And Bless the Green Bean Casserole I’ve made my list. I’ve checked it twice. And in a few minutes I’ll be heading off to the market to shop for Thanksgiving dinner. Actually, if I chose to, I could just save my list from year to year, because nothing on that menu ever changes. In the early years, I tried to introduce the idea of trying something new. After all, the magazines and cookbooks were full of creative and interesting ideas for an updated Thanksgiving. My family was okay, even vaguely enthusiastic, with the idea, as long as it…
Who knew you had to know football to practice medicine in Last Chance?
Christmas in Last Chance
“Every path, every curb, every rooftop was lined with thousands of softly glowing brown paper bags.” Christmas Eve traditions differ from region to region, from family to family. All Lainie Davis knew, before she got in her old car and headed east was that Christmas traditions were for other people, not her. This excerpt from Welcome to Last Chance describes her first Christmas Eve in Last Chance. Ray came by just at dusk Christmas Eve to pick up Lainie and Elizabeth, and on the way to San Ramon, the orange and crimson sunset faded to purple and the first…
New Mexico’s Christmas Cookie
You’ll find this tender, flaky cookie everywhere in New Mexico this time of year. Its sweet simplicity dates from a time early in New Mexico’s history when creative and loving cooks took the few ingredients available to them and produced celebration. It is, hands down, my family’s favorite Christmas cookie. The holidays wouldn’t be the same without them. I suppose you could use butter or shortening instead of lard, and maybe orange juice or apple juice instead of the brandy. You could even leave out the anise seed, if you wanted, and you’d probably wind up with a very nice…
The Bowl of the Wife of Kit Carson
The Bowl of the Wife of Kit Carson is a thick and warming soup, and a great way to use the last of the turkey. I don’t know its origins, or how it came to have such an awkward name. But I do know that the wife of Kit Carson had her own name. She was Josefa Jaramillo and she was from Taos, New Mexico. So, in her honor, and in honor of all those who stir the soup while others get the glory, lets call this Josefa’s Soup. Enjoy! Josefa’s Soup Serves 6 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth 2 cups…