mourningdove

Advent Calendar Story: Day 1

Hi, my name is MourningDove, and I have an Advent Calendar problem. I collect them indiscriminately–well, not completely. I don’t like the ones with chocolates. But otherwise, if it’s got 24 little doors or drawers or socks or figurines or magnets or stickers or boxes or bows, I’ll take it. I have so many adventContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 1”

Christmas Atole

Famous local author Rudolfo Anaya prefaced his recipe for atole (pronounced ah-toe-lay; it’s a Nahuatl word) in More of the Best from New Mexico Kitchens with his grandfather’s saying about it: “Un día sin atole es como un día sin el Sol.” (A day without atole is like a day without sun.) If I recall,Continue reading “Christmas Atole”

Loading…Review of Legend of Zelda—Breath of the Wild

For the last 9 months or so, I’ve spent a good chunk of my spare time riding horses, paragliding, cutting grass with a sword, scaling cliffs, falling shrieking to my death off cliffs, shooting scales off dragons, moving car-sized metal blocks around with a magnet, foraging mushrooms, fending off unwanted advances from giant fairies, changingContinue reading “Loading…Review of Legend of Zelda—Breath of the Wild”

Kake Soba (Soba Noodle Soup with Tempura Garnish)

This dish is a pretty recent but intense addition to my comfort-food repertoire. After my husband walked out on me in spring of 2019, the first meal I felt motivated enough to cook for myself and eat a couple weeks later was tempura. It was the first inkling I had that might be OK atContinue reading “Kake Soba (Soba Noodle Soup with Tempura Garnish)”

Friday Favorites: Women Warriors (Movie Edition)

In preparation for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever opening next Friday (I have tickets for opening night at the Art Houz in Vegas, where I saw the first Black Panther), I thought I would post a list of my favorite women warriors in movies (and TV). I’ve been enthralled by these characters ever since I wasContinue reading “Friday Favorites: Women Warriors (Movie Edition)”

Napa

I’ve never been a fan of Napa. It always struck me as over-manicured and staged—kinda like Disneyland for middle-aged (upper) middle-class white women: the wine train, the flower boxes, the sprawling flagging-stone tasting patios overlooking the valley, the bakeries with their reclaimed barnwood siding and wine-barrel planters, the boutiques full of fedoras and handkerchief skirts….Continue reading “Napa”

Ceramics Saturdays: Santa Clara Ware

Santa Clara and San Ildefenso pots are perhaps the most iconic of Pueblo ceramics with their striking black-on-black designs, achieved by smoking the pots in a heavily reduced atmosphere, burnishing the resulting blackware, and then overglazing designs in matte black. These sophisticated pieces were produced starting in the 1800s and predominantly by women: Maria Martinez’sContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Santa Clara Ware”

Half-hour Bolognese

I realize 3 Italian grandmas just rolled over in their graves at that title. But sometimes I’m in the mood for bolognese and have neither an Italian grandma nor 8-12 hours to poke solicitously at a pot simmering away on the back burner. This sauce came together on a Friday night in the time itContinue reading “Half-hour Bolognese”

Unexpected Guests

I always enjoy the posts from Kominka Solo Life, but this one was especially sweet:

Ceramics Saturdays: Taos Ware

There are a few Puebloan pottery styles that eschew glazing in favor of simply burnishing the dried clay with a curved potsherd to a gloss. In the case of Taos ware, this technique allows the glittering mica flecks embedded in the local red clay to shine–as they do in this gorgeous bean pot by PamContinue reading “Ceramics Saturdays: Taos Ware”