The Red Rooster Cafe's Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing recipe from the front page of The Red Rooster menu.

This week I'm staying at a ranch near Cottonwood, AZ which is about 20 minutes southwest of Sedona. There are a lot of good wineries and restaurants in this picturesque area.

The Red Rooster Cafe is located on the historic Main Street in Cottonwood. I enjoyed a memorable mini burger (3oz patty of grass fed, organic beef) served on a baguette with a layer of a delicious sun-dried tomato cream cheese spread, as well as a garden salad with a really tasty homemade Blue Cheese Dressing. I was pleased that they printed the recipe for the dressing on the front page of their menu.

Santa Fe Farmers Market

The Santa Fe Farmers' Market is open Saturday mornings year round as well as Tuesday mornings, May through November. It offers a large selection of organic produce, artisanal baked goods and cheeses, meats and plants in addition to arts and crafts.

I sampled a pork tamale in red sauce (at 8 am) which was one of the best tasting I've ever had. It was incredibly moist, contained a generous amount of shredded pork and had just the right amount of heat. On Monday morning I'm enrolled in a "hands on" cooking class where I'll learn to make three types of tamales. I'll be in heaven if they are anywhere as good as this one was.

Pomegranates

For the first time I can remember, my pomegranate trees didn't bear fruit last year. We had months of record highs combined with severe drought. It really was "hell on earth", hehe. I do hope this summer will be cooler.

My pomegranates are in bloom once again. The second tree in the very back of the garden unfortunately has already dropped most of it's buds. I'm not really sure why that happened, although I am aware that most gardens have their own unique micro-climates. The tree closer to the house is filled with blossoms, and I'm hoping for at least a few juicy pomegranates later this year.

Radishes with Fromager d'Affinois

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I'm so excited! My radishes are ready! This year I planted French breakfast radishes (Raphanus sativus) mid January. We had cool wet days, perfect weather for radishes in Texas.

The squirrels have had a field day this year. They dug up half my garden which I planted with spinach, kale, beets, potatoes and various types of lettuce. They even rearranged my spring bulbs. There's a daffodil in the middle of my parsley!

crackers or bread
*Fromager d' Affinois or brie
radishes, sliced
green onions, sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste


Spread the cheese on the bread or crackers. Top with a layer of sliced radishes. Sprinkle with sliced green onion and dust with salt and pepper, to taste.

*Fromager d'Affinois is a very creamy, brie-like cheese with a soft delicate tasting rind. 

Zephyranthes

 

This remarkable perennial bulb needs very little care in Texas. It tolerates very moist conditions to quite dry. I've had a few bulbs in a neglected planter for several years now, and whenever we get a bit of rain,  these beautiful flowers appear a day or two later.

Zephyranthes, commonly known as rain flower.

Scallion Seedlings

Every morning with coffee in hand,  I check on my vegetable and herb garden. I get almost giddy with excitement when another seedling emerges from the ground.

Pictured are Tokyo Long White Scallions; Japanese heirloom seeds I found at a local organic nursery. If all goes well, I'll be able to harvest them in about 65 days. I will be doing successive weekly plantings for the next month or so to ensure a continuous supply for a while.

Among a  number of things I planted were purple carrots with orange centres ; they have just begun to sprout, but aren't photo worthy...      yet.

Dallas Farmer's Market

Pomegranates

This past winter was a bit harsh resulting in the demise of my beloved fig tree, which I'm still mourning. I'm trying to decide which variety to try next and where to plant it. Gardens tend to have micro climates and I'm hoping to find a better spot for the next one.

Every year when it bore fruit I had to protect it with netting, otherwise the birds had a field day and there wouldn't have been anything left for me. The hassle was worth it though, because there's nothing like fresh figs from the garden for breakfast.

On the brighter side, my two pomegranate trees survived and both are covered with blossoms at the moment. If all goes well, I should have a pretty decent crop in October.

Salt & Pepper Shakers

Sigel's

When I passed the intersection at Lemmon and Inwood this evening, something seemed amiss. It's been months since I drove past there, and it looked different. Then it hit me...  that wonderful Sigel's neon sign was gone; replaced by a bank.

I looked through my old photos as soon as I got home and found one I had taken of it a few years ago. I can't believe they tore it down. That sign was a work of art!