Posted at 10:00 am by NativeNM, on January 21, 2022
Atole is a masa based hot drink that is mixed with milk, water and cinnamon that is pure comfort. The texture resembles Malt-O-Meal or Cream of Wheat with more liquid that you can drink for a quick breakfast. You can add berries, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup to add a little sweetness and flavor. atole also has many health benefits such as providing good digestion, antioxidants, anti inflammatory properties and is gluten free. I like it with brown sugar and a sprinkling of toasted pinon nuts which gives it an earthy nutty flavor. If you eat healthy grains for breakfast, give atole a try. It’s delicious and good for you!
Posted at 10:49 am by NativeNM, on January 4, 2022
It’s that time of year again when I get a craving for sweet rolls. It must be the holidays, the chill in the air and a hot drink that make me desire them so much. I like to make them up ahead and freeze individually so that I can pull one out every so often. I love them with my morning coffee, afternoon tea or generally anytime, which is why I have to put them out of sight in the freezer or I might be tempted to have one every day. This years flavor is lemon blueberry, it’s not overly sweet but has a wonderful blueberry flavor with a citrusy lemon glaze. These two flavors just belong together. And the brioche dough is so light and tender, it practically melts in your mouth.
Posted at 12:05 pm by NativeNM, on December 30, 2021
The first time I ever tasted a Cinnamon Brioche Cruffin was during our Wyoming vacation in September. Persephone’s Bakery in Jackson Hole serves up some of the best pastries you will find anywhere. On our Wyoming holiday we started each day at Persephone’s Westbank to have breakfast with Joe having a savory breakfast with eggs and I with a pastry and coffee. My favorite thing was the Cinnamon Brioche and I vowed that one day I would recreate it. I had no idea how much work goes into making this irresistible flaky dough but it was so worth it. The outside layer is crisp with buttery layers rolled up together with cinnamon sugar. It’s one of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever tasted and one of my biggest accomplishments if I do say so myself!
Posted at 10:08 am by NativeNM, on December 17, 2021
A couple years ago Joe and I drove through Pie Town, NM; you might remember me mentioning it from our travels to the Gila Cliff Dwellings and the Catwalk Recreational Trail. It’s an enchanting little town who’s claim to fame is three pie restaurants with a long history of selling pies since the 1920’s. They are Pi-O-Neer, Pie Town Cafe, and The Gathering Place. On our visit we stopped at the Pie Town Cafe and had a slice of Apple Cranberry Pie and a slice of Pecan Pinon Pie. Talk about WOW, that slice of Pecan Pinon Pie was something I had never tasted before, the filling was similar to the texture of a pecan pie but the taste indicated there was honey or possibly maple syrup along with or in place of corn syrup. That pie has never left my memory and today I finally made the Pinon pie of my dreams. I set out to test the different versions that might taste similar to Pie Town’s pie. I mixed a teaspoon of corn syrup with honey and another teaspoon with maple syrup. I set it in front of Joe and had him taste to find out his thoughts on what tasted best to him and I did the same. We both agreed that the honey combined with corn syrup was the one. From there I decided to give it a little kick by adding some red chile flakes to the filling. After all I’ve already made an Apple Green Chile Pie with Pine Nut Streusel and that turned out amazing. I am happy to say my Honey Pinon Pie tasted way better than I ever imagined. You never know what will inspire you when you travel off the beaten path. Pie Town is one of those places!
Posted at 10:05 am by NativeNM, on December 3, 2021
For many years Apple Cranberry Pie has been one of our favorite holiday pies. Regardless of whether it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas, this pie nearly always ends up on the menu. It’s a recipe that I’ve been using since I picked up the 1988 edition of Southern Living’s Annual Cookbook. The original recipe included apples, cranberries and blackberries, however over the years after trying different berry combinations, my family preferred the apple and cranberry filling best. In October during apple season I tend to pick up a variety of apples to make pie filling to put up in the freezer. I also keep frozen cranberries on hand to use just in case I can’t find fresh. I’ve found that pie filling maintains best when vacuum sealed and will keep in the freezer for up to 2 month’s which makes pie making so much easier. This year I made enough filling for 2 pies. Whenever I bite into a slice of pie it becomes my favorite at that moment. I’m a pie fanatic and although no one would ever say my pies are pretty, I’ve never had a complaint about how they taste.
