Friday, February 10, 2012

Whew - We Love This Room - Woody Crumbo


We completed remodeling the Woody Crumbo at the beginning of September. It turned into a three week project for me and Brad since everything had to be done in our spare time. What spare time you ask? Believe me an hour here and there is a wonderful chunk of time!

We tore out the carpet and the parquet out and poured in a concrete floor and then colored it with powered pigment. After a week of curing, Brad finished the floor and put an awesome shine on it. We also repainted the room in beautiful hues of sage, chocolaty brown, and tangerine orange. The room has new chairs and a gorgeous Virgin de Guadalupe hand painted cabinet.

Brad and I work together all the time and working on a remodel was a great experience. It allowed us to be creative and build a project with one another. We are both looking forward to the next little project that we take on.

This room is a great fit for families or friends traveling together as it has a Queen and Full size bed and is situated so that full access to the entire house is just a trip down the stairs.

Everchanging Mountain

The mountain has been amazing this week. Well every week. It is like watching performance art as it casts off clouds and gathers them up like a great swirling dress or a trail of smoke. Sometimes the whole thing is shrouded in mist. Sometimes it looks like the breath of a dragon or the battle of trolls and elves. Sometimes it is naked and raw.
Then at night and in the early morning it is painted by the light in so many ever changing hues. I love to sit in our yard or watch from our deck and see the next five minute surprise. I desperately want to go old school and find a battery for Brad's 35mm and get some 600 film. Every time I look at the mountain I say that would have made a good one

Touchstone Treehouse Complete



Many of you have been asking about the tree house. The boys will let you up to see it but I'm not sure that they would be excited about the idea of anyone sleeping up there. Yet. They haven't had the chance to campout in the tree house under the stars either well, they tried but they came home a bit early ;).

An architect and artist friend of ours, David Vedoe, and his helper, Simon -- who is very good at fixing machines too, built it and it is rated for load and all those sorts of official things. He designed it to melt into the background of the trees and it mostly does (but I have always known where it is) and will except in winter.

The tree house has doors and windows that open with great views of the mountain. There is a pulley rope to retrieve things like a picnic lunch or a basket of books. Inside there are shelves, a chair for reading, and boy decor - posters, drawings, photos, and such.

It is a very quiet and relaxing place to spend time. The door locks for privacy and security. The roof is water tight and the company is what matters most.

We do have plans for larger, rentable, tree houses on the property someday.

Gallery Opening Here

We had a gallery opening last weekend on the theme of  Surface and Delight. Many local artists submitted their work and this show will hang until September 2nd. Stop by if you can and wander through.

The opening itself was a nice little event, well attended but not packed. There were a couple of very small sales in the silent auction that went towards our foundation for education in the arts.

This was the first gallery opening in a few years and as you might imagine the timing was the most important thing to manage. I set up a call to artists with a submission deadline 6 days before the show and then mom hung the show starting 48 hours before the gallery opening. There were last minute details like directional signs (our property is rather large and the show is in the breakfast gallery, living room, dining room, and workshop space in front of our house) and last minute tags for some of the work.

Brad made all sorts of sauce for chips  Salsa, French onion, Chili con Queso. And I made Balsamic Vinegar and Basil Chocolate Gluten Free cupcakes and Grapefruit, Apricot and Walnut Scones. Everyone enjoyed all of the treats and we enjoyed the easy cleanup and breakdown.

Hatch Happening



The most amazing thing happens at the grocery store at this time of year. Imagine walking into the produce section and seeing a maze of bags ... Thirty pound burlap sacks containing Hatch green chilies stacked six feet high. Thirty pounds! Of chile! It is really odd to see this type of packaging when we are so used to being able to see the product through plastic and so used to being able to select items based on the way they look and smell. The bags of chile make it like buying a thirty pound secret.

Outside the grocers have brought in two huge propane tanks and barrel rosters. The rosters are turned by a hand crank and manned by grocery store employees. And there is a line all the way down the building of people waiting to have their thirty pound bags of Hatch green chile roasted. And day after day -- in the sun and the rain -- people stand in line and wait. They talk and read and listen to ipods and such. The smell is rich -- wonderful -- earthy and burnt and green.

