New Mexico: Day #4

We again had breakfast at the inn. The first choice today was Blue Corn Polenta with two eggs any style and sourdough toast - John ordered that. The other choice was Breakfast BLT served open faced on sourdough toast, lettuce, aioli, tomato, and eggs any style. And that's what I ordered. They also served a quick bread each day - today was an olive oil cake with lemon zest. I must try to find that recipe! Ate it before I took a photo : )

Today we visited Albuquerque's historic Old Town (www.AlbuquerqueOldTown.com). "Experience the grace & charm of Old Town Albuquerque! The focal point of community life, founded in 1706, by Governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdez. Old Town follows the traditional Spanish pattern of a central plaza and church surrounded by homes and businesses. Many of the historic homes are still standing and some have been renovated into shops, galleries and restaurants." 

Old Town is located between Mountain Rd and Route 66 just east of Rio Grande Blvd. We had fun exploring the plaza and the shops. See photo below - John said hi to the Hulk and Leonard from the Big Bang Theory (hah). The tree? Completely made up of empty plastic water bottles and lit with miniature lights at night!  The church near the central plaza was San Felipe de Neri Catholic church, but there also was a smaller chapel down one of the brick paths called Capilla de Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. We checked out t-shirt and souvenir stores, jewelry stores, art galleries, basket & rug shops, antique markets and cafes.

New Mexico's official state cookie is the biscochito, a spicy, anise-flavored, crisp cookie. They were first introduced to Mexico by Spanish settlers who brought the recipe from Spain. They are a holiday cookie staple in New Mexico. We had to try them!

Biscochitos (bis-co-CHEE-toe)

1.5 cups lard (can substitute butter, but will not be as crisp or moist)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 teaspoons anise seeds
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 3 tablespoons apple juice or milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat lard and 1 cup sugar in a bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and anise seeds, beat until very light. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cream mixture along with the apple juice. Mix thoroughly to make a stiff dough. Place dough on one end of a long piece waxed paper (3 feet). Fold wax paper in half (so dough is between) and press to about one inch thickness. Refrigerate until chilled. Roll out dough between waxed paper to just under 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with flour dusted cutters into 3-inch rounds or the traditional Fleur de lis shape. Combine the 3 remaining tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon in a shallow bowl. dip unbaked cookies into the sugar-cinnamon mixture on one side. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until tops of cookies are just firm. Cook on wire racks. Makes 4 dozen.

The Christmas Shop was a fun 2-level store with any ornament you could imagine. In addition, they had a Nativity gallery. I thought this was especially cool - with 9 separate pieces intricately carved.

Next up? Route 66! We just walked the portion of Route 66 that is in downtown Albuquerque, along Central Avenue.

"Route 66 in New Mexico is a special place. New Mexico is indeed the Land of Enchantment. For many people traveling the old Mother Road during its hey-day, New Mexico presented the first glimpse of the exotic cultures of the southwest. For the Route 66 traveler coming from back east it was as if they had entered another country. The fascinating Native American and Spanish cultures encountered along New Mexico's Route 66 presented the adventure of discovery - from the old Indian Pueblos dating back to days before European colonization to the old town plazas of Santa Fe and Albuquerque."

Route 66 was first commissioned in 1926 (utilizing existing roads when possible) with the first route alignment running north-south through Albuquerque, part of a giant S-curve. This original section was 506 miles of mostly unpaved road. They pushed for a straighter route, and in 1931 with federal money, it was realigned to a more east-west direction. By 1937, the entire route from Chicago to California was paved.

"Route 66 was fixed in the memory of many by John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath" and Bobby Troup's lyric "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" as well as CBS Tv's "Route 66". Today I-40 runs over much of the original roadbed, but many parts of the old highway can be seen today just beside I-40."

