Happy July!

I have always loved the 4th of July weekend, but now that our wedding anniversary is on July 5 (we celebrate 3 years in a few days!) this entire weekend has a more special meaning to me.  My mom, sister, and her boyfriend will all be visiting this weekend, so we definitely have a full and fun agenda.

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll catch up with you sometime next week after the summer festivities die down 🙂

Here are my highlights from the month of June.

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Experiences I am Loving:

• Uncorked Cooking Class

Last week, I was invited to attend a cooking class with a friend courtesy of Uncorked Kitchen here just outside of Denver.

Upon receiving the invitation, I was extremely excited to check out this experience because 1) I truly adore cooking classes and feel like I take away little bits of knowledge each time I attend and 2) I saw that they offered an Indian cooking class, and that is a cuisine I am not very familiar with but really enjoy eating.

The thought behind Uncorked is to highlight all of the moments and memories that are made before the food even hits the table.  As a person who spends a lot of time in the kitchen because I truly enjoy it, I couldn’t agree more with the message Uncorked is trying to send out.

The menu we were planning to make consisted of:

• Cabbage & Paneer Stir Fry for the appetizer

• Daal Makhani (on the left)

• Chicken Tikka Masala (pictured above on the left)
• Rice Kheer for dessert

Our instructor, Albert, was incredibly personable and knowledgable about all things food.  He taught us basic cooking methods for the above dishes, but he also taught us how to cut an onion without crying (there is a true trick to this!), a unique way to slice a lemon, proper knife skills, how to temper spices (and what that means/what the purpose of it is), and how to make an adorable decoration from a green onion.

Overall, the class was very hands on and great for all levels.  For the more folks more experienced in the kitchen, Albert asked US questions and challenged us to get creative with certain aspects of the meal.  For the less experience in the kitchen (all of us were pretty unexperienced with cooking Indian cuisine) he really walked us through everything step by step and explained the purpose of why we were doing certain things.

If you are local to the Denver area, you can use the promo code trebleinthekitchen15 to receive 15% off any date night or adult event 🙂 Let me know if you give a class a try!! I totally plan on going back.

• Yoga on the Rocks

First of all, just visiting the Red Rocks is an experience all it’s own.  The unique red stone makes for a backdrop that cannot be replicated.  We are so lucky to have attended Yoga on the Rocks for the second year in a row.

Much like last year, we left our apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood (pretty close to downtown) around 5:30am so we would arrive around 6am when the doors opened.  Arriving this early allowed us to pick exactly what spot we wanted to practice in and reserve a few spots for friends that were arriving later.

If you are visiting Denver during the summer months, I highly recommend attempting to find tickets for Yoga on the Rocks.  It runs through August and is sold out according to the website, but sometimes you can find tickets online from people who are no longer able to attend.

• Traveling to Cape May

Earlier this month, Brian and I traveled to Cape May, NJ for the wedding of two of our friends and we absolutely had a blast.  The town is very historic and colonial, which is so up my alley.  We rented bikes so we could ride around the small town, I practiced yoga on the beach, and really spent the weekend relaxing.  It was a much needed break away from the hustle and bustle of summer semester.

• Summer Semester!

This one is a bit bittersweet to mention.  While I am loving what I am learning (this semester we are focusing on community nutrition, cultural nutrition, and food service in a variety of settings) summer semester is very intense because the coursework is crammed into only 8 weeks, so there is literally no down time.  Thankfully, we are just past the halfway mark! 🙂

• The Food Entrepreneur Summit

this is an affiliate link, but I truly had a wonderful experience with the course!

At the beginning of this month, I participated in The Food Entrepreneur Summit created and led by Nicole Culver of Blissful Eats.  This summit was completely online and included many bloggers that I had heard of and followed for quite some time.  They answered all of the questions that I would have asked if I had the chance to sit down for coffee with each of them.  I feel like I got to know each of the food entrepreneurs a little bit better, I gained inspiration, and I also gained a long to-do list of actionable items to continue to make Treble in the Kitchen (and any future business I may have) the best it can possibly be.

For more details about the specific topics and speakers, you can check out the website here!

One thing I want to make note of is the amazing community that came along with the summit.  We are all in a Facebook group together (participants and speakers) so we can actively ask questions and participate in conversations that dig a bit deeper than the video presentations.  This was hands down the best part!

If you are interested in participating in The Food Entrepreneur Summit, you can use the coupon code SUMMER for $15 off until July 22nd. 🙂  

I realize this description may be a bit vague, but I feel like I could write for hours and hours about the quality and motivating content provided by this group of business people.  Please e-mail me if you have specific questions!

Foods I am Loving:

• Iced lattes at Thump

You may think I’m being a bit dramatic when I say this, but I honestly feel like Thump has ruined me when it comes to coffee.  It’s just SO.DARN.GOOD. everything else tastes subpar.  So, I’m thankful that we live a block away from this super hip and casual cafe, but I also wish I never tasted their sweet elixir.

• Ice Cream from Little Man Ice Cream

Little Man Ice Cream is a local ice cream shop in a neighborhood called the Highlands.  The iconic GIANT milk jug is what makes this shop recognizable.  All of the ice cream is made in their shop which is in a cute house just a few blocks from the shop, and the flavors are constantly changing.  They also offer vegan options that are just as delicious as the dairy options, so they cater to many crowds!

• Lunching outside

I am the absolute worst when it comes to taking lunch breaks.  I usually end up sitting at my computer, scarfing down a salad of some sort and working the entire way through…not exactly ideal.  This month, I really tried to make an effort to just sit outside on the balcony to take at least a 10 minute break from the school work hustle.  When I do…it’s SO refreshing.

Workouts I am Loving:

• Running speed work!

Since running the Colfax half marathon back in May, I have had the itch to continue to run and really work on my pace.  Luckily, one of my friends is actually a pretty awesome runner and when I asked if he would help me up my pace he said yes!  I have been running three times a week with one run really focusing on speed with him.  So far, things are going really well and I can’t wait to see how things work out when I run my next half some time in October.

Shows/Music/Entertainment I am Loving:

• Hamilton, The Original Broadway Soundtrack

OK, so I may be a little late on the Hamilton train, but I am so not ready to jump off!  In case you didn’t know I’m a pretty big broadway junkie, but this musical really takes things to the next level.  The music is very urban and non-traditional in the “broadway” sense (although there are fantastic voices in these songs and the occasional Broadway belt will shine through), which is super cool and I love that this show is really pushing the envelope.  The thing I love most about this soundtrack are the lyrics.  Every time I listen, I hear something new and interesting.  Seriously, you gotta download this one!

• The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

This show is really fascinating to me because it is TRUE.  While I was alive when all of this occurred, I was pretty young (like 5 or 6 years old) so I really don’t remember anything accept the name OJ Simpson.  Anyways, I really enjoy learning about what happened with this famous trial and I’m totally hooked on the show.

Those are all of the wonderful things from the month of June I want to share with all of you!

Your Turn:

• Share some highlights from your month with me!