I recently took a week-long vacation with my son Ben to Albuquerque, New Mexico. We drove. It was a great drive once we left the snow banks of Minnesota behind us. Our first day there, we had to try the famous hot air balloon ride. In October, several hundreds of balloons launch into the sky over the city. On this day there was about 15. We were 6,000 feet in the air but, it felt as if we were still on the ground. The rise was so gentle, and the views were amazing.
Our second day we spent in Santa Fe, at a place called Meow Wolf. This is a huge building that has multiple rooms, doors, and portals that seem to never end. We even climbed through an actual refrigerator into another “dimension.” If you want to look for clues and solve puzzles, a person could spend hours and hours there. The closest comparison would be an endless fun house. Afterward, we tried some local Mexican cuisine with Mike’s college roommate and his wife. Delicious.
Day three was spent at Taos where Ben went snowboarding, and I checked out some local thrift shops. It was crazy to be downtown Taos in the 50-degree weather only to drive a short 30 minutes to several feet of snow and a perfect 30-degree day. I did a little shopping on the hill, but preferred the good deals from the second-hand stores. The upside to driving is plenty of room to bring home treasures.
Wednesday, I convinced Ben that he would love a spa day with his mom. He reluctantly came along and was a good sport when the only services available were facials. Don’t tell his friends, but I think he liked all the pampering. We then went on the highlight of the vacation: an RV Breaking Bad Tour. We’re both big fans of the show and had front seats to all the locations from the series. I even won a refrigerator magnet for answering a trivia question.
Our final day, we booked concert tickets to see the Los Lonely Boys. Excellent music, and fun to share this experience with my son. Just to say we could, we drove
19 hours home in one day. It was sad to come back to more snowfall and an icy driveway, but it was a great getaway.
Hugs and care, Sandy
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Caramelized Oranges and Yogurt
5 medium Mandarin oranges
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups honey Greek yogurt (18 oz.)
Cut one orange in half. Squeeze juice from orange, yielding about 2 Tablespoons juice. Set aside. Peel remaining oranges; cut each crosswise into four 1/4-inch thick slices. In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in 2 Tablespoons orange juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Continue cooking until brown sugar dissolves. Add orange slices and cook 2 minutes more, spooning caramel mixture over orange slices.To serve, place orange slices over yogurt, generously spooning with warm caramel sauce.
At Home Blooming Onion
– FOR THE ONION
1 large yellow onion
3 large eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
– FOR THE SAUCE
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon horseradish
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt
Slice off onion stem and set onion on flat side. Cut an inch from the root down, into 12 to 16 sections, being careful not to cut all the way through. Flip over and gently pull out sections of onion to separate “petals.”
In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and 1 Tablespoon water. In another shallow bowl, whisk together breadcrumbs and spices. Dip onion into egg wash, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, using a spoon to fully coat. Drizzle onion with oil.
Place in basket of air fryer and cook at 375° F. until onion is tender all the way through, 20 to 25 minutes. Drizzle with more oil as desired.
Meanwhile make sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, paprika, garlic powder, and dried oregano. Season with salt.
Serve onion with sauce for dipping.
Limeade
1/2 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed recommended
3 cups cold water
Optional garnish: mint sprigs and lime slices
Combine the sugar and warm water in a pitcher. Stir to fully dissolve the sugar.
Stir in the lime juice.
Add the remaining 3 cups of cold water; stir. Place in the refrigerator to fully chill before serving.
Serve in tall glasses full of ice. Garnish with mint sprig and lime slice (optional).