See Photo Below:

• Top picture is Route 66 pop - we saw this display and had to take a picture for our pop-addict Audrey!!
• Buildings - Middle row, left to right: Bliss Building (now Lindy's) circa 1929 Art Deco style, J.A. Skinner Building (now Villa di Capo Ristoranto Italian) circa 1931 Art Deco style. 
• Buildings - Bottom row, left to right:  People's Flowers circa 1944. KiMo Theater circa 1927 Pueblo Deco style. Maisel's Indian Trading Post and Brigg's Drug store and Soda Fountain (now Nick's Crossroads Cafe) circa 1909 Victorian style.

The KiMo Theater was built in 1927 as an extravagant Art Deco / Pueblo-styled showplace for movies and shows. For decades it delighted both travelers on Route 66 and local audiences, but by 1977 it was in such disrepair it was scheduled to be torn down. Thankfully the city bought it and restored it to its former glory.

We stopped at the Standard Diner (320 Central Ave SE) since it was on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (February 2009). I had not seen that particular episode, but thought the traditional diner classics on the menu would be good for our Route 66 afternoon.  They are billed as classics with a modern flair, so we were intrigued. John ordered the Diner Burger (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle) and I ordered the Meatloaf Sandwich (bacon-wrapped, aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, bun). We both got the side-salad, but we could have ordered the "soup of the moment" (changes daily)!

New Mexico: Day #3

We were going to try a restaurant for breakfast that would be on our way to our destination, however, it was very crowded so we ended up eating at Village Inn. So even though we have one left in Spokane... we never eat there, so I don't think we've broken the "eat in different restaurants while on vacation" rule? We took advantage of their VIB deal (you get 4 different items, your choice from the list of 2 eggs, a meat, a side, and then a pancake / waffle / crepe / french toast).

We headed on the historic Turquoise Trail, picking up Hwy 14 at Tijeras, going through Cedar Crest and turning onto NM 536 at Sandia Park, headed toward Sandia Crest and through part of the Cibola National Forest. We passed Tinkertown Museum (closed for the season) and then continued to the "High Point on the Turquoise Trail" - Sandia Crest (10,678 feet). This was also the Sandia Peak Ski area (closed until later in December) and the exact opposite side of the mountain where we would be visiting later. It was a nice drive and the car got muddy - but it was red mud, not brown. Appeared to be some type of red clay.

Next we went to the Sandia Peak Tramway (sandiapeak.com). "Sandia Peak Tramway was manufactured by Bell Engineering of Lucerne, Switzerland and constructed between 1964-1966 at a cost of 2 million dollars. This is a Double Reversible Passenger Aerial Tramway. Five thousand helicopter trips were made during construction of Tower 2 and the cable installation. New Tram cars were installed on the Tram's 20th anniversary in May of 1986." 

We purchased our tram tickets and ended up getting the car to ourselves - just John and I and our Tram tour guide Daniel. He was awesome. Full of fun stories on how the tram was completed and lots of interesting facts. Elevation of upper terminal - 10,378 feet.

"Although the Tram is an engineering marvel, visitors come mainly for the spectacular view - 11,000 square miles of the Land of Enchantment. Passengers ascend 4,000 feet in about 15 minutes, gliding along the western face of the rugged Sandia Mountains. No matter what time of day, the view is unparalleled." 

"The Sandia Peak Tram is 2.7 miles in diagonal length and is a bi-cable double reversible aerial passenger tramway. Both tramcars are attached to the hauling cables and the weight of the downhill tramcar helps to pull the uphill tramcar to the top. When the tramcars pass at midway, they are almost 1,000 feet above the ground. Top speed of the tramway is 24 feet per second, averaging 12 mph. The main drive is a 600 horse power dc electric winch motor."

What a fun excursion on the "World's Longest Aerial Tramway"!!

Next we visited the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuguerque International Balloon Museum, named in honor of balloonist and Tramway co-founder Ben Abruzzo. The Balloon Museum contains one of the world's finest collections of historic balloons and ballooning artifacts reflecting the history, science and culture of lighter-than-air flight. (balloonmuseum.com)

"Since the first balloon flights in 1783, there have been many feats recorded in the story of Balloon flight. Hot air and gas balloons have been used for adventure, scientific experiments, the arts, warfare, espionage, and the exploration of space." 

