Santa Fe

January 26, 2012

virgin of g

See that blue stuff streaked with a wisp of white? That, Paris people, is what the sky looks like.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, at least.

Somehow the temperature doesn’t seem as chilly when the sun’s out with a sky like this. Or when it’s coming up or going down against a mountain backdrop, looking like an over-saturated photograph…or painting by an artist with a too-heavy hand with the pinks and oranges. It’s just beauty, beauty, beauty, everywhere. Green chile on everything. Burgers. Breakfast burritos. Pizzas. Then there’s the posole. Blue corn. Piñon-laced air. La la la la la.

IMG_0171_2

Now, I did not take this train — the cute Roadrunner that connects Albuquerque and Santa Fe —  but managed to catch this photograph as it was chugging by.  I snapped this as was standing there, sipping a très tasty coffee from the Station at the Railyards, where the barista (who greeted me with “I hope you’re having a groovy day!”) swirled a heaping big spoonful of HABANERO FUDGE SAUCE into my coffee, and I took one sip and thought to myself, JEEEEEZ, this just might be the best thing. Ever.

Or maybe the best thing was the 120-minute (!!) “Mountain Spirit Purification” treatment that I got upon arrival at Encantado Resort (after our 10-hour road trip from Texas), which started with a brisk sage smudging, then moved onto a cocoon-like  adobe clay body mask/wrap thingy, and ended with a juniper and hot stone massage…far too soon.

See this photo below? This is the view from the balcony of my suite at Encantado, and these are the Jemez mountains. I know you’re jealous.

IMG_0169

And this is the view from the other side of my room. I was still in my jammies so I didn’t walk up the hill to get a better shot, but I think you get the idea.

Gorgeousness. All around, every damn where you look. This may be the best thing, now that I think about it.

IMG_0138

Or these words, which I found on the side of the New Mexico historical records building. Talk about a sign.

IMG_0177

It was an easy, lazy trip, with no real itinerary, lots of late mornings, even later lunches, a great afternoon hike one afternoon, and a long overdue visit with my pal Nathalie Kent, who owns the Frenchy-Cowgirl boutique Nathalie on Canyon Road.

After five days, we set the alarm for 5:30 am and drove back to Texas, and watched the landscape flatten as we ticked off the miles, canyons transforming into cotton fields…and cattle feed lots closer to home.

À bientôt, Santa Fe.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis

{ 0 comments }

Santa Fe Farmer’s Market

January 23, 2012

P1060250

This is Rose Trujillo and she’s one of the founders of the Santa Fe Farmer’s Market, considered one of the top farmer’s markets in the U.S. See that sack in her right hand? That’s a package of her buffalo tamales, handmade the night before, she told me. Rose and her daughter also make the anise seed bizcochitos (below), now New Mexico’s state cookie. (Yes, that’s right – a state cookie — any state with the good sense to have its own cookie is my kind of place.)

P1060248

I realize that visiting a farmer’s market in January probably isn’t the best time of year, but what makes this market special is the abundance of homemade goodies baked by the people that are selling them, like Ruth, along with the farmers selling their produce, or cheese, or yak jerky, or whatever. At the markets in Paris, these people have signs that say “producteurs” above their stands. Here, everyone is a producer.

In other words, there are no stacks of boxes of fruits and vegetables in the back marked with “Mexico.” Not one single one. What’s sold here is grown here. Simple as that.

P1060247

Of course we don’t have piñon fudge in Paris, but we do have pains au chocolat; there’s also homemade lavender soap at lots of Paris markets, and I’ve seen lots made from honey, but I’ve not seen any made from goat milk – aren’t these sweet?

P1060246

P1060243

You say empanadas, but in France, these would be called chaussons, because they look like house slippers…well, sort of.

P1060237

I love the idea of these mini quiches, and of course, if green chile’s involved, I’m already sold. The bright yellow eggyness of these also tells me that these eggs are super-fresh. Speaking of, when you order an egg anything in Santa Fe, it’s likely that your server will ask “And would you like your eggs to be organic?”

