The Señor Turns 50...

The Señor turned 50 in early December so he and I hopped on a plane and took off in search of a few days of Caribbean paradise.
We found it in beautiful Tulum Mexico.

As you can see Tulum is a beach lovers dream with its smooth, pure white sand and dreamy palm trees.
We spent three nights at a cool little spot called Cabanas Tulum. Our room was on the second floor right on the beach. As you can see from the pictures the room was cool and the balcony was even cooler!

They have a fun little restaurant and beach club called El Bistro at Ziggy Beach. The restaurant has some great offerings and the Tuna Nachos are something I dream of! They even offer a class (on the beach I might add) on how to make a Coco-Loco and two types of ceviche. A mid-day snack of Coco-Loco and ceviche is always a welcome idea in my book.
Tulum has some amazing culinary offerings. The two we chose for this trip were Hartwood and Posada Margherita. Both are locally owned and what The Señor and I term "something to write home about"!

Hartwood is the creation of a Eric Werner and Mya Henry. You can check out their story in Bon Appetit magazine. The skinny of the story is this - NYC chef and his girlfriend vacation in Tulum. They, like most visitors to Tulum, decide they should live there. They, unlike most, go home, develop a business plan and six months later are official citizens of Tulum. Shortly thereafter they purchase a plot of land in the jungle, build an incredible outdoor kitchen and open one of the most magical restaurants I have had the pleasure of experiencing. When in Tulum, visit Harwood!

Posada Margherita is actually an Italian owned beach resort who just happens to boast an incredible Italian restaurant. Their pasta and bread are hand made daily and are, quiet frankly, off the charts good. Tulum is home to a large Italian population and Italian was being spoken by most of the patrons at the surrounding tables on the night we were there. The Señor says a dinner at Posada Margherita is worth the plane fare back and I agree.

We spent three lovely, laid-back days in Tulum. We read, we slept, we ate, we drank. It was truly a beach lovers paradise. The fourth day we hopped in a cab and headed north to the Fairmont Mayakoba to what turned out to be some super upscale pampering. Do tell you say. Of course, I will! Stay tuned!

Reflecting on 2011 and looking to 2012...

Well, here we are folks. It's the morning of New Years Eve 2011. Another year passed. The year 2012 is less than twelve hours from making its grand entry.

It was a year filled with joys, sorrows and celebrations. There was work time, travel time, home time and family time. There were some good times and a few not-so-good times.

There was life. And, it was all good.

As I write these words I reflect back on a post I made on a similar New Years Eve morning a couple of years ago. I feel the same today as I did then - Full Of Possibility. And blessed beyond measure.

This year; however, I am going to deviate a bit from my "no resolution" lifestyle and make what I choose to call a few "deals" with myself.

No, I will not call them resolutions.

I have never known of a resolution that was kept and; therefore, refuse to term these "deals" as such. Tomato/Tomato - Potato/Potato!

So here goes.

In the year 2012 I will attempt to...

1) Live a healthier lifestyle - a lifestyle that includes more exercise and fewer plates of fat-laden food.

2) Spend more time doing for others and less time doing for myself.

3) Remember that I don't have a soul - I am a soul. Nourish my soul through prayer, meditation, reading and writing.

4) Not neglect "toes" for weeks/months at a time (see 3)!

There you have it. In writing. My "deal" list for 2012.

Now, here's my "will do" list for 2012:

I will:

Live, Laugh and Love. A LOT.

I will cherish The Señor, my family and the life God has given me each and every day.

I wish the same for each of you.

Happy New Year and may God bless you and yours.

Reasons I love fall (Number 3)

Comfort food.

Tonight I made one of my all time favorite comfort foods - Chicken and Dumplings.

This recipe is quick and extremely easy (I use frozen dumplings) and oh-so-yummy.

Chicken and Dumplings

Step 1 - Poach Chicken

Ingredients:

chicken, 5-6 lbs with skin and bones (I used 4 breasts and 8 thighs)

2 teaspoons salt

2 carrots, each cup in 3 or 4 pieces

1 onion, quartered

4 springs parsley

2 stalks celery, quartered

water to cover

Place chicken into a large pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add all other ingredients. Cover pot and simmer for 45 - 50 minutes or until done. Let chicken cool in broth. Remove chicken from pot, discard skin and remove meat from bones. Shred or cut meat into desired size pieces and store in a covered container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Strain broth and store for another use (broth may be frozen for up to 1 month).

Step 2 - Prepare dumplings

Fill pot with 90 ounces of store-bought chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add 2 packages of frozen dumplings (I prefer Reames Homestyle Flat Dumplings or Mary B's Open Kettle Dumplings) and cook; following package directions, until done.

When dumplings are cooked to desired consistency slowly stir in one can of Campbell's condensed Cream of Chicken Soup to dumpling/stock mixture until dissolved completely.

Add chicken to dumpling mixture and simmer slowly until desired consistency (25-30 minutes).