The displays were divided into these sections: How and Why Balloons Fly; Science; Recreational; Balloons in War. It was interesting to learn more about the history of hot air balloons and to see various uses. Interesting fact: The Montgolfier brothers, who owned a paper factory in France (1700's), became intrigued by a piece of paper that flew up a chimney under a roaring hearth one day. They began to experiment by filling a small silk bag with smoke and were thrilled as it floated to the ceiling.  The first balloon flight took place at Versailles on September 18, 1783 and launched with only a duck, a rooster, and a sheep in a basket. Since we were in New Mexico, we seriously looked into taking a hot air balloon ride - sounds terribly romantic, doesn't it? It was a splurge ($300 with others or $500 exclusive) and quite frankly, I like soil...

We went to Cracker Barrel for a very late lunch. Originally I was going to order comfort food, but ended up wanting something a little healthier so ordered the Country Chef Salad. Came with turkey breast, ham, bacon, cucumber, tomatoes, Colby cheese, deviled eggs (yes deviled) and sourdough croutons. Hah, not sure it was healthy, but it was good! John ordered the lunch special which included turkey, dressing and veggies. We had to check out the Country Store after we finished our meal. It's a fun aspect of Cracker Barrels - restaurant and store-in-one.

Headed back to the inn and then later that evening when we were hungry again, we ran to Smith's grocery store and picked up some snacks and then stopped to get a donut at Dunkin' Donuts.

New Mexico: Day #2

We had our first breakfast at the inn - included with the room charge. Talk about gourmet breakfast! Each day you could help yourself to homemade granola (oats, pecans, currants) and beverages (organic milk, fresh squeezed orange juice), but then could also order one of the two items for the day on the Farm Breakfast menu. (Each day they had two different offerings than any other day of the week). Today's menu choices included Brown Rice Cereal or Blue Corn Gordita. John ordered the Blue Corn Gordita with chorizo, sweet potatoes and red chile sauce. They graciously subbed eggs, toast and ham for me rather than the cereal. John was joking with me about my "milk, milk". I love milk! And he says half-way through breakfast, "I did not see any cows on the farm, but I did see goats." (Inferring I was drinking goat milk and not cow milk). Thus the photo of my "milk, milk".... you might have needed to be there....

We started our day at J&R Vintage Auto Museum located at 3650A NM Hwy 528, Rio Rancho, NM. There were 60 restored vintage cars and trucks housed in a 15,000 square foot museum including 12 classic automobiles that competed in the Great American Race and the 1995 winner, a 1917 Marmon. This was a FUN place to browse! The owner and family members restored all the vehicles on display. My favorite part of the museum was the "history" placard that was beside each vehicle - where it was purchased, from whom, when it was bought and when it was restored. It was enjoyable to chat with the owners after we toured the museum.

From the website (www.jrvintageautos.com) - "Gab bought his first antique car in 1959, a 1926 Model T Ford coupe, which he later traded for a '29 Chevrolet. He also bought a 1918 Model T Ford that had been made into a pickup from a touring car the same year in Raton. He bought their first Model A Ford, a 1918 Special Coupe, in parts and pieces from a friend of his in Trinidad, Colorado in 1963. He restored it and they drove it on several tours and it now sits on display in the museum." 

Next up was the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History at 601 Eubank Blvd SE, Albuquerque. From their webpage (www.nuclearmuseum.org) - "It's our mission to chronicle the past, describe the present, and imagine the future of nuclear science."

The museum was set up in different sections: Pioneers of the Atom, Decision to Drop (atomic bomb), Cold War, Hiroshima and Nagasaki (after-effects of bomb), Atomic Culture / Pop Culture, Radiation 101, Energy Encounter, Uranium Cycle, Nuclear Waste Transportation and Nuclear Medicine. Then we could go outside to the Heritage Park area, where they had planes, rockets, missiles and cannons on display.

