Huevos Rancheros- a tasty breakfast choice

In case you haven't had the pleasure of ordering a plate of Huevos Rancheros for breakfast in the Southwest, I would like to share that pleasure with you.

Huevos Rancheros, Gabriel's Restaurant

Like many regional dishes, Huevos Rancheros make their appearance in different forms.  The basic ingredient is a soft corn tortilla topped with a fried egg (I order my eggs 'over hard'.)  The creativity of the dish lies with the sauce covering the eggs.  Some Huevos Rancheros are topped with a rich, thick red chile sauce, in which case the dish tastes similar to enchiladas.  Other Huevos Rancheros, like the ones pictured above, have a sauce made by sauteing tomato, onion, garlic and some type of green pepper (from mild to really hot!).

Side dishes will almost always include beans, called refritos, because the already cooked beans are fried in oil. Some restaurants also offer a spicy rice dish as a side, but I prefer the vegetable mixture pictured above. Huevos Rancheros are not a plate to order if you are watching calories, fat intake, or cholesterol levels, so eating more vegetables at least relieves some of the guilt.  Huevos Rancheros are often accompanied by flour tortillas, sometimes served in a small basket wrapped in foil or a cloth to keep them warm.  

At this point, I have talked myself into setting out for a Mexican food restaurant.  But I didn't want to fail to mention the location, because it is my 'old stomping ground', Ysleta, an historic area now part of El Paso, Texas.  

Gabriel's Restaurant at 9100 Alameda Avenue in El Paso's Lower Valley.

It has great service and food, and the rainy Saturday morning we were there, a friendlyguitar player was singing Mexican ballads.

Gabriel's Restaurant- interior

 Gabriel's is located across the street from the Ysleta Mission, the oldest mission in Texas.

Mission grounds 

This is the historic chapel that has been rebuilt several times because of floods and fires.

Chapel

For more information about the history of this area, here's a link Ysleta Mission.

Isn't there an old saying about not appreciating what is in our own back yard?  Huevos Rancheros at Gabriel's in El Paso was a memorable experience that I enjoyed sharing with you.

Three ways to enjoy Santa Fe

Santa Fe, New Mexico, prides itself on being "The City Different"  I certainly found this to be true when my husband Wayne and I spent last weekend in the New Mexico state capital.  Santa Fe has much to be proud of.  It is the oldest state capital in the United States.  Its architecture, art, music, food, and festivals reveal influences from several cultures. It is lively, colorful, and, at an elevation of 7000 feet, cool in the summertime.

Santa Fe also has the reputation of being artsy, expensive, and, well, a little snooty. Where better for Wayne and I to add a little culture to our West Texas lives? Ignoring joking remarks from friends and relatives, we bought tickets to a performance of the opera "Carmen" being presented at the Santa Fe Opera House. What we discovered is that Santa Fe can be enjoyed on several different cultural levels.

Let's start at the highest cultural level - the opera.  The Santa Fe Opera House is located a few miles out of the city, surrounded by wide open spaces and breathtaking mountains.

View from Santa Fe Opera House

The opera house is an open air (but covered seating) structure with a modern architectural design.

Santa Fe Opera House

We arrived early to hear an excellent talk about the opera and then returned to the parking lot to tailgate. Yes, tailgate at the opera! Our dinner was not as fancy as the champagne, fruit and cheese of other diners, but we had stopped by Whole Foods Market earlier for some healthy snacks.  The opera performance was enjoyable, although as the hour was nearing 11:00 pm, both of us later confessed we secretly wished Don José would get on with stabbing his gypsy love, Carmen, so we could get to bed!

On the next level of cultural experience, two typical tourist activities stand out.  One was having breakfast at La Plazuela, the distinctively decorated dining area at La Fonda on the Plaza hotel.

La Plazuela

Another was attending a flamenco dinner show performance at El Farol, the oldest restaurant in Santa Fe. 

El Farol on Canyon Road

It was a whole evening's entertainment, making our way through various tapas and watching the very energetic flamenco show presented on stage.

Fellow diners at El Farol

An example of the third level of cultural entertainment was sitting in the central plaza, just a few steps out of the La Fonda hotel, eating tamales from a stand, listening to accordion music, and, best of all, people watching. 

