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Today's topic is recipes from city/state/country

New Mexico has a state question, if you visit here you'll need to be able to answer it. The question is: Red or Green? That's red or green chile.

Enchiladas can be vegan, vegetarian, have beef, chicken, or pork using either green or red chile. Most people prefer red for enchiladas.

Restaurants also serve burritos smothered in chile sauce, or stuffed sopapillas done the same way.

We have hand held burritos as well. Mostly today they are breakfast burritos. Eggs, potatoes, chile, ham or bacon or sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla. 

Tacos, tamales, pasole, menudo are also favorites of Mexican restaurants. Usually they have pinto beans, Spanish rice (rice mixed with tomato sauce and chile.)

Fajitas came by way of San Antonio, TX, but is a favorite here. Cooked on cast iron skillets, beef, chicken, shrimp or pork sizzled with onions, bell peppers in fajita seasoning. Small flour tortillas are provided to wrap some of the meat and vegetables, with guacamole, sour cream, and Pico de Gallo. Makes for three or four mouth watering soft tacos. 

If you come here and eat in any of our restaurants many dishes, not just New Mexican or Mexican will have chile in it. One of our favorite ways of eating green chile is putting it on hamburgers. We have contests for who offers the best green chile cheeseburgers. 

We have green chile in just about everything. From tartar sauce, ranch dressing, cheese sauce, jams, jellies, candy and I love a green chile cheese bagels offered in a grocery store. 

If you don't like spicy hot food you can get green chile in mild, medium, hot or fire eater levels of capsaicin.

New Mexico also enjoys standard American foods.

I love a good meatloaf, chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. 

Here are some recipes picked up in bachelor days.

1. Cream cheese and chopped ripe olives. Take Philadelphia cream cheese and a can of chopped ripe olives. Mix together, chill and use it as sandwich spread, or on crackers.

2. Cream cheese, sour cream and diced green chile. Mix together makes a fantastic salsa.

3. Simple margarita. Get a quart of limeade, a quart of lemonade. Mix and add one bottle of tequila, salt glass and pour over ice. Most margarita mixes are 80% corn syrup. 

5. Sloppy joe's. Brown one pound ground sirloin, add chopped onions, diced bell pepper, or diced green chile. Smother in mesquite barbecue sauce.

6. One box angel food cake, one can chopped pineapple, mix, bake as directed on box. Optional add coconut. 

7. Cook a pound of ground beef, stir in green chile. Put in casserole dish, place a bag of frozen tater tots on top of beef, pour one can golden mushroom soup and one can cream of celery soup on top of tater tots. Microwave for 20 minutes. 

 

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Today is book covers that give off fall vibes.

Well October is always about spooky vibes. Gothicism's favorite season. So here goes.

Here's a cover by Audrey Driscoll, with the color of falling leaves. It is also Lovecraftian spooky.

My good friend and fellow Writer's2writers colleague Hank Bruce has a good one for fall.

Berthold Gambrel has a number of Lovecraftian books that will give you chills. 

Here's a Frank Herbert book, that's not about sand worms.

If you're talking about far out spooky, funny, crazy, and thought provoking for this time of year Harlan Ellison is your man.

October is horror month.

 It's October and the candy is in the grocery aisles. Costumes and drive through haunted houses abound. Hispanics going crazy over skeletons for Dio De Los Muertos. Horror, mysteries and ghost stories fill the TV and movie screens. Mystery Man has posted his favorite indie Halloween books. Thought I'd do the same.

Hank Bruce is a really good friend and has posted reviews of all my books on Amazon. One of the Writers2writers group. He has a wide range of books from gardening, promoting he Moringa Tree, and he has a book of Western short stories of ghost tales. Cowboy Kharma.

Dr. Irene Blea is also in Writers2writers, she's written college textbooks, a trilogy on her aunt's life and the worst nightmare story possible. A few years ago seven women's remains were found on the West Mesa of Albuquerque. Digging them up and the search to find their killer made momentary national news. Irene wrote a book from the point of view of a mother who's daughter might be one of those women being excavated. It is not an easy book to read, but it honors the mothers of those women and what they have and are going through to this day. Daughters of the West Mesa.

