It's been snowing since yesterday morning, blanketing the earth with a beautiful layer of snow. After some decent storms in early October and late November, our winter has turned balmy. I am relieved to see this snow and hope for much more.
Winter in the high country limits our time outside so we focus on some simple indoor pleasures. I skipped the "coffee thing" for my first five decades but my sister got me hooked recently and now I enjoy lattes. Initially we made a little pot of coffee with our Mr. Coffee, added some almond milk and called it latte. But it just wasn't the same as the ones she produced on her microwave-sized espresso machine so we started searching for a simple espresso maker. After spending the last few years replacing all our aluminum cookware we weren't about to brew acidic espresso in one made of aluminum so we narrowed our search to a stainless steel version.
Thanks to the internet we found Kontessa, a darling 4 shot stovetop espresso maker from Italy. A couple of times a week, we fire up Kontessa on the top of our wood cookstove and enjoy a cup. To make the moment even more special, my sister sent us two handmade espresso cups from the Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe. With a little warmed almond milk and a quick whiz in the Vita-Mix and we have achieved near perfection - at least the homestead version.
After a new snow, I love to head out on snowshoes to see what animals are around. After the last snow, we found the tracks of a mountain lion in our wetlands and crossing the road just west of our barn. The lion passed by an area where several elk had bedded down. I can hardly wait to get out tomorrow and see who has been out and about.
From Fleur Creek Farm
