Ballet under the Stars is Back

In Arizona, we plan outdoor events during most of the year with reckless abandon. Organizers bet on clear skies, because the odds are just too good to pass up.

Of course, sometimes they bet wrong.

Like when the Ballet Under the Stars performance we usually attend in Tempe had to be canceled last year due unseasonably late and unusually heavy rains.

We decided to drive an hour south to the Casa Grande performance at the Paul Mason Sports Complex a few days later. The rain had stopped, and it was a beautiful drive with the golden hour sun dropping below the clouds.

While there was still a great turnout, it was a much smaller crowd with even more of a community vibe and much more convenient parking.

We had packed a simple picnic of cheese, crackers, hummus, fruit, and chocolate. We spread out our blanket as the dancers warmed up and the sky erupted into increasingly spectacular shades of pink and orange.

It was a beautiful show.

What to know about Ballet Under the Stars 2015:

There are 5 performances in different locations September 24-October 2 at 7pm. (Unfortunately, I don’t see Casa Grande on the list this year.)
Admission is free, but you can make a donation to support Ballet Arizona online or at an event.
No photography is permitted during the event.
Bring something to sit on (blanket, lawn chair, etc.).
Expect some background noise. There will be people moving around a bit, kids doing kid things, and parents stage-whispering things like “Don’t hit your brother with that glow stick.” or “Stop asking strangers for snacks.” It’s actually not that disruptive, as long as you don’t get stuck behind oblivious people who decide to chat through the whole performance. May the odds be ever in your favor.

September 18, 2015September 18, 2015

This Ain’t Your Mama’s Macayo’s

I wonder what Mexican food was like in 1946. Not so much the food in Mexico, but in the few little mom-and-pop spots in the US, where it was still a novelty. It must have seemed so exotic back then, in the year that the first Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina opened in Phoenix.

While most of Macayo’s restaurants continue to serve their traditional brand of Arizona-style Mexican food, the Scottsdale location is mixing things up with chef-inspired menu items and a renovated restaurant (including a dog-friendly patio!). Their grand re-opening was this week, and they raised over $2000 for charity.

My friend Kelli and I got to be part of a preview event for their new menu one fine Taco Tuesday.

How Macayo’s Scottsdale spiced up their menu…

Comida

Jicama Shrimp Tacos – Instead of dicing up the crunchy vegetable and putting it inside the taco, the jicama is actually thinly sliced to create the taco shell. I have to admit, the first few bites were a little weird. But, once my taste buds got over the initial shock of the slightly sweet, juicy outer layer where there’s usually a blander, drier corn or flour tortilla, I enjoyed it. It complements the fresh fruit salsa and fried shrimp inside really well, and I’d order these again.
Fried Avocado – How do you even fry an avocado without it all falling apart? I don’t know. I just know it puts a nice crispy outside around that lovely avocado mushiness. Macayo’s adds queso fresco, salsa, and chipotle crema, all layered on top of individual tortilla chips.
Homemade Churros – By the time there was a break in the conversation where I could say, “Kelli, you have to eat a churro!” they had cooled off and she was less impressed than I was. My advice: Order the churros, then pounce when they arrive. Dip one in the accompanying Mexican Chocolate the moment they’re under mouth-burning temperature. They’re good a few minutes later, but, when they’re still warm, they’re transcendent.

Also delicious: Bosio’s Shrimp, Queso Fundido, Rolled Tacos.

Bebidas

Specialty Margaritas – I was intrigued by the Watermelon Jalapeño but chickened out, thinking it might be crazy spicy. One of our tablemates gave it a try and said it had just the right amount of kick to it. I ordered the (very pink) Prickly Pear, which turned out to be more regular pear than cactus fruit. It was good, just not really out of the ordinary. They all are served in tapered glasses (which my brother/barware expert Ian and I determined were some kind of hybrid that should be called “margatini glasses”) rather than the typical bowl-like stemware.
Macayo Mule – Kelli ordered Macayo’s answer to a Moscow Mule, made with tequila instead of vodka. It still comes in a copper cup, particularly appropriate here in the Copper State.
Happy Hour – Specials go from 3:30-6:30pm on weekdays. On the weekends, it’s happy hour all day long, amigos!

The new menu (which also includes some old favorites) is available now at the Scottsdale Shea Macayo’s.

—
Thank you to Macayo’s Mexican Grill & Cantina for allowing us to be part of their media preview night and to RSVP & Associates for the invitation.

August 31, 2015January 3, 2018

Grandma’s Sunburn Remedy

I sunburn easily.

I blame my genes. Basically, I descend from a mélange of peoples, who, I assume, just kept walking north until they got to the regions of Europe that were cold and cloudy enough not to punish their pallid skin.

Generations later, I was born in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, wearing the maladapted melanin of my kin. Here, summer rays can be intense enough to burn a Celtic lass like me within 10 minutes.

My grandma used to tell me to put vinegar on sunburns. “The sooner the better,” she’d say. Being a teenager, I’d roll my eyes and/or ignore her advice.

