Farina Alto

For Mother's Day, I requested that we go out to dinner at a new spot in our area of town called Farina Alto. This restaurant opened recently, and is the second location (the first is in EDo). I love the original Farina, and when I saw that they were opening the new location closer to our house, I was really excited. I have visited the original Farina a few times and always thought it had the best pizza in town, but because it's a little more out of the way for us, I did not get to go there as much as I would like.

Farina Alto has the same great menu as the original Farina, but with a larger wine menu. The restaurant itself is much larger than the original. The inside has plenty of seating as well as a nice bar. There is also a great patio with beautiful mountain views. It was a little rainy when we went, so we ate inside, but next time we hope to be able to enjoy the patio. The interior is very nice, it would be great for a date night but was also good for a family dinner.

We ordered the antipasto platter for an appetizer which had a delicious assortment of cured meats, imported cheeses, roasted artichokes, peppers and olives. It was served with wonderful grilled bread. This was a great appetizer and I look forward to ordering it again. 

We split the Salsiccia pizza, which had tomato sauce, local fennel sausage, oven roasted onion, mozzarella and provolone cheese. It was amazing. Once again, Farina impressed me with their wonderful pizza. The tomato sauce tastes so fresh, the sausage was full of flavor, and of course, the crust was delicious and crisp. 

If you are looking for the best pizza in Albuquerque, give Farina Alto a try. You will not be disappointed.

Pizza Cups

Some friends of mine use to make "taco cups" for their kids with canned biscuits. The other day, Pillsbury biscuits were on sale, so I tried to do something similar. Instead of taco cups, I decided to make pizza cups. They were so simple. And delicious. I made them two nights in a row.

Cook 1 pound of Italian sausage until completely cooked through. Remove from pan, leaving some of the grease. Place 1/2 diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in the same pan and saute until soft. Return sausage to pan and add 1 large can or jar of marinara sauce. Season with oregano, salt and pepper. Allow sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes.

Place Pillsbury flaky layers biscuits in muffin tins, pressing down in the center of each one to form cups. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of sauce into each cup and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese.

Cook at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until golden brown.

These pizza cups were so good and will definitely be something I make again. They would be great for a kids' birthday party, game watching party, etc. You could also mix it up by using pepperoni, ground beef, veggies, whatever your favorite pizza topping is.

A Day in Taos

Last weekend my younger brothers and parents came up for a visit. Josh and my brother decided they wanted to go skiing in Taos on Saturday, so my parents and Jack and I spent the day exploring the town. I love Taos and was so excited to show my parents around since it was their first time there.

Taos is just a little over 2 hours from Albuquerque, so it's a great spot for a day trip or a weekend visit. The drive there is beautiful and takes you through Santa Fe, so you can incorporate a visit there too. We stopped in Santa Fe for dinner on the way back at one of our favorite spots, Rooftop Pizzeria (more on that later).

The guys drove up earlier in the morning so that they could start skiing when the lifts opened at 9:00. We took our time getting on the road, so we got there a little later. We began by driving up to the ski area, which is about 30 minutes from the town of Taos. The town is down in the valley, and has a very "New Mexican" look with adobe buildings, open land, and the beautiful desert landscape. As you drive up the mountain toward the ski area, the landscape changes dramatically. Along the windy mountain road you are surrounded with beautiful alpine scenery and a stream running along the road.

The base area of the ski resort is small compared to those of most Colorado ski resorts, but for New Mexico, it's a good size. There are a few hotels and condos, shops, and restaurants. We met the guys for lunch at Stray Dog Cantina. It's right at the base of the mountain with great views, good food, and a great drink selection. The prices are decent (especially for a ski resort). The food is primarily New Mexican style food as well as burgers, sandwiches, etc. We all enjoyed our food and I'm sure we will try it again next time we are there skiing. I think it would especially be a fun spot for grabbing a drink and food after a long day on the slopes!

