Midwest Luxury at Chateau Avalon

I had just finished lunch at a Kansas City, Kan. restaurant when I decided to visit an unusual hotel located nearby. My camera and I had a wonderful time touring the award-winning Chateau Avalon. Each room or suite has a distinctly different character, but all offer an escape from the everyday. And, with nearly two dozen themed rooms/suites, the hotel offers surroundings for every taste.

This area is part of the Roman Dynasty suite, with a 20-foot floor-to-ceiling mural, and a curtain-draped bed full of sumptuous linens located through an adjacent archway. As with every room at the Chateau Avalon, there is also a private bath. A stay in Seville means sleeping in a dark wood, four poster bed surrounded by classical Spanish art and furnishings. Visitors experience a whimsical escape when they stay in Pirate Cove, with murals of pirates and their ships, and a head- and foot-board decorated with skulls and crossbones.

Love Camelot? There's a suite for you at Chateau Avalon. Dream of living in a New York penthouse? Try it out here. Like the beach? Make a reservation for the Tahitian or the Tahitian Treehouse Suite. Enjoy fresh cider and cookies at check-in, breakfast in bed, and a complementary library of DVDs. You also can order beer and wine or a list of delectable 'evening indulgences.'

Chateau Avalon also lies within minutes of the Village West shopping, dining and entertainment district. A stay here is all about luxury, escape and romance.

Afternoon Tasting at Los Mayas, Santa Fe

The turquoise entry door at Los Mayas Restaurante greeted us warmly. So did the staff, particularly current executive chef and owner, Fernando Trillo, who clearly relishes his role as host. Natural light and bright colors continued throughout the old adobe restaurant and onto each plate.

Our tasting menu included nopales - pads from the prickly pear cactus - topped with Ranchera sauce, a tortilla-wrapped plantain smothered in a sweet mole sauce, and the first agave wine I had ever tasted. This rare wine is the 'mother' of tequila and the only variety served with lime.

Fernando's mother started Los Mayas, and recipes from the family's home Mexican state of Puebla are something of a rarity in Santa Fe. The restaurant also offers northern New Mexican dishes such as tri-color enchiladas and enchilada chicken mole and tamale pork red chile.

But the most exquisite part of our visit came when Fernando sat near the head of the table as he played his guitar and sang for us. By the time he ushered us out with kisses and hugs, we felt as if we had dined in a private home.

Yukon Gold Grill 'Fries'

Our quest continues for well-flavored food with reduced salt and saturated fats. Remembering the great flavor combo of Yukon gold potatoes and green chile in previous recipes (see posts for Yukon Green Chile Soup and Mexican Scalloped Potatoes) I set out to create a simple recipe that would complement marinated, grilled pork tenderloin.


What I came up with was a thick-cut 'French fry' that my husband could also grill on this lovely evening of spring-like weather. My waffle fry cutter came in quite handy too. The fries turned out perfectly and still tasted good two days later, straight from the refrigerator (though they're definitely better warm :)


Yukon Gold Grill 'Fries'
Makes 3-4 servings


4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, skin on
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder (or dried minced garlic)
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon green chile powder (VOE - there is some salt in this)


Using waffle cutter, slice potatoes into 3/4" slices. Mix together olive oil, garlic powder, minced onion and green chile powder. Brush each potato slice generously, on both sides, adding a little more oil if necessary to coat all slices well. Cook on grill about 20-25 minutes, turning frequently, until dark brown/black spots begin to form. ENJOY!


VOE - you may keep the grilled potatoes slightly heated in a warm oven and uncovered, for 20-25 minutes.

Old Town Albuquerque - Where Past Meets Present

It's been three years since Albuquerque celebrated its Tricentennial anniversary. In a city full of creative people I found celebratory manhole covers placed throughout Old Town an especially fun idea; a nice mix of new artistry celebrating old heritage. Old Town is a lot like these manhole covers - full of 300-year-old adobe buildings that showcase a wide variety of new art in many different forms.

Hot air balloon enthusiasts enjoy Discovery Balloons, where there's everything from T-shirts to Tiffany-style lamps and wind socks decorated with balloons. In the shops of Plaza Dom Luis, near San Felipe de Neri Church, patrons purchase handcrafted kachina dolls, gorgeous handmade sterling bracelets or handwoven Native American rugs and baskets. And, of course, chile artistry is evident among the ristras, sauces, and rubs available in several shops near the central Plaza.

