood to Tom's Seafood. They are located on Xenon, near Alameda and Union. Actually I should say "He is located..." since its basically just Tom Butler there. Tom knows everything there is to know about seafood and is happy to discuss it with you. His seafood is impeccable because he flies it in every other day. I have had the fresh Grouper, Albacore Tuna and Ahi, along with his shrimp, scallops and mussels. The scallops are buttery, sweet and amazing. And the mussels are also wonderful while being only about a buck more per pound than the ones at Kings Sooper. Here is a pic of one of the shrimp I picked up the other day. They were HUGE!!
These shrimp were flavorful and delicious and made amazing tacos. With pineapple corn salsa and fresh tortillas, mmmm...... They also have aged Ribeye steaks, Lox/smoked salmon and really good bacon. If you are looking for primo seafood in Denver, hit Tom's.
I have a new favorite beer. I love micro-brews, imports and good beer in general. But my new fave is Boulder Shake Chocolate Porter. I love porter and I love chocolate, so this is a natural. It actually smells more like chocolate than tastes like it. That aroma that hits you just as you take a swallow is perfect. So far I have only found it in bomber bottles. But I tell ya, if they made it in 6-packs, I would probably be buying it in cases!
We have a great little veggie/fruit stand right over here on Federal too, south of 285. Forte Farms sells peaches, tomatoes, potatoes, plums and other produce, as well as local honey and salsas. I spent around $20 the other day and came out with all this. Some of the peaches were as big as softballs! And sweet as sugar:
So keep eating well, looking fly and keep those lines tight! And if there are any East Coasters reading this, can you please explain the appeal of Blue Crab to me? Seriously, I want to know!
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Rawah, Ribs and a Road Trip....
So the Hubbs and I took a little road trip yesterday. we headed up to Northern Colorado, practically to Wyoming. We had already talked about fishing or taking a drive, and I needed to go up to Rawah Ranch, so we made a day of it. The ranch is an Orvis-endorsed guest ranch that I just started guiding. The property is GORGEOUS and there's a ton of water around there to fish. There are horses, dogs everywhere and even mini-donkeys running around! Sometimes the guests wake up and there are donkeys on the porch to greet them! (They are friendly) The fall colors are really amazing up there right now. Here is a pic of one of my clients while I was up there. We called them "The Texans". There were really great! I will be doing some trips with this man and his wife next season. The Texans were a hoot to fish with!
Fishing was a little tough that first weekend I was up at Rawah, since the water was extremely low and clear. The fishing wasn't just a "gimme", we had to work for them. But doesn't that make it all the more rewarding? All in all, lots of fish were caught, and all my clients for that week and a half had a great time. I mentioned the variety of fishing around there: you can fish for ones like the above pic on the Big Laramie Ranch water, take horses upstream and fish for smaller fish on light rods with a dry/dropper (I LOVE that stuff), there's 6 miles of water downstream that we lease which is available, along with the Hohnholz Lakes, and we even hike up to Lake Agnes to fish/guide for cutthroats! Plus the Poudre Canyon is near. So the variety of water is really special.
The drive was great, relaxing, and as I said the fall colors were amazing. There is a ton of National Forest camping around there, so we pulled into a spot and let the dog run around. There was a deer standing RIGHT THERE where we pulled up, and Murphy LEAPT out of the car to chase him. Fortunately he came back when I called him! That's a good boy!!! (Wasn't sure if that would actually happen!) Here's some pics of the area. (When I get better at this I will post some fall color pics):
On the way home, the hubbs and I stopped at a bbq joint called Moe's. A friend of mine's brother works there, we didn't feel like cooking after that long drive, and I was beginning to get some of my migraine/fibromyalgia symptoms, so ok, let's get some bbq. Here is my review:
I got ribs and the hubbs got a pulled pork sammich. And there were some sides: baked beans, cole slaw, banana pudding, potato salad. The ribs were great! Tender, flavorful and slightly smokey. Unfortunately the sauce was really spicy and overpowered the ribs. I like a little kick, "medium", but not really into "hot" . To me it can be overpowering to the point where all I taste/feel is the spiciness. So for me, they were actually better without the sauce. Hubbs said his pulled pork sammich was just ok, nothing special. And he was quite displeased with the pickle on there. He hates pickles and said when he usually gets bbq (the pulled pork sammich is his standard order) he isn't EVER given pickles. So there were the pickles.....aaaarrrggghghghhhh the pickles! I got to hear about the pickles a couple times. And again just now when I started writing this......
