Greetings From Santa Fe, New Mexico - Hotel Art

This evening I am writing this post as I sit in a really lovely room at the Drury Plaza Hotel in central Santa Fe. I am on a trip with my dear friend, Natalie. We have been talking and dreaming about going on a trip together ever since we were in college. Life was more complicated than I think either of us expected when we were in college, and so a cruise to celebrate her 40th, or any of the other trips we dreamed about, did not happen. Now we are set to make the most of our short time here.

It was a lovely, though stormy, drive down here. The clouds were simply amazing.

It was already the evening by the time we arrived. We had considered walking around a bit before going to dinner, but once we found out that the hotel offered drinks and "snacks" such as pasta, meatballs, baked potatoes, salad, nachos, etc., we decided to eat here and just relax. It was a good choice.

We were also both taken by the art that is on display throughout the hotel. I decided that you might enjoy it, too. (I do not have photoshop on this computer, so the photos are not edited or cropped - sorry about that.)

Tomorrow we will have breakfast at Tia Sophia's and then take in a Taco class at the Santa Fe Cooking School. (Here's the description of the class we are taking: When you make a taco, you are building your own meal by personalizing your filling, your salsa and your garnish. Come have fun with tacos in this hands-on class. Tacos will be prepared filled with potato, poblano chile and spinach, hot & smoky shrimp, chicken guacamole and tacos al Pastor, made with blue corn tortillas, flour tortillas and salsa fresca.)

Cherry Creek Farmer's Market with Natalie + Candied Peanut Recipe

It was a lovely morning at the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market with Natalie. It has been 20+ years that we have lived in different cities. I am so thankful for the chance to have a casual outing with a loving friend; the perfect weather and the abundant beauty at the ready.

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Here's a little treat that Ellie whipped up this afternoon.

Caramelized Peanuts
via: davidlebovits blog

Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

You can easily cut the recipe in half, although I don’t think you’ll have any trouble finishing off a whole batch. I’ve made this many times using raw almonds and peanuts, but if you want to experiment with other nuts, I’d be interested in hearing how they turn out. I think round nuts work best so the sugar can tumble around and coat them, rather than get stuck in any pecan-like nooks and crannies.

2 cups (275g) raw peanuts (or almonds)
1 cup (200g) sugar
1/3 cup (75ml) water
a sprinkle of coarse sea salt (or smoked salt)
optional: ground cinnamon or chili powder

In a wide, heavy-duty skillet, mix the peanuts with the sugar and water. Cook the ingredients over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the liquid seizes up. It will take a few minutes.
At this point, the peanuts will get crusty and the sugar will crystallize.
The peanuts will become dry and sandy, which is perfectly normal. Don’t worry; you didn’t mess up. Lower the heat and keep going, scraping up any syrup collecting in the bottom of the pan and stir the peanuts in it, coating them as much as possible.
As you go, tilt the pan, removing it from the heat from time-to-time to regulate the heat and the syrup, so you can coat the nuts with the liquid as it darkens without burning the peanuts or the syrup. This is the only tricky part—I like to get the peanuts as deeply-bronzed as possible. if the mixture starts to smoke, remove it from the heat and stir.

Right before they’re done, sprinkle the peanuts with a sizable pinch of flaky salt (and pinch of cinnamon or chili powder, if you want), stir them a couple of times, then tilt the peanuts out onto a baking sheet or a marble countertop.
Let the peanuts cool completely, then break up any clumps. Store in an airtight container, where they’ll keep up to a week.