chilaquiles

 

About a year ago I was visiting some friends in San Francisco. The boys were off climbing in Yosemite, and the girls were busy eating anything and everything in the city. We started our morning at the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. This market is out. of. control. I have never seen so many different varieties of fruits and veggies in one place. We spent a few hours there walking around the booths and exploring the different shops in the Ferry Building.

Obviously, while we were there we got hungry. But how to narrow it down with so many tasty food stands? My friend, Stephanie, mentioned how delicious the chilaquiles was. I had no idea what this was--but when she explained it to me and I saw a plate of it for myself I was convinced. It was so simple, flavorful, and I couldn't get enough of it. I have been thinking about this dish of food off and on ever since and I finally decided to try it out at home.

I think I came pretty close to what I ate that day, although I think the addition of some of my best girlfriends made it taste even better.

Chilaquiles
Serves 4

You're gonna need...
2 cups Ranchera Sauce (below)
1 cup water

2 or 3 sprigs of epazote, optional
64 good-quality store-bought corn tortilla chips
1/3 cup of finely chopped onion
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro
1/3 cup of crumbled cotija
2 tablespoons of creme fraiche for drizzling

4 eggs

Bring the sauce, water, and epazote (if you’re using it) to a boil in a 2-quart heavy pot, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer gently for 5 minutes. Discard the epazote sprig. Season to taste with salt.

Add the chips to the pot and cook, shaking the pan or stirring gently to coat the chips, until the chips have absorbed some of the sauce but are still crunchy, about 2 minutes. Garnish with onion, cilantro, cotija, and creme fraiche divided among plates. We also threw a fried egg on top and some refried black beans on the side and it was delicious.


Ranchera Sauce

You're gonna need...
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (about 4 medium-large)
1 fresh serrano or jalapeno chile, coarsely chopped, including seeds
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2/3 cup of chopped white onion
1/2 of teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Set the oven or toaster oven to broil and preheat. Alternatively, you can preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. If you’re using the oven broiler, position the rack 8 inches from the heat source.

Core the tomatoes and cut a small “X” through the skin on the opposite ends. Roast the tomatoes, cored sides up, on a foil-lined baking pan until their tops have blackened and the tomatoes are cooked to the core, 20 to 30 minutes.

Slip the skins from the tomatoes. Put the tomatoes, chile, and garlic in the blender jar, and blend until smooth. Be careful when you’re blending hot ingredients: Cover the top with a kitchen towel, and hold the top firmly in place with your hand.

Heat the oil in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, and bring it to a boil. As the tomato mixture is cooking, swish a little liquid around in the blender jar and add it to the pan. Reduce the heat, stir in the sugar, salt, and cinnamon, and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes.

This salsa keeps in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to one month.

This recipe is from Roberto Santibanez’s cookbook Truly Mexican and can be found here.

Enjoy!

a sundance adventure - five years down

Last weekend Colby and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Time has flown by as it always does and I can't believe it's already been five years. We packed so much in before we had River, I hope we can keep up the momentum.

We spent the weekend at Sundance Resort, where we got married. We hiked and took baths in the gigantic tub (any tub is bigger than ours). Colby cooked me delicious food, and we just spent time talking about the past and the future in front of the fire. It was River's first stay there and we had a great time showing him around together. It was simple, relaxing, and the perfect way to celebrate.

three months

Yesterday this little man turned three months old. A common saying from parents is that "time flies". We all know this. But it seems like we can manage it a little easier as adults because our lives aren't rapidly changing. A baby's life is changing every day and I have never seen time fly so quickly. Every day a new skill is learned--a new appendage is found. River is such a happy baby and we have so much fun chatting, cooing, and gurgling with each other. I remember wondering weeks ago when he would finally be able to grab things, or hold his head up, or lay on his belly. It seemed like they were so far away. And now, he's doing all of those things! I swear, I just blinked and then just like that--a whole new baby.

River, these are my favorite things about you this month...

