Festivus!

I am fully aware I have probably lost some of my loyal blog followers (except for Mom, of course!) over the last few months without a single post, but let me tell you we have been busy! The fall always brings good Festival and we have been trying to take advantage of them. First, We enjoyed the Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta, a four hour all you can eat and all the wine you can drink fest highlighting the best restaurants Santa Fe has to offer. If you are in the ABQ/Santa Fe area this is a must do! Tickets aren't cheap ($150) but you get a commemorative wine glass and can get your money's worth in food from the finest restaurant in the area. Michael and I worked the event but had a great time!

One of my favorite chefs, Martin Rios

Next was the New Mexico State Fair. This is an area where Texas definitely does it better. Sorry fellow Querques (is that a word?) but it's true. New Mexico does not have a very large state fair, but we still had a good time. We mostly ate all the good food, which is what you do at any state fair right?

Green Chile really does go with everything around here!

Then it was balloon Fiesta time! Albuquerque is home of the largest hot air balloon festival in the world. The way the air moves in ABQ is perfect for balloons because they can take off, circle around, and land in the same spot (ideally). We have not been to the festival itself, but the balloons pass over our neighborhood so we think we have the best seat right in our front porch! This event is a must see no matter where you are from! Enjoy the photos!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It is truly the best time of year here in New Mexico. Why, you ask? It is green chile harvest time! For those of you who have never ventured to the land of enchantment, chile is everything around here. To me, the New Mexican chile is what distinguishes the local cuisine from any Mexican/Mexican-American dishes you may be used to, and in my opinion...what makes it better! That's right Texans... I said New Mexican food is better than Tex-Mex. The official state question in NM is "Red or Green?" and that is what you are asked when ordering at a restaurant because chile goes well on anything! P.S you don't have to decide, you can order both...just say "Christmas!" Here's a fun fact: Red and green chile are actually the same chile but the green is picked prematurely and the red left on the vine to fully ripen. Red chile is popularly seen tied on a string and dried to make what is known as a Ristra...

While you can find fresh green chile anywhere this time of year, the best green chile comes from Hatch, NM. I don't know why, just take my word for it. So, my husband was driving through Hatch on a business trip, stopped at a local vendor and purchased a 50 pound bag of Authentic Hatch Green Chile! When you have a 50 pound bag of green chile taking up your kitchen counter there is only one way to handle it...Split it with friends and have a roasting party! We roasted the whole bag of chiles, then peeled, chopped and divided into freezer bags and we are set for the year.


Our Professional Roasters!


Having fun at the roasting party!



Even Peanut likes green chile!


We (and by we I mean everyone but me) chopped and added a little garlic powder and salt before putting into freezer bags...mmmm!

Hard Rock rocks!

I apologize to all my blog readers (and by that I mean, probably just my mom!) that it has been a while since I have posted. It has been a great summer in 'Burque and we have been living it up. So without further adieu...

What was previously Isleta casino in ABQ is now The Hard Rock Resort & Casino Albuquerque, and can we say, Upgrade! This casino now has great music, a center bar (as do all Hard Rock casinos), new restaurants, and most important in a smokey casino...fresh carpet! The Hard Rock puts out a good vibe with the updated decor, friendly staff, and I'll say it again, great music. If you have not been to the Hard Rock Resort & Casino...GO!...I am confident you will enjoy it as mush as we did.

Guitars outside the casino entrance!


Awesome hot tub!

At Lucha, the rooftop bar and salsa lounge

The Suite Life

If you are in the Duke City during the summer, a trip to Isotopes Park is a must do! The Isotopes are Albuquerque's minor league baseball team and there is nothing minor about this fantastic stadium...especially when you sit in a private suite! The stadium was renovated in 2003, has a seating capacity of 13,279 and a great view of the mountains. There is a wide variety of food, beverages (alcoholic and non) and activities for the kiddos. Here's a fun fact: Albuquerque is known as "Duke City" because that was the name of the first professional baseball team in Albuquerque.


Nichole and I enjoying "the suite life"

My Best Friend's Wedding!

