Better Than Chocolate: Kaye's Cherry Cobbler Topped With Her Homemade Nutmeg Ice Cream.

 

Cray’s birthday photo with a distant cousin. Can you see the resemblance?

Homemade cherry cobbler with my portion missing.

Our new friend, Kaye, is an amazing cook. She made Cray a very special cherry birthday cobbler and delivered it to us complete with a side of her silky homemade nutmeg flavored ice cream. Now, this is not the first cobbler Kaye has shared with us. Historically, she makes fruit cobblers for Bonnie with a sugar substitute: they, too, are delicious, but this time we got the full-on sugar version, because that’s what Cray likes. Cray likes sweets and it’s no secret - it was her birthday, after-all, and we all used it as an excuse to indulge a little. 

Eggs Benedict at Le Rendez-vous Cafe & French Pastry. The menu is in both English and Spanish, but the food is definitely French. 

Cray’s birthday celebration began with a trip to a local French  restaurant for breakfast. I had Eggs Benedict with crispy hash browns and a side of asparagus and, yes, the suggestion of the olive placement was not lost on me. Cray had French toast topped with fresh syrupy strawberries. Bonnie languished over lox, cream cheese, onion, and capers slathered on a fresh baguette. We took home fresh almond croissants for later.  

Leasburg Dam State Park; the crowning glory of Radium Springs. I would definitely camp there. 

After breakfast we took a road trip to Radium Springs looking for an elusive city center, which we never found. A recent traveler had told Bonnie that he drove into Radium Springs recently, stopped for coffee, and fell in love with the ambiance of the town. Well, I’m not sure what he was smoking, but Radium Springs had about the same “ambiance” as an episode of the Jerry Springer show: complete with abandoned mobile homes and businesses, yards strewn with trash and junk metal, and absolutely no sign of a coffee shop or an open cafe. However, we did take a slow drive through a state park located on the edge of town, which turned out to be Radium Springs one redeeming quality.

We drive from Radium Springs to Hatch, New Mexico. Hatch is known for it’s famous green chilies and Sparky’s restaurant, a burger joint surrounded by many photo opportunities.

We stopped at one of Hatch’s many gift shops full of metal yard sculptures, rows of ristas, painted pottery, and all things spicy. 

Back in Las Cruces, we had lunch at Nopalito Restaurant, which has become Cray’s go to Mexican eatery. Although, it felt like we just had breakfast, I made room for chips and chile con queso!