After lunch on the mountain, we headed back toward town. Between Taos Ski Valley and the town of Taos is a cute little town called Arroyo Seco. It's a great place to stop for a little shopping and the best ice cream you will ever put in your mouth. Taos Cow is a fun little spot with a wonderful assortment of unique flavors of ice cream. They also serve breakfast and lunch, but I have only tried the ice cream. My parents and I all had the Cafe Ole flavor which is coffee ice cream with cinnamon and chocolate chips. Unbelievable. If this were not 2 hours away, I might eat this ice cream everyday.

After our short stop in Arroyo Seco, we continued on to Taos. It is much like Santa Fe with a main plaza surrounded by restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Although it is smaller, so it does not have quite as many options. But there is still plenty to see and do.

On our previous visit to Taos, we discovered Twirl Toy Store and Play Space. We fell in love with it, but at the time Jack was still an infant, so he couldn't enjoy it. Now that he is 2, this is the perfect spot for him. Behind the cute toy store they have built a great play space in their enclosed courtyard. It is open from 10am-6pm and is FREE!

When we are visiting new places it is always nice to find spots like this where we can let Jack play and burn some energy. He absolutely loved playing here and would have stayed all day if we let him.

This is perfect for toddlers all the way up to older elementary-aged children. There are also plenty of spots for adults to sit and visit while they watch the kids play. I noticed on their website that they have classes and special events too, so we may check that before our next trip to find out if there is something fun Jack might enjoy.

Thanks Twirl for creating such a lovely and fun spot for kids like Jack to enjoy during their time in Taos!

On our way home, we stopped in Santa Fe for dinner. My dad mentioned that pizza sounded good and we needed a place that would be kid-friendly, so we went to one of our favorites, Rooftop Pizzeria. This is a great place for delicious and unique pizzas and great views. It's also very kid-friendly, which is a little more difficult to find in Santa Fe. I split the Number 3 pizza which has Grilled Chicken, Green Chile, Cotija and Asadero Cheeses and Toasted Pinon with Alfredo Sauce on Blue Corn Crust. It was named the best pizza in New Mexico in Food Network Magazine's "50 States 50 Pizzas." This pizza was so delicious with a nice little kick of spice from the green chile, but nothing too powerful. And the blue corn crust was delicious too! I have loved every other pizza I have tried there on other visits too.

A Few More Cheap & Easy Meals

Here are a few more budget friendly meals I have cooked in the past few days. For breakfast a couple of days ago, I heated up a tortilla in the oven, folded it in half, then topped it with a fried egg, cheese, cilantro, and salsa.

For dinner on Tuesday, I fixed stir fry with rice, as I have many times before. Cut up chicken breasts and put in plastic storage container. Pour Teriyaki sauce over the chicken (I use Very Teriyaki). Cover and let sit in refrigerator for a few hours. Spray wok with canola oil spray, and heat to medium high heat. Pan sear vegetables in wok for a few minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and add to veggie mix in wok. This time I added about 2 teaspoons of garlic chili paste. Cook chicken completely. Pour chicken and veggies over rice. Serve with soy sauce and Huy Fong Chili Sauce for extra flavor.

The other day for lunch I wanted to use the leftover tomato sauce from the night before. So, I spread a few spoonfuls of sauce over a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkled with shredded Italian cheese blend, and topped with diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper. I baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese wass melted and the tortilla was golden and crispy. Then I topped it with oregano and crushed red pepper. This was so easy and cheap. It also could be made with a lot of different sauce and topping variations.

Southwest Pizza

On Saturday night I created a new dish, a Southwest Pizza. My inspiration came from a pizza I had a few years back in Crested Butte, Colorado at the Secret Stash. My grandparents owned a home in Crested Butte for about 30 years, and I spent lots of time in that wonderful town. I even spent one summer in college living and working there. One of my favorite spots (although that is a long list, there are so many good ones), is the Secret Stash. It's a great little pizza place/restaurant/bar that is so Crested Butte (great hippie vibe). I ate a pizza there that had black beans and corn on it, and found it surprisingly delicious. Their version had more of a barbecue flair, while I took mine in a more southwest direction.