The one display I found most fascinating was the placard in front of the Fiestaware. "Fiestaware was available in a variety of colors. The most popular color was red. What gave the pottery that special orange red color was the addition of uranium oxide in the glaze. One of the early casualties of World War II was the red Fiestaware. The U.S. Government confiscated the company's stock of uranium. Red Fiestaware remained absent from the company's offering until 1959. When product resumed, red was made using depleted uranium."

After the Nuclear museum we had lunch at Boston Market. Nice comfort food - meatloaf, corn, mashed potatoes, milk for me and ribs, cinnamon apples, green beans, pop for John. We were trying to keep to our motto of eating at restaurants we cannot patronize in Spokane when we are on vacation. So far, so good!

We drove over to one of the area malls (Cottonwood Mall) and walked around for awhile. Found a Disney store (hi Audrey) among other fun shops. We also started the hunt for my souvenir spoon. And finally we went to Pei Wei Asian Diner for dinner. We ordered ginger broccoli chicken and a teriyaki chicken bowl "to go". Then we sat there for what seemed quite awhile, watching other patrons come in to pick up their to-go orders. Finally we went up and asked where our order was. Unbeknownst to us, their computer had gone down at 5:04pm (right when our order was placed). They were able to re-do the order and we left at 5:32pm. They did give us our order at 1/2 price for the hassle. We went back to our inn to eat dinner and relax.

And watch TV. Something we had a hard time getting used to was the timing of the shows. We are used to prime-time tv starting at 8pm pacific. But they started prime-time tv at 7pm mountain. So we'd get back to the inn and plan to watch something, only to realize we had missed it. (And all news shows start at 10pm rather than what we are used to, 11pm).

New Mexico: Day #1

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, John told me to plan a trip and "surprise me". So at the end of September I started tossing around ideas - without the benefit of being able to ask John! I thought of going on a cross-country train ride, going to New York, going on a cruise. I thought of warm places or cold places. But finally I decided on New Mexico. John had gone on his mission in 1982 to the Albuquerque New Mexico mission. At that time it included New Mexico and then a portion of Colorado (Manassa / Alamosa), Arizona and Texas (El Paso). So I got online and booked our flights and our hotel and then spent all of October and November keeping it a secret from everyone. I did not even tell Audrey. People at work would ask where I was going for my December vacation and I'd just say it was a secret. John would tell his co-workers or friends at church that he'd pay them if they could get the surprise out of me. No one was successful! John actually did not even know if we were driving or flying. An email he sent me when I had him request vacation time at work said "Okay you just gave me another hint to where we're going - you said 'We will be back in town' so this must mean we're going out of town. Getting closer to guessing!" This went on for 2.5 months : )

On the morning of our flight, I had Audrey drop us off at the airport, finally telling them when we were pulling onto the airport property where we were headed. I think John was surprised - mission accomplished! Here we are waiting for our flight to depart. I thought the Spokane airport poinsettia tree was festive.

We flew United and after a quick layover in Denver, we arrived in Albuquerque and went to the rental car hub (off-site). Thought our rental car was pretty cute - a little 2-door mint green Fiat!!

We stayed at Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic farm located at 4803 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Los Ranches de Albuquerque, NM (www.lospoblanos.com).

Towering cottonwood and elm trees, planted in the 1930's, make a dramatic first impression, even in the winter months without all the foliage! This tree lined drive was particular cool at night.

"A Historic New Mexico Boutique Inn and Organic Farm set amongst lavender fields, lush gardens, and important architecture. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it is the ideal setting for retreats and special events."  

The property includes 25 acres of land, 6 acres of formal gardens and walkways, wild peacocks, farm animals, fields of lavender and organic vegetables. They utilize a "Field to Fork" program for the food served on the farm. The breakfast (included with our room) as well as a private dining option base their menus on seasonal ingredients available from the working farm or local farms. There is also a Farm Shop where you can purchase their lavender bath items, prepared artisan foods and local New Mexico gifts and books.

