Rancho la Puerta Inspired Cinnamon Orange Granola with Almonds and Walnuts

Rancho la Puerta in Tecate Mexico - the place that launched my love for inland Baja California and ultimately lead me to Borrego Springs - is one of my favorite places in the whole world.  The Ranch serves wonderful healthy food.  No meat or chicken, but the Ranch has fish several times a week, plus eggs and low fat dairy. 

A favorite treat at Rancho La Puerta is it's flavorful, crunchy granola... sprinkled throughout with toasted almonds and scented with orange zest, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. Slightly (but not too) sweet. It is so good that Rancho la Puerta guests sneak it from the dining room by the pound before they leave for home.

Tasty with Greek yogurt and fresh berries. 

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Cinnamon/Orange Granola with Almonds and Walnuts
This recipe is adapted from Rancho La Puerta's recipe.
  
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup oat or wheat bran
1 cup corsely chopped or thick slices raw almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened, unfiltered apple juice (or regular apple juice)
1 Tbs vanilla extract
4 Tbs canola or vegetable oil
2 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 Tbs grated orange zest (zest from two large oranges)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, almonds, walnuts, wheat flour, bran, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.

In another bowl, whisk together honey, apple juice, vanilla, and oil until the honey is thoroughly incorporated. Add the orange zest and orange juice.

Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly over the baking sheet and bake for 1 to 2 hours (depending on your own oven), checking every 15 minutes or so. When the granola begins to brown, stir and turn over gently with a spatula. Take care that the outside edges do not burn. Your home will be smelling wonderful at this point!

When golden and dry, scrape the granola onto another baking sheet and set aside  to cool. Your granola will crisp as it cools, so don't over-bake. Store in an airtight container.

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Rancho la Puerta's environment is not easily replicated.  I must admit to all of you Rancho la Puerta fans that a stay in Borrego Springs - hiking the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park trails and enjoying the quiet, peaceful surroundings, will remind you of the Ranch.  Warm, sunny days (perfect for tennis, swimming, or exploring the town's unique desert art) turn into cool nights perfect for a outdoor fire under star-filled skys. 


ANZA-BORREGO DESERT STATE PARK

 

ANZA-BORREGO BADLANDS



MILKY WAY OVER ANZA-BORREGO ST PARK

PALM CANYON

Beautiful homes are available to rent on VRBO.com at very reasonable prices.  I think you would enjoy renting something in the long-established deAnza neighborhood with a pool!  And don't forget to take your homemade Rancho la Puerta granola with you!

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which Borrego Springs is carved out of the middle of, offers visitors activities such as biking, hiking, horseback riding, and trails for four-wheel-drive vehicles. The park has fantastic views of the desert, nature exhibits, and other interesting areas that can be accessed by short hikes.  If you explore far enough, you’ll find fan palms, elephant trees, and lots of quiet.

A favorite Borrego Springs hike is the Palm Canyon Trail.

Prefer to camp rather than rent a place?  There are a ton of campgrounds in the park too.  Check out Borrego Palm Canyon, Culp Valley, Tamarisk Grove, Sheep Canyon, Yaqui Pass, Fish Creek, Mountain Palm Springs, Lark Canyon, and Blair Valley.

Borrego Springs Remodeling Discovery... Tierra y Fuego Tile

My husband (The Very Happy Mr. W) and I remodeled our Borrego Springs Pueblo home partly from Seattle.  Although we were in Borrego Springs for a portion of the remodeling period, we had to make decisions over the phone and do alot of shopping on-line. 

Those who know me would agree I am a great "googler".   I discovered tons of wonderful resources for Mexican decor, pueblo building supplies, tiles, furniture, light fixtures, etc. on the web and by asking around.  I'll share one with you every once and a while.

Through the remodeling process, I was very pleasantly surprised by a few companies and also learned which ones should be avoided.  

A "Find" for Mexican Tile

For Mexican tile, you cannot beat the selection or quality at Tierra y Fuego.  The website is fantastic, almost everything is in stock at the San Diego warehouse, and your order will be shipped in one to two days.  If you live in the San Diego area and would prefer to visit the warehouse store, you will not be disappointed!  The store was filled with the most beautiful selection of Mexican, cement, saltillo, Santa Barbara, Mozaik, Terra Nova, etc. tiles I have ever seen.


Our Master Bathroom Border Tile

Staff at Tierra y Fuego are very helpful and once you've decided what you'd like, drive around to the loading dock and they will carefully wrap and load your tiles and supplies into your car.  Beautiful.


