Archive

Food

USA: Chimayo, Sacred Dirt & Chili

December 14, 2011
Adventure, Food, South West
Leave a comment

The closed gates. Just try to tell me that this doesn't look like a place with sacred dirt.

In Santa Fe I stopped by to see a work colleague. Within the first few minutes of our conversation, she had convinced us that we had to go see the town of Chimayo about 45 minutes outside of Santa Fe. Apparently there is a famous sanctuary in the Chimayo and to take some of the dirt from the ground of this sanctuary is supposed to have bring good luck and health. Decision made. I figured at this point, I should be taking all the help I could get.

Unfortunately the sanctuary closed at 5pm and we rolled up at 5:20pm. Perhaps seeing the sanctuary wasn’t meant to be, but meeting our new favorite chili vendor was. I just wanted to wander into one of the galleries that still looked open, but the chili vendor stopped us. He persuaded us to take a pistachio, “put it in your left molar”, and then chew it with a pistachio shell full of whatever magnificent chili mix he happened to have ready for us. Each trial was followed by a list of possible dishes that could made with the chili: Red was for baked chicken, spaghetti, guacamole. Green was for fish, salsa, etc, etc.

I might just be evolving into a softy for a driven entrepreneur, but within 10 minutes he had sold us not one but two bags of chili. If we actually had a kitchen still in which to use them, I probably would have bought many more bags. Heading back to car, I had the thought — if you can’t walk away with a bag of holy, healing dirt, two bags of chili might just be the perfect substitute.

A Favorite Find: La Nortena Tortilla Factory

December 8, 2011
Favorite Finds, Food, South West
Leave a comment

Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of this great place. My La Nortena experience was “to go”, so I didn’t realize what I had come across until I was miles down the road.

Located in the small West Texas town of Pecos, La Nortena was hard to miss with the full side wall of its former building being painted in bright colors and an arrow pointing across the road. Even with this welcome, the place had a surprisingly understated facade. Simple, clean, and open, walking in you felt as if you were entering an industrial version of your grandmother’s kitchen. A few tall tables off to the side were in front of a line of refrigerators and freezers offering bags of tortillas and pints of beans and meat.

Homemade tortillas and tamales are the house specials, but beans, rice, and perfectly seasoned Asado are also available for purchase in bulk or single counts. I suggest a Burrito Asado (the meat is so perfectly seasoned, there’s no need for the guacamole, sour cream, or cheese) and a tamale dinner with rice and beans.

A Favorite Find: The Dunes Cafe

October 16, 2011
Adventure, Favorite Finds, Food
Leave a comment

A teeny store front hidden at the back-end of a small shopping center, The Dunes Cafe in Florence, Oregon was an unexpected surprise find. Admittedly, I didn’t find it myself. Only an eagle eye would have noticed it tucked off of the 101 highway. We were directed to it by the young man at the gas station up the road.

With just a handful of tables and 5 bar stools, the atmosphere was cozy to say the least. It was a little after 10 in the morning and the place was packed. I ordered an egg and bacon sandwich and tucked myself away by the bar to keep out of the fray. Within 5 minutes I had one of the most delicious breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted, and I had made a few new friends at the cafe bar.

USA: Dozinky Days

September 23, 2011
Adventure, Food, MidWest
2 Comments

Being married to a farmer has all kinds of benefits. One of those benefits being a brand new appreciation for harvest festivals (until 4 years ago, Thanksgiving was the only harvest festival I knew).

Main St in New Prague packed with onlookers for the 2011 Dozinky parade.

In my husband’s hometown of New Prague, MN, there is an annual tradition of celebrating Dozinky Days, a Czech harvest festival, at the end of every September. I have only been partaking in the tradition now for three years, but let me tell you, it is a sight to see. Main Street gets closed off and the whole town comes out for a party that seems to last non-stop for 2 full days.  Beer gardens, dumplings, sauerkraut, and klotckys (Czech pastries filled with poppy seeds or fruit) seem to be on every corner, while yodeling concerts take place by the chamber of commerce.

Barten Wee-Bee-Littles

To this Virginia girl, it is a true cultural experience made even richer by the fact that I am not just a bystander but a willing participant. Friday night at the festival consists of selling pork burgers at the Barten family stand, a tradition begun by my late father-in-law almost 20 years ago. Then Saturday morning we all venture back out to Main Street to take part in the parade. Orange Barten Pumpkin t-shirts go on (on me they go on over wool long johns, a fleece, and a scarf!) and off we go, handing out thousands of Wee-Bee-Little pumpkins along the way.

A Favorite Find: Poffertjes in P.E.I.

September 4, 2011
Adventure, Canada, Favorite Finds, Food
Leave a comment

I came across these Dutch delights not in Amsterdam but in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Located on Victoria Row in downtown Charlottetown, this cute little cafe’s yellow and black umbrellas are inviting on their own. But look closer and you will notice the owner, Lucy, dressed in a darling European ensemble, dropping dollops of dough into the cafe’s only window adornment – a special griddle just for poffertjes.

“But what are poffertjes?” you may ask. Imagine a ball of perfectly cooked sweet dough swimming in butter and covered in sugar. It is as if heaven were on the end of a little wooden fork.

Only offering their signature poffertjes and a house blend coffee, Poffertjes Dutch Mini Pancake Company’s business plan seems simple — Do one thing and do it well. Mission accomplished.

A Favorite Find: La Have Bakery

September 2, 2011
Adventure, Favorite Finds, Food
Leave a comment

La Have Bakery, Nova Scotia

My new addiction in Canada became berries (blue, ras, and black), so you can imagine my excitement when we stopped at La Have Bakery in La Have, Nova Scotia and discovered that they had delicious homemade blueberry muffins. Cute, quaint, and quirky this place had great food, a craft co-op downstairs, and a gallery and custom skateboard store upstairs. Everything you could need!