Over the course of the past 3 holiday seasons, we’ve had a lot of fun creating home cooked meals in a handful of different ways. Everyone cooks over the Holidays; it’s tradition, right? Well, it is around our kitchen and this story highlights how we’ve enjoyed cooking these meals more than just what the meal was. What ever happened to the good old days? It’s one thing to say you’re from a city or a town, but what if you delivered where you were from with such compassion for that place; those who asked felt it too? We believe that food and the land it’s grown or raised on provides this deeper understanding of place for those who choose to dig a litter deeper. If it nourishes your soul than typically we’re more apt to want to share that emotion with others. Our farmers, ranchers, craft brewers, friends and family feel this way too. We’ve cooked on smokers, wood fired pizza ovens, even the most simple campfire pit. Christmas 2017 brought on a whole new plan. This season a 500-pound cast iron cauldron landed in the backyard. Made by a company called Cowboy Cauldron, this behemoth of an open fire vessel puts most primitive style ovens we’ve used to shame. By no means do you need a 500-pound cast iron cauldron to make Christmas Eve dinner, but damn was it fun! This year we did 17 pounds of beef, a mix of rib roast and tenderloin steaks. Side dishes included sautéed wintergreens and Yukon gold potatoes. Everything was cooked on the cauldron and the temps only got colder as the sun went down. 30 people filtered in and out of the warm confines of our small kitchen in Denver, Colorado, catching a moment to see dinner over the fire. We were unsure of how the dropping temps would effect the cooking times for so much food, although we kept a close eye on the coals and reloaded the fire regularly to keep it stoked and as hot as possible. This was what made that night special, the unknowns. It was a neat dance we had going on with vegetables and meat around the cauldron’s cook grate. Coals needed to be managed from one side, while the roast and potatoes stayed put, allowing for that caramelized char that open fire provides so well. When it was all said and done, the entire process took 5-6 hours. The fire is the most important component of this style of cooking and we spent 2 hours just working coals to make it right. Once food was ready to go, it was game on the holiday feast unfolded. Happy Holidays everyone! We hope you’ve been cooking up a storm with your friends and family too. Try something new this season; we think you’ll amaze yourself! If you come across the opportunity to cook on a Cowboy Cauldron, have a blast, it’s incredibly fun and engaging.
*Our meat, dairy and eggs were sourced from Sky Pilot Farm for this feast. Sky Pilot Farm is located in Longmont, CO. Check them out! *Our potatoes were sourced from Full Circle Farm in Longmont, CO * All of our herbs were sourced from Osage Gardens in New Castle, CO
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CBD: Cycling, Food, Community Development with The Cyclist's Menu We recently wrapped up our Fall 2017 Ride Bikes Eat Food Tour schedule; which brought us from Bellingham, WA to Tucson, AZ. The gist was this; go for a group ride, eat a great meal, celebrate local culture & raise funds for an organization that supports the development of future trail projects. This personal brand activation strategy for The Cyclist’s Menu provided a unique opportunity to showcase a few select brands over the course of this trip. One of these brands is ‘Floyd's of Leadville.’ Based in Leadville, Colorado, Floyd's is 1 of the Nations leading CBD hemp oil producers. Mind you, this product has no THC, which provides much of the psychoactive properties that marijuana is known for. Floyd's has formulated a recipe that works in favor of the active mind, body and soul using only the CBD hemp oil to aid in recovery and relaxation. We had an opportunity to chat with Floyd Landis, Founder, before leaving for the Tour and mentioned our workload, amount of riding ahead and line up of events. He quickly asked if we would consider working with his CBD formula and put the product to test under a high stress environment. It was a unanimous “Yes” amongst the office at The Cyclist’s Menu and so we underwent a 2-month trail period. “We were coming off an incredibly busy summer and fall season, with a lot less cycling activity than normal. So, going into the Ride Bikes Eat Food Tour, we knew we had to take advantage of the small moments we’d have to get out on our bikes or on foot. The first 2 stops were amazing, yet we experienced a lot of rain in Washington and Oregon. Finally, we reached California for 5 days of our own time in Mendocino, CA. 20, 35, 48, 56 miles; the days ramped up and so did our bodies. It was really interesting to see the increased daily load be managed by proper nutrition, sleep and Floyd’s CBD to help round out and maintain muscle recovery over the training block in the Mendocino Woodlands.” - Director/Endurance Coach, Heidi Rentz If you read through the research available on CBD and the compounds beneficial properties, they’re all over the chart. We felt this was why we wanted to try Floyd's, because the product left room for choosing when to use it and space to determine how it might be affecting our bodies during different kinds of workload. At The Cyclist’s Menu we offer private chef/catering in many ways to the cycling industry as well as hosting our own gravel and road cycling camps around the world. We spend a lot of time on our feet and on our bikes, so our bodies experience impact in a blend of stressful formats. CBD has unique characteristics that work to flush muscles free of lactic acid; this was very noticeable in our line work over the course of an extended work/training block. Much like an endurance athlete or an individual training for a specific race or event, when the body is placed under continuous stress in the form of exercise, Floyd's CBD tincture and capsules offered a perfect mix of comfort, longevity and confidence to achieve our daily goals. “I wasn’t really sure what to expect, although I’d heard a lot about the affects of CBD in the body and how our nervous systems have many receptors for the organic compound already. It seemed like a win-win for our crew, who spends many hours on our feet in the kitchen, on our bikes and amongst social environments at events. It was exciting to see how CBD would interact with our busy schedules and if it would make an impact on our ability to maintain a healthy, physical being while on the road for 2 months. As a result, we found this to be true and will be using it again and again as athletes and chefs.” – Chef Zander Ault Needless to say, The Cyclist’s Menu is in full support of Floyd's and highly recommends it to anyone who has interest in trying something new or adding a different product to their arsenal. With the overwhelmingly large growth in research on CBD and it’s benefits to the human body, it’s no wonder why athletes of any sport will begin to use it. We’re stoked to help introduce this product to our friends, family and guests who join us for an unforgettable cycling experience, season in and season out. “One thing I really enjoy about Floyd's is it’s so dang easy to use. You don’t have to consider it a meal and you don’t have to cook anything. Let’s face it, as an active human, you really need two things: sleep and a good meal. If you choose to try or use Floyd's CBD it will be an active approach to maintaining your bodies ability to dig a little deeper!” - Chef Zander Ault
“Like nutrition, proper recovery is a life long journey. At a moment when I was feeling “out of shape,” Floyds CBD helped aid in a deeper sleep and a full body recovery from longer distance exercise that was noticeable over a week’s time. I will definitely use this product going forward and recommend it to any of my coaching clients and pals looking to feel their best as they dive back into a winter of big base miles." – Director/Endurance Coach, Heidi Rentz |
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June 2022
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