Winding Up for My Perfect Meal

A few weeks ago, I submitted a proposal to participate in Foodbuzz's September 24x24.  It was to create a perfect meal on Saturday, September 4, 2010 and blog about it.  Foodbuzz teamed up with Electrolux to give a stipend to 24 lucky bloggers to make that meal happen, and a matching donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Last week, I learned that they selected my proposal!  I know you're curious... what exactly is my perfect meal?  To be honest, I'm not sure there is a single perfect meal, like a one-size-fits-all.  Sure, I'd eat sushi any day of the week, but I'd probably get sick of that if I had to eat it every day of the week.  To me, "perfect" is situation-specific.  And on Saturday, September 4, 2010, the situation was this: We'd been invited to spend the weekend at J&M's cabin, Castle View.  Castle View is perched on the edge of Pike National Forest, just on the other side of the Continental Divide, near Eleven Mile Lake.  It's out there, far, far away from the hub-bub of civilization.  A perfect weekend getaway.  J&M also invited a German who is, as they put it, "hands down the nicest guy in the world."  Well.  Can you think of more perfect dinner company?

Last time we were invited to Castle View, we got lost somewhere around the edge of the world.  Mr. Rose, center, walking toward some thunder clouds.

So, with this remote mountain location, the lovely J&M and the German Nice Guy for dinner company, what is the perfect meal?  Well, I'm not going to haul sushi up there, that's for sure.  The food must be able to make the 2.5 hr trip from Denver.  Since the rest of Denver would be celebrating the Taste of Colorado, I figured I'd go with a similar theme: My Taste of Colorado.  In my proposal, I touted Colorado as a fantastic, but lesser-known, food-producing state.  The meal would be made up entirely of foods produced in Colorado.

Mr. Rose testing out his post-surgical anterior cruciate ligament on Eagle Rock.

Last night, I got an elk roast from Edward's.  This elk was raised on an elk farm just west of the Rio Grande National Forest in Del Norte, Colorado.  Our own garden is pushing out tons of produce, including several varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers, beets, carrots, kale, peppers, plums, and herbs.  I'll bring a large assortment with us.  We'll pick up some microbrews that Colorado is famous for, as well as some wine from up-and-coming Colorado vineyards at Mondo Vino, both for cooking and for drinking.  Finally, before we head for the hills, any other ingredients we need will be purchased from In Season, a local market that sources all of its groceries from farms within a 250 mile radius of their shop.  If all goes according to plan, we'll dine al fresco with a view of Castle Mountain, as the Aspen trees start to turn golden and the sun starts to set.  How's that for perfection?