When you see me, you get the biggest smile on your face
You're going to sleep all by yourself (most of the time)
You can stare at your feet for minutes
You have long conversations with me
When I "rooaaaaaaaaaaar" you roar back at me
You're almost sleeping through the night
You smell amazing

welcome fall - oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies

Well, it's here. My favorite time of the year. I know everyone loooooves fall. There are pumpkin spice lattes everywhere, boots and sweaters to be worn, and 69 different products with pumpkin in them at Trader Joe's (trust me, I asked). But I really love fall. I was born in the fall, got married in the fall, and will forever be in love with the fall.

This weekend I went up to Sundance with a group of ladies for a baby shower for a friend of ours. It was so beautiful. We were up there a couple weeks ago with my parents and everything was still so green. It's amazing how much can change so quickly. This time the aspens were golden and the scrub brush was a soft shade of orange. We rode the chairlift up the mountain and took in everything around us. It finally felt like fall was here.

So, what better way to celebrate than with cookies. I know, I know... How can you celebrate fall with a cookie that contains absolutely no pumpkin? Trust me, it's possible. My dad used to make these all the time for us and they are so tasty. Just the right amount of sweetness and tartness. I hope you enjoy!

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

you're gonna need...
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons of butter, softend
3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of dry oats
1 cup of dried cranberries
1 cup of white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until creamy and then add the eggs and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the wet mixture and combine. Add oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips and mix.

Drop about a tablespoon of the dough onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and bake for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool for a minute on the cookie sheet and then move to a wire rack.

Should make about two dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

 

our colorado adventure

A few weeks ago, we ventured off to Colorado for a little exploring and time with friends and family.

Our friend Kara has been spending her summers doing research on the mayfly at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. We have wanted to visit her there for awhile and since we're so close and found ourselves with weeks off from work and a new little one to introduce to her it seemed like the perfect time. We left Salt Lake and stopped near Price, Utah to camp for the night. I'd like to think that River enjoyed his first night in the van, but I guess we'll never know for sure. Once we got to Colorado, we spent time with our friend at her cabin and also explored the nearby town--Crested Butte. We were in love. That is the most adorable little town ever. 

We walked around the town and had a tasty matte latte and cinnamon roll at First Accent Coffee Roasters. Followed by lunch at Teo Calli Temale and then ice cream at Third Bowl. It was a great day of catching up and eating and walking into all of the cute little shops. Colby and I spent most of the drive the next day dreaming of living there someday.

Friday we drove to Boulder to meet my parents who were meeting us there from Boise. Colby and I were planning to go to a concert even before River was born and they offered to join us for the weekend and -- the real reason -- to babysit River. After we settled into our little condo, we drove to Pearl Street and looked for a place to have dinner. Every time we go to Boulder we end up eating at Next Door. We wanted to eat there again, but thought we should look around just to make sure... And, of course, we ended up there and it was just as delicious as always.

The next morning we had breakfast at Snooze--this is a must whenever you find yourself in Colorado (or San Diego). It is so so so good. After breakfast we walked around town a little more and popped into a few shops to look around--and had too much fun here. We ended up back at our condo to nap for a little bit before Colby and I headed out to our concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The concert was so fun and, despite the fact that it was my first time away from River and there was horrible reception at the venue which wasn't fun for this mama bear, we had a great time.

We left Boulder on Sunday to spend one last night in Vail, CO. On the way there we made a couple stops at some cute little towns -- Idaho Springs and Minturn, CO. We just walked around the streets and grabbed some ice cream and other little treasures. We had a great evening in Vail and, except for River peeing all over the place during a diaper change, it was pretty uneventful. The perfect way to end our trip.

After being away from home for six days with a two and a half week old we were ready to be home. We caravaned back to Salt Lake and once we were home we slept so soundly in our own beds. We had so much fun making memories and getting to know our new little son.

Every time we go to Colorado I am blown away by its beauty. I like to think that Utah is full of beauty as well, but it's so nice to explore new places in this world--especially places that are right next door.