We love having visitors! This weekend my best friend (since the first day of kindergarten) Katie and her boyfriend David came in town to celebrate her birthday. David was also planning to propose sometime over the weekend (of course Katie did not know this), leaving Michael and I on pins and needles until he popped the question! Friday night we went to Sandiagos for dinner, we sat on the patio because they are known for the great view of the city and had a wonderful time. The food was good and the traditional margarita was really good (not too sweet, made with fresh lime juice)! We then went to the Bien Shur patio lounge at the top of Sandia Casino had a few drinks, listened to live music, lost some money playing backjack, and called in a night. No proposal yet. Saturday we went to Santa Fe and Michael and I were really hoping David would (In the words of Nike) just do it, so we can all relax! We watched part of the world cup at Marble Tap Room, Katie and I liked the Wildflower Wheat beer. We began to walk around the square for a while...and then!...finally!...with all the Native American jewelry makers watching, David got down on one knee and proposed to Katie! After that we jumped into celebratory party mode and had a great rest of the weekend!

Celebrating Katie's birthday at Sandiago's...free cake!


Katie and David...engaged!

Now the fun part begins...Wedding Planning! The only thing better than planning your own wedding is planning your best friend's wedding, all the fun without the stress!

A Taste of Home...sort of

That's right ladies and gentlemen, your eyes are not deceiving you, there is a County Line in Albuquerque!!! For those of you that know me, I am not a big BBQ fan, I think The Salt Lick ("Famous" Austin BBQ place) is over rated, and when I want BBQ...I go to The County Line! Before every Austinite sends me hate mail for bad talkin' The Salt Lick, let me tell you why The County Line is soooo good. The bread at The County Line is made fresh every day and served with honey butter, the coleslaw and potato are awesome, and I could drink the barbeque sauce! All of this considered you can imagine my excitement when I found there was a County Line in "the Duke City". Over the summer The County Line has free live music concerts to benefit the local food bank. We decided to go to the Mickey and the Motorcars concert and see if The County Line in "The Q" was the same as The County Line in Austin. I have 3 words for you...Not the same:( The bread was not made fresh, no honey butter in sight, and while the coleslaw and potato salad were not bad, it was not nearly as good as The County Line in Austin. The barbeque sauce was the same, and I appreciate that, but I felt the need to send a quick e-mail to the County Line ABQ and fill them in on what's going on in the Austin locations. Maybe they could get some tips...everyone wants to improve right?...I haven't heard back from them yet. Despite the food not being what I had dreamt of, the concert was a lot of fun, and we will go back.

The not "made fresh, Austin County Line style" bread

Great concert!

Blogmania...I hope you are sitting with a cup of coffee!

It has been a while since my last post...mainly because a lot of fun things have been going on. So get yourself a cup of coffee, settle in, and have an alternate window to pull up if your boss walks by unexpectedly...(I know what ya'll do at work)

Two weeks ago Michael and I decided to take a weekend getaway to Scottsdale, AZ mini dach in tow. After 6 hours in the car driving through a picturesque landscape and stopping every hour for Peanut to get out and sniff the air (not pee like we thought he would) we arrived in the hottest city on the planet! I know, I know...Probably not the hottest city on the planet but it sure felt like it. Scottsdale is not hot like Houston where the humidity is record setting so you sweat, but it cools you. Scottsdale is hot like an oven, extremely dry, and you can't escape it! But none of this matters because the whole reason we went to Scottsdale was for the shopping! Fashion Square Mall is one of the best malls I have ever been to. It has everything you could want, all in one place! Nordstrom, H&M, Crate & Barrel, and the most gorgeous Banana Republic (should have taken a pic, it was unbelievable). So, while I love ABQ after a year in this city, I was in desperate need of good shopping. We had a great time, ate great food (ZTejas, Nordstrom Cafe, North) and will be back soon...after my pocketbook has a break!
The misters everywhere where Michael's favorite part!
Scottsdale is full of Saguaro Cacti (what you would think a cactus looks like!)

Deal or No Deal?

A few months ago we purchased what is known as the summer "Mega-ticket". These tickets get us into 6 concerts over the summer featuring: Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland with Little Big Town, Danny Gokey, Tobey Keith, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Kellie Pickler and Chris Young for a measly $120/person! We also received vouchers for 2 free lawn chairs for all six shows! What a deal right?...well sort of. The concerts are all held at The Pavillion by Hard Rock, and it is a great venue. However, since Hard Rock purchased the venue they think they can charge $11 for a beer?!?! As crazy as the beer prices are, we haven't held back one bit, and are loving every concert. I was impressed with the size of the venue (similar to Cynthia Woods for our Houstonites) and with the wonderful weather in the Q this time of year, who wouldn't want to sit outside on a summer evening, listening to great music, with an $11 beer in your hand!