Oh yes, please. Organic, local, free range…and served on a plate that’s been either recycled or upcycled.

P1060238

Naturally, there’s lots of red chile for sale, too, along with the green. And this being Santa Fe, there’s also a good selection of smudge sticks to scare off evil spirits and hangover nonsense from previous trouble-making souls…something that Paris, a city that’s been around since 500ish B.C. or so, could definitely use.

P1060241

P1060269

Jugglers instead of mimes, though really, it’s been ages since I’ve seen a mime in Paris (thank god).

I stopped and chatted with the hydroponic tomato farmers, who supply tomatoes to Chef Charles Dale at Encantado Resort’s restaurant, Terra, and I would’ve bought the organic chicken at Pollo Real if I could’ve taken some home. I saw beets as big as Texas Ruby Reds at one stand, and at $1.50 a pound, I thought about filling up a sack, but the truth is I didn’t have my own sack, and this isn’t the sort of place where people would overlook that sort of thing.

So I stuffed my sage smudge stick into my purse and walked a few blocks west to the Tune-Up Cafe, and ordered my usual breakfast burrito with green chile inside and red chile out, and made a note to bring my own sacks next time. For beets, smudge sticks, and some really cute bars of soap.

P1060271

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis

{ 1 comment }

Tesuque Village Market

January 19, 2012

My new favorite place in Santa Fe turns out to not be in Santa Fe at all.
Just north of the city, off of Highway 84/285, where you’ll find the famous opera (and flea market), is also the small village of Tesuque. Small as in less than 1,000 people. Beautiful, because the homes here are so [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Flat and Bumpy Chocolate Chip-Walnut Cookies

January 15, 2012

These are not mistakes. No, no, these super-flat, chewy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-edges cookies are supposed to look this way. Flatter than flat. Like little cookie Frisbies.
I wish I could tell you that because of the thinness, these cookies are somehow less in the calorie department than the fatter version, but, alas, they are as rich and buttery [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Pear-Cucumber Ginger Juice

January 12, 2012

I know, I know. A glass of something green that’s not a margarita? What on earth is going on over here?
Well, after sampling: the new 1921 creme de tequila (think tequila meets mocha milkshake and you’re close), served on the rocks with a generous splash of reposado at Steve and Steffie’s one night; super-strong margaritas [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Chicken Tinga Chili

January 6, 2012

What do you get when you mix chicken with chipotles?
Chicken Tinga, a smoky, fiery Mexican classic that’s just as fabulous heaped onto a crisp tostada, and eaten as a chalupa, or spooned between two flour tortillas and grilled as a quesadilla.
Which is where the whole idea for this chili came from. Last week, I had [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Turkey Gumbo

December 29, 2011

I told you I was going to make gumbo…and now that I have, I can’t believe it took me so long. Thing is, I had an old recipe for a gumbo very much like this, but somewhere along the way, I lost it, or misplaced it, or something. And I didn’t think that I could [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2011

Despite the colder-than-Paris weather we’ve been having lately, I’m so happy to be back in Texas for the holidays…surrounded by friends, family, and lots of love.
As many of y’all know, it’s been a wild ride this past year, with more ups and downs than the Runaway Mine Train at Six Flags. But the book’s finally [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

S. & D. Oyster Company

December 14, 2011

More Big Easy than Big D, with its bowtied waiters and simple, Cajun-inspired menu, S. & D. Oyster Company where I’ve always gone for a gumbo fix. Problem is I can’t seem to stop there. I always want fried oysters, too, and I must have fried shrimp, and since the combo plate comes with both [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →

Beet, Roasted Pumpkin and Avocado Salad

December 12, 2011

Other than knowing that tacos and beer await on the other side of the Atlantic, here isn’t much about an 11-hour flight that I look forward to.
I am not one of those people who can easily fall asleep on airplanes; rather, I’m the one sitting in the dark, reading my book underneath a single beam [...]

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Ma.gnolia
  • StumbleUpon
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Ping.fm
  • Print this article!
  • Reddit
  • TwitThis
Read the full article →