Sarah Belk King

According to my blog dates, I haven't entered a single word since JULY!

It was a busy summer, with an office move (OY! The boxes and bubble pack!) and plenty of travel--mostly within the state-- for Big Sky Journal assignments.

We had a short, cool-ish summer in Montana and I found myself eating more comfort food than cold salads. Plus, I'm blessed with a freezer filled with local, organic beef, so my diet included plenty of burgers and steaks. (Sorry, vegetarian friends: my acupuncturist encourages me to eat red meat...plus, I'm a Taurus...)

Another excuse for not blogging? FACEBOOK! Colleagues encouraged me to join up, and it is one of the biggest time-eaters imaginable, but a great way to connect with friends. It's also a good marketing tool

More to come. We've had two snowfalls already and expect more soon.

SBK

Summer has finally come to Montana! The skies are blue, the wild iris are blooming, and the weather is absolutely perfect.

My good news: I was recently elected to The Board of the Feathered Pipe Ranch Foundation ( check it out: www.featheredpipe.org ) . The Ranch is involved in many good works, and I am thrilled to be part of it all.

I just spent a week at Feathered Pipe Ranch , one of the oldest and most revered yoga retreats in America. And.....bonus! The food--organic, sustainable, local, etc.-- is excellent...! My teacher, Cora Wen, was, as always, amazing. Check out her site: www.corawen.com

Yoga lovers might want to look Feathered Pipe's teacher schedule and site: www.featheredpipe.com

It's a very healing place.

Blessings,
Sally

Friends, Family, and Fans:

It's been snowing off and on for 4 days in Southwestern Montana....how can this be? Even the old-timers say that May is "iffy" but June is usually spring-like. Um, that would mean: NO SNOW! I am wearing 4 layers and a scarf in my office as I work. This just isn't right.

After 3 1/2 weeks in India and Bhutan (where I couldn't indulge in uncooked food due to my respect for guidebook advice and my naturally germophobic nature) I'm craving crunchy, raw things like cucumbers and crudites....

But this weather is causing great confusion: along with the cucumber salad, I want hot, soothing fare. So, tonight I'm digging in...a spicy Thai menu is on the dinner menu accompanied by beer and/or a dry Riesling.

And back east it's 90 to 100 degrees. Go figure.

Much as I love snow, I'm over it. I need a sunny hike with my beloved Maximus, some natural Vitamin D, and perhaps a ride on my new--slightly ornery--quarter horse, Riley.

Blessings,
Sally

Hello, all!

Forgive me for not blogging while I was in India and Bhutan. The political situation (with India/China/Tibet) was such that I had to be very careful about what went on the internet, etc. even though I don't write about politics and foreign affairs. For Chrissakes, I'm a food/wine/travel writer!

But still, I had to be careful.

I'm back, safe and sound. Well, actually, I'm jet-lagged as all hell, but otherwise OK.

More to come.

Blessings,
Sally

It's not just the 14+ flight from Newark to New Delhi....it's the 10 hours of flying from Montana to Newark that adds to the looooooonnnnnngggggg ordeal of getting to India.

Three days after landing, I'm finally getting more than 2 1/2 hours of sleep at night and my appetite is back, which is good.

We're heading to the North tomorrow--to the land of mountains and cooler weather. (Though truly, New Delhi weather isn't as bad as I thought it would be in May...it's not very much different than July in New York. Been there, done that, and survived. )

Over and out.

I'll be in India and Bhutan May 7 through June 2, but PLEASE keep in touch with me!

There are excellent internet cafes all over the subcontinent, so e-mail me to say hello, offer travel tips, or--if you're an editor-- give me an assignment and I'll write copy for you when I get back. Given the time difference, e-mail is much more reliable than the phone, so shoot me an e-mail.

I'll be checking in daily, and blogging as much as possible, so stay in touch!

Blessings, sbk

It's snowing again! The landscape is gorgeous, but...it's April 24 for chrissakes! (And OK, I know it's a girl thing, but I'm tired of my winter clothes...bored to tears layering on sweaters and Polartec and down jackets.)

Dinner tonight will not be chilled soup and asparagus. Nope, I'm going to braise some short ribs in sake and Chinese spices and serve the warm, rich beef over rice or polenta.

The recipe is incredible; it was created by the catering chef at Second Street Bistro in Livingston, MT, and it has amazing depth of flavor. The recipe will appear soon in my bi-monthly column, "In the Kitchen" at www.winereviewonline.com so check that site often to see what's new in the world of wine and food!

Over and out.

This is my third Montana winter, and it seems like it's been the grayest, longest, snowiest that I can recall. OK, OK, I love snow, but it's Earth Day for goodness sakes and it's time to warm up a little bit. (It was 9 degrees F. this morning.)

Because of the weather and in honor of Earth Day, I had organic venison chili for dinner. This was not just any old chili; it was made by my colleague, Kate Huston, an organic farmer and fantastic cook. Kate's chili has plenty of vegetables in it, and lots of kick. It was the perfect dinner!

Over and out.

We've had 12" of snow (or more) in the last 24 hours and while the calendar says "asparagus" all I can think about is miso soup or chili or some other steaming hot bowl of nourishment. I love snow, but mentally, I'm ready to eat something fresh and light!

However, I will soon feel the heat...I'm off to India for several weeks in May to do some humanitarian work, and I will blog while I'm there. (I'll leave out the gritty parts about stomach upsets and such.)

I'm told that although New Delhi will be frightfully hot and humid that time of year (pre-Monsoon season), Northern India will be more comfortable. I'm crossing my fingers.

Over and out. Time to put on my snow boots and shop for something hot and comforting.

I have a very funny friend---a skating buddy--who is an excellent skater but can't cook AT ALL. I think she makes popcorn in the microwave oven once in a while, but that's about it.