Joe's knows, food that is!

My entire life I have loved grocery stores! Growing up I always wanted to go with my mom, and that's where my love for food began. I had never been into, heard of, even knew Trader Joe's existed until I moved to Albuquerque. Michael and I thought we would check it out the first week we moved here and have been Trader Joe's fanatics ever since! For those of you not within a certain radius of a warehouse (That's why Texas doesn't have one)...I will give you some insight.

Trader Joe's is a small specialty grocery store full of high quality, good-for-you products at low prices. The stores are smaller than regular grocery stores (which I think makes a more pleasant shopping experience) and the staff is always positive and personable. Every time I go into Trader Joe's I come out with a fun fact, recipe idea, or at least a smile on my face because the people that work at my local TJ love their job! Here are some of my favorite Trader Joe's finds:

1. TJ Reduced-Guilt Woven Wheats (better than wheat thins!)
2. TJ Low-Fat Brie Cheese (sounds like an oxymoron, but it's heaven for a cheese lover like me!)
3. Old Moon Zinfandel (Great Wine for $5.99 and WAY better than the infamous "two buck chuck")
4. TJ Fat-Free Greek Style yogurt w/ honey (not cheap at $1.19/5.3 oz., but so worth it and way better for you than non-greek style yogurt)
5. Grape Tomatoes (tomatoes at TJ taste better year round and are cheaper than the regular store)
6. TJ Goat Cheese Crumbles (perfect for a spinach salad!)
7. Par baked Bread (finish it in your oven and it tastes like you made it!)
8. Kashi Autumn Wheat Cereal for $2.99!
9.TJ French Roast Coffee Beans (we've tried a few, this is our fave so far)
10. Flowers! Trader Joe's has great flowers, they're so cheap it doesn't have to be a special occasion...look what I found yesterday for $3.99!

If you have the opportunity to shop a a Trader Joe's...do it! You, your body, and you pocketbook will be glad you did!

Run for the Zoo!

Every year the Albuquerque Biopark Society has the "Run for the Zoo" to benefit the Zoo, Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. You can enter the 10K run, 5K run/walk, or 1 mile run/walk and you get FREE admission to the zoo on race day! I thought I would challenge myself and run the 10K, and Michael wanted to run the 10K as well. I only signed up for the race two weeks prior, and didn't have much time to train...but I did it! (I didn't even stop once!) After the race, we went to collect our Kentucky Derby winnings at the track (Thank you Calvin Borel!) grabbed some warmer clothes (because it was in the 50s!..in May!) and headed back to the zoo...for FREE! If you have never been to the ABQ Zoo, you may be thinking..."Cool Morgan, free admission into a Zoo that's probably not that great because Albuquerque is not that large and in the desert". Well prepare to be amazed! The Zoo in "the Q" has everything you could ever want to see at a Zoo (seals and sea lions, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, elephants, polar bears, giraffes, hippos, camels, tamarins, koalas, Mexican wolves aka "Lobos", mountain lions, monkeys, jaguars, zebras and rhinoceros...to name a few) plus gorgeous groundskeeping. Here are a few pics of what we saw today...

To Weber or not to Weber..that was the question

Every year Michael and I buy an anniversary gift for both of us to enjoy together. This year we knew what is was going to be way before our actual anniversary...A NEW GRILL! With 310 days of sunshine and an average hummidity of 44% (yes, Houston...it's possible!) an outdoor grill in Albuquerque is a necessity. So, after researching grills for way to long we narrowed it down to one deciding factor...do we spring for a Weber brand grill and pay more, but have a better quality grill (according to other Weber owners and consumer reviews) or buy a grill less expensive, that may be just as good, but maybe not last as long? We chose to Weber! We absolutely love our new grill (Weber Spirit E-310 LP) because it heats up very fast, can get up to very high heats for searing, etc. and, it is easy to clean. So, I am going to save everyone who is thinking about a new grill some research time...just buy a Weber. They have all different price points (some can be very expensive, but some are reasonable) and you will not have to buy another one for a long time. I will confirm that for you in 10 years!