WHILE THE GALS ARE AWAY...

 the boys will play!

It's shaping up to be an epic weekend. Thanks to son-in-law Nate, whose brilliant idea it was,  it started with the Lane gals (Lexi, Areej and I) heading off for a 24-hour stay at Travaasa Spa in NW Austin. Not only was it to be our first time to do a get-away together, it was also Lex's first time to be away from Little Calvin overnight, so super-epic! We met up there around 10 AM on Thursday and, since our room wouldn't be ready until later, just dropped our bags at the desk and headed off to explore. 

Lex was the only one who had been there before, having gone on their honeymoon and again on their first anniversary, so she led the way. They had me at "Hello"!

There are many different ways to enjoy Travaasa, from obstacle courses, hiking, and mechanical bull--riding (all of which she and Nate did the first times) to farm tours, cooking demos and all-out pampering. We went for the all-inclusive package which covered our room, all our meals and snacks, and gave us a credit towards spa services and special classes. First up on the agenda? A facial for Areej...

and pedicures for me and Lex...

followed by a late lunch out on a beautiful patio with a magnificent view. Everything sounded so good, we had trouble deciding what to order! Then our waitress said "You're on the all-inclusive plan, right? Why don't I just bring you smaller amounts of all those things, so you can try everything and see what you like best?" Oh my! Which is why we felt compelled to go on a hike afterwards.
 

Unfortunately, it turned out to be the world's shortest hike. We were walking single-file and about ten steps in, just to be funny, I said "Good thing Lex is leading the way. If we run across any snakes, they'll go for her first." About ten steps further, a big yellowish snake slid out from under one of those rocks, reared up, and started hissing. You have never seen three women turn tail and run back to concrete as fast as these three did. We ran like the wind! It's a good thing, too. How bad would I have felt if Lexi actually did get bit? Areej later ran into the "trail boss" fellow, and when she described the snake to him, he said it sounded like a copperhead. ACK!

So, since we had some time to kill, we joined the chocolate making class last minute.

Rolling Truffles in Toasted Sesame Seeds

A Sampling of Everything We Made

After that we had a way-too-brief float in that gorgeous infinity pool, then we were off to a craft class, where we painted cork trivets to use at home. Lexi said it looked like the perfect project for The Muses' next crafty get-together!

For dinner that evening, in their elegant dining room, we opted to sit up at the bar overlooking the kitchen, so we could see everything being prepared.

Then we went back to the pool area, carrying mugs of hot tea and the box of macarons we found in our room, to talk our little hearts out as the sun went down and the stars came out.

The next morning I was up bright and early, as usual, but didn't mind at all since I was able to grab a little pot of tea and a muffin to enjoy out on the lovely dining patio, while I finished reading a really good book called The Girl With All the Gifts - a zombie book for people who don't like zombie stuff.  By the time I'd finished the girls had joined me, and we were able to take our time over a wonderful brunch, where we again had to try more than one thing each.

Then it was time to go pack up. Areej decided to stick around a while longer, so she could go on the farm tour, but it was time for Lexi to get back to her baby -- not only because she missed him, but also because she forgot to pack her pump!

You'd think we'd be all sad because the fun was over so soon, but no. Believe it or not, the weekend is about to get even more epic. How is that possible, you ask? Well, a certain little Goober turns one year old today, and there's about to be a party goin' on!

EATING ONE'S WAY THROUGH SAN MIGUEL

There are so many good places to eat in San Miguel de Allende that it's hard to know where to start. For those who fear getting traveler's tummy, perhaps I should start with the rule of thumb that our hotel owner shared with us on the first day: Avoid all street food, and fresh produce from any market unless you soak it in the special solution that you can get from any pharmacy. However, if a restaurant is upscale enough to accept credit cards, it probably has a good filtration system too, so it's safe to have the water and drinks with ice. And we did. Quite a lot of them, in fact. She also recommended keeping a few Pepto Bismal tablets in your purse, and take one a day if you feel any rumblings. We did that too.

So, what were some of our favorites? Well, there was Cafe Martin, and La Mezcaleria, which I told you about in previous posts. Then there was this beautiful courtyard restaurant called Caza de Diezmo, on Calle de Jesus.

We especially enjoyed the owners' two little dogs, who had matching dresses.

There was the place we stumbled upon at 9:30 one night, when we didn't want much to eat - just a taco really, but not one from the street stalls (see rule above).  It was Don Manolito on Umaran. El Toro marks the spot.