Our room was an addition to the original inn (Meem2) and included a Kiva fireplace, carved ceiling beams, hardwood floors, antique furnishings, wrought iron fixtures, Mexican tiled bathroom, a wet bar, a patio plus lavender bath products made on property! We had views to the gardens and the Sandia mountains, plus our room opened into a large interior hacienda style courtyard. Architect John Gaw Meem worked on the renovation in 1932. "John Gaw Meem, the "Father of Santa Fe style" is without question the quintessential New Mexico architect of the early and mid 20th century." Here are some views of our room.

Various guidebooks had suggested El Pinto Restaurant and Salsa Company (10500 4th St NW) as a place to dine, so that is where we headed. We ordered the El Pinto Chile Con Queso with chips as our appetizer. It was delicious! Quick internet search shows the recipe is 8oz pasteurized processed cheese (cut into chunks), 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 2/3 cup El Pinto green chile sauce. Microwave cheese chunks and milk for 2-3 minutes, stirring to achieve a creamy consistency. Strain all liquid from Green Chile Sauce, then add to cheese mixture and microwave until desired temperature (approx 1 minute). They make their own chile sauces - www.elpinto.com. John ordered the pork burrito (with pinto beans in a flour tortilla, rice on the side, smothered with your choice of red or green chile and topped with cheddar cheese).  I went rogue and thought I'd try something new - the stuffed sopapilla (two sopapillas stuffed with red or green chile, pinto beans, and your choice of chicken, beef or pork, garnished with lettuce, tomato and cheese). I was not thrilled with my choice as I don't like anything that resembles soggy bread - stuffing for instance - so the meat and chile sitting on the sopapillas created a soggy bread texture. So half-way through our meal my sweet husband traded main courses with me. Item of interest: New Mexico is the only state with an official question - "Red or Green?" - referring to the choice of red or green chile. Combining both red and green chile is often referred to as "Christmas".

After dinner we headed to see the "River of Lights" at the Albuquerque BioPark Botanic Gardens (2601 Central NW). This was a walk-through holiday production with more than 400 light displays and animated sculptures and a synchronized music light show. We really enjoyed it! However, we probably enjoyed the displays "in" the greenhouses best versus the ones outdoors as it was mighty cold. (How did I not know New Mexico would be colder than what I left in Spokane??)  We stopped in the gift shop for some cocoa to warm us up!

And back home to our beautiful inn, all decked out with luminaries and chile ristras.  "The ristra (string of chile) was originated as a method of drying and preserving chile pods for future use in cooking. Every fall, after the chile harvest is over, bright red ristras are seen everywhere in New Mexico."

Catch up!

A few things to make note of:

11/12 - The Youth hosted a Single Sister dinner for the older sisters in the ward. John came home and was raving about the food that some of the young women leaders had brought. I was able to get two recipes from Nicole Black. See below - Pumpkin Dump Cake and Buffalo Chicken Chili

11/18 - John came inside before going to work and said he thought his truck had been gone through during the night. I asked him why he thought that? He took me out to his truck where all the contents of his glove box were all over the seat and his garage door opener was in a different spot. They took nothing from the truck, however, we found later that they had used the garage door opener to get into the garage and take one of John's nicer tools. (Did not realize until when he went to go use it). We have now taken to keeping the garage door opener inside the house.

12/3 - Safeway Spokane Distribution Center luncheon at work. The meal was catered again this year. Went down after the crowd had died down and the food was running low, but still had an opportunity to visit with current and retired Safeway employees.

12/5 - Safeway Spokane Store managers luncheon at Twigg's in the valley. New venue for us this year. Brian (District Manager) and the Store Managers were in attendance. Because our HR rep Nancy had just left for another job opportunity, I was the only other one there besides management. Nancy usually had attended in the past. We had a nice lunch (able to order off the menu), a short meeting and then the gift exchange. Doug Ryan and Dan DiCicco had planned a few fun games and a different spin to the gift exchange. Made it more enjoyable as they had said "no alcohol" this year! Meant I could actually have more than one other gift to choose from. No... I did not go home with this bear. Part of the gift exchange was being able to steal from others and one of the managers' young child was the ultimate recipient.