Posted at 7:05 am by NativeNM, on November 23, 2021
It’s almost time to celebrate Thanksgiving. There was a time when we enjoyed turkey and dressing with all the trimmings. In those days there were a lot more people gathered around our table but in the last few years it’s been just Joe and I. We’ve been trying new things, mixing a little of the traditional with some new twists. This year we settled on smoking a pork butt with red chile spices and will add some different sides to the table. One of the sides I’ve planned is Green Chile and Cheese Hominy Casserole which would be a welcome dish on any New Mexican table. It can only be described as creamy, savory and spicy. I used a soft fontina cheese along with sour cream to bind the casserole together and then topped it with cheddar cheese and bacon bits. All the ingredients are prepared in a small dutch oven and baked to perfection which makes this dish easy from start to finish. I hope you all have a festive day making new memories around your kitchen table. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Posted at 10:39 am by NativeNM, on October 14, 2021
When I woke up this morning it was 34 degrees! There’s a cold spell rolling through NM with snowfall in the northern mountains. But even though it was near freezing this morning, the sun is out and it feels warmer with every passing hour. With the cooler weather upon us I had a craving for a bowl of soothing pasta. I made a grocery run and picked up fresh ingredients to make tomato sauce with spinach and basil. That combined with Italian sausage and cooked tortellini made a pasta dish that was made for comfort. We had a leafy green salad with toasted bread, olive oil and dipping spices on the side. Simple yet tasty!
On our recent vacation to Wyoming we experienced some wonderful food, both familiar and some that was new to our palate. Josh took us to Calico’s Restaurant and Bar one evening. He had been hearing good things about their menu and wanted to give it a try. I was in the mood for a light meal and ordered their Watermelon Arugula salad. It was a big plate of marinated watermelon chunks with a sprinkling of arugula and goat cheese. The flavors in the honey lime marinade/dressing came through with just the right amount of sweetness. I was so impressed with this salad that I couldn’t wait to recreate it when we got home. I wasn’t sure if I could find watermelon since Fall is upon us. But sure enough when I went shopping they had some good sized watermelons that were on sale. While I was putting this together I kept thinking that this salad seemed familiar and not just from tasting it at Calico’s. It didn’t take me long to realize that I had seen a similar recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, Karen at Back Road Journal. Karen’s recipe is a Spicy Stacked Watermelon Salad with Feta and Arugula which is a spicy version that looks absolutely delicious! If you haven’t tried a watermelon salad, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Posted at 10:31 am by NativeNM, on October 1, 2021
September is one of the best times to travel. The summer travelers are headed back to work and school plus the weather is cooler. It’s been over 2 years since we’ve had a true vacation and I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed our time in Wyoming. Jackson Hole is where Josh calls home these days and we can truly see why he loves it so much. And to make our vacation complete, Cameron, our youngest son took some time off and joined us for the week as well. We all enjoyed the sights as Josh served as our tour guide taking us to picturesque places to hike and breathe the fresh mountain air. We had the most amazing weather, cool mornings with peaks around 75 degrees for a daytime high. But when the sun begins to set you better have a jacket nearby. One day was reserved to go to Yellowstone National Park. Between all of us we took hundreds of pictures of the many attractions along the way. We expected to see buffalo, moose or elk during our drive through Yellowstone but that didn’t happen until late in the day. As we started to head out of the park we spotted a lone buffalo who had us in stitches as he swam across a river and then promptly found a sandy spot where he rolled and rolled in the dirt. That was a highlight moment for sure! On other days we walked the shops in Jackson Square, went to one of Josh’s favorite places for stargazing near Mormon Row, and hiked along beautiful lakes with the most pristine clear blue/turquoise water you’ve ever seen. And the food . . . well, it was an experience in tasting new things and delighting in the discovery. But my favorite thing of all was the latte that Josh made especially for me.
Posted at 9:42 am by NativeNM, on September 3, 2021
Labor day for some signals the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. I love grilling outdoors and this year I bought a pellet smoker which has been so much fun to smoke ribs, burnt ends and pulled pork. So now I thought it would be fun to focus on one of our favorite side dishes. . . barbecue baked beans. There’s a lot of flavors packed into these beans including bacon, onion and jalapeno along with some sweet molasses and brown sugar. They are not just for outdoor picnics or family barbecues alone. I made enough for a meal or two and plan to freeze the rest in smaller portions that we can have later. If you are celebrating with family or friends this coming Labor day weekend you might want to make a pot of delicious barbecue baked beans to serve alongside.
An Inspired Cook 