Saturday Morning Walkers - October 31

Happy Halloween!

This week's post is more of a "travelogue" about our weekend in Taos, New Mexico. Barb, Cass, Jan and I had a lovely journey to Taos on Friday and arrived at the Lily House around 7 P.M. We got right to "cocktail hour" and settled in. The house is so welcoming - well-equipped and nicely furnished - very comfortable. http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.asp?mainurl=http%3a%2f%2fAGatheringPlaceInTaos.com&returnurl=/34301

After a feast of munchies, we also had Lamb Stew with Cippoline Onions (recipe courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis) http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31642,00.html?rsrc=search. I prepared it and froze it at home, then reheated it when we were ready - worked out really well and Cass's salad was a great accompaniment. Special mention also goes to Barb for her outstandingly "good, crusty bread". Jan made her Aunt Pearl's Fresh Apple Cake for dessert - thank you Aunt Pearl

Aunt Pearl's Fresh Apple Cake

2 medium apples
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Peel, core, and chop apples to make 1 3/4 cups. Add sugar and let stand 10 min. Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

Blend butter and egg into apple mixture. Add flour mixture stirring just until blended. Fold in raisins and nuts.

Put the batter into a greased 8" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for

about 40 minutes. (the batter is very thick and does not pour. I use

a rubber spatula to spread it around in the pan)

Saturday morning, Barb, Jan and I headed out for the Santa Fe flea market and Cass stayed back in Taos for a "retreat" day - we picked up some good treasures - lunch was at this great market/restaurant called the Tesque Village Market on Tesque Village Road just outside of Santa Fe. After lunch, we went just around the corner to the Shodoni Foundry and Gallery - there is an amazing display of bronze sculptures on the outside grounds and we got to watch them "pour" for a piece in progress inside the foundry. The process is quite remarkable. Check it out next time you're in Taos/Santa Fe!

Saturday night dinner was quite special - we "dined" at Lamberts right in Taos. The ambiance was warm and inviting and we had a wonderful meal, although Barb was bit disappointed in her Buffalo Steak, which was one of several specials that night. Jan and I shared a salad with Roma tomatoes, Artichokes and Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. Cass started with a corn chowder. Jan had King Salmon with Broccoli Puree, Cass had the Scallop special and I had Roast Duckling. http://lambertsoftaos.com/

Sunday morning we met up with Chris and had a hearty breakfast at the Dragonfly Cafe which was a short walk from where we were staying. Cass and Barb had the breakfast tacos which I tasted and they were yummy. Jan had the quiche, I had a frittata (I didn't love it) and Chris had eggs and sausage (I should have gone with that!) It is a very nice place and I would definitely recommend it - their bakery was incredible! http://www.dragonflytaos.com/

We spent the rest of the morning poking around Taos and shopping. Cass was delighted with the Day of the Dead stores and got a wonderful alter/wallhanging called Celestial Help. Lunch was at Ogelvies right on the Plaza - great choice! http://www.ogelvies.com/ Oh and we stopped at the Taos Inn to see the community alter. We ended up sitting there for a while and had quite a lively chat about religion and religious symbols.

After lunch we went to the Mabel Dodge Luhan house - it is a historical landmark that was built by Luhan and her Native American husband, Tony Luhan. Mabel was a patron of the arts and her story is pretty remarkable. The house is used today as a lodging/conference center. Natalie Goldberg often holds writing workshops there. Check out the website and read about Mabel's "colorful" life. http://www.mabeldodgeluhan.com/
We ended the afternoon at the Anaconda bar at the El Monte Spa - very fancy! After that full day, we stayed in that evening, nibbled and finished off the lamb stew. A nice lazy evening!

Monday morning we packed up and headed out early to The Hacienda de los Martinez. It is an example of the Northen New Mexico style from the late Spanish Colonial period. Definitely a worthwhile visit. After a bit of last minute shopping, we had lunch at Orlandos and then hit the road to go home. We really had no choice since there was not an inch of space left in the car with all our packages.

No book reports this week - I think I've gone on long enough for now - but I am in the middle of our book group selection right now and I can't put it down! The book is Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer.

Have a great week!

Love,

Susan