The banana pudding was pretty good, but nothing special as well. It had one sad little Nilla Wafer sitting on top, that I suspect may have been there a while. When I went to take it off and pop it in my mouth? Well, half of the cookie was still stuck to the surface of the pudding. Ok. The baked beans were pretty good per the Hubbs, as was the potato salad. But my cole slaw? I think they may have forgot a couple of ingredients. This was basically shredded green cabbage and vinegar. No purple cabbage, no carrots, no mayo, no sugar....just really vinagery, sour cabbage. Now I know how to make cole slaw, and that ain't it! So there you have it. Great ribs, questionable on everything else. If I was in the neighborhood and wanted some ribs, I would definitely pick up a slab, but would probably not make a special trip to get them.
So all in all it was a pretty nice day. Can't really say the same about the next day because of the fibro, but what can you do? We live once, and you have to get out there! Colorado is just too beautiful and amazing not to! Still trying to look good, eat well and keep my lines tight! Kell
Fishing was a little tough that first weekend I was up at Rawah, since the water was extremely low and clear. The fishing wasn't just a "gimme", we had to work for them. But doesn't that make it all the more rewarding? All in all, lots of fish were caught, and all my clients for that week and a half had a great time. I mentioned the variety of fishing around there: you can fish for ones like the above pic on the Big Laramie Ranch water, take horses upstream and fish for smaller fish on light rods with a dry/dropper (I LOVE that stuff), there's 6 miles of water downstream that we lease which is available, along with the Hohnholz Lakes, and we even hike up to Lake Agnes to fish/guide for cutthroats! Plus the Poudre Canyon is near. So the variety of water is really special.
The drive was great, relaxing, and as I said the fall colors were amazing. There is a ton of National Forest camping around there, so we pulled into a spot and let the dog run around. There was a deer standing RIGHT THERE where we pulled up, and Murphy LEAPT out of the car to chase him. Fortunately he came back when I called him! That's a good boy!!! (Wasn't sure if that would actually happen!) Here's some pics of the area. (When I get better at this I will post some fall color pics):
On the way home, the hubbs and I stopped at a bbq joint called Moe's. A friend of mine's brother works there, we didn't feel like cooking after that long drive, and I was beginning to get some of my migraine/fibromyalgia symptoms, so ok, let's get some bbq. Here is my review:
I got ribs and the hubbs got a pulled pork sammich. And there were some sides: baked beans, cole slaw, banana pudding, potato salad. The ribs were great! Tender, flavorful and slightly smokey. Unfortunately the sauce was really spicy and overpowered the ribs. I like a little kick, "medium", but not really into "hot" . To me it can be overpowering to the point where all I taste/feel is the spiciness. So for me, they were actually better without the sauce. Hubbs said his pulled pork sammich was just ok, nothing special. And he was quite displeased with the pickle on there. He hates pickles and said when he usually gets bbq (the pulled pork sammich is his standard order) he isn't EVER given pickles. So there were the pickles.....aaaarrrggghghghhhh the pickles! I got to hear about the pickles a couple times. And again just now when I started writing this......
The banana pudding was pretty good, but nothing special as well. It had one sad little Nilla Wafer sitting on top, that I suspect may have been there a while. When I went to take it off and pop it in my mouth? Well, half of the cookie was still stuck to the surface of the pudding. Ok. The baked beans were pretty good per the Hubbs, as was the potato salad. But my cole slaw? I think they may have forgot a couple of ingredients. This was basically shredded green cabbage and vinegar. No purple cabbage, no carrots, no mayo, no sugar....just really vinagery, sour cabbage. Now I know how to make cole slaw, and that ain't it! So there you have it. Great ribs, questionable on everything else. If I was in the neighborhood and wanted some ribs, I would definitely pick up a slab, but would probably not make a special trip to get them.
