omar

Ever since I can remember, I wanted a dog. I begged my parents for any breed, any size, any anything. But my mom and dad weren't keen on a four legged companion running around their home, so they got me goldfish instead. 
About 13 years later, a little bit after my 23 birthday, I moved to New Orleans to start graduate school. It took me less than 24 hours to unpack my boxes and drive down to the Louisiana SPCA, a shelter that does some pretty amazing work in a particularly hard part of town. I spoke to the woman at the front desk and told her I was interested in adoption. A042066 was the first dog I saw.

He had mange, heart worm, was terribly malnourished and was a general mess. But he had a smile, if you could call it that, and I was told he was "quite spirited," despite the grim conditions of his early years in the 9th ward of the city. There was some speculation that he was used as a bait dog, and that just made me want him more. He was scheduled to be euthanized the very next day, so time for this dog was running out. I signed the papers, paid a small fee of about $35.00, and named A042066 Omar Pedro Fiorello Stepelman, the First. 

Omar did have an unusually long name, but I was feeling indecisive and liked all of the names equally. He was named after Omar Bradley, a WWII general that I had read about as a history major in undergraduate, and Pedro Almodovar, the Spanish film maker. I decided to give Omar a third name after Fiorello LaGuardia because I was a big fan of public parks beautification project LaGuardia started in NYC, which is where I'm from-- so that all made sense. Omar had many handles. Some called him "The General" others "The Big Fella." There was "Big Delicious" too, but I usually called him Oymie. 

It's hard to write about Omar now, and I wasn't even sure if I should write a post about his passing. But this blog, while it focuses on food and our lives in Colorado, is really about our family and our journey. And Omar was our family.  

If you've never had a dog, you might just think, "oh, they lost their pet" and that might seem sad. But if you've ever had a dog, one that you loved like a child, that was there to share in all your milestones-- breakups and marriage, births and moving, home buying and job uncertainty-- then you know how truly devastating and heartbreaking their death can be.

And that's where we are today. We are so sad that we lost this amazing animal-- Omar was the kindest and the sweetest. He was the best big brother to Otis and Theodore, both of whom don't really understand that he isn't coming back. 

I tried to explain it to Otis, but he's only 3 1/2 and can't really grasp the permanence of death...which at this point is definitely a blessing. He thinks Omar is some sort of Santa-Claus in the sky who will send him dinosaur toys, books and firetrucks. And when our neighbor asked, "Where's Omar?" Otis told her, "He died, but don't worry, he'll be back on Monday." 

And that's when I really lost it. 

But the outpouring of love and support has been incredible. It is a testament to how many people loved Omar. There are friends who have called, emailed, texted, and written letters-- and I think if I had to respond to each message personally, well, it would take a lot of time. So let me just say, thank you.

What gets me through the hardest hours is the fact that I know Omar had a great life. He loved cross-country road trips, wildflowers and hiking. He loved white poodles and sour cream. And yes, he even understood Yiddish.

There's a part of me that thinks Omar waited around to see us all happy and stable. He had been creaking around for the past few months, but during his last week, he could barely even walk. After living with us in New Orleans, Portland, Brooklyn and Denver, he held on long enough to see us buy our family home-- and now he will have a permanent resting place in our garden, with a rock that will be engraved "Here lies Omar. He was the best. And he was loved."

spring time in denver's congress park (with asparagus-dill bisque)

It's been almost three months since we bought our home in the Congress Park neighborhood of Denver. Our house is historic; it was built the year Grover Cleveland was President and 4 years before the Spanish-American War- so it's old. At first we were nervous about things going wrong and being responsible for repairs- all of which I think is perfectly normal for home buyers of historic homes. But I've got to tell you, now that we’re settling into things, this house just feels right. I love the character, the details and the charm. We've also been working hard at making the space feel homey, which is a bit of a challenge considering the size. But we purchased a few good pieces of furniture and I scooped up some terrific finds at a vintage shop on the outskirts of town. I've also been diligently  scouring the antique/used stores on Colfax too. Slowly our pictures are getting framed and we've begun to hang mirrors and artwork on the walls. In short, the house is beginning to have our imprint. And that feels great... 

