Kitty Deschanel | Food, Wine, and Travel Adventures Across the USA

Happy Halloween! I'm super boring this year, with no costume, no decorations, and (gasp!) no candy. Here's a throwback Halloween post from a few years ago. Until 6th grade, I was a cat every year. I finally switched things up when I saw a picnic table costume in an American Girl magazine. That's right. For Halloween, I went trick-or-treating as a picnic table, complete with paper plates and baggies of chips hot glued on. Wanting to outdo myself, the next year I was a mama cat trying to sell her babies. Sure, it sounds horrible now, but I remember it looking so cute in that 1997 American Girl magazine. I'm pleased to declare that 2012 was the year of my Best Costume Ever ! Unbeknownst to her ahead of time, I went as my Halloween-loving coworker, Marie, complete with blond wig and her stolen name tag. It must have been meant to be, because she came in wearing the exact same pair of Halloween socks, purely by coincidence! Now I just need to figure out a wa...

Move over, Balloon Fiesta. Albuquerque has another up-and-coming event that you won't want to miss.  My husband and I were pleasantly surprised to discover that the New Mexico Fermentation Festival, in its 4th year and the first of its kind in the Southwest, is popular with locals and tourists alike. It's sponsored by  edible New Mexico  and is held at the Gutiérrez-Hubbell House, which is dense with cottonwood trees and is a lovely place to spend a Saturday with or without a festival. What the heck is a fermentation festival? You know we're big fans of New Mexico  wine festivals ,  beer festivals , and even  green chile cheeseburger  and  wagyu beef festivals . (Yay, NM!) We'd never been to a fermentation festival though and weren't sure what to expect. Although you might think a festival dedicated to fermented foods and drinks sounds a little odd (we did), so many irresistible treats fit within that category. In addition to ...

My friend, Ranji, has written a guest post. It's about selecting jewelry based on the shape of your face. I'd never considered that these two things might go together, but it makes sense, right? Just as your hair and makeup can work with or against the shape of your face, so can your jewelry. If I can use jewelry to make my round face look thinner, sign me up! Speaking of jewelry, one of my all-time most popular blog posts involves my husband's wedding ring ...breaking in half. Oops! I don't even have my ears pierced! Beauty Tips: How to Choose Unique Jewelry for Your Face Type Guest Post from Ranji Jewelry plays an important role in elevating every woman’s look. Be it casual nose jewelry, ear jewelry, or a stunning necklace, rendering an outfit with accessories becomes crucial for an overall classy look. No doubt jewelry is capable of enhancing one’s appearance effortlessly; it’s a little tricky to shop for it. More info here . Many factors including style, ador...

A New Mexico tradition, the  Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown is an annual event you don't want to miss. It's green chile season. Here in the Land of Enchantment, where every food order comes with the question "red or green," that's a big deal. If you're reading my site and have never been to NM (such a shame), think of this as a virtual visit. New Mexico does green chile bigger and better than anywhere else.  Can you smell the chile wafting through the air? Mmmm. An important milestone in the life of any New Mexican, we recently drove to Albuquerque to celebrate Olive's first green chile roast. (No kids, you know.) No gloves! You're a real New Mexican when you finish peeling and bagging 25 pounds of Hatch green chile and worry that you should have bought a second case. Update: We went back for a second case. We also tried to get a cute photo of Olive inside the Hatch Green Chile box. She wasn't having it. Here in New Mexic...