When the shirt tree blooms in Ajo, Arizona, that means you’ve got a week’s worth of clean clothes

I took my first bite and thought, “Blah. These are nothing like real chips.”

A few weeks ago, the folks at Weight Watchers were chatting about microwave potato chips… that’s what happens at those meetings — we talk about food. These chips were the buzz because they are made with no oil and you can eat a whole potato and only use up a few points.

My mind flashed to the dry potato chip wannabe my mom pulled out of the oven way back when. I wasn’t expecting much.

Tonight I whipped up a batch of potato and sweet potato chips. I gotta say; they are tasty and the texture’s pretty good too. I’m not gonna say they taste like store bought… they’re a bit different… some might even say better.

Here’s how I made them…

Ingredients:

1 potato or sweet potato
Butter Flavored Fat Free Cooking Spray
Salt

Instructions:

1. Peal the potato and slice it to about 1/8 inch thick (it was kind of fun testing a few different thicknesses).
2. Coat a pan or tray with cooking spray.
3. Spread the potato slices in a single layer on the pan – don’t let the slices touch or they’ll end up sticking together.
4. Place the pan in the microwave on high for 3 minutes (our microwave is a 900 watt).
5. Remove the pan from the microwave and flip over the potato slices (you’ll notice the potatoes have shrunk a bit).
6. Return the pan to the microwave and cook for another 3 minutes, but keep an eye on the slices… when they show signs of browning they’re done.

If you let the chips cool for a few minutes, they will crisp up. This is definitely a small-batch recipe… which keeps your portion control in check.

Next up… trying them with the skins on, tossing them in barbeque sauce, dill, or Parmesan cheese.

After a few weeks of above normal temperatures, it’s been a little chilly lately (in the low 60s). I’m definitely NOT complaining. Today, we even had a few hours of steady rain.

Imagine a smooth Cream of Wheat (farina) custard with all the makings of great comfort food… and it pairs nicely with healthy fruit. Although it requires some time on both the stove top and the oven, it’s quite easy to make.

Nonna’s Breakfast and Dessert Farina Cake from Cook’s Country Lost Recipes

Serves 15 to 18

4 cups whole milk
1-1/4 cups (8-3/4 ounces) sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
1 cup farina
16 ounces (2 cups) whole-milk ricotta chees
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking pan.
2. Bring milk, sugar, and butter to simmer in large saucepan and cook, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in farina until smooth. Off heat, stir in ricotta and vanilla. Let mixture cool slightly, then stir in beaten eggs until combined.
3. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then serve warm.

*I half the recipe and put it in a glass pie pan for a smaller batch.

Reckless

As we were taking down our booth in Tubac, Arizona, we witnessed one pair of vendors at their worst. An RV with a man and woman inside were all packed up and driving up the street passed the rest of the vendors.

I’m not sure why, but the driver veered way to one side of the road driving over another vendor’s tent poles in the process. The poles were off the street, so I can’t lay fault on the roadside artist. For anyone who has had to put up a show tent, you know that bent poles are pretty much useless.

Complete Disregard

The vendor on the street called out to the driver, but the the RV kept rolling along. He ran up to the driver side window and rapped on the glass, but the RV rolled on. He then climbed on the running board, reached across the windshield, and started yanking on the RV windshield wiper yelling “stop!” and the RV jolted forward. The guy on the running board jumped off and the RV swiped the branches of a mesquite tree as it sped off.

We were all in shock. Driving over someone’s tent, that’s a terrible accident. Pushing your foot to the gas peddle while everyone is waving you to stop, that’s just reckless and disrespectful.

It happened too quickly for me to take down a license plate number, but I hope there is some record of who these folks were… I’d hate to think they’d be invited back after that behavior… and they owe that guy more than an apology.

Baby Ita with a twin parked behind.

While in Tubac, Arizona, Baby Ita was one of THREE RVs in the Itasca Navion/Winnebago View family… AND all three were pulling little trailers. I’d say the chances are pretty slim of that happening again.

Unbelievable! Vendors come from all over the world to buy and sell anything to do with jewelry and gems… and some things that have nothing to do with either. Next year, we’ll need a few days to see more.

You heard it here first

The Oasis Date Garden in Thermal, CA

I’ve taken on a mission to sample any date shake that comes my way. So far I’ve found one that appears to have set the gold standard — the shake at Shields in Indio, California; the one that was so bad I didn’t even finish it (gasp) — in Dateland, Arizona; and one that sits in the perfectly average category — the Oasis shake in Thermal, California.

Just a few miles from my Uncle Dave and Tom’s house there’s a winding road through the desert that arrives at a most unexpected stand of palm trees. It’s along the San Andreas fault, and the shifting tectonic plates manage to dam up the ground water and push it to the surface. The result, a series of streams and a pond surrounded by acres of palm trees.

The Visitor Center sits in what was once a rustic residence made out of palm trunks. With a cathedral of palms overhead, the place made me feel as if I was on the set of Gilligan’s Island. We only spent about two hours at the Coachella Valley Preserve, so we’re eager to get back.

Ever since we arrived at Artist Check-In the buzz has been about last weekend’s show in Palm Springs. On what started as a quiet day, 90mph winds swept in and decimated the show.

That’s the same storm that blew us right out of Texas… and we only had 50mph winds (I can’t believe I’m saying “only” to that).

We had considered applying for the Palm Springs show, I guess it worked out for the best that we didn’t.

Oddly the general forecast predict very mild winds for this weekend, yet there’s a High Wind Watch and a Wind Advisory in lace for Friday and Saturday… not sure which forecast to trust.

Here’s some footage from the show everyone’s been talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt1NlZNxJCQ