Turkeys in the desert? Borrego Springs is full of surprises!

One of our more recent surprises in Borrego Springs was a wild turkey hen roaming the neighborhood brush and walking down the 18th hole of the deAnza Golf Course in front of our house.  I've only seen this one wild turkey so far, which I believe locals have named Matilda. 

These are not photos of Matilda but I think she'd be happy with the pictures selected.  

Wild turkeys  (Meleagris gallopavo) live in various parts of North America, including the desert, and are the largest game birds found in this part of the world.  They spend their days foraging for food and spend their nights under bushes or in low branches of trees.  

Wild turkeys are omnivorous, foraging for nuts, seeds, berries, roots, grasses and insects. Turkeys also occasionally eat small reptiles, like snakes.

Wild turkeys (but not domestic turkeys) can fly for short distances at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour.  They can reach speeds of 25 miles per hour on the ground.

Throughout North America, wild turkeys are making a comeback.  In an effort to increase the wild turkey population, California has released several subspecies in the state - Rio Grande, Eastern, Merriam’s, and Eastern/Rio Hybrid.

Turkeys have great hearing, but no external ears.  They can see in color and have a wide field of vision (about 270 degrees), which makes it hard to sneak up on them.

Poults

Babies (called poults) flock with their mother all year (even through the winter).  The mother roosts on the ground with them for the first two weeks of their lives when they are unable to fly.  

Turkey Vocab 

Caruncle - brightly colored growths on the throat region.  The skin on the throat and head of a turkey can change color from gray to bright shades of red, white, and blue when the bird becomes distressed or excited.

Gizzard - a part of a bird's stomach that contains tiny stones.  It helps them grind up food for digestion.

Hen - a female turkey.

Poult - a baby turkey, turkey chick.

Snood - the flap of skin that hangs over the turkey's beak.  Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.

Tom - a male turkey... also known as a gobbler.

Wattle - the flap of skin under the turkey's chin. (Also turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.)

Chilled cake? Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake!



We threw a fun western-themed party for my youngest son's graduation.  Pulled pork and brisket sandwiches were the "main event" (along with cold Shiner Bock beer!), but this Texas Sheet Cake stole the show!

Going back to the 1960's, my mom baked this cake for bbq's and picnics.  It feeds a crowd and may be the best chocolate cake I've ever had.  

It's a scratch cake made in a jelly-roll pan, topped with a fudgy warm chocolate and walnut frosting that soaks into the cake.  Buttermilk keeps the cake moist. 

 

Mom kept our Texas Sheet Cakes refrigerated and served them chilled... a perfect, "cool" finish to a Borrego Springs meal! 


Cake Ingredients

2 C flour
2 C sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks (1/2 pound) butter  

1 C water

4 Tbsp. cocoa powder

2 eggs

1/2 C buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting Ingredients

1 stick (1/4 pound) butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa powder

6 Tbsp. buttermilk

1 pound (entire box) confectioners sugar

1 C coarsely chopped walnuts

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon).

Making The Cake

Heat butter, water and cocoa in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Pour over the flour mixture. Mix together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and then add to the dry ingredient mixture. Blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into a greased jelly roll pan (large cookie sheet with sides) and bake for 18 to 22 minutes in a 350 F. preheated oven.

To check if the cake is done cooking, insert a toothpick or knife into the center of the cake, which will come out clean if finished baking.  Don't overcook!  Remove from oven and frost while warm.

The Frosting (my favorite part)
Five minutes before the cake is finished baking, begin making your frosting.
 
Mix cocoa, butter and buttermilk in a saucepan. Bring just to a boil, then pull off the burner and immediately add powdered sugar and vanilla until well blended.  Fold in nuts.

Immediately pour warm frosting over the warm cake and spread as necessary.  Allow to cool before serving.
  

MAKE YOUR FROSTING WHILE CAKE IS BAKING AND FROST WHEN BOTH ARE WARM

I think these guys ate some Texas Sheet Cake in their day!


BONANZA



Cacti from Cuttings or Division

Cacti can be expensive, so learning we would be able to root cuttings or divide them from our existing plants was really great news! 

The first time I learned this, I watched our gardener cut an agave offshoot from our front bed, which he told me was the cactus "bebé".  Then he tucked it into an open space in the flower bed and pressed the dirt around it.  No rooting solution, no preparation.  He was so confident that it would grow into another big plant and seven months later, I can confirm he was right!  