One of the things that I love about our neighborhood is its walkability factor. My husband and I own one car, so when he drives to work (usually 1 or 2 days a week) I've still got plenty to do. I can walk to Congress Park (which has a great public pool in the summer), and City Park (which has awesome free Jazz concerts in the summer), and the Botanic Gardens too. If my kids are well-behaved, I can also walk to the Museum of Nature & Science and the Zoo. 

The Shoppe (cupcakes) on Colfax

There are tons of great places to eat close by-- cupcake shops, taco shops, speciality bakeries, Ethiopian food, sushi, Greek restaurants, music venues, wine bars, the Tattered Cover bookstore, an independent movie theater, bistro-style cafes, a bicycle shop that carries Dutch cruisers, a few independent coffee shops, a yarn store, and the a weekly farmers market on Sunday (etc. etc.). In other words, there's a lot going on.

I've met a lot of my neighbors and our kids all play together outside. And in addition to the families in our neighborhood, there are also lots of artists, chefs, designers, musicians and gardeners. It's really a great mix of everything...that's why we like it so much. I'm happy to say, that after a long and winding road to home ownership and stability, Congress Park feels like home...

The architectural mix includes (primarily) 1890s-early 1900s Denver Squares, turn of the century Victorians, and early craftsman (American bungalows). There are some deco buildings from the 1920s and 30s as well, and a few row houses are scattered throughout the neighborhood too. But unlike this Denver neighborhood, there aren't many modern structures in our part of town. Congress Park also has some pretty spectacular mansions as you head toward 8th Avenue and over into Country Club. And this (below) former fire station has since been converted into a family home. It's awesome!

Pinche Taco, amazing happy hour and...tacos. (Colfax)

East High School, built in 1921

Fat Sully's, Atomic Cowboy and the Denver Biscuit Company, all under one roof on Colfax. 

Glaze's Mini Baum Cakes: layers of lemon cake with limoncello glaze  and strawberry mousse. Their baum bites with green tea and white chocolate is also amazing. Congress Park, Madison off 12th Avenue.

* * *

And a spring time soup...

Asaparagus Bisque with Fresh Dill (Courtesy of Anna Thomas, Love Soup)

Ingredients

1 1/4 lbs. green asparagus

2 medium leeks

1 large fennel bulb

zest+juice of a lemon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (you could substitute with olive oil)

3 tablespoons arborio rice 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

2 1/2 cups light vegetable broth

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill, plus more to taste

white pepper (I used black)

cayenne

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Directions

Using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, thinly peel the bottom 2 or 3 inches of the asparagus stalks, then snap off the toughest bits at the bottoms (peeling the bottoms first allows you to keep much more of the stalk.) Cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces; you should have about 4 cups.

Wash the leeks and chop the white and light green parts only. Trim, wash, and chop the fennel bulb. Grate the zest of the lemon, making sure to get only the yellow and none of the white pith.

Melt the butter in a large skillet or soup pot and cook the leeks over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until they are soft and begin to take on a hint of color. Add the asparagus, fennel, lemon zest, rice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for about half an hour, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, the dill, and a pinch of each pepper and cayenne.
Puree the soup in a blender, in batches, until it is perfectly smooth. (I usually use an immersion blender for pureed soups, but asparagus is fibrous, so you might want to use that blender in order to get it really smooth.) Add broth if the soup seems too thick. Return the pureed soup to a clean pot and stir in a couple of teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, more if you like. Bring the soup back to a simmer, taste it ,and season with tiny amounts of pepper, and more salt if needed. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons of cream if you are making the asparagus a bisque (or more precisely a "cream soup" as traditionally bisque refers to smooth, cream soups, based on a broth from crustaceans).

Ladle and enjoy!