So all in all it was a pretty nice day. Can't really say the same about the next day because of the fibro, but what can you do? We live once, and you have to get out there! Colorado is just too beautiful and amazing not to! Still trying to look good, eat well and keep my lines tight! Kell
Friday, September 19, 2014
Hello there!
well everyone else has a blog, so i guess i had better get one too!. my name is kellie keenan-heatherly and im a fly fishing guide in colorado. i grew up in northern california, where my love of fishing and the outdoors began. my family still lives there, and i get out there as much as possible. but colorado is now my home and has been for about 12 years. i live here with my wonderful husband, my two cats and my weimaraner murphy. i have a 23 year old son who lives in california, although he lived out here in denver with us for a while. i absolutely love it here, and am blessed to be able to make a living here in these lovely surroundings.
when i moved to denver, i didnt know if i would be able to find the type of food i was used to in northern california. you know, taco trucks, hole-in-the-wall noodle houses and indian buffets. boy was i wrong! so some of this blog will about my culinary journey through a city which actually has quite a bounty to sample! i live off of south federal in south denver/englewood, so those of you from big D (not dallas) will understand what i mean. south federal is about equal parts latino and asian as far as the restaurants and markets in the area. and i plan to hit them all! and then we have aurora, out past east denver, where one can find korean, middle eastern and ethiopian joints as well. so i have my work cut out for me. i also love to cook and have been told im pretty good at it, so there may be recipes coming. well, sort-of recipes. i dont really use recipes so when someone asks me for my recipe for, say, marinara, i have a hard time writing down measurements. i just start throwing stuff in there and see how it tastes a lot of the time. but i will give it my best. anything i tell you about ive made? feel free to ask for the "recipe" and i will do what i can.
as far as fly fishing, thats my life. thats my love. i do it for a living. i do it when im not working. i do it as often as possible, and when im not doing it, im thinking about it. or im tying flies. or im looking at peoples fishing pics on facebook, or im watching youtube vids of fly fishing. those of you reading this who also have this obsession will know what i mean. so a good portion of this blog will of course be about fly fishing. as i write this intro to my new blog, i am thinking about what im going to put on my husbands rig for hitting the big thompson tomorrow, and if i need to go and tie a few more black rs2s just in case there are still tricos around. (tricos are small, dark mayflies for those who dont fish) so look forward to fishing reports/stories/pics.
fashion? in denver? interesting. now im not some sort of fashionista who can drop $1200 for a purse just like that. hey, if im even going to drop $250 for a purse, it better be a dang good one. but i do like to look good and i am good at finding deals. i love shoes, i love purses, i love coats. fall/winter is a-coming, which to someone into fashion means more accessories: boots, hats, scarves, coats.... so a part of this will be about my search for deals, how to do the latest looks at lower prices, and my own general fabulousness. the first part of this paragraph? fashion in denver? i have to admit, it makes me sad to go out to dinner and see people in plastic shoes and sweats. no one dresses up any more! i get being comfortable.....i get it. but....
i am a female fly fishing guide in a male-dominated industry. my dad wanted a son and he had two daughters. so im a bit of a tomboy: i love football and baseball, obviously i love fly fishing and the outdoors, i knew how to pull crab nets into a boat from the time i was a little girl. but im also very girly. i love pink. i wear high heels and cute dresses as often as possible. and i get ribbed for it. while everyone else in the room is wearing t shirts/fishing shirts and jeans, i try to dress up. and then im like the elephant in the room. back in the day people got dressed up when they went out to dinner, a movie, whatever. not anymore. well dammit, im not going to give up my heels for anyone!! so theres that....ok i fear i may have said too much.
