Denver Life with Carl and Mark: 2026

Thursday, May 14, 2026

New recipe, April 22, 2026

Coronation Cauliflower and Chickpeas from NYT Cooking. The curry and other ingredients are a great combination with the roasted cauliflower. We give this a 4.

New recipe, April 20, 2026

Pili Pili Shrimp with Braised Cannellini Beans from NYT Cooking. This has a nice mix of peppers, cumin and tomato paste that play together very well. We give this a 4.

Arayes, from Food and Wine, and Roasted Asparagus with Buttered Almonds Capers and Dill, from NYT Cooking. The arayes are kind of a turnover filled with lamb, vegetables and some spices. Offer are tasty but feel rather oily. The flavors of the asparagus blend together nicely. We give the arayes a 3, and the asparagus a 4.

New recipe, April 18, 2026

Buttered Cabbage and Eggs from NYT Cooking. This is quite simple, but the flavors, especially the butter with the caramelized cabbage, are quite nice. This gets a 4.

New recipe, April 17, 2026

I missed the photo. The recipe is Za’atar Roasted Tokyo with Chickpeas, Tomatoes, and Lemony Tahini from NYT Cooking. The za’atar and tahini give this nice flavors, we give it a 4.

New recipe, April 16, 2026

Pork Bulgogi with Spring Vegetables from NYT Cooking. The flavors definitely Korean, and are just wonderful and robust. We give this a 5.

New recipe, March 15, 2026

Chimayo Cocktail from Food and Wine. This has tequila, apple cider and crème de cassis. We found it pleasant, nothing that really stood out. We give this a 3.

New recipe, April 14, 2026

Sheet Pan Shrimp Tiukka from NYT Cooking. This is easy to put together and has wonderful Indian flavors. We give this a 5!

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

New recipe, April 10, 2026

The new recipe is the Du Barry cocktail from Epicurious. I neglected to take a photo. It is gin based with dry vermouth, Angostura and Pernod. We enjoyed it, and give it a 3.

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

New recipe, April 13, 2026

Tzatziki Chickpea Salad from NYT Cooking. This is more substantial than we might have guessed. It made a great meal, and the flavors are just delicious. It gets a 5.

New recipe, April 5, 2026

To celebrate Easter and the 94th birthday for Mark’s Mom Ann, we made Fresa con Crema (Strawberries and Cream) from NYT Cooking. Kind of like strawberry shortcake without the cake, and the crema is like melted ice cream. Decadent and fun. It gets a 5.

New recipe, April 12, 2026

The Robert Burns from NYT Cooking. Besides the scotch and sweet vermouth, this has both Benedictine and Pernod. It has a nice and complex mix of flavors. We give this a 4.

New recipe, April 10, 2026

The new recipe is the Du Barry cocktail from Epicurious. I neglected to take a photo. It is gin based with dry vermouth, Angostura and Pernod. We enjoyed it, and give it a 3.

New recipe, April 5, 2026

> > To celebrate Easter and the 94th birthday for Mark’s Mom Ann, we made Fresa con Crema (Strawberries and Cream) from NYT Cooking. Kind of like strawberry shortcake without the cake, and the crema is like melted ice cream. Decadent and fun. It gets a 5. >

New recipe, April 12, 2026

The Robert Burns from NYT Cooking. This cocktail takes the Benedictine and sweet vermouth from the Bobby Burns, and adds some Pernod. The combination makes a sophisticated cocktail. We give it a 4.

Monday, April 13, 2026

New recipe, April 11, 2026

The Bobby Burns from Epicurious. This friend has scotch, sweet vermouth and a little Benedictine and Bitter Truth Old Time Aromatic Bitters. The Benedictine in particular added a very nice but subtle flavor, and gets this drink a 4.

New recipe, April 9, 2026

The Rob Roy from Epicurious. The scotch we had had an unexpected smoky flavor that did not work very well. As made, we give it a 2. With a non-peated, non-smoky scotch, it should be quite a bit better.

