Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I am writing this from Santa Fe where the weather is a little warmer than Ohio and the sunshine is glorious. (I prefer to ignore the fact that snow is forecast here tomorrow.) Nothing makes me appreciate the magnificence of living in a place with four glorious seasons like a sunny day in winter.
We had dinner at La Boca last night and plan to check out Clafoutis and El Nido as well. Thanks for the great recommendations, friends. La Boca is a longtime favorite but the other two are new to me.
ON THE BLOG this week: Green Chile Carnitas are the perfect combination of two of my favorite savory dishes. It’s hard to find a combo that beats pork and green chili in my opinion. Carnitas are cooked until tender and melt in your mouth; then roasted at high temperature until the edges caramelize.
Oh my sweet HEAVEN. Cornbread Waffles with BBQ Pulled Pork and Spicy Coleslaw is something you have to try to really understand their greatness.
The tangy, sweet honey-lime jalapeno vinaigrette delivers a touch of lingering heat few can resist. It’s perfect on salads or layered over street tacos or burrito bowls.
Sweet and juicy, packed with fresh apples and just the right touch of spice, this apple pie is a fall and winter dessert favorite that we enjoy year-round.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Pasta is tossed with lots of butter, garlic, sage and red pepper to spice up this classic pasta dish.
With a rich ham flavor and a balanced combination of potatoes, leeks and peas, this slow cooker pea soup is a very pleasant surprise.
Fresh veggies, tangy red onions, crunchy walnuts, chewy sweet raisins and cranberries, salty parmesan and roasted acorn squash come together in this winter squash salad with a tangy sweet maple vinaigrette.
Tender pears coated in cinnamon sugar are topped with a buttery brown sugar crisp topping to create this delicious pear crisp.
What I crave: Have you heard of Senorita bread? This is a tender milk bread with a strudel of cinnamon-scented caramel-like filling and a topping of crunchy crumbs. I need this asap in my life.
my favorite things This week it’s these magnetic pins. I was looking for a simple set of magnets because on my cooking days I like to pin recipes I’m working on to the fridge. These are perfect for this and they get the job done without adding a ton of magnet clutter to the front of the fridge.
What I watch: Fatherhood. I started watching this movie just because it looked cute and since Kevin Hart played the dad I figured it would be good for a laugh. But once it starts? I recognized the story.
When I first started blogging, I followed Matt Logelin’s blog about life as a single father and shared the story of losing his wife the day after their daughter was born. It was heartbreaking at the time (and still is) but it made me so happy to see his story told in this film. It is excellent. You need a tissue or two, but overall? This isn’t so much a tearjerker as it is heartwarming.
What I read: Whispers in the Fall by Trisha Leigh. I stumbled across this book as a free Kindle book on Amazon almost ten years ago. It’s light sci-fi with a unique plot. There are enough puzzles to keep you turning the pages. I know not everyone enjoys re-reading books, but this was a great second read for me.
“Above all, love one another deeply, for love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
Have a great week full of little things that make you smile!
Maria