Sunday In Santa Fe

Santa Fe is so nice this time of year. In Texas we are already hitting 100 degree temps. Frankly, I am not cut out for that.  Santa Fe on the other hand is about 80 degrees for the high and 50 for the low. However, the locals think that is hot! To me, it is perfect!  Today I got up and went for a hike around the land where we are staying. I forgot a bit about the altitude. I was huffing and puffing afterwards but it made for a great workout! When I got back I had a "great start breakfast" waiting for me. One of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is granola, yogurt, and berries.

However, I think I may have a new favorite thing to eat for breakfast...a bird in a nest! My sister started making this for me during her visits and as a matter of fact she will be making it for me tomorrow morning and I will be sure to share it with you. 

After breakfast we all got ready to go to mass with my dad at Cathedral Basilica. This is pretty much a tradition for us every Sunday we are in Santa Fe. My dad really loves it.

After Mass we headed over to the La Fonda for lunch. Much to my surprise, my favorite jewelry designer, Rocki Gorman, moved her shop to the La Fonda so after lunch we headed over there. Might I say I want one of every frigging thing in the place. I have my eyes on a pair of dragonfly earrings and may just hop back over there at the end of the week to purchase them. My favorite sales lady was not there which was a bit disappointing but, it was all good because I am in Santa Fe!

Well, anyhoo, back to lunch. I had tortilla soup and shared crab cakes with my mom.

I can't resist either one typically and had to have the the tortilla soup so I was happy when my mom wanted to share the crab cakes.  The Pink Adobe also has some awesome crab cakes. I hope to swing in there too before the end of this little vacation.

My sister had a yummy little goat cheese, veggie, and fingerling potato tart. I love goat cheese. :-)

For dessert, Flan!

My niece Violet loved it!

After lunch we shopped a bit and I picked up a huge can of Chile powder and blue corn meal from the Santa Fe School of Cooking. I love this place. You just can't visit Santa Fe and not go in here. Also, they have the best cooking classes and demos. A must do!

Then we headed back to the casita to relax. I read my Spin Off magazine, wrote in my Happy Book and started up a bit of knitting. I crawled up in my little corner and it was the best. I have a perfect view from here and love to leave the door open that leads to the deck to get a nice breeze. I would be happy if I sat here forever.

After everyone was rested my dad grilled while my sister and I took pictures of the scenery with our new cameras.



Tomorrow my sister and I are hitting up the town for shopping, food, and a bit of mischief. :-)

Cheers!

Back In Fort Worth

Happy Father's Day to everyone! We pulled in from Santa Fe late yesterday evening to the hot and humid Texas weather...about 98 degrees! When we left Santa Fe yesterday it was in the 50's. Oh, I miss it already, but it is good to be back home. It has taken me a bit to get back in the groove of things.

So today, in memory of Santa Fe...I finished spinning the "burrito skein"....

I think I will name it Cheshire because it looks like the Cheshire Cat!

I hung the picado in the kitchen...

Don't mind the dishes piled up in the corner...they are drying :-)

and I made some blue corn muffins with the blue corn meal I picked up at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.

They are gooooood!!! They are especially good with the honey whip I picked up.

Cheers to all!!

Friday In Santa Fe

Today Jeff and I ventured off on our own in the Plaza. We had a lot of fun going in in all the different shops and I had the most fun...shopping...of course!! I really wanted to show Jeff all my favorite Santa Fe spots so, we went to Miriam's Well and I purchased more roving for spinning and a new book. The roving is beautiful. This picture just does not do it justice. The orange is called Persimmon and is 100% Merino. The blue is called Petunias and is 55% Merino, 25% Soy Silk and 20% Tussah Silk. Miriam said that she picked the roving up when she was visiting in Colorado. I really envy her. I would love to have my own yarn shop and teach classes. She is selling her business but unfortunately, I don't have the spare change lying around!

I purchased my spinning wheel last year from Miriam and she remembered! It really is a special little shop and she has the most beautiful things. You know, you can get a sense about people sometimes and Miriam seems like a very wise and well rounded individual which makes going to her shop even better. I was glad Jeff got to meet her, I thought he would enjoy her and he did! Don't worry sis, I plan to share all the roving with you! You just must come visit me soon!

After Miriam's Well, we went over to Todos Santos. Todos Santos is a candy store with a Dia De Los Muertos theme. I love the way they have decorated this little store. The candy is amazing too!! This year I purchased a little box of chocolate. I forgot to take a picture of it before I unwrapped it.....I was too excited!

I already ate the heart and part of the circle with the nuts on it. The heart is white chocolate with a dark chocolate center and also made with rose water!! Devine! The lady that was working was very nice. She is a local and gave Jeff and I the inside scoop on Santa Fe living. She also threw in a few free caramels because Jeff was wearing a Manu Chao t-shirt. We met a lot of really nice people today, come to think of it!

We ventured over to Dressmans Gifts and picked up a few souvenirs to take home. I really love the tin work with the Dia De Los Muertos art. So, I picked up a little something for myself. I seemed to be pretty good at that this trip.