well there it is. my intro to my blog. hopefully people will read it and find it interesting enough to continue! tomorrow (9/20/14) i plan to do something. im the vice president of a club called colorado women flyfishers. they are having their last club trip for the season in the estes park area. so we might drive on up there and fish. i also need to go up to rawah ranch and take care of some business, which is also up in that area. this ranch is amazing, and i will tell you all about it in another post. anyway, if we go out i will check in tomorrow with the report, and if we get anything interesting to munch on the way home, i will throw that in there too. remember, life is too short to eat crappy food. and life is way too short not to fish! looking good, eating well and keeping those lines tight!
when i moved to denver, i didnt know if i would be able to find the type of food i was used to in northern california. you know, taco trucks, hole-in-the-wall noodle houses and indian buffets. boy was i wrong! so some of this blog will about my culinary journey through a city which actually has quite a bounty to sample! i live off of south federal in south denver/englewood, so those of you from big D (not dallas) will understand what i mean. south federal is about equal parts latino and asian as far as the restaurants and markets in the area. and i plan to hit them all! and then we have aurora, out past east denver, where one can find korean, middle eastern and ethiopian joints as well. so i have my work cut out for me. i also love to cook and have been told im pretty good at it, so there may be recipes coming. well, sort-of recipes. i dont really use recipes so when someone asks me for my recipe for, say, marinara, i have a hard time writing down measurements. i just start throwing stuff in there and see how it tastes a lot of the time. but i will give it my best. anything i tell you about ive made? feel free to ask for the "recipe" and i will do what i can.
as far as fly fishing, thats my life. thats my love. i do it for a living. i do it when im not working. i do it as often as possible, and when im not doing it, im thinking about it. or im tying flies. or im looking at peoples fishing pics on facebook, or im watching youtube vids of fly fishing. those of you reading this who also have this obsession will know what i mean. so a good portion of this blog will of course be about fly fishing. as i write this intro to my new blog, i am thinking about what im going to put on my husbands rig for hitting the big thompson tomorrow, and if i need to go and tie a few more black rs2s just in case there are still tricos around. (tricos are small, dark mayflies for those who dont fish) so look forward to fishing reports/stories/pics.
fashion? in denver? interesting. now im not some sort of fashionista who can drop $1200 for a purse just like that. hey, if im even going to drop $250 for a purse, it better be a dang good one. but i do like to look good and i am good at finding deals. i love shoes, i love purses, i love coats. fall/winter is a-coming, which to someone into fashion means more accessories: boots, hats, scarves, coats.... so a part of this will be about my search for deals, how to do the latest looks at lower prices, and my own general fabulousness. the first part of this paragraph? fashion in denver? i have to admit, it makes me sad to go out to dinner and see people in plastic shoes and sweats. no one dresses up any more! i get being comfortable.....i get it. but....
i am a female fly fishing guide in a male-dominated industry. my dad wanted a son and he had two daughters. so im a bit of a tomboy: i love football and baseball, obviously i love fly fishing and the outdoors, i knew how to pull crab nets into a boat from the time i was a little girl. but im also very girly. i love pink. i wear high heels and cute dresses as often as possible. and i get ribbed for it. while everyone else in the room is wearing t shirts/fishing shirts and jeans, i try to dress up. and then im like the elephant in the room. back in the day people got dressed up when they went out to dinner, a movie, whatever. not anymore. well dammit, im not going to give up my heels for anyone!! so theres that....ok i fear i may have said too much.
well there it is. my intro to my blog. hopefully people will read it and find it interesting enough to continue! tomorrow (9/20/14) i plan to do something. im the vice president of a club called colorado women flyfishers. they are having their last club trip for the season in the estes park area. so we might drive on up there and fish. i also need to go up to rawah ranch and take care of some business, which is also up in that area. this ranch is amazing, and i will tell you all about it in another post. anyway, if we go out i will check in tomorrow with the report, and if we get anything interesting to munch on the way home, i will throw that in there too. remember, life is too short to eat crappy food. and life is way too short not to fish! looking good, eating well and keeping those lines tight!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)