Most cacti will come out of their winter rest around spring and will begin to grow - a great time to start a few new plants. 

Cuttings
Rooting a cactus cutting is much easier than rooting most other types of plants. Healthy pad-forming, columnar or segmented stem cacti are very easy to start from cuttings.   

1)  Cut the pad off with a clean, sharp knife. If the pad is large or woody, you can use a saw.  Unlike most plants, cacti love to be clipped and started in warm weather.  Late spring and summer are the best times.  

2) You could just stick the thing in the ground at this point, but for best results, dry the cutting in a dry, shady place until the cut area forms a callus.  This will take a few days to a week.  The larger the cut surface, the longer you should allow the cutting to dry.  Don't water the cutting during this time. 

3) Once the cutting is ready for planting, plant directly into your garden or in pure sand or a well-draining soil mixture (sand, perlite, pumice, gravel can be combined for a very good planting medium).

4) Water. After a couple of days, check the soil and water again after the soil is completely dry.  Continue watering until the winter months, when watering can be done on your normal drip or sprinkler system setting according to your flower bed's particular situation.

Root rot is a concern and may cause your cutting to die.  Don't over-water your cuttings!


Division
Division is an ideal method of propagating those types of cactus which bud off new plants from the side of the mother plant. These babies usually already have roots developed and should be carefully pulled or teased away from the parent plant and placed in a place of their own. The advantage of this type of propagation over the taking of cuttings is that division leaves the mother plant with almost no signs of disfigurement (e.g. natural childbirth vs. cesarean).


When it comes to soil type, cacti aren’t particular, but they do need good drainage.

Be Careful!
Prickly pears (Opuntia) have fine bristles, known as glochids, that fly off the plant with the merest disturbance. They’re relentless, invading cloth and skin, and they take a good washing with hot soap and water to remove.

Chollas (Cylindropuntia) have barbed spines that are downright painful – especially when you try to pull them out of pricked skin. And the spines on most other cactus are just plain sharp.The best strategy for moving prickly pears and chollas is to use tools. Never try to handle a piece of any prickly pear or cholla with your hands, even when wearing gloves!

For those wanting to learn more about the giant saguro cactus, here's a great book that we have on our Borrego Springs bookshelf for our younger guests.  Desert Giant is available at Amazon.com.

Uncommon and unspoiled. The Borrego Springs Life Experiment

The Very Happy Mr. W. and I live in a nice, older neighborhood ten minutes from downtown Seattle in a comfortable four-bedroom view home. We have alot of stuff. We are very happy.  But for the past couple of years, as semi-empty nesters, serious conversations have been focused on the next "phase" of our lives -- the "without the kids phase".

What do we want our lives to look like?
What will make us happy?

 When our kids start having kids, we want to live near them and play a significant roll in our grandkids' lives;

Spending more time during the year in a sunny location with (affordable) golf would make us happy;

An inexpensive vacation home would allow us to keep a home in Seattle;We would like a house (with a yard for gardening), rather than a condo, but also something that makes every day feel like a vacation;

Goal is to live healthy, active lives.

The simpler, the better, so that we can focus on what is really important - family, friends, "experiences" rather than "things", spending time outside and appreciating nature.

We started visiting warm locations and looking at real estate... Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tucson, Maui, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, central Oregon, Southern California. All of these could work, but would likely result in our living a somewhat fast paced, expensive lifestyle while there - dealing with traffic and lines, and surrounded by tons of shopping, $100+ rounds of golf and expensive restaurants. 

The places we researched and visited with a "second home" destination in mind ended up feeling an awful lot like Seattle after we had been there a few days. Life in those places would not necessarily be different than our life in Seattle.  Then we visited Borrego Springs.   

Borrego Springs people are friendly and down-to-earth;
The desert is breathtakingly beautiful;
It's really quiet in the middle of nowhere;
There are always stars in the night sky;
The desert is alive!  Filled with animals, cacti and flowers;
Most of the year, the days are warm and nights are chilly
(perfect for a cozy fire);
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park has dozens of amazing hiking trails and jeep/off-roading areas;
You can get by and be really happy with much less stuff than you think;
When removed from the distractions of a larger city, the days go on forever;
Desert flower beds are a dream to dig in;
There is no problem getting a tee time in Borrego Springs;
It's relatively difficult to spend money in Borrego Springs;
People care about and support each other in a small community;  
Humans can live without Starbucks (nearest Starbucks is 40 minutes away);
FedEx/UPS deliver to Borrego Springs every day;
A nice, comfortable home in Borrego Springs is quite affordable.