La Plaza on a Sunday afternoon

Flowers in La Plaza

Musician in La Plaza

So, which level of culture did we enjoy most?  It is difficult to choose, because each type of entertainment had its own charm.  But my mind keeps drifting back to La Plaza, with the happy buzz of people of all ages and all walks of life enjoying life in Santa Fe with friends and family.
  

Serendipity on the San Antonio River Walk

"A visit to San Antonio, Texas in August?" I asked myself.  Blazing heat, high humidity, heavy traffic, no downtown parking, crowds of tourists - the list of reasons that I really didn't want to go to San Antonio in the summertime grew and grew.  I conjured up a miserable visit.  My husband Wayne had business dealings in a small town south of San Antonio this week. I was secretly hoping he could get his business done quickly so we could return home as soon as possible.

Thank goodness the Grinch didn't take complete control of my personality when Wayne's business was delayed for several hours.  Desperate for entertainment, we drove into San Antonio and headed for the River Walk area about 9:00 am. Traffic wasn't heavy, parking was readily available, and there was a cool breeze blowing. Good start!

First on the agenda was breakfast by the river. We crossed through the grounds of the Alamo, promising ourselves to return a little later in the day, and passed through the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel to access the walk. I must admit that first view of the river always takes my breath away.

We strolled along the river and stopped in for breakfast at a restaurant with outdoor seating .

Between watching the ducks in the water and the fellow tourists on the walking path, we stayed well entertained and ordered a second cup of coffee.

Barges plied the river, some already full of tourists of all ages enjoying themselves, and some advertising for customers. Restaurants were preparing for lunch or dinner guests later in the day.

As we walked further around the river, I especially enjoyed watching the animals who lived there. There were squirrels with long fluffy tails who scampered among the plants. White or brown ducks glided quietly through the water.

And birds watched patiently for dropped crumbs from diners' tables.

Being card-carrying Texans, we made our pilgrimage to the Alamo.  The grounds of the Alamo are beautifully landscaped.  I felt a mantle of calm fall on my shoulders as I admired all of the green, so different from our landscapes in the western part of the state.

'Serependity' is defined as "the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for."  The visit to San Antonio was a bit of serendipity in our lives.  Thank goodness I didn't talk myself out of this great experience.

A sure bet for the Southwestern yard

After living in the desert Southwest for many years, I must admit to more gardening failures than successes. We must contend with blazing hot summers, freezing cold winters, and scant rainfall. But one species of mesquite tree, the honey mesquite, is the star of our outdoor area. Four of these hardy trees grow in our front yard and driveway. And I love them.  

Over the years my husband Wayne and I have been referring to the mesquites as a family. The first two mesquites to be planted we named the mom and dad trees.  They stand together on one side of the driveway, providing shade for parking during the warm months. 

Mom and Dad mesquites

Both trees are quite large now, sprawling over the yard, keeping the scorching afternoon sun from baking the cacti and other native plants growing there. 

Desert plants enjoying some shade

From time to time, Wayne has to curb the trees’ exuberant growth pattern with his chain saw.  My job, as assistant pruner, is to drag away the cut limbs for disposal.  The trees never appear to be scalped or shorn but do seem to appreciate the new space to stretch their limbs even more.   Birds of many species, including hummingbirds, perch in the branches high above the ground.

Buoyed by the success of mom and dad mesquite trees, we added another.  It quickly became known as “teenage mesquite,” mirroring our family makeup at that time.  It has now reached the second story of the house so that I can see it from my upstairs bathroom window. Teenage mesquite has been a great tree, growing steadily while providing protection for native plants beneath it.  This tree is of course much thinner and leaner than mom and dad, as teenagers tend to be.

Teenage mesquite on right

Another addition to the mesquite family, “baby mesquite”, was the last to be planted  Its two predecessors unfortunately died shortly after planting.  But baby mesquite is thriving.  It lives on the opposite side of the driveway from the other family members. Two species of sage bushes and some hedgehog cacti are thriving underneath it, hiding from the afternoon sun.

Baby mesquite

I highly recommend honey mesquite trees for the Southwest yard.  They require no extra water once established; they grow to great heights and provide shade to large areas; and best of all, they only leaf out in the spring after the last frost.  The mesquites tell us when it is safe to start spring gardening.

Oops.  I believe I failed to mention the vary large quantity of mesquite beans that drop from the trees and litter the ground.

Mesquite beans

I suppose if I were on a true back to nature kick I would gather them and grind them into flour. That's probably not going to happen anytime soon  I'll leave them on the ground for a natural look!