Chris moved to Laramie, Wyoming, where the selection of fresh food stuffs this time of year can be iffy.

She e-mailed me the following entry last night and I wanted to share it with my uber-sophisticated foodie friends.

Full disclosure: this is NOT a criticisim of Hamburger Helper, which in fact, is a pretty good product (though, they might think about making an organic version for cooks like me...)

Anyway, here is Chris Compton's latest cooking experience. The swear words are hers. Blame Chris if you have a problem with swearing. Read the entire entry; you won't be sorry.


FROM CHRIS COMPTON, LARAMIE, WYOMING:


As you know, I don't cook. I bake: baking is perfect for Virgos, as it involves following precise directions...well, precisely. Cooking always seems kind of...vague.

But I'm hungry, and I know nothing edible has grown in my refrigerator since I last looked. (Plenty of INedible stuff growing in there, though!) So I decide to give this Hamburger Helper stuff a whirl. After all, it's cold, and I'm tired and hungry - "one pound. one pan. one happy family." Sounds good to me, and translates into leftovers which I can then...YAY!...simply microwave. Right?

Yeah. Easy, my ass. My kitchen looks like I've held the Demolition Derby in it.

1. Box says you can use ground turkey instead of ground beef. The ground gobble I've got, no moo in sight. But it turns out turkey doesn't really "brown", it just sort of "tans". Okay, I'm guessing that as long as it's turned some color other than pink, it's good. See what I mean about vague?

2. "In a 10-inch skillet". Ummm, not sure what exactly a skillet is, assuming it's what I'd call a pan. Good, I've got one of those. Proceed to tan my turkey in it.

3. Add all this stuff: water, milk, sauce mix, noodles. Ooooookay, either my pan is not a "skillet", or not 10 inches. Stuff does not fit. Transfer entire mess to bigger pan. Add first pan to pile of dirty dishes now growing at an alarming rate.

(side note here: avoid sneezing while handling the sauce mix. It's very light and fluffy and will coat everything in a 12 foot radius if your hand jerks while you're shaking it from the pouch. Like it will if you sneeze. Just trust me on this one.)

4. Heat to boiling. Yeah, okay, that wasn't so bad. Stirring occasionally. Got by ok with that, too.

5. Here it gets tricky: cover and simmer. Oh NOW you tell me I've gotta have a lid for this skillet thing. Some digging turns up a lid that seems to match. At least it doesn't fall in like the first one did. (more dirty dishes, goody!) Simmer. Simmer? My stove does not have a space marked "simmer" on the dial. Does yours? What the hell is simmer?

6. Start to worry - just read the part about high altitude; was supposed to increase the water by 1/4 cup. Wonder if it's too late, throw it in anyway. Then worry because it says high altitude is "3500-6500 ft"...we're even higher at almost 7200. Should I put in more water? Aw, to heck with it, I'm afraid it'll turn into soup at this point.

7. Sit down at computer while whole mess "simmers" (hopefully). Two minutes later, become aware of sounds like tap-dancing mice coming from kitchen. Investigate. Watch in awe as lid on "skillet" performs a boogie worthy of a belly dancer on speed. Giggle. Lift lid and burn hand on steam. Cease giggling, cuss instead. Realize that "simmer" still looks an awful lot like "boil" did. Stir the mess, turn down stove, replace lid, return to computer.

8. Gradually become aware that the mice are still tap-dancing. Realize you have NO IDEA how long ago you slapped the lid onto the skillet. Has it been 14 minutes? Return to kitchen, giggle at boogying lid again. (Can't help it, it's funny!) Fish out a noodle to check doneness. Burn mouth. Decide it's done and remove from stove. (and put it where? Just wondering. More vagueness.)

I haven't had dinner yet. I'm too exhausted to eat. I'm still amazed that they make it look so simple on the commercials. And the woman is SMILING as she serves her family. And her kitchen does NOT look like a war zone.

P.S. If nobody hears from me tomorrow, assume dinner was not a success, and I've poisoned myself.

Dear Friends, Family and Fans,

I seem to have some sort of blog virus so cannot allow blog comments at this time...if you need to reach me, you (my friends and family) know how to do so! Sorry for the inconvenince...there's a wicked 'bot out there sending me all kinds of unwanted "trackbacks." --Sally King

Mustard greens. Spinach. Kale. Cress. Nasturtium. Calendula, Bachelor's Buttons and miniature poppies.

That's what I harvested this morning from my greenhouse...here in Montana, during the coldest, darkest, snowiest time of year. How cool is that? In the past 3 days we've had over 50 inches of snow, and the promise of birth and rebirth is alive and well in the cozy confines of a greenhouse.

I adore the silence and beauty of winter, and am in no rush to see it go...but I do like having fresh greens and colorful flowers for my home and kitchen!

Peace, love, and good eating to you all,
SAlly King

This is my third Montana winter and you'd think I'd be used to the darkness by now. But, no. It is dark at 8:30 AM then dark again at 5 PM. I mean DARK. Like, um, night-time dark.

So, food-wise, I'm craving rich, buttery, fattening fare...Why? It must be some kind of primative response because it's not like I spend my days plowing or herding cattle. I sit on my gluteus maximus at my desk and don't deserve biscuits and gravy!

It's blizzarding right now, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Give me beef, butter, oil, nuts, and any kind of fat. I might even eat suet at this point.

Over and out. SBK

Y'all: I made a killer margarita recently using Silver Patron and Triple Sec...shaken and poured into a glass rimmed with slightly crunchy Himalayan sea salt. It was the Armani of margaritas...try it!

Along with my new website design, I really am going to start blogging regularly...so please come back for delicious anecdotes and tasty wine suggestions.