Old Town is also a place of celebration, from live mariachi music that fills a retail courtyard, to shop owners who 'christen' passers-by with brightly colored beads. And margaritas + enchiladas never taste better than when they're savored on a cozy patio with a view of New Mexican history.

New Mexico's Original Clay Cookers

The clay cooking pot was shades of brown and black with gold flecks throughout - its design, a cousin of cazuelas from Spain and Romertopf terra cotta clay cookers. Available in Cafe Pasqual's Gallery, Santa Fe, above Cafe Pasqual's, it was crafted by Apache medicine man, Felipe Ortega, who has kept the same price on his piece for 14 years. Several shelves in the tiny gallery held his work, while pots created by a student (and slightly less expensive) lined another wall.

Ortega's breath literally shaped these pots, which sell for $100 per quart. Once fired, the indigenous clay makes each pot microwave, oven, and stove-top safe (although they should not be put in a dishwasher), because of silica that naturally occurs in the clay - a precursor to glass which makes it especially sturdy.

Despite their rugged appearance, Ortega's pots were surprisingly lightweight. Their generations-old design included a ridge near the top that remains cold to the touch, even with hot food sitting inside the 'bowl' of each pot. The indigenous clay also is naturally salty, reducing the need for added salt during food preparation; in fact a pot of beans cooked in one of these pots requires almost no seasoning.

Sometimes, old ways of preparing food are definitely worth a second look.

What's In My Food?

The food we buy and eat isn't always what it seems. Take, for instance this loaf of crusty bread. It looks fresh and tasty as it sits on the cutting board. But carve a slice from the end and you quickly discover there's something more to this loaf:


Who knew we'd find a dozen 'bunnies' in this bread? As my husband and I change our food purchases to reflect his new dietary needs, I become increasingly aware that food isn't always what it seems - especially if there's a nutrition label involved.

Our pre-bottled light ranch salad dressing with less fat has 22% of the daily salt RDA per serving; which means my husband must (a) use considerably less than the stated serving amount (b) choose a different dressing (after checking the salt) (c) make his own. The salt content per serving in a large can of imported tomatoes is less than half the level we found in a can from a local discount store. The imported variety costs 3-4 times more but, when you have to watch your salt intake it may be a financial 'sacrifice' you make.

And, when it comes to salt - or sugar - levels in homemade food, you've got to make some trade-offs. To reduce the salt in my spaghetti sauce I (a) used the imported tomatoes (b) added extra garlic to replace some of the flavor that typically comes from salt. Because sugar is another ingredient my husband must now watch in his diet, I lightly sweetened the sauce with four ground baby carrots and 1/4 cup of wine, instead.

We're only getting started, but I already have a clearer picture of how much sense it makes to create our meals from scratch as often as possible. After all, food appearances can be deceiving.

Red Ladder Outside of Albuquerque

I first saw this pueblo ladder glowing red against a star-strewn night sky far from city lights in September 2007. When I returned to Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa near Albuquerque, during last October's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, this mesmerizing image re-captured my heart - and my camera lens.

During my first visit, I was with a large group of people, while the second included my husband and a couple we've been friends with for many years. During my second visit I had my year-old,10-megapixel SLR in tow rather than the film SLR I'd used for a couple of decades. This image turned out so clear that, when this photo is enlarged, you can even see the knotholes in the wood.

But there's much more to this tribal-owned property than the red ladder. Located on land owned by the Santa Ana Pueblo, this understated adobe resort is a cooperative venture between the tribe and Hyatt corporation's management. During our Fiesta visit we sipped cocktails while watching golfers round the Twin Warriors course, rode horseback through some of the resort's gorgeous backcountry, and toured the swimming area where three different pools and a whirlpool entice guests throughout much of the year.

Next time, we may tour the resort's magnificent art collection, enjoy pampering at Tamaya Mist Spa, or participate in Tamaya's educational program - in which guests may learn to make adobe, craft a drum, or make traditional bread with a tribal member. No matter how often you stay at this one-of-a-kind resort, you'll never run out of things to do.