This is how to make my easy Southwest Pizza:

Spread one Pillsbury pizza crust (refrigerated kind you find in a tube) out on a 13 x 9" baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Pull out of oven and brush with olive oil. Cut a garlic clove in half, then rub on crust. Next, cover crust with shredded colby-jack cheese (leave off of edges to create a crust), then sprinkle with black beans, corn, diced cherry tomatoes, diced roasted green chiles, chopped cilantro, pepper, chili powder, and Mexican seasoning (I used Julio's). I used canned black beans and corn (about 1/2 can of each). For all the other ingredients, you can use as much as looks good to you!

Return pizza to oven and bake for another 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden. Cut into 8 rectangular slices for serving.

This pizza was really good! I will be making it again soon! Plus it is inexpensive and very easy!

Side note: The picture is not very good because I had to take it with my phone. Next time I make it I will do a better job!

Pizza Night

Tonight I made pizza using a recipe I have used a few times before. The only change I made tonight was with the tomatoes. I had some fresh tomatoes, but they were a week old and didn't look too good, so I decided to toss them. I hated doing that because my remaining ingredients would have made a pretty boring pizza. So, I remembered I had some diced canned tomatoes, and figured I would give them a try. They actually tasted really good. I think I will do that again in the future. That will make the pizza that much easier to make since it is an item I always have stocked in my pantry.

Well, tomorrow we leave for the beach, so hopefully I will have some good recipes and restaurant reviews to share with you while I am there!

Back Home

I got back in town last night, and since Josh wasn't back yet, I figured it would be a good night to pick up Thai food, throw on my sweats, and watch the end of the Olympics (I was very sad it had to come to an end...4 more years of waiting). So I decided to try Thai Thai (last time I went was a Tuesday, which happens to be the one day they are closed). They are opened on Sunday, however, which worked to my advantage last night. I wasn't sure what to try, so I fell back on a simple (and not too adventurous) choice, chicken fried rice.

I also ordered Thai Thai for an appetizer, which reminded me of an Indian samosa with a Thai twist. It was chicken mixed with potatoes, onion, and curry, wrapped in an egg roll skin and fried. Both were very good, and extremely generous portions, so I was able to have leftovers for lunch today. I think Josh and I could split that the next time we go. The restaurant is on 50th Street, just east of Slide.


Tonight Josh was finally back in town (hooray!) and we went back to West Crust Pizza. And once again, it was great! This time we tried the West Tuscan, which has Italian sausage, basil, mozzarella, carmelized onions, parmesan, and is suppose to have sundried tomatoes, but for some reason they put roasted red peppers on ours instead. I actually didn't even notice until I was just looking over the menu, so it obviously didn't bother me! I liked the mixture of the spicier sausage (along with the red pepper flakes I always douse my pizza with), contrasted with the sweet carmelized onion and basil. I love that the crust there is thin and crispy too-so delicious! You can find their website here.

Exercise on my part has still been minimal...well, actually, almost non-existent to tell the truth. I have allowed my busy schedule and laziness to take over. I brought my running shoes all the way to Tyler with me and had the best intentions of going for a run, but the chance to sleep in a bit was just too tempting! The weather in Lubbock has been cold, and we have had quite a few wet days as well, so the great outdoors is not exactly calling my name. I enjoy some cold winter days, but after having had some warm, sunny days, I am ready for the spring weather to come and stay for good!

Someday soon I will be giving you a real update of wonderful cardiovascular feats accomplished by yours truly, or at least I keep telling myself that.

Yum...

So, the first night of our "Empty Fridge, Empty Wallet" challenge ended up not being much of a challenge at all. Our friend CJ offered to bring over pizza from a new place in town called West Crust Pizza (on 82nd, west of Frankford). Josh and I had tried to go there once before, but the wait was long and we were in a hurry. So, when CJ offered to bring it over tonight, we were excited to try it out (and very thankful to him)!

We chose the "Spinach Dates Prosciutto" pizza, which had prosciutto, dates, spinach, feta, and mozzarella. It was delicious! I would highly recommend it. You can find their website here.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Well, this weekend was not the most successful as far as diet and exercise go, but it wasn't too bad (or at least that is what I am making myself believe). I did not exercise much, just some weight workouts at home last night. I did, however, enjoy some good food favorites and such that I thought I would share.