After a bit of souvenir shopping, Jeff and I went to La Boca!!! Oh, we certainly saved the best for last. Get ready for a major geek out.

My absolute favorite spot in Santa Fe....

We started off with a bit of Sangria (surprise surprise).

Then, we had garbanzo carrot hummus with flat bread.

The next Tapas course was Fried Egg Chorizo and Potato.

Round 3 was Canalones with scallop and crab........oh....I went into a food coma at this point.

The special was Pimientos de Padron....green chile's roasted in garlic with sea salt. I ate a tiny pepper and it was packed with heat! Oh...my...goodness........my mouth was on fire for hours! But, it was worth every minute of it!

The owner/chef was there, James Campbell Caruso. My mom and I met him during the Santa Fe School of Cooking Culinary Tour last year. I think the cooking tour was coming to La Boca today because the owner was there and they were getting the tables ready. if you are ever in Santa Fe, the culinary tour is an absolute must!

After La Boca we did a bit more shopping. We stopped into the Santa Fe School of Cooking and I picked up some Blue Corn Meal and Whipped Honey. I can't wait to go home and make blue corn muffins with the honey!

When our day of exploring the Plaza was over, my parents picked us up and we went back to the casita. I learned a new way to spin called rolag. I will explain that later. Basically, you roll up your roving like a burrito and spin it. It works rather well, I am now a firm believer in burrito spinning.

Jeff and I went on a little nature hike. It was fun. We found lots of things along the way like an old Christmas tree still in tact with its tinsel.

A blooming cactus...Jeff cut one of the fruits off and got little tiny cactus needles in his finger. He was a regular Bear Grylls on our hike! Ha!

We happened across a tree stump with a few mountain rocks stacked on top of it.

And....just waiting for us on the mountain top...2 green lawn chairs. We felt right at home!

The view from the lawn chairs....

On the way back from our hike, we happened upon a few wine corks. Look like someone else was partying on the patio!

Tomorrow we are packing up and heading home. Oh, I wish we could stay longer. Someday, I hope to call Santa Fe home. It is just really beautiful here. Right now, I am blogging on the patio of the casita to a gorgeous sunset and about 70 degrees with a breeze. It would be nice if this moment could last forever!

Cheers to Santa Fe and its people! Until next year!

Monday In Santa Fe

I started my morning with a "Great Start Breakfast". We learned about this last year in Santa Fe when we went to the Chocolate Maven for breakfast. It is a yummy and healthy way to start your day. All you need is plain yogurt, fruit, and granola and you are on your way. Of course, you cannot forget to pair it with a cup of coffee.

While I was enjoying my breakfast, Daddy was enjoying looking at the real estate adds for houses in Santa Fe. Unfortunately, the houses in the magazine he was looking at were a bit out of our price range...about 20 million dollars out of our price range.

We had a nice relaxing morning in the casita. We took our time getting ready and then headed out to Canyon Road. Our first stop was at a bronzed sculpture gallery. The sculptures were beautiful. It is amazing to me all the different talents people have, and canyon road is full of talent. I would love to learn how to make a bronze sculpture. This artist made bronze statues of children. He was able to capture the innocence of children in his work.

There were also the most random king and queen toad sculpture. Jeff liked it so I took a picture. The toads had huge jewel rings on.

We also ventured into Pachamama.

This store is fantastic. It was full of antique and traditional folk art.

I got picado. Perfect for a party on the patio!

Jeff like the Calavera, it was made out of a tiny gourd.

After a bit of shopping, we went to El Farol on Canyon Road for lunch.

Oh, goooooodness...there are no words to describe how good the food was. We sat on the patio and people watched. The weather was perfect and the people that work there are very nice, which makes it even better. I think this was the favorite part of the day.

To start lunch off, we had a bit of sangria. Really, you can't go wrong with a bit of sangria, no matter where you are in the world.

For lunch, I had a few tapas, curried chicken salad and polenta.

The polenta was with a mango sauce. I wish I was eating it right now!

Jeff had paella.

My mom had Chile Relleno.

My dad had a sandwich, but...I did not get a picture of it. :-)

After lunch, we headed over to my favorite jewelry maker, Rocki Gorman. I did a bit of bargain shopping and got 2 rings that were on sale! I like the star because she etched designs in the silver that are native to the area.

I love these rings. This shop really does hold a special place in my heart. She had such beautiful jewelry and I want to take every piece home with me!

After my bit jewelry purchase, we ventured over to the Santa Fe School Of Cooking. This is a fantastic store. Not only do they serve cooking products, they have classes. My mother and I took a class last year and learned about the culture of the food in Santa Fe. I got some chile powder....since I tend to use it a lot when I cook.

I also got some oil cloth, they sell it by the yard there and a girl can never get too much oil cloth!

We got back to the casita and my mom started cooking dinner and I made salsa and Sangria!

Dinner was fabulous. My mom made green chile chicken enchiladas which is a Santa Fe School of Cooking recipe. It was delicious!

Another great day in Santa Fe had by all!

Cheers!