Then, after one sunburn that left my skin ablaze like a village after a Viking* raid, I finally gave in and tried it. The pain was gone almost instantly. I did smell like vinegar, but I had no intentions of going back outside anytime soon anyway.

Now I wear a moisturizer with sunscreen in it daily. If I do get a sunburn, I have no problem reaching for the vinegar and gently daubing some on. Totally worth smelling like a salad dressing (or maybe a jar of pickles) for a few hours.

—
*I also have Viking ancestors. I like to think of them as not the village-destroying type, though. Maybe horned-hat-wearing and fierce – like you wouldn’t want to mess with them – yet somehow kind hearted. (This may not be historically accurate.)

August 15, 2015May 23, 2023

A Mount Lemmon Trip

Mount Lemmon doesn’t have a website.

Which, I guess, makes sense, since it’s a mountain. Although that didn’t stop Mt. Rainier or even Camelback. Maybe the difference is that they’re both the main event in their respective parks. Mt. Lemmon, on the other hand, is just one impressive part of the impressive Santa Catalina Mountains and extensive Coronado National Forest.

It’s right outside Tucson, but, as much as Phillip and I like hanging out in that area, I’ve never been on Mt. Lemmon itself. Tucson is a 1.5 hour drive, and then it takes another hour to wind your way up the mountain, so it kind of requires its own designated trip.

Which is happening soon, because my dad thought we (he, Mom, Phillip and I) needed to take a day trip before Phillip goes back to grad school and ~~disappears for 9 months~~ / ~~can’t do anything fun~~ / gets much busier.

We decided to go to Mt. Lemmon since my mom hasn’t been there either. We’ll drive around, picnic, and maybe take a hike. But probably a short one, because the elevation at the top is about 9,000 feet. That is significantly higher than Denver. It’s actually closer to La Paz, Bolivia’s 11,000+ feet.

Side note: Thinking about this made me wonder about all the high-altitude places I’ve been and how they compare to each other. So I made a little, roughly-to-scale chart. Maybe I’ll do a better one later, where I actually write legibly and measure the lines. Maybe.

Side note to the side note: I’m thinking of titling my chart “Great Heights” or “Altitude is Everything” or “Elevations I Have Known and Loved” or maybe just “Places I’ve Been High.”

Really, the point is that I’m gonna be moving slow up there in the thinner air.

Driving from the Tucson desert to the pine-covered top of Mt. Lemmon takes you through climate zones equivalent to driving from Mexico to Canada.

Mt. Lemmon is one of the sky islands, a poetically-named category of mountains in the Southwest U.S. and Mexico that have dramatically different environments than the areas around them. They have remarkable biodiversity, including plants and animals you normally wouldn’t find in the region.

My favorite is the coatimundi, a mammal that’s native to Central America but also inhabits the sky islands. When we went to Chiricahua National Monument (also sky island territory) a few years back, I got kind of ~~obsessed~~ focused on trying to spot one in the wild. It hasn’t happened yet, but, during the trip, I’ll definitely be on the lookout.

—
PS I’ll be posting info from my Craft Camp presentation soon.

June 18, 2015June 29, 2022

Summer of the Waffle

I don’t remember how we got on the subject, but somehow I ended up speculating on what would be the next food trend to follow fancified cupcakes and ostentatious donuts.

“Maybe waffles. Do you think waffles could be gourmet? Like will there be food trucks selling artisan waffles?”

Yes and yes, as it turns out.

There are now waffle trucks. And, here in Phoenix, there’s a waffle trailer that serves traditional Belgian liege waffles with the recipe, technique, and even sugar imported from Belgium.

The trailer is the latest venture of Chocolade van Brugge, the chocolate shop I was introduced to during the Chocolate Tour of Scottsdale. So there are all kinds of tempting topping options, including, of course, really good chocolate.

They’ve declared this The Summer of the Waffle and threw a party to kick it off, parking the trailer in Scottsdale’s Eldorado Park on a lovely May evening. Peixoto Coffee Roasters was there with big jars of iced coffee and cascara (coffee cherry tea) and their pour-over coffee setup. Hoot and Holler had organized the event and set the tables with beautiful flower arrangements.

We tried a mini waffle topped with Nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream. Yep, that’s as awesome as it sounds. Our other mini waffle came with delicious dark chocolate, caramel, and more sea salt than I personally would’ve prefered – but I’m sure they’d lighten that up on request. I’d definitely order it again.

Peixoto did a decaf pour over for me, since it was late in the day. Ridiculously good. Did not taste like decaf. Phillip got an iced coffee, which he enjoyed (even though it kept him up). I like their iced coffee too. It’s my pre-CraftHack beverage of choice.

We got to meet and chat with the owners of both shops. Both are passionate about their craft and their ingredients. Both have come from other continents, bringing along their heritage and sharing a part of it with the Phoenix community.

Besides the waffle truck that’s a trailer, you can find Chocolade van Brugge waffles at their main location in Old Town Scottsdale, and they frequently do pop up shops in Downtown Chandler at Peixoto.

—

Thank you to Peixoto, Chocolade Van Brugge, and Hoot and Holler for allowing us to be your guests at this event!