The picture above is of my cute coffee mug I found at one of my favorite local stores here in Lubbock, Hodgepodge Design. It is on 26th and Boston, next to J&B. They have home decor, jewelry, stationary, and other fun items. You can find their website here. The style reminds me of Anthropologie. I have found so many fun things there. Some of my friends have had their wedding invitations made there, and my mom ordered some really cute shower invitations their once.

Below is a picture of some amazing gelato I found this weekend. Now, I realize this is not that healthy, but it is better than ice cream, and the main thing is, I have a very small portion when I eat it. Gelato is easier to eat in small portions too, because it is so rich. I found this at Market Street, and the nice design of the container hooked me (I am a marketer's favorite type of customer-they get me every time)! This is excellent gelato, and it is made in Dallas, so it is a great way to "Go Texan."

On Saturday my friend Beth and her husband were in town visiting. I went to lunch with them at Fuzzy's Taco Shop, which has locations in Lubbock and the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I ordered the tempura fish tacos, which I had never tried before. They were filled with fried fish, cilantro, garlic sauce, and feta cheese. I would definitely order them again. I had two, which was a good amount, but not too filling.

On Saturday night I used our leftover taco meat to make nachos. I like to bake nachos in the oven, especially when they are for more than one person. It is easier to spread it all out on the pan, which allows the cheese to melt more evenly. I topped tortilla chips with taco meat, green chiles, and cheese, then baked them at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until the cheese was melted. I usually like to use black beans too, but I did not have any on hand.

Sunday night was not healthy, but sure tasted good! I have been buying frozen pizzas at Target, their Archer Farms Brand. They have thin crust style, which is really good. They have different toppings, and last night we had the most unhealthy, pepperoni. I added some of our roasted green chiles on top (I know you are probably sick of hearing about those at this point, but we love them so much!). In New Mexico, it is very popular to put green chiles on pizza, and it is so good! I highly recommend it!

I was going to wake up this morning and run, but when the alarm went off, I just couldn't do it. Mondays are rough! Anyway, I am going to try to run tonight after work (hopefully I can muster up the motivation).

Pillsbury Pizza Doesn't Get Much Better Than This!

My husband and I spent our honeymoon in Italy, and fell in love with the wonderful flavors of Italian cuisine. For many of our lunches there, we would have pizza. It was always inexpensive, fast, and delicious. Although I could never make pizza as well as the Italians, I feel like the dinner I cooked tonight was at least a good attempt from this Texas girl.

Tonight I tried out "Quick Pizza Margherita," another new recipe from my Cooking Light Complete Cookbook (thanks, Becca!). Josh and I loved this recipe, and it was very easy, so if you don't consider yourself much of a cook, give this one a try! It was full of fruity, delicious flavor from the balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and basil. And, of course, fresh mozzarella is always wonderful! Like the previous recipe, I tweaked a few things to suit my personal preference. The recipe calls for thinly sliced plum tomatoes, but I used sliced cherry tomatoes instead. I like the sweet, rich flavor of cherry tomatoes. I also like the fact that they are smaller, especially when eating pizza. It's a pet peeve of mine to bite into a tomato on a pizza and pull the entire thing off in one bite. So, the bite size slices of cherry tomatoes made a good alternative (although, I am not sure how the Italians would feel about that). The recipe also called for shredded fresh mozzarella, but I sliced the fresh mozzarella instead (this I think the Italians would be proud of). If you have not had fresh mozzarella before, you should definitely try it. It is much better than the shredded stuff you find on most American pizzas. Two of my favorite foods in Italy were fresh mozzarella, and prosciutto (I will have to share more about prosciutto at a later date). To find it fresh you will usually have to look with the specialty cheeses at your grocery store. It is much more expensive, and can be harder to find, but it is well worth it!


I also added fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (but not too much, since we are attempting to be healthier). The serving size of 2 slices was great for us, but we had eaten a big Sunday lunch, so if you want more of a meal, you may want to include a salad with the pizza. This makes a great dinner with plenty of good leftovers. It would also make a great appetizer for parties if you cut it into smaller slices.