Borrego Springs "Christmas Circle"

Borrego Springs Herb Garden




HERB: 

A plant that is useful in some way.

I love to grow herbs that we can use for cooking or that add a fresh, memorable smell to the garden. 

I've got a decent herb garden in Seattle.  And since we purchased the little Borrego Springs house in December, I've planted the beginnings of an herb garden - mint, aloe, Spanish lavender, culinary sage, mountain sage, Greek oregano and "Tuscan Blue" rosemary. 

So far, so good, but the lavender does look a little scrawney and is likely getting too much sun right now.  



SPANISH LAVENDER

Most herbs can tolerate full sun, but healthy well-balanced growth (known as "vigor") will be increased with some afternoon sun protection in Borrego Springs.

We have a great flower bed directly outside of our "back door", which is off the kitchen and is partially shaded in the afternoon!  The location makes it so convenient to pick fresh mint for The Very Happy Mr. W's mojitos, pick rosemary to garnish a roast, or cut a few stocks of fresh lavender to stick in a small vase next to our bed. 

Herbs, like most plants, need a solid root system by the time the weather begins to heat up, so the best "planting" season for many herbs begins in mid-August and runs until the end of March or April.  We will all have better results if we practice self discipline and stick to a planting schedule that is best for the plant!  Good luck with that. 


DESERT SAGE (Salvia dorrii)

 I find myself unable to resist the 4" herb starts sold at the Borrego Springs Friday farmers market through May.  They are healthy little plants and very inexpensive!  


BASIL (MY FAVORITE!)

 

DILL

Many of the herbs that thrive in our harsh desert environment are of Mediterranean origin. Soil types, low rainfall and over 300 sunny days a year allow these familiar herbs to grow easily in Borrego Springs gardens.  

While many culinary herbs are perennials, some of them are seasonal annuals and must be grown in either the cool season or the warm season here in the low desert.  For example, annual cilantro and dill can be planted in the fall to grow months. 


Parsley, normally a biennial lasting two years, may not endure summer in Borrego Springs.

Some perennials such as culinary chives, French tarragon, and Mexican tarragon may disappear underground for the winter, re-sprouting with fresh growth the following spring. 

Ancient Greeks used Sage as a mental stimulant.  Sage is in the genus of Salvia, and is associated with salvation and good health.

Rosemary (a Mediterranean native) has been used for centuries for scenting and medicinal purposes.  It is associated with remembrance and fidelity because of it’s long-lasting piney aroma.  Rosemary is the symbol of friendship and loyalty.

I have been told that basil, commonly an annual in other regions, can last more than one season in the low desert if protected from frost.  I need to learn how to do that! 

MINT



Mint and lemon-flavored herbs (e.g. lemon verbena) are among the most popular for herbal teas.  With the variety of these plants that thrive in the low desert, along with other flavored herbs, you can grow your own tea blend!  As a general rule, use one teaspoon of dried herbs, or two teaspoons of fresh herbs to each cup of boiled water for tea.

A couple of my favorite herb recipes:

Gremolata

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary leaves
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons good olive oil

Mix together.  Serve with roasted meats or use as a garnish for lasagna or other pasta dishes for a fresh punch of flavor.





CURLEY (USUALLY FOR GARNISH) & FLAT LEAF (PREFERRED BY COOKS) PARSLEY

Basil Pesto

• 1/4 cup walnuts*
• 1/4 cup pine nuts*
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

*using all walnuts or all pine nuts will be delicious too.

Place the walnuts, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor.  With the standard blade, process for 30 seconds, then add the basil leaves, salt and pepper.  Keep  processor running and slowly poor in the olive oil until the pesto is thoroughly pureed.  Add the Parmesan and puree for another minute.  

You can use the pesto immediately or store it in the refrigerator.  I like to freeze the pesto in ice cube trays, which makes a nice portion for a family pasta dinner.  Spray the ice cube trays with Pam olive oil spray, fill with the pesto mixture, spray again with the Pam olive oil and freeze.  After frozen, the cubes of pesto can be stored in a zip-lock freezer bag.  

Tip:  Don't "cook" pesto.  Add it to your recipe at the last minute, allowing it to melt into the dish.