More about Santa Fe

Our time in Santa Fe is almost over. This sculpture that we saw outside of one of her many galleries truly expresses the nature of the city:  Joyous!

This bronze, which we saw at another gallery,  adds: Fun!

And of course we found the taste of New Mexico at the city Farmer's Market: chilis.

One of the many nice locals we met this week suggested that we drive up into the mountains to see the Aspen color.  He said not to go during the weekend because it would be crowded. So we waited until Monday.

The four images I am posting fall so short of the experience of driving through an area of Aspen peak color! 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

The trees were glowing in the sunshine against the brilliant blue sky.

The magnificent pines lent themselves as contrast to the brilliant yellow of the Aspen.

Even the grasses along the path echoed the color above.

But no image can really convey the full experience. The breeze played with the quaking aspen leaves in a magical way, and the faint scent of pine teased the senses, while a hint of coolness in the wind promised snow to come.  

It was a glorious afternoon, and we are so glad we got to experience this place high above Santa Fe.

When we got back to the Alfa, I finished making a special grilled ratatouille using some of the delicious veggies we bought at the Farmers Market. The key is to char the various ingredients, eggplant, peppers, onions, garlic, and squash, individually on the grill, and then combine them with seasonings before simmering them in a big pot on the stove top for a little while to combine the flavors. Perfection!

I served the ratatouille with a freshly baked baguette we picked up at a charming French bakery on the way home, along with these tasty Raspberry Tarts for dessert.

RV life is very good!

Excellent Breakfast

The Alfa is tucked in on her pad for a while.  We may take a short run in November, but basically we will be working on house projects until our Christmas get away. 

It's probably a good thing we don't have a trip soon because California is having a fuel crisis.  Gas prices are skyrocketing. $5.00 gas is being reported in San Francisco, and some stations are closing temporarily rather than pay the high wholesale prices. COSTCO is one of them.  I paid $4.50 for regular yesterday!

So ... I can either put the blog on hold, unlikely, or write about other things in my life, like food.

I had an excellent breakfast this morning.  Leftover ratatouille with leftover spaghetti squash mixed in. 

So good!

Picture from the Web

I cooked the Ratatouille in the slow cooker on Tuesday.  

So easy.  

I really like the cooker I have because the ceramic inner pot is removable and fits into either my home refrigerator or the RV refrigerator, and I can do all the prep work the night before if I want, it is so much easier than doing all the chopping and making a mess in the morning.

I don't really follow a particular recipe. This is how I make it:

Cut the following vegetables into 1" - 1 1/2"  chunks and place into slow cooker, adding the seasonings as you go:
1 large onion
3 bell peppers, red, yellow and orange. 
1 green bell pepper (optional)
2 crook neck yellow squash 
2 or 3 zucchini 
1 or 2 jalapeno peppers
1 large or 2 small peeled eggplants

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes that have been peeled and seeded, or 2 cans chopped tomatoes that have been drained in a sieve to remove excess liquid.  

Seasonings:
Lots of chopped up garlic,  
2 or more tablespoons salt and pepper, 
a generous amount of Italian blend seasoning or your own mix of dried oregano and basil. Parsley is good too. I just shake it on as I add layers of veggies.

A generous splash of olive oil. 

I mix all of this together and top with 1 thin sliced smoked sausage. I use a turkey one from Hillshire Farms. 

Vegetarians can leave the sausage out.

In the morning, I start the slow cooker on high for a little while if possible and then turn it down to low for the rest of the day: 8 hours or so.  If it looks done before dinner time I switch it to warm.  

I do not add any extra liquid to the veggies, nor do I salt and rinse the eggplant. 

Ratatouille is a hearty vegetale stew that is wonderful on a cool autumn evening. I serve it in a soup bowl with both a spoon and a fork.  Sometimes I add a sprinkle of fresh basil or parsley on top if I have it.  

A nice slice of fresh homemade bread completes the meal. Bread is also great to sop up the juices.

The above recipe amount made eight servings.  We had it two nights for dinner, then Craig had it for lunch one day, and I ate the rest for breakfast today.

Yumm...

What is one of your favorite fall comfort foods?