Tena Stetler is a fellow Top Ten Tuesday and Wednesday Challenge blogger. She writes about witches and warlocks.

Insects is a book that looked interesting. I posted about it and declined to read the next book in the series. One book giving me nightmares of bugs eating me from the inside out was enough. Some might like the thought.

Somebody's missing a parakeet.

 Looked out in my backyard and spotted a yellow bird on the birdfeeder. Usually there are finches which have red on their chest and sparrows with pigeons pecking around on the ground. Once a roadrunner wandered around a bit looking for lizards and took a drink out of the dog bowl. Also have a squirrel that likes to grab some seeds on the ground. This one was different. Someone's parakeet got out and is chowing down, and chasing the other ones off it's perch.

A Decade!

 Berthold Gambrel posted yesterday that we've been blogging friends for ten years.

That was when I posted on two, this blog and my Captain's Log. I had a number of other blogger friends and they've all gone to blogger oblivion. I still have some bloggers from back then, but Berthold and I have had a real connection. He's reviewed a number of my books and I've read and reviewed some of his.

They showcase his growth as a writer and a vivid imagination. He writes in a genre that I usually avoid, but I've come to appreciate his mix of horror and science fiction.

I've also enjoyed his podcasts of his books, as well as discussions with other authors. 

Mystery Man here's to another decade of friendship.

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Today is non-fiction book everyone should read. I'll let the titles speak for themselves.

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I'm pooped. Hard day today with lots of moving boxes and things. I feel as if I walked 18 holes in hundred degree heat and 90% humidity. Why I'm so late.

Favorite Book Quotes:

1. "The object of war is peace. Preferably a better peace after the war than before." Basil Liddel Hart Strategy.

2. "Behind every successful man is a good woman, and a surprised mother-in-law." Harry Truman Plain Speaking.

3. "You know, Satan has a bad reputation, but you have to say something good about someone who can control half of the world's population and all of the politicians." Mark Twain Tonight.

4. "Golf is a pleasant walk spoiled by a little white ball." Anonymous.

Rest in Peace

 

My mother the day she brought me home from the hospital. 1932-2020.

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Favorite things to do in autumn.

Cottonwoods

Enjoy the colors.

Golf: No better time to hit the links. Winter too cold, Spring too windy and Summer too hot. Fall is the best weather.

Paako Ridge on the east side of the Sandia Mountains.

I broke my hand and wrenched my back in a fall four years ago and can't play anymore, real bummer.

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Every year, until this one, we have the largest balloon gathering in the world. There are balloons from other countries as well as tourists from all over the world. Every day for nine days there will be a hundred thousand people for the morning ascension and another crowd for the balloon glow in the evening with fireworks after words. 

Taking walks in the morning. The air is crisp, not cold and the air is fresh. Alas the last few years smoke from forest fires have made this pleasant activity hit and miss.

Vacation. Since we retired we like to travel to visit family in Kansas and Oklahoma, or visit sites in New Mexico. This is a spider at White Sands, NM where we went last year. We stayed in Ruidoso, visited the sands. Drove through the Valley of Fire north of Carrizozo, which is a valley covered in lava. And spent time at the Very Large Array. Which is a radio telescope east of Socorro.

Apples: Orchards all over the state sell Champagne, Winesap, Jonathan, Rome, and Red Delicious varieties. There is nothing better than fresh apples by the bushel.

Hatch Chile. Red chile makes wonderful Carne Adovada or pulled pork marinated in it. Green Chile is great on cheese burgers. There is tourista that is mild up to fire eaters that will strip the paint off your car. Both make for great enchiladas, tacos, tamales, pasole, burritos, stuffed sopapillas.

Arts and Craft fairs. Many of schools in town and the State Fair Grounds hold them with all kinds of arts, crafts, food and you name it available. Alas, not happening this year.

For all the apple lovers out there. Free Ebook at Amazon. 09/24/20 through 09/28/20.