AS I think I mentioned to you several weeks ago, my son Piers and his friend Price are up in the Colorado mountains spending a few months after graduation and before joining the "real world".. They had both saved their money during the summer while working at a multitude of jobs so as to be able to do this.

Needless to say however, things aren't cheap in the resort areas and the money is wearing very thin.

I do feel as a mother slightly sorry for Piers but the deal was that if he was going to take this time out then he would have to pay for it from his earnings and not much would be forthcoming monetary-wise from myself. The boys' latest scam to make a bit on the side was a dare that was proffered to them and which they didn't hesitate for a second about taking on.

The dare was this ? they would each be presented with a 64-ounce steak which they would have one hour to consume. If they managed to do this they would each be given $200. If they didn't, however, the price they would have to pay would be to ski down from the summit of the mountain right down to the base wearing nothing but their boxer shorts.

I don't think that they ever thought for one second that this would happen as they were both so determined that they could easily accomplish this feat. Piers gave me a telephonic blow by blow account of how it was all going at the Dusty Boot restaurant in Vail. It started off swimmingly as they had starved all day in preparation of devouring half a side of beef each.

But when it actually turned up as one enormous hunk of bovine flesh I think that the thought of skiing down the mountain virtually naked was now becoming slightly more appealing. Crowds were gathering around their table and it appeared that the whole of the mountainside had arrived to watch these two Bermudians attain fame and fortune.

Most unfortunately fortune didn't actually get a look in. No matter how hard they tried the steaks never seemed to diminish in size. It didn't help matters that the meat was very underdone which meant extra chewing and the rather off-putting visual of blood dripping out of the corners of each other's mouth.

The boys did extremely well, though. But with only minutes to go and with tummies just about to burst they both realised that maybe they'd bitten off a little more than they could chew. Literally.

The final gong went and it was quite surprising that they had both eaten exactly the same amount ? 54 ounces each. Not bad going but not quite good enough. Fortune ? no, but fame yes, as they prepared the following day to ski down the mountain with far more spectators than had been at the Dusty Boot.

Off they went to Walmart to buy some Boxers that would get them noticed. Price looking stupendous in a lovely gold lam? pair and Piers looking equally as awesome in red with black reindeers embroidered all over them.

The temperature was in the low twenties and I would imagine that any girls watching would have been a little disappointed if they had thought that they were going to see "something" flashing by. I think that the "something" in question must have shrivelled up to the size of a frozen pea (a tender, tiny one at that).

How these boys didn't die of pneumonia is beyond me, but they lived up to their part of the deal and to much applause reached the bottom in what must have been Olympic record time. I would think that it will be some time before steak is on the menu for either Piers or Price.

I hear that the weather in Bermuda has been freezing for so long now that most of you are walking around swathed in layer upon layer of clothing and feeling like human blocks of ice.

I know the feeling as it was just about the same when I left two weeks ago. Because of the construction taking place throughout most of my mother's house, it quite often felt as thought it was colder inside than out. I hope that by the time that you get this that things will have heated up a little and you will be able to defrost. In case it still remains the same, here are a few recipes that will hopefully warm you up a little from the inside out.Just a little up-date for any of you reading my column last week. We have discovered that the cigar/lighter wielding man at the bar at the Palm is in fact a highly revered professor at Colorado University - amazing! And to all of you who bothered to e-mail me about the Superbowl, telling me I should brush-up on the rules of American football or I'll miss out on the most exciting and thrilling sports highlight of the year, let me quote the immortal words of Col. David Burch to you ? don't you get it: I don't care what you think!

1/3-cup unsalted pistachios. 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped rosemary, 1 large garlic clove, minced, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper

one 1 1/2 pound rack of lamb (8 cutlets) French trimmed, 6-ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon, 8 scallions, white and tender green parts only

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor finely chop the pistachios with the rosemary, garlic and thyme. Add half of the olive oil and process to a paste: season with salt and pepper. Scrape half the pistachio paste into a small bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil. Coat the lamb with half of the remaining pistachio paste. Wrap the pancetta/bacon slices around the lamb, between the bones, leaving the bones exposed. Spread the remaining pistachio paste over the pancetta and set the rack in a small roasting pan. Roast the rack for a bout 40 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the centre of the lamb registers 130 degrees for medium rare. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes, reserving the pan drippings. Meanwhile spoon 1 teaspoon of the rendered pancetta fat from the roasting tin into a medium skillet and heat until shimmering. Add the scallions and cook over a high heat until softened and brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Carve the lamb into four 2-chop servings and transfer them to plates along with the scallions. Drizzle the pistachio pesto all around and serve right away.

Lemon-Spinach Chickpeas

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add one 15-ounce can of drained chickpeas and cook for 2 minutes. Add one 15-ounce bag of fresh spinach in batches, stirring until just wilted. Sprinkle over a little finely chopped garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir once more to incorporate.

3 tablespoons olive oil, 4 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed, 1 small bulb of fennel, chopped, small onion, chopped, 5 cloves garlic, minced, 2 tablespoons chopped sage, 1 bunch Swiss Chard, stems removed and chopped (about 10 cups) 1/2 cup chicken broth, 2 15-ounce cans of Cannellini beans, drained, 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste, 1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat and 8-by-10-inch baking or gratin dish with one tablespoon of the olive oil. In a large skillet over a medium-high heat, crumble the sausages and cook, breaking up until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Remove the sausage from the skillet and set aside. Add the fennel and onion to the skillet and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, stir in the garlic and sage and cook one minute more. Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, stirring until slightly wilted. Stir in the broth, beans, sausage, salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and Parmesan with the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature, plus extra for coating, 3 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting, 1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for dusting, 10-ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, 4 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup mini marshmallows, 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter, flour and sugar eight 6-ounce coffee cups of mugs made of ovenproof stoneware.

Wipe the rims clean. Place 1 stick of butter and the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt stirring once or twice until smooth.

Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Using a hand held mixer beat the eggs, yolk, vanilla, salt and 1/2 cup sugar at the highest speed until the volume doubles and the mixture becomes foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour into the chocolate and then gradually add it into the egg mixture, beating on low until fully incorporated.

Ladle the batter into cup until it's about 1/2-inch from the rim. Bake until the cakes puff and begin to crack but the centres are still a bit runny, 13-17 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with marshmallows and then return to the oven for 2-4 minutes until the marshmallow tops begin to crisp.

Remove from the oven; let cool about 5 minutes and sift the cocoa on top.