So what's the big deal on Hatch? I wondered that myself ... we made nachos last night and I roasted some Hatch to put in the toppings. Hatch green chili is definitely different from Anaheim. Hatch is almost like jalapeno in heat. It lingers and dances and has less  flavor that spreads out evenly than an Anaheim. If you can get your hands on some -- do -- and enjoy!

International Eggs

I am wildly picky about eggs. When we go out to restaurants I won't order anything with eggs -- or if I do I plan on being disappointed because so few cooks and chefs know how to cook an egg to a proper temp. This is why I love it when Brad offers to cook me eggs -- I know that he will make them perfect every time.

I order my eggs over easy and here is what a perfectly cooked over easy egg is all about. First there is no color on it -- if there is that means the egg is burnt and it should go in the trash (this happens so often when we go out). When I cut into the whites I can see three layers -- the slight crust that is on both sides and the tender white that is like a soft boil in the center.  There is no dangly unsightly uncooked white running about. I can pull these two layers apart and undress the yolk (if you will). If I am feeling playful then I can also take the yolk and roll it about in its little sack before puncturing the barrier and allowing the yellow goodness to run freely.

I've asked Brad many times�if he has any special tricks for egg cookery and he always says ... practice and patience -- you can't hurry an egg.

Crepe Tips

Follow any crepe batter recipe you want. I tend to add a little spice here and there that isn't called for but would be well suited to the filling.

Try warming up the butter and milk in a sauce pan on low heat, then slowly pour the warm mix into the cold eggs (this is a process we call tempering).

When your batter is ready to go to the pan for cooking -- make sure to use a non-stick pan, and that it is hot enough. While cooking the crepes flip them one time and get some color on both sides. When I say color I mean just a bit of golden brown here and there. Crepes are color friendly while omelets are not (get color on an omlet and that indicates that the egg is burnt).

Enjoy your crepes with the filling of your choice!

Pear Preserves

Hello All -- Amber here ...

The other day I served my little homemade chocolate cakes with a fresh pear preserve and berries for first course. A guest asked how I made the preserves so what follows is my basic formula. Take one pear and peel it then cut it up -- leaving the core out. Put it into a pot with simple syrup -- which is half sugar and half water. Then boil the batch until most of the liquid is gone but there is no sticking to the bottom of the pan happening. You will need to stir the pot a few times and don't forget to squeeze the juice of one lemon in as it cooks -- this will help the preserves to remain "white" and will also allow the pear to sing -- just mind the seeds. Once the mix has cooked down, most of the fluid is gone, and the pears are tender take it off the heat and mash it. A potato masher works well -- or a mixer -- or food processor.

I use the preserves I make within a day or two. Thus they are fresh and delicious. One pear will yield about four or five tablespoons. Try it with any fruit you want and ... enjoy!

Best Little Drive

While you are staying here a trip to the church at Chimayo is worth the time.


Heck -- it is worth the drive too! From Touchstone Inn head south as though you are going to Santa Fe. Once in the gorge you will find a sign that points you towards Dixon -- take that road (it's 580). And if you have time stop by Vivac Winery and La Chiripada Winery for a tasting or a good conversation with someone in the sommelier know. At highway 76 turn south again and follow the signs. Once you are done visiting Chimayodrop down into Espanola and then take the road back to Touchstone Inn.

Prepare yourself for a gorgeous drive with spectacular views and rollercoaster quality. The speed limit is 40 almost all the way and -- believe me -- you won't want to drive any faster. At one point along the way you will want to pull over and take photos. You will be able to see the tops of the mesas in the far distance and they look like puzzle pieces all waiting to be put together.

Brad and I went on this little excursion last week in the late afternoon and loved every moment. It was so beautiful to be able to see the changing light and the contrast between the desert and the forest. It began raining just as we came back into town. Originally we had planned to eat at the Love Apple that night, but there was a power outage and we spend the evening grilling and dining by candlelight on our own.

I will post more photos that I took on facebook soon ...

Now a Flower Mover

Yesterday we moved Iris from behind the labyrinth to along the fence that borders the Pueblo land and the rock fountain. I also planted some Peonies -- I hope they will take root. We also moved some of the Iris over to the little wall by the parking lot and guest entrance. There are still gobs to replant. We are thinking of putting them on a triangular side of the garden by the Miriam -- they should get plenty of happiness there and abound as the years go. You know ... Iris move like weeds and so do Daffodils and Day Lilies. But they are so pleasant!

