Good + Good for You in Santa Fe, New Mexico
In good times or bad, baking seems to soothe our soul. I learned this coping mechanism when I spent weekends with my grandmother and great-grandmother cooking, baking and baking some more for the family. Every meal had at least two pies, but it was more likely an assortment of sweet offerings. Oma wanted everyone to…
As our summer of confinement–aka the summer that never was–comes to a close this weekend with the Labor Day holiday, I seek to find the good in these bizarre months. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been fruitful. And, like so many of you, I have been making lemonade with these lemons. Lots and…
Have you ever walked through the produce department and the smell of ripe mangoes piques your senses? You stop and follow your nose. I’ve never been known to walk away empty-handed from the mango display. In fact, I recently bought a few too many mangoes. But those floral notes are beguiling and alluring and draw…
Though it’s a quiet summer in Santa Fe, summer is peaking. The farmers’ tables overflow with an incredible array of colorful produce, which has reignited my appetite again. From juicy heirloom tomatoes to six varieties of melons to peaches and corn, now is the time to celebrate the bounty we wait all year for–before it…
As we prepare to roll out of the fourth month of cooking at home and into our fifth month, my culinary creativity is tenuous at best. A few weeks ago, when we were already exhausted from cooking and meal planning, we survived on two weeks of sandwiches tossed with a few tuna salad plates. Now,…
When the going gets tough, ice cream is a great equalizer, a connector, a way to say “I love you” or “I am sorry” and promises to soothe whatever ails us. And I think we could all use a scoop (or quart) of ice cream about now. For as long as I can remember, ice…
Three months ago, we never dreamed we would celebrate Memorial Day by ourselves or with a limited group of those we have been sequestered with for the last two months. This year’s kick-off to summer is anything but normal and certainly one we soon won’t forget. No big gatherings. No neighborhood celebrations. None of that….
What started merely as a joke has become a tradition in our house over the last two months. In the early days, we called it the Covid-19 Food Fest. And in our quest to maintain this culinary theme during the pandemic, we rise to the occasion. We continue to cook up a storm, dive into…
It’s hard to maintain much of a focus these days and it’s hard to conjure what life will be like once this giant pause is over. But what is not hard right now is baking. During this extended pandemic, baking seems like one of the few “normal” things to do, doesn’t it? We all need…
Waste not, want not. I can hear my grandmother say it now. It was her go-to comment for so many things in life. Born in the Depression, she knew how to stretch a dollar, repurpose ingredients and never waste anything. As we begin to wrap up our fifth week of staying-at-home with limited access to…
Living in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, gave us access to the freshest seafood, which is one of the reasons we are seafood snobs. The ocean was the centerpiece of our restaurant and every room in the mansion on the hill had stunning views of Zihuatanejo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Our resort restaurant, La Cala, was known…
It wasn’t canceled, so we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday. It’s an annual tradition in our house, but considering that everything is canceled and for who knows how long, we were more than happy to redirect our thoughts to the lucky Irish leprechaun with some traditional Irish food. If only for one meal. Actually,…
The new year is off with a big bang, and, like many of you, we seriously dialed back our daily culinary experiences after a mildly gluttonous holiday. Stepping away from the table means we have been eating for sustenance and not for pleasure or entertainment. And our waists are thanking us. Plenty of vegetables, baked…
There’s a reason everyone loves to dive deep into analytics. It shows what’s gaining traction, what is on-trend, what most people like best and also what they like least. As I was looking back on this year’s recipe analytics, my favorites are certainly different from yours. But it’s your voice that matters–because I like every…
In previous decades, the holidays were a time of gluttony. Serious baking episodes with my grandmother and great-grandmother that started on Thanksgiving weekend and didn’t stop until the week before Christmas. Though I helped make the cookies, I was the queen of quality control which required lots of taste testing. Even in my 20’s and…
