koko's corner

As luck would have it, my computer jumped off the luggage cart at the hotel in Winslow, AZ. It was in a nice padded case and I didn't think much of it at the time. However, later on, once we were in our room and ready to chill-ax for a while, I wanted to go over some photos I took along the way. I turned my computer on and got the "black screen of death." All the lights that were supposed to be flashing were flashing but nothing was showing up on the screen. Long story short, the monitor was/is broken.

The wonderful guys at dot-foil in Santa Fe had me up and running quickly. The computer tech hooked me up with a used external monitor for $40.00 to tide me over until I can get home and get the monitor replaced. They are honest and fair and I highly recommend them.

K commercial over

Bye Winslow, AZ see ya on the flip flop. 

Helloooo New Mexico, you make my heart sing. 

Now that we are in New Mexico, time to chow down. (somemore)

Which of course is centered around food ;-)

My friend Squeaks and I are on our way to Santa Fe New Mexico. Squeaks' daughter is having a showing at an art gallery there so we decided to use her as a great excuse for a Lucy and Ethel road trip. 

Yesterday we made it to Winslow AZ. We made pretty good time and stopped early enough for some down time and a little snack to hold us over until our 6:30 dinner reservation. 

Very tasty treat of Mini Croccantini crackers, Vincent cheese, truffle mousse pate and peppery dry salami.

We made reservations at The Turquoise Room in the La Posada Hotel.  Oh My Gosh, what a dining experience. It was so good that we made reservations for our return trip. 

Starting with the appetizer of Fried Squash Blossoms. This is not always available so we lucked out. 

The blossoms are filled with a sweet corn tamale and Oaxaca cheese. It's served with a corn salsa and a green chili sauce. 

The filling is nice and creamy. Be very careful of the green chili sauce though. It's spicy but very flavorful too. 

Let me show you what else we ate...

What do you do with the last buttermilk biscuit in the house. 

Well, you gussie her up with some strawberries, and top her with a mint fantasy hat

And that's that

Steak and eggs, it's what's for breakfast. Who can turn down a steak and poached egg breakfast, especially when it's served on top of a hot fluffy buttermilk biscuit. Not me. 

This is a great way to make a wonderful Sunday morning breakfast, using the steak that's leftover from Saturday night. 

Olive oil, chipotle powder, oregano and garlic; a wonderfully spicy marinade for Oaxaca cheese. 

Serve with some bolillo rolls or a nice crusty bread, you'll want to sop up some of the marinade along with the cheese. 

Want to make some? I'll show you how I did it. 

This beautiful moment of silence is brought to you by: Where I live. 

And that's that

In the Jun-July issue of Saveur Magazine is an article titled "Summer Cooler." It's basically about the making of the perfect Gin and Tonic, my favorite summer drink. 

(BTW, my friend Barb Schaller is featured on page 31 of the same issue with her award winning Jams.)

So, reading about a premium, high quality tonic syrup with which to make my G&T's was too intriguing. I clicked on the websight http://johnstonic.weebly.com/  shown at the bottom of the page. (I get the e-edition) After reading more about it, I ordered some. 

It arrived today. Yowza, is this ever great stuff. 

Here's the best gin and tonic I've ever had. 

Quoting the website "I source organic, natural and fresh ingredients and prepare them in a commercial, state inspected facility.  Organic Amber Agave Nectar offers a mild sweetness that allows a premium gin or vodka to stand out, while complimenting the natural Cinchona Bark (Quinine), herbs and spices.  

This is smoooooth, I mean really smooooth. I love the herbal undertones to it.

And it even comes with it's own half ounce measuring cup.  

To one and a half ounces of gin,

add half an ounce of tonic syrup

and three ounces of club soda. 

Cheers

I'm telling you, I'm traveling with this stuff. I don't think I can go back to "store bought" tonic again. 

I have nothing to do with John's Premium Tonic, they don't even know I exist. I just want to share a great find with you. 

Here's their recipe snagged from their website. 

Classic Drink Recipe

And that's that