Robert Forto

denver

Fortos Fort: 3 Years in the Making

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Three years ago today, on a rainy Fourth of July, my daughter and I arrived in Alaska to take a look at a house in the small town of Willow.

I am sure you know the story by now, I have talked about it many times before. Long story short, Nicole was given the choice to move here or to stay in Denver. She texted her mom who was still in Denver while we were up here looking. She said, “Mom, we are moving to Alaska!” Nothing like leaving the biggest purchase in your life in the hands of a 12 year old.

I moved up a couple weeks later and got to work. It was in a sorry state of repair and it would test our construction skills, our financial well being, our family dynamic and even our marriage.

I was here almost a year by myself while the family stayed in Denver for a couple reasons; school for the kids and our dog training business.

My son, Tyler moved up in June 2011 and Michele followed in September, with Nicole around Christmas time.

Over the last three years it truly has been a labor of love and much a labor of necessity. We have fixed, repaired, replaced and remodeled most of what you see in the before and after pictures.

We couldn’t do this with out the help of some great friends–Marvin “Pee Wee” Rankin has not only become a good friend but also his expertise has helped so much in our daily projects to make our house a home here in the Great White North.

While there are still tons to do around our property we are happy to report that a lot of things are checked off the list.

  • a new roof
  • a green house
  • a walk in smoker
  • all new appliances
  • a kennel for 30 dogs
  • lots of paint and carpet
  • tons of trash and debris (literally) removed including a broken down truck and a half of a boat
  • and much, much more…

There are still things on the wish list that we will get to in our short summer months. We are realized that we can tackle two or three major projects a year. Upcoming are:

  • an overhang on the back of the kennel building with a sliding door
  • a deck on the second floor–our answer to a tree house–so we can enjoy the stars and the northern lights
  • a fence around the backyard and the dog yard
  • to level and a drainage system for the dog yard
  • remodel some of the rooms inside–we can do a lot of this in the winter
  • a sauna

Thanks to all of my rabid readers that have been along with me during this journey. Your advice and encouragement has been very helpful. Stay tuned for more to come!

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Dog Works Radio Show

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For almost four years I have been on an incredible journey hosting the Dog Works Radio Show. We have had some of the greatest guests in the world. Some of them have been world famous movie producers, authors and filmmakers, others have been cancer researchers, service dog advocates and even a dog that was campaigning for mayor in Denver.

As we approach our fourth anniversary in January, I just want to thank all of you for listening and for making all of this possible, because without you, the rabid listener, there is no reason for this show to continue!

Listen to Dog Works Radio shows now

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Smash that Ball Flea!

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I am so proud of my little girl!

Nicole is a freshman at Houston High School in Alaska and is the starting catcher on the junior varsity team and the back-up catcher on varsity. As a freshman!

Nicole is away from home for the first time playing games in Kenai and Homer.

On the way down she texted me and said she was in Anchorage.

Being the typical dad I gave my fatherly advice:

Have fun, be safe, act like a lady and smash that ball!

I then said,

Don’t spend all your time texting, look to the right and you may see a whale in the inlet!

Nicole texted back, “Sweet!”

Nicole just moved up to Alaska over Christmas break. She stayed in Colorado with her grandparents until her mom, Michele, could get a job up here. I didn’t want to have the kids up here if mom would have to return home for lack of work.

Why does this matter? 

Nicole moved from a school in the Denver suburbs with thousands of kids roaming the halls to a little school of just a few hundred kids. Sports aside, she has been given the job as the newspaper photographer for next year and is doing great in her classes.

Who would have thought my little flea (the name we have called her since she was little–we are dog trainers ya know!) would do so well living in the sticks in Alaska.

Way to go Flea! Smash that ball!

Photo Credit: Matsusports.net

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Robert Forto is mushin’ down a dream in the wilds of Alaska. He and is wife are raising two teenagers at Forto’s Fort.

 

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Wendy’s Cool? Not!

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In an effort to avoid not being beat down by the King and a Clown everybody’s favorite red headed step child, Wendy’s, is trying to re-invent itself.

Starting late last year the burger chain came out with a line of new burgers that look an awful lot like the ones you might see at a Denver fast food joint, Smashburger. They also tweaked their fries with sea salt and claiming to be “natural cut”. What does that mean? Are shoestring fries unnatural? How about tots? Don’t tell that to Napoleon.

