In my previous post, La Comida de Chile (https://www.texaztaste.com/la-comida-de-chile/), I mentioned our visit to San Pedro de Atacama in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile. Hubby and I backpacked through San Pedro in 1999, and had always envisioned returning with our children. We live in a desert, so why would we want to go to one on vacation? I think it is because the Atacama is …
There are some places where I have traveled that resonate with me, places that seem so familiar that I almost believe I may have lived there in a previous life. Chile is such a country. It is a country with an incredible diversity of topography, from the high, arid deserts in the north, to the beautiful, blue glacier masses in the south. It is a …
“What you get by achieving your goals isn’t as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Zig Ziglar Photo taken by me at the Pedernales Electric Company in Johnson City, Texas
On a book tour for his latest cookbook, Heart & Soul in the Kitchen, Jacques Pépin took some time to entertain a gaggle of Phoenix ladies (and a couple hommes) at Elements restaurant at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain. We sipped on Ruinart champagne and were treated to a lovely four course meal prepared by Chef Beau MacMillan while listening to Jacques’ stories of his incredible …
Yikes! It’s the end of the month already and Christmas is around the corner. Fresh off a plane from a trip to the Texas Hill Country, I may have to share with you one of my favorite hidden gems called the Alamo Springs Cafe. Situated down a winding road 14 miles SE from Fredericksburg, Alamo Springs General Store and Cafe has the grand distinction of having the …
I have long been envious of my friend Abbie’s outdoor pizza oven. I admire the frequency with which she entertains, using the pizza oven as a gathering spot for guests. After all, it is food that creates a sense of community, that connects even the most polar opposite of personalities. I somehow missed the “pizza oven boat” when along came the opportunity for me and Hubby …
Attaining the coveted title of Master Sommelier is no easy task. To be invited to sit for the exam, you must have already attained the certification of Advanced Sommelier, the third of four sommelier tiers, as established by the Court of Master Sommeliers. The Master Sommelier Exam consists of three parts: theory, service, and blind tasting. It is not necessary to pass all three at once (in …
My roots in South Texas run deep. My grandfather, Cyrus Lucas Heard, was born in 1898 in Refugio, Texas. The Heard family came to Texas from Ireland in the late 1700’s and raised cattle on land obtained from original Spanish land grants. In South Texas-ese, Refugio is pronounced Re-few-rio. I wish I could tell you where they get the “r”, but honestly I haven’t a clue. …
I am taking the weekend to read Big Stone Gap before the big movie premiere on Tuesday, October, 6, right here in Scottsdale, AZ. Big Stone Gap is a novel written by the hysterically funny and witty Adriana Trigiani, author of The Shoemaker’s Wife. As a member of the Arizona Women’s Board, I would love to share with you the details of the event. The Arizona …
Stories of strong, pioneering women are fascinating to me, and during a recent stay in Tucson at the Arizona Inn, I was reminded that sometimes we don’t need to look far to find inspiration. The Arizona Inn has been family owned and operated for four generations, since its creation in 1930 by Isabella Greenway, Arizona’s first Congresswoman, entrepreneur and lifelong friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. The …