12/6 - Safeway Columbia Store managers luncheon in Moses Lake at Michael's on the Lake. Jodee (HR Rep) and I carpooled to the meeting. Jodee was a little sad (as she was retiring the first of January) so knew this would be one of the last opportunities to see the store managers. Little did we know that it was the last time we'd have Craig as our District Manager. At the meeting he announced his retirement, with last day of 12/10. I was pretty emotional as Craig has been a wonderful boss and great supporter for all in the district. He truly will be missed! What ended up being kind of funny..... the store managers in Columbia also do a gift exchange. Jodee and I were discussing what we had brought for our gift exchange. I (as usual) had something non-alcoholic, but Jodee brought something she thought no one would guess. Well, we started opening the presents. #1, #2, #3, #4, #5..... each gift was Crown Royal. Each one! They were different sizes or gift packs, but all were Crown Royal. When all the presents were open, every single one was Crown Royal except what Jodee and I had brought. After Craig made his retirement announcement, the store managers "gifted" all the Crown Royal gifts to Craig. They had NO idea he was retiring, but kind of thought he would in the next couple years. So without realizing it, we actually had a Going-Away party for Craig. Nice venue if you are ever in Moses Lake - I ended up ordering crab stuffed chicken (delicious). After the meal Jodee and I headed home. I was pretty bummed out, was not a happy day for me.

12/6 - And John had a YM winter camp-out so was already gone by the time I got home, all weepy....

12/9 - Today was the last day that I would get to have Craig as my boss and District Manager since I was on a planned vacation starting 12/10. Very sad day. Below was the official announcement they sent out about his retirement. I'm going to miss him!!!

Craig started his career as a produce clerk with Safeway at store #376 in 1969 and was promoted to Store Manager in 1989. He managed 2 stores and was subsequently promoted to Director Retail Support in March of 1997. He was promoted to District Manager in January 2000 successfully managing the Metro, Everett, Spokane and Columbia Districts. His accomplishments and contributions over his 44 years with Safeway are too many to list! Craig’s positive outlook, along with his commitment and drive for excellence are very much appreciated and he will truly be missed by all who have worked with him. 

Here are the recipes from the 11/12 event.

Buffalo Chicken Chili
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1" pieces
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
28 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce
Blue cheese

In a 5-6 quart crock pot, mix all ingredients except the buffalo wing sauce and the blue cheese. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir in sauce before serving. Sprinkle blue cheese on individual servings if desired.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 large can (29 oz) pumpkin
1 can (13 oz) evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup melted butter

Mix the first 8 ingredients together and pour in a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix. Pour melted butter over the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Sam's Birthday!

What a fun day! At church Jessie asked if we had seen the movie "Frozen" and then proceeded to give me this fun Olaf cookie! Mom gave me a scarf she made, Kathy T gave me an apron/towel set, Kathy (my sister) sent me red glasses, snowflake and snowman potholders and a wooden spoon, plus a Halloween frog-witch came in the mail from Kathy too.

After church and dinner, we opened presents. John and Audrey got me a black necklace, Just Dance 2014 for my Wii, and something in this big blue fabric bag.....a new camera - wow!

Ornament Shopping

Grandma, Michelle, Cheyenne, Mariska, Tyler, Audrey and I went on our annual ornament shopping today at Old World Christmas factory outlet store. It was very busy!! After choosing our ornaments we probably stood in line for 30 minutes, though we did have a fascinating conversation with a couple in line with us. Where we spent $24 for our ornaments, this couple had well over $200 (or more) in ornaments. This is an outlet store where all the ornaments are $4 a piece... Audrey picked out a dinosaur, a cougar and a mountain goat. I got a camper, a carousel, a bunny, a snowflake and a reindeer. Afterwards we went to Denny's and had lunch (or in Audrey's case - breakfast).