New recipe, April 8, 2026

Aloo Anday (Potatoes and Scrambled Eggs) from NYT Cooking. This has layers of wonderful flavors, as is so typical of many Indian dishes. It has a wonderful complexity and delicious flavor. We give it a 5.

New recipe, April 7, 2026

The Salty Dog from Food and Wine. Vodka and grapefruit juice, with a salted rim. Simple but pleasant. It gets a 3.

New recipe, April 6, 2026

With a few busy days, today’s new recipe is a cocktail, the Income Tax from Food and Wine (looks sweet, but there are orange bitters to remind one how much fun income tax day is). It is a flavorful, well designed cocktail. It gets a 4.

Sunday, April 12, 2026

New recipe, April 4, 2026

The Alpine Bloom, from Chat GPT. This uses Spring 44 Gin with lemon juice, honey syrup and elderflower liqueur, and it is at least as good as it sounds, and nicely balanced for sweetness and acidity. We give this a 5.

New recipe, April 3, 2026

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachio Pesto from NYT Cooking. Isn’t this pretty? The sweetness of the onions and the unctuousness of the roasted cauliflower combine beautifully qu’est he pesto. This is a 5!!

New recipe, April 2, 2026

Pesto Pasta with White Beans and Halloumi from NYT Cooking. The pesto is fun, made from arugula and parsley. It works really well with the pasta and beans. The shredded halloumi is also a really nice way to use that cheese. We enjoyed this a lot, it gets a 5.

New recipe, April 1, 2026

Charros Corridos (Quick Spicy Bean Soup) from NYT Cooking. We expected a thicker soup. The flavors are nice. Overall, we found this pleasant, would consider making it again. It gets a 3.

New recipe, March 31, 2026

Sheet Pan Coconut Curry with Squash and Tofu from NYT Cooking. This is a sheet pan recipe, started with roasting the squash partway and then adding the remaining ingredients to finish it. The spicy chile paste in coconut milk offsets the sweetness of the squash very nicely. We give this a 5.

New recipe, March 30, 2026

Goat Cheese and Dill Dutch Baby from NYT Cooking. This has a wonderfully texture and delightful flavors. We used arugula because we find watercress difficult to get hold of. We love this, it gets a 5.

New recipe, March 29, 2026

Gochujang Tofu Squash and Brussels Sprouts Bowl from NYT Cooking. This is a sheet pan recipe, so pretty easy to make, and has exciting Korean flavors from the Gochujang paste. It is flavorful and fun. We give this a 4.

New recipe, March 28, 2026

Spicy Bloody Mary. No, we really haven’t done this before. The kit to make it was part of a fundraiser to support Grand Concerts, which delivers wonderful classical music by small ensembles. It is delicious, and we give it a 4.

New recipe, March 27, 2026

Sausage and Beans with Radicchio from Food and Wine. This is really good—the sausage gives a nice flavor to the beans, along with onion, garlic, fennel, red pepper, and wine, and the wilted and browned radicchio adds nice flavor and texture. We give this a 5!

New recipe, March 26, 2026

White Bean Shakshuka from NYT Cooking. The flavors of the shakshuka are very nice. We found that the directions led to the eggs being overcooked—would have preferred a runny yolk. We give this a 3.

New recipe, March 25, 2026

Asparagus and Tofu with Black Bean Sauce from NYT Cooking. (I bought a lot of asparagus this week!). This is a pleasant dish with just a hint of heat. We served it over quinoa rather than rice. We enjoyed it, would consider making it again. We give it a 3.

New recipe, March 24, 2026

Spanish Asparagus Revuelto from NYT Cooking. This is a pleasant way to connect asparagus and scrambled eggs, with chorizo onions and garlic to flavor it. We enjoyed it but did not feel it stood out. We give it a 3.

New recipe, March 23, 2026

Miso Parmesan Asparagus from NYT Cooking. The combination of miso, butter and parmesan really makes this sing—we liked it a lot. It gets a 5.