Reasons I love fall (Number 2)

Mums.

Seriously, need I say more?

Reasons I love the fall (Number 1)...

As has been well documented here, here and here I adore the fall.

I honestly can't understand how anyone could not.

After all, what is there not to love?

I suppose I should mention that I live in Texas. Anyone who has survived a Texas summer knows that we Texans welcome the arrival of cooler weather with great adoration.

As the change in temperature occurs and the earth begins to cool down it is as if Mother Nature breaths a great sigh of relief, relaxes and reveals her true colors.

And what spectacular colors they are. Deeply intense colors of golds, amethysts, reds and orange.

Just imagine it.

Can you see the colors in your mind?

Can you feel the freshness in the air?

Can you imagine it?

Just for a minute, close your eyes.

Imagine you're walking down a country road on a crisp fall day.

Each side of the road is lined with towering trees.

Each tree adorns its most glorious fall wares.

Now, take a deep breath.

In through your nose and out through your mouth.

And another.

And should you choose, take another.

Think about those breathes.

How did they feel?

Were they cleansing?

Did they invigorate you?

Did they add a little perk to your step?

I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Those breathes, they are just one of the things I love about fall.

I love the fall colors and the fall air and the way they cleanse my soul.

The Real Difference...

Source: secondhandwithstyle.blogspot.com via Maryann on Pinterest

"The real differences around the world today are not between Jews and Arabs; Protestants and Catholics; Muslims, Croats and Serbs. The real differences are between those who embrace peace and those who would destroy it; between those who look to the future and those who cling to the past; between those who open their arms and those who are determined to clench their fists." PARSIMONIA

Beautiful words...

A Green Chile By Any Other Name Just Isn't A Hatch...

We in the South love green chile peppers, especially Hatch Green Chile peppers. And to quote one of the lovely "Foodies" from foodie heaven (aka Central Market), "we will put a Hatch green chile in anything". And that they will.

Central Market is currently offering products such as (just to name a few) Hatch Green Chile corn bread, Hatch Green Chile hamburger patties, Hatch Green Chile tortilla chips, Hatch Green Chile sourdough bread, Hatch Green Chile popcorn and Hatch Green Chile gelato. Yes, you read right, Hatch Green Chile gelato. And I'll just tell you, don't knock until you try it!

A little history on Hatch. Hatch chiles come from the small village of Hatch, New Mexico. The BBC World News claims Hatch is the home of "the world's best chile pepper". If that isn't enough Hatch is also known as the chile capital of the world and is home to the annual Hatch Chile Festival which is held every Labor Day. With an average population of approximately 1700 people the festival has been known to bring as many of 30,000 visitors to the village for this event.

Coinciding with the Hatch festival is Central Market's Annual Hatch Chile Fest. This is their 16th annual and as our visit yesterday proved, it is in full swing.

Lined along the outside of the front of the store were three or four huge chile roasters and hundreds of boxes of chiles ready to be blistered in the flaming-hot barrels. It was 105 degrees in our neighborhood yesterday which seemed quiet cool compared to the roasting area. How those poor folks doing the roasting were able to bear the temperatures in front of the roasters is beyond me.

Central Market's roasting area...

Check out this super cool old truck they used as a part of their promo....

For those of you who are interested in roasting your own chiles you can simply roast them under the broiler. However, if you wish to become a die-hard-chile-roaster you will need one of these (no, not the man - the roaster!)...

Or you can buy them already roasted by the nice folks at Central Market which is exactly what we did.

Our purchase complete we brought our chiles home and the Senor quickly commenced to cooking.

On the menu, Chile Rellenos with Ranchero Sauce, Pork Chile Verde, flour tortillas and guacamole. There were two variations of the Rellenos, stuffed with chorizo or stuffed with Colby-Jack cheese. I must say, he out did himself on all accounts.

Here's a shot of the Chile Relleno with Ranchero Sauce for your viewing pleasure...

And the Chile Verde...

Let me tell you something, that man can cook!

The Relleno crust was light, fluffy and golden brown. The peppers perfectly roasted and the cheese hot and gooey. I prefer a cheese Relleno to a chorizo but our guests loved the chorizo. It's all a matter of preference! I consider myself a Ranchero Sauce aficionado and for the Senor's first effort it was very, very good.

The Chile Verde was pure perfection! Yes, I realize by saying this he may become near impossible to live with! He said he tweaked a couple of things in his recipe and it was pure, creamy, spicy goodness. The - Perfect - Comfort - Food.

So this my friends is my very own homage to the Hatch Green Chile.

If you're fortunate enough to live near a Central Market head on over and sample all the goodness they have to offer. Or, perhaps your local market is having a Hatch Green Chile festival of their own. Check it out! And let's not forget that Labor Day is just around the corner. Have you ever been to Hatch New Mexico? You might want to check it out!

Bottom line is this. If you've never had the pleasure of tasting a Hatch Green Chile I suggest you add it to your bucket list.