Then there was Restaurante Pueblo Viejo, also on Calle Umaran, where I introduced the girls to the joys of Molcajete meals.

But, if you were to take a vote, I suspect everyone's favorite would probably be La Posadita, the rooftop restaurant with the killer view of La Parroquia.

Frozen Tamarind Margaritas!

Watching a wedding parade down below.

Fiber Woman and I loved the chicken and goat cheese with poblano sauce!

Just make sure you are there at sunset!

 

COLOR-MAD MONDAY: ALLEY ADVENTURES

One thing new I discovered, on this last trip to San Miguel de Allende, is that there are secret pedestrian passageways scattered about town -- shortcuts from one section to another. Our hostess at Casa de la Noche put us onto the first one, which led directly from our hotel up to the area around La Fabrica Aurora. Not only are they a much safer and cooler way to traverse on foot, they are like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole. You just never know what color-madness you might find there!

Heading into the passageway near our hotel.

Coming out, after many twists and turns, at the other end -- on the street leading to La Fabrica Aurora.

Then there were other spots I discovered on my own...

and with The Muses.

And, you know me. There's nothing I love more than falling down a color-mad rabbit hole!

STILL LOVIN' MY BLUE APRON

I never, ever thought I would keep doing this. I figured I'd take advantage of the free week they offered me, and that would be it. They'd never sucker me in -- an experienced cook who had no need for their step-by-step instructions and little video tutorials. And yet here I am, months later, ordering a box filled with the ingredients for three meals almost every week, unless we are going to be out of town or have too many evening functions going on. Why? Because the food is so damn good, that's why! And because I don't have to think about what to cook, or drive over to stores in Austin to round up a bunch of obscure ingredients that I may not ever use again and will end up languishing in my frig or pantry until they are way past their expiration date. Here is what we ate this week.

Spicy Pepper and Ricotta Calzones with a Cucumber, Romaine and Feta Salad

Sautéed mini sweet peppers plus tomato sauce, olives, peperoncini and ricotta made up the filling.

The dough comes pre-mixed, so all I have to do is roll it out.

Photo-Bomber!

Sugar Snap Pea Risotto with Mascarpone Cheese and Mint

I'd always heard that making risotto was super tedious, but their method allowed you to add all the rice and liquid at once.

The epitome of spring goodness, sweet sugar snap peas and fresh mint.

And for a rich, creamy counterpoint to that spring green, mascarpone cheese, butter, and a sprinkling of parmesan.

Last, but not least...

Roasted Pork Tacos with Spicy Pinto Beans & Lime Sour Cream

All this for maybe an hour to one and a half hours of my time, three nights per week. If you have a sous chef who helps with the chopping, it goes even faster. When you consider that we usually have enough leftovers for a fourth meal, and that there were no trips to the grocery store, no time spent pouring through recipes and making grocery lists, and no time trying to figure out how to do what and when, to get it all to come out ready at once, I'd say that's a pretty fair trade off. Most important of all, less time wandering the aisles trying to think what to cook means less chance of ending up with a cart full of really unhealthy impulse buys. Just sayin'.

TRUE ADVENTURE GALS

By the fourth day of our San Miguel adventure, it was time to split up and do our own thing. I could walk all day, and often do. What I don't like is climbing. My short legs just aren't built for it. So when three of the gals decided to go off on a pyramid climbing adventure, I opted to go explore the outer regions of San Miguel on my own -- areas I never made it to the last time.  Of course, now that I think about it, of the three adventurers who did go to the pyramids, one has legs even shorter than mine, one was already scheduled for a consult with a knee-replacement specialist even before this trip, and the third still wears an ankle brace from a horrific tennis injury years ago. So I guess I have no real excuse. I just hate climbing.

If you are ever in San Miguel de Allende, and want to do some pyramid climbing yourself, the group to go with is Albert Coffee Tours, and be sure to include the optional lunch afterwards. Apparently Coffee, a university professor who actually worked on the excavation, really knows his stuff.

I think our gals enjoyed the lunch afterwards -- all local and traditional and served in a cafe owned by Rossana Quiroz Ennis -- even more than the climb. Especially those custom-printed tortillas! Rossana has a PhD in Cultural Astronomy, and was able to tell them all about the sun, moon and stars, as seen and understood by the pyramid builders themselves.

When we all met up at our courtyard table back at the hotel, the adventure gals passed out tiny twigs for us to chew on, which they were given at the end of their meal as a breath refresher and digestive. It was kind of like chewing both grass and pop rocks at the same time. All I have to say is...

it must be an acquired taste.