Sunday, March 22, 2026

New recipe, March 22, 2026

Chicken Schnitzel with Cucumber Salad from NYT Cooking. This is a nice springy dish that doesn't include asparagus. There is something comforting about a crispy schnitzel! We give this a 4.

New recipe, March 21, 2026

Pork Asparagus and Snap Pea Stir Fry from NYT Cooking. This is a nice Chinese style dish—it has a little chili garlic sauce but is not hot. We enjoyed it, and give it a 3.

New recipe, March 20, 2026

Papadzules (Eggs and Asparagus in Tortillas with Pepita Sauce) from NYT Cooking. This is essentially, an enchilada, enrobed in a sauce made with raw pumpkin seeds, cilantro and jalapeños, filled with jammy eggs and asparagus. It is very pleasant and not something you encounter every day. We give it a 4.

New recipe, March 19, 2026

White Bean Caprese Salad from NYT Cooking. A nice variation on the classic, which is a classic for a reason. We give this a 4.

Thursday, March 19, 2026

New recipe, March 18, 2026

The Prince of Wales from Food and Wine. This drink is a pleasant surprise.Rye, maraschino liqueur, sparkling wine, a (modest) cube of pineapple. It is subtle, with layers of flavor and is really quite nice and kind of unexpected. We give this a 4.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

New recipes, March 17 (St Patrick’s Day!) 2026

Traditional Irish Soda Bread from NYT Cooking, and Guinness Irish Meatball Stew from Food and Wine. The bread is very simple--flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk—and is delicious as they suggested, slathered in salted butter. The stew has rich flavors from the vegetables, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce and a roux, as well as lamb meatballs. We liked them both and they both get a 4.

New recipe, March 16, 2026

Vegetable Tofu Curry from NYT Cooking. This is a pleasant dish, but it is rather simple and would have benefitted from more curry and more allium. It gets a 3.

Monday, March 16, 2026

New recipe, March 15, 2026

Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Peanut Dressing from NYT Cooking. The avocado gives a lovely creaminess to the salad. The dressing is fantastic and makes this salad a 5!

New recipes, March 14, 2026

We hosted friends for dinner, and I neglected to free many photos. Ah well. We started with a non-alcholic cocktail from Zero, a book from Alinea Group dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks. Our beverage, which gets a total, is on the cover of the book—the Celery Serrano. The Serrano ice cube slowly melts and spices up the drink. This gets a 5!

The food is all Ottolenghi. We started with Hummus no Way of Southern France (Chickpea and Fennel Purée) from Comfort, then moved on to Curried Lentil Tomato and Coconut Soup from Bon Appetít. Our main course was Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Fig and Pistachio Salsa (pictured) from Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Extra Good Things. The dessert was a repeat, Bitter Frozen Berries with White Chocolate Cream from
Plenty More. The food is all extraordinary, and every recipe gets a 5!

New recipe, March 13, 2026

We attended the Wonderball to celebrate the extraordinary Denver dance company Wonderbound, so the new recipe is The Bicycle Thief from Food and Wine. This drink has a bright brightness from the grapefruit juice, lemon juice and Campari. We give it a 4.

New recipe, March 12, 2026

Slow Cooked Fish with Citrus and Herbs from NYT Cooking. Leeks, saffron, garlic, citrus and dill on halibut. Yum!! This gets a 4.

New recipe, March 11, 2026

Citrus Beet and Avocado Salad from NYT Cooking. Exactly what it says, plus lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. And it is fabulous! We give this a 5.

New recipe, March 10, 2026

Sheet Pan Charred Meat Pitas from NYT Cooking. Turns out pitas with a central pocket are harder to find that they should be, so we could not put the meat on top of a half pita. The meat is nicely spiced, and it is the toppings that really make this shine. We enjoyed these and give them a 4.

New recipe, March 9, 2026

Roasted Cabbage Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing from NYT Cooking. The title makes this sound simpler than it is. Cabbage, scallions, serranos, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, carrots, tempeh, peanuts, and herbs. This is a great combination of flavors. We give it a 5.