It’s not often I go to bed knowing exactly what I want to eat the next morning, but the salad I made on Thanksgiving Eve was nothing normal. It was an incredibly flavorful yet oh-so-simple salad that screams “holidays.” And when there are leftovers of this salad in the fridge, that is exactly what I…
While there are countless reasons we live in and love Santa Fe, there are but a few (and I do mean few) drawbacks. Constant dirt, dust and grit fall into the number one spot for me. Washing the car is often a useless task because tomorrow the car will look like it did before you…
As the aspen trees begin to color the mountains with a brilliant golden hue, our sights turn to foods that celebrate the changing seasons. Butternut squash, hearty soups and stews and, yes, pumpkin. No PSL’s (pumpkin spice lattes) for me, please, but these pumpkin scones are certainly worth their weight in gold. Early October is…
There are cookies and then there are chocolate chip cookies. Oscar the Grouch and I have more in common than I would like to admit, but, like him, I have never met a chocolate chip cookie I didn’t like. Though I have had some that, sadly, didn’t like me. Those would be traditional chocolate chip…
Cooking for four or eight people is a breeze. But cooking for one comes with less joy and a lot more pain. Whether you are single, choose to live alone, travel a lot or are flying solo while your better half is out of town (like mine is), I think cooking for one poses inherent…
On long and hot summer days, a big meal is often the last thing I want. But tasty and easy snacks are a welcome way to feed yourself, your friends and family without much fuss or fight but plenty of fun. Call it nibbles or snacks or appetizers, more and more frequently, people are putting…
Because this year’s 4th of July celebration lands on a Thursday, we are all in for an extended holiday weekend. And that’s fine by me. We have a party to attend every night, beginning Wednesday through Sunday. Naturally, I have been tapped to bring desserts to two of the four gatherings and I am currently…
It’s not often I drop the ball. But in the midst of traveling for work, countless deadlines and unexpected turbulence, I dropped a ball. Instead of providing two recipes to accompany an article I wrote for a new publication, I only managed to squeak out one before the drop-dead deadline. The reality of not being…
How often are you desperate to eat something within the next 15 minutes? If the primary goal is that it’s easy to make and brimming with flavor, pasta may not be the first thing you think of. Or perhaps it is. If I am making pasta, it’s generally going to be topped with Rao’s marinara…
What food do you refuse to eat? Lima beans? Smelt eggs? Liver? Iceberg lettuce was always a no for me. As one who values nutrient dense foods, I always wondered why anyone would actually choose to eat this food which has so little nutritional value. Developed in the 40s and popularized in the 50s, iceberg…
The extraordinary outdoor life in New Mexico is one of the many reasons we moved here. Depending on your outdoor tastes and interests, it’s a year-round activity. Skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and hiking, running, biking, rafting, camping and fly fishing in the summer. David is a former professional ski racer, so living near…
The invitation appeared via Instagram messaging, which I don’t always pay much attention to. But when I finally read the message, I was to be one of 10 special guests invited to spend a luxurious weekend of wellness at Sunrise Springs Spa & Resort. Located about 15 minutes south of Santa Fe in La Cienega…
A deep, rich and dark chocolate pot de crème is the crème de la crème. If you are a chocolate lover, this dessert is an incredible way to impress your guests or family for a special occasion. The problem? The typically French pot de crème is made with heavy cream, whole milk, lots of chocolate,…
Even though the weather may beg to differ (hello, rain, serious winds, cold weather and then sunshine), spring sprung last week. After the last few months of hearty and hot foods we gobbled to keep us warm, my palate is craving salads with the start of a new season. Now that the weather is a…
Spring is here or, at least, that’s what our clocks reported when many of us begrudgingly sprung forward last night. While I may not like losing an hour today, I do relish the idea of longer days before the sun sets. Because I tend to look on the bright side, longer days means more time…
The smell of homemade cookies is enough to make anyone feel like a child again. The sweet blend of flour, sugar and butter linger in the air and lures you in like a spider lures its prey. Cookies were one of my grandmother’s favorite ways to say, “I love you.” Whether it was a traditional…