We had some of the trees trimmed a few days ago and one hewed off so that we can make a nice big table out of it. (It was really a rather painful experience to watch. It was frightening! There was a man, what seems like 100 feet in the air working with a huge saw while his partner worked the crane. The trees that I had known for a very long time were reshaped into something better, and healthier -- but still the new open spaces will take some getting used to.) We had the tree trimmer (Tarzan, yep Tarzan) leave a few of the round sections for seats. Just looking at them I can imagine sitting around a fire pit roasting marshmallows for smores.

Sifter and Wisk

Hello All -- The fruit course turned into a chocolate cupcake (mini sized) with raspberry coulis�and fresh berries. The cake was moist, fluffy, and had a melt in your mouth quality that just couldn't be denied. The trick? Pretty simple and doesn't take any extra time. For scratch or box cake mixes it is all in the sifter and the whisk.

When you have all of your dry ingredients together send them through the sifter at least once. Then before you add your eggs separate�the whites from the yolks. Whip those�whites until they are stiff -- as in you can drag a knife through them and they stay where they have been moved. If the recipe�calls for oil whip it in slowly to the yolks so that you basically make a knock off mayonnaise. If the recipe has no oil, fluff up the yolks and add a touch of heavy cream to them. You can add the yolks in whatever way you want to the dry ingredients -- but the whites, the whites must be delicately folded in.

Pop it in the oven -- bake -- enjoy. Hopefully your cake will come out fluffy and fabulous!

Many of you have been asking Brad for his Green Chili recipie. It is so yummy I think we should bottle it -- I wonder how that would work? Come down and he'll give you a primer on the process and if you happen to be here on the day of making it may be hands on!

Hello All!

We were talking this morning with one of our guests and he suggested that we launch a WordPress blog. Here I am a few hours later putting it together and finding out just how to operate this platform. I love it! Thank you, Jeff, for the hearty suggestion.

Right now we are planning on broadcasting cooking tips from Brad and the news about town from me. Hopefully it will blossom into much more than that. I know that many of you would really like for Brad to put together a cook book and (he really is thinking about it!) that may happen one day. Until then you will have to continue to visit and find out how he gets his eggs so dang fluffy.

We are looking forward to the weekend -- we will have most of the inn booked (there are still a couple of rooms available) -- and some of our guests will be celebrating anniversaries while others will be celebrating birthdays. It may be ambitious, but I would really like to put together a German Sweet Chocolate cupcake or something for our fruit course. I know -- here I go ruining breakfast by serving dessert�first ... but don't you think it would taste wonderful with just a dollop of icing and some fresh raspberries?

I can't wait to see you ...

Hiking Bliss

We had a wonderful short hike in the Gorge this week and a relaxing hour or so in the hot springs�at Black Rock. It is a lot easier to get there if you go across the John Dunn bridge. Either way, it is a dirt road voyage�for the adventurer in your soul. Once there the hike down to the hot springs�can be done in Birks�or flip-flops�(if you're a rebel like me) or tennies.

The river is just at that perfect level so that the spring is pleasant for soaking in -- and there are two pools (but watch out for the fish and crawdads in the lower one!).

Now that hiking season is here remember to use sunblock. Whatever SPF you are used to getting -- get a stronger one! The sun out here is voracious ... and a sunburn can happen in as little as 15 minutes. Water is also an absolute must. If you think you will drink one bottle -- strap on a pack and take two. I get heat sick very easily so I also like to carry a bandana and soak it in cold water then put it around my neck -- it really helps. I am not a hat person, but if I were that would help too.

Snacks are a must. Gorp is always a great standby but if you are allergic to nuts or chocolate then try raisins and other dried fruits and granola bars. They will give you that pop of natural sugar energy that you are looking for.

We had some guests stay this weekend who went hiking. One couple went to Arsenic�Springs and said that they had a lovely time and were able to explore the area extensively. Another couple went up the Ski Valley road to Italianos Canyon and said that it was a good climb with occasional thigh deep snow (it has been so warm down here that they were quite shocked to find that much snow up there).

Brad and I can't wait to go up to the mountain in the harvest season for the wild strawberries, apsaragus, and mushrooms. I am certain we can work those items into breakfast --- somehow ;)