300 Days of Sunshine

I love fruity salsas, especially in the summer time!  One of my favorite restaurants in Santa Fe has a delectable spicy mango salsa the I could just gobble up in minutes.  These yummy turkey fillets are served with a pineapple jalapeno salsa that offers just the perfect amount of sweet and spicy.  I love the combination of flavors and colors. Fiery Turkey Fillets with Roasted Pineapple Salsa (from the Santa Fe School of Cooking's Flavors of the Southwest): For the Turkey: 3 pounds turkey fillets, well trimmed 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder 2 tablespoons pureed chipotles in adobo 3 tablespoons Chimayo chile powder 1/4 cup finely minced onions 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano 1/2 tsp toasted and ground cumin 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup white wine 1 tsp salt 1.  Rinse fillets quickly under running water and pat dry with paper towels....

I may not have any human children, but raising two 4-legged, furry daughters must count for something!  For Mother's Day I made myself this decadent Snickers Cake... I found this recipe on my favorite blog (Brown Eyed Baker).  I attempted to make it a few weeks ago after our duathlon, but I seriously underestimated how much the cake would rise and nearly started the oven on fire.  However, I am a determined baker, especially when chocolate and peanut butter are involved, and I decided to give it another try. For the Cake : 2½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 3 cups granulated sugar 1 cup + 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder 1 tablespoon baking soda 1½ teaspoons baking powder 1½ teaspoons salt 3 eggs, at room temperature 1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature 1½ cups strong black coffee, hot ¾ cup vegetable oil 4½ teaspoons vanilla extract Make the Cake : 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottom...

My friends and I had a Saturday off together and we were craving a long hike.   We had some snowfall in Santa Fe this week, but with a chance of thunderstorms in Pecos and Abiquiu we decided to stay in Santa Fe and embrace the unwelcomed late-season flakes.   The trail to Santa Fe Baldy and Lake Katherine begins with a few uphill switchbacks followed by a long descent through spruce trees and aspens.   This is my favorite section of the Winsor trail; even when leafless, the bark of the aspens is so beautiful and makes the trail feel sunny.     Kua is excited about the snow! Beautiful blue skies. Kua found a skull.  Lovely. The slushy snow made the hike more challenging, especially on the return trip, but thankfully it wasn’t deep in this section.   The trail then crosses two creeks and leads to the Puerto Nambe clearing.   This was about the halfway point, where we rested briefly and prepared for a 2.5 h...