Pomegranate Glazed Green Beans & Portobellos

Pomegranate glazed green beans.

The days may be getting longer but for this casita-bound goddess (I'm not one to strap on skis or skates or hurtle downhill on a toboggan, Darling) each successive chilly day invades my bookworm bones a little deeper. I get restless. I get itchy.

Don't you?

So after a leg stretching day in Santa Fe doing errands and getting a total pick-me-up shake-me-loose hair cut, Steve and I headed back to our quiet casita by the mesa with a bag of fresh green beans and portobellos and a bottle of Trader Joe's Pomegranate Glaze. Something new to try.

Just for fun.

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Roasted Red, Gold & Blue Potatoes

Roasted potato wedges make a tasty side dish.

Mornings have been bone-chilling frigid. The distant mountain peaks are snow capped, almost mystical against the deep-sea sky. The mesa behind us is still frosted white on the shadow side. Coyote tracks zigzag through the junipers. Yesterday, I watched a jackrabbit sprint across the western slope below our casita, his desert brown camouflage useless against the snow. I shivered and hustled to the kitchen to slice up potatoes.

Trader Joe's in Santa Fe had some of those trendy heirloom tri-colored potatoes this week, the sweetest little gems in purple-blue, red and gold. So, of course, Darling, we had to snag a bag to bring back home. We were both craving comfort food. 

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Snow and Chocolate

New Mexico snow.

Winter Near Taos

Life in New Mexico has been quite the adventure this past week, Dear Reader, with record-breaking snowfall measured in feet rather than the usual sparse and crystalline inch. Alex and his girlfriend arrived safely at Albuquerque International Sunport in the thick of it [one of the last flights in before flights were grounded left and right].

Driving south on icy highways through blizzard-like visibility to fetch them, we nearly ended up in a ditch south of Santa Fe. It was one of those out-of-body-holy-shit moments as we skidded and fishtailed in eery slow motion, high-beams bearing down on us alarmingly fast. 

How the truck missed us, I still don’t know.

With driving conditions impossible that first night we ended up staying over in Albuquerque, unprepared for an overnight [no toothbrush, change of clothes, or gluten-free snacks in sight]. The next morning, driving was still grim. Thanks to pal Joey’s expertise we were able to get two rooms in a brand new Hilton hotel in downtown Albuquerque to wait out the rest of the storm. On the way we popped in to an eerily vacant Wild Oats for a few gluten-free edibles.

Driving home three days later was easier, yet chilling, as we passed two dozen cars still stranded off-road in various ditches and snow banks. It took us six tries [at a running and gunning start] to climb the winding snow-packed road to our casita. Note to self – a Honda Fit does not perform in snow. Now I know why native New Mexicans all drive pick-up trucks.

The week with Alex was fun – albeit rather snow-bound. There were plenty of pinon fires in the kiva, books to read and movies to discuss. There was Scrabble, a convivial evening with Joey and Will [four-wheel drive vehicle owners] and lots to eat - enchiladas, quesadillas, chocolate chip bars, spicy glazed turkey meatloaf, penne with roasted peppers and [turkey] meatballs, blue corn chips and jalapeno-lime salsa, popcorn and root beer floats, and a fudgy new flourless chocolate cake - find the recipe here.