Back to the burgers. They are calling them Dave’s Hot ‘N Juicy Cheeseburgers. How can they claim that? Dave has been dead for years.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved Dave. I thought he was pure genius. His down home folksy style reminded me of my own grandpa. But therein lies the problem. People that eat fast food don’t want to think about their grandpa when they are sitting down to grub.

They are still trying to re-invent the wheel at the place that plays Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer on the overhead speakers and the quaint tables for two. This month they released even more choices with offerings such as chili cheese fries, Mac ‘n cheese and sweet potatoes with cinnamon butter.

All of this sounds great. Doesn’t it?

The problem is Wendy’s has never been cool. When you were a teenager did you and your friends hang out at Wendy’s? I doubt it. It was the place that the middle age crowd went to eat to feel a little less square. Pun intended, for sure.

How could a place be cool that once supported a full salad bar? How could it be hip when in the 80s the burger chain made their pimply faced teen work force wear polyester baby blue and white striped shirts and those hats you might see in and old black and white movie about golf. You know the ones. The hat that sort of folds down in the front and snaps with a little button. Like a L.L. Cool J. lid but a whole lot less fly.

How could a place be cool that doesn’t have a playground for kids and their happy meals, or whatever they are called, featured toys from obscure movies nobody ever goes to see.

How could a fast food joint be cool if you are more likely to find grandma than your next main squeeze?

I’m sure the marketing geniuses behind the place that Dave built thinks they are doing a great job. Are they? I don’t know.

Let’s take the up and coming metropolis of South Central Alaska. At my count there are only three Wendy’s and at least 30 Mickey Ds and Kings. Maybe we have a different “taste” in fast food up here. Maybe we are just comfortable getting our 128% of our daily allowance of fat, sodium and sugar at places that we can take our kids.

My vote is for Chick-fil-A. That is something that we don’t have up here.

Do you go to Wendy’s? Why or why not?

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Recipe Rants: Sticky Toffee Pudding

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I know, I know, you are asking why is this crazy guy putting recipes on his blog AFTER Christmas when traditionally people cook and bake BEFORE the big holiday. Well, all I can say is you will see in the coming days the method to my madness.

Today’s treat is from another Denver, CO restaurant that Michele and I absolutely love, The Vesta Grill in LoDo. If you are not familiar with Denver’s lower downtown area, it is a trendy mix of shops, restaurants and taverns that are showcased near the Pepsi Center ( Avalanche hockey, Nuggets basketball) and Coors Field (Rockies baseball) and Denver’s popular 16th Street Mall.

Matt Selby, owner and chef’ at Vesta Dipping Grill and Stuebens has a great idea the whole family can make, and Santa is sure to love it.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Pudding: 
1/2 Cup – Dried Figs, Chopped
1/2 Cup – Dark Rum
1/2 teaspoon – Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon – Vanilla Extract
1 Cup – Flour
2/3 Cup – Sugar
1/2 teaspoon – Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
2 Tablespoons – Butter
1 Egg, Beaten

Toffee Sauce: 
8 Tablespoons – Butter
3/4 Cup – Heavy Cream
3/4 Cup – Brown Sugar
1 1/5 Tablespoon – Water
1 Tablespoon – Dark Rum

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine chopped figs, rum, vanilla and baking soda in a small pan, and place over high heat. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a mixer, whisk fig-rum mixture with butter, and whisk until melted.

Add dry ingredients to rum-butter mixture, and whisk. Add egg, and whisk to combine into dough.

Rub with butter the inside and bottoms of five oven-proof individual serving size crocks, and distribute the pudding dough equally into them.

Place crocks onto a cookie sheet and place in oven for about 20-25 minutes, until toothpick comes cleanly out.

While puddings are baking in the oven, prepare the toffee sauce.

Place butter, heavy cream, water and brown sugar in a saucepan and place over high heat.

Remove pudding from the oven, and spoon toffee sauce over each one.

Raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees, and place the puddings back in to cook for a final six to eight minutes, until the toffee is bubbling.

Vanilla bean whipped cream: 
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Powdered Sugar
1 one inch piece of Vanilla Bean

Pour cream into a mixer bowl. Beat cream, about two minuets, until it begins to form soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar, being careful not to over beat.

Split the vanilla bean segment in half, lengthwise and scrape off the beans. Add the beans to the whipped cream, and fold in by hand.

Enjoy!

If you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share please contact me at me@robertforto.com

Robert Forto | Team Ineka | Alaska Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Dog Works Radio

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Robert Forto is a musher training for his first Iditarod under the Team Inekabanner and the host of the popular radio shows, Mush! You Huskies and Dog Works Radio Shows

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