Good + Good for You in Santa Fe, New Mexico
As a born and raised Texan, some version of bean salsa is a staple at every party, event and gathering. Known as Texas caviar, it usually features black-eyed peas, black beans and corn. It was never my thing, but it was standard buffet fare in the Lone Star State. Fast forward to Memorial Day 2021…
It was one of the top-selling soups at our Puerto Mio resort in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. It surprised me as well. Hot soup on a hot beach? But soups are a big thing in Mexico. Hot or cold, they are part of the dining experience–in restaurants and in homes. And sopa de tortilla is one of…
Ever since nailing our first Chinese dish at home last year–thank you pork and asparagus stir-fry–our cravings for homemade Asian dishes have not waned. In fact, with our collective boost in confidence that we can make successful Asian recipes, our interest has swooned. Perhaps this is why the bok choy with brown sauce and crispy…
There is inherent joy in discovering something new. The thrill of finding a new restaurant, making a new friend or being introduced to a new artist. It feeds our curiosity, nourishes us and compels us to keep looking for the next new thing that speaks to us. This exercise can be particularly delicious when discovering…
When the last of the winter snow has melted and the birds begin to chirp in the morning, spring is on the way. This is affirmed by a few baby green leaves bursting up from the ground as the plants wake from their seasonal slumber. And the sight of asparagus is another tell-tale sign that…
Winter is the time to celebrate citrus as these brightly colored, juicy fruits are at their peak of flavor. Start the day with half of a ruby red grapefruit or a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. You’ll feel cheerful and get a dose of vitamin C. Add orange or grapefruit segments to enhance a hearty…
January is the month when we wipe the slate clean and start fresh. With a new beginning comes new hopes and intentions. New ideas and plans. Less sugar, more protein. Or perhaps you are taking the dry pledge this month and eschewing alcohol as your first month of the year resolution. As good as our…
As we turn the last page to the 2020 book we wish had never been written, “soup for the soul” sounds like an elixir we need. After such a wretched year, I think we could all use something soothing, healing and wholesomely satisfying. Something that goes down and makes us feel good. Whenever I’m in…
Because Thanksgiving is going to be different this year, why not embrace it and celebrate with a new and totally different recipe? Rather than stick with the tried and true traditional Thanksgiving menu, perhaps this is the year we all need to introduce one new dish? One dish that makes the holiday a tad sweeter….
As we roll into shorter days and longer, dark and cool nights, this seasonal change brings with it an appetite for warm and cozy foods. Dishes that warm you from the inside out. There’s nothing more simple or satisfying than a pot of soup. One that takes a bit of chopping and stirring and then…
Fall’s arrival and pumpkin season go hand-in-hand. Though I don’t crave pumpkin spice lattes, I am a serious pumpkin fan. But not the canned variety. My pumpkin only comes in its natural state–a smaller, spherical-shaped gourd, called a sugar pie pumpkin, grown specifically for baking. To entice you to love pumpkin as much as I…
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…
