Are You a Looky-Loo...?

The message forum is an ongoing dialogue between classmates.

These are random subjects, topics, and trivia.

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Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Sherry, you are right about TV shows today!  I think reality shows have taken over!  I miss the variety shows  such as Carol Burnett, and The Smothers Brothers and Andy Williams Show!

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

Saundra Bennett Whiteside  YES!!!

Rex Booth

Pat Riley sent this to me... and thought it worth posting as it has a very good message! 

Thanks for the contribution, Pat!

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Thanks for sharing, Rex!  I don't thnk positive and kind words can be underestimated!  Could be enough to change a person's life.  It is sad to think what may have happened if Edison's mom had read the teacher's note.
Parents and Teachers have a big responsibility on their shoulders!  Thank you Pat for sending this to Rex!

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

As I was eating my lunch of flat enchiladas today I decided to share a memory with you. We seldom went out to eat as a kid so I knew little about restaurant food. While living in San Diego we went to a Mexican restaurant and I ordered enchiladas. Yep, you guessed it!  On my plate were 3 rolled up tortillas so I told the waitress there was a mistake. Well that's when I found out that New Mexico food is much different than the rest of the world!  And it's so much better. Happy Hatch Chili eating to all of you!!

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Paula, when I was going to school at TWU in Denton, Texas, several friends and I ate at a Mexican restaurant in town.  I ordered a chili relleno, and got a stuffed bell pepper!  It wasn't even close!

Charline Lake

Let's hear it for flat stacked enhiladas with a fried egg on top, with sopaipillas accompanying, with honey.  Does anyone else miss Mrs. Arias's Cafe?  My mother took me there every Friday night after she got paid, and we stopped off at the Dairy Queen for hot fudge sundaes on the way home.  I would love to go there again, but alas, it's gone.  

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Charline, I love stacked enchiladas with an egg!  My mom used to make them every now and then.  PoPo's has good Mexican food and reasonable prices.  That's where I go with my family!  It is difficult yo get green sauce with green chili's in OKC.  They use tomatillo sauce!  Not good!

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

I have travel a lot of the US have had a lot of Mexican food but nothing like New Mexican food! I went in to a a place in Michigan ordered a Stuffed Sophapia it was a flat Flour  tortilla  with stuff stacked on top. I miss Mrs. Arias'  Cafe too. I have eaten at Martin's Capitol Cafe lately they are good! Remember the Capital Cafe was owned Steve "Demosthenes" Metarelis' Family.

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

I really like Martin's Capital Cafe, as well!  We've had great Mexican food  in Albuquerque!    Love The Range, and Frontier!  Have never been disappointed.

John Doyal

Popos is the best for Mexican food.  That is where we met with John and Lynn while we were visiting in Roswell.  Both there and the Capitol are half the price for twice the taste and amount of food.  They are the only places that still make sopapias, both stuffed and desert with honey.                                                                             A word of warning to anyone taking potassium supplements and or spiranolactone.  You need to watch your levels real closely as 3.3 is bottom and 5.5 is top. below or above can be fatal.  We found out the hard way as Nelda almost died when hers got to 9.2, doctors said most people die at anything above 9.  Due to the covid problems she was not being tested regularly and the levels not checked.    ER doctor said the only thing that saved her was God and her pacemaker.

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

Oh those sopapillas!  We frequently made them at home; in fact I still have that recipe card. My dad worked with several Hispanic guys at the base and they gave him lots of information on cooking New Mexican dishes. I also agree that it's really difficult to get good sopapillas in restaurants and I'm much too lazy now to make them. But I do order frozen Hatch chilies and make chili rellenos now and again. And even green chili stew. My husband absolutely loves Hatch chili. In fact we keep a "salt" shaker on the table filled with green chili powder so that he can put it on his eggs. John I'm so thankful that your wife survived that crisis!  I had hoped to get to the reunion this year but leaving David for 3-4 days isn't possible and he can't travel so I'll just enjoy the pictures and descriptions from those who attend. Blessings to all of you!

Charline Lake

John, me too!  Best wishes to your wife!  I'll try Martin's and Popo's next time I'm in town.  Paula and Sherry and Saundra, it's funny how the food we grew up on means so much.  I can make good stacked enchiladas, so my kids grew up on those too!  It's tough to get decent Mexican food in the Northeast.  Central American version, sure, but not Mexican, and certainly now NEW Mexican.  XO

Joe Treat

Luckily, we live in Santa Fe.  We have New Mexican food at Tia Sophia's restaurant at least once a week.. 

Rex Booth

Remember the "Valdez Cafe" on south Main?  Jimmy Valdez was on the 1956 Little League World Champion team! We'd go into his Mom's cafe on Saturday nights after a ball game. His Mom made sure we feasted like kings!

Will have to 2nd the motion on Popo's!  It's my understanding they are the only one in town whom make home-made chile rellenos.  The others order them frozen (in-bulk) and stick 'em in the microwave for 90 seconds...  Maritine's has a good atmosphere but again their mashed beans (refried pinto beans) are a little heavy on the flour content. "New Mexican" dishes in Taos are traditionally Spanish and are different from typical Mexican food in southern New Mexico... then ya got Tex-Mex food in them-thar hills of Tejas.

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

I got groceries at Sprouts this afternoon.  They had a special on green chili, chicken Sushi.  I like Sushi, and Mexican food, but not sure I will like the combination!  I'll let uou know after I sample it tomorrow!

Fred Miller

You have to search a bit to find real Mexican food here in Texas. Some of the best I have ever had was from the cooking carts of street vendors on 6th St. in downtown Austin and on or near the River Walk in San Antonio. 

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Fred,  I agree, the Mexican food on the Riverwalk in San Antonio is great!

Rex Booth

Paula,

You said you had the "recipie card" for sopapillas...?  Soooo Paula, could you post it on the forum?!!  I'm pretty sure Saundra and others would appreciate it!  Any other Mexican recipies out there that anyone would like to post?... hint hint   

Rex Booth

The Mystery of  #25  (continues)  dum-de-dum-dum!!

Could this be #25 who played Howler basketball in 1960 at RHS? According to sources, he played ‘Varsity’ basketball, graduating in Van Nuys, California in 1962. Was it possible #25 moved from Roswell and finished high school in California?  hmm….

U.S. Grant High School Van Nuys, Ca 1962

Saundra Bennett (Whiteside)

Yes, Paula, I would love to have your Sopapilla recipe!  
I had the green chili Sushi for lunch.  It wasn't bad, but I prefer the regulars.  Pleased I was adventurous enough to try it, though!

Sherry Hester (Trasp)

I love the San Antonio Riverwalk the food is very good. I have eaten at Garcia's here in Albuquerque their Sopapilla's are good! Saundra, I think it is great that you tried something different. I am not sure I would!!

Patrick Riley

I envy all of you who can get good Mexican food. We've lived in Colorado Springs for over a dozen years and haven't had one good plate of red enchiladas that whole time.

My favorite Mexican food in Roswell was always Mrs. Ariaz's on south Main Street but the Valdez Cafe was good too. Never ate at Martin's Capital Cafe or PoPo's ... I don't think those existed when I lived in Roswell (60 years ago now). I have heard good things about Martin's!

I agree with Fred and Sherry that the Mexican food on the San Antonio Riverwalk is good but it's not the same. I've tried many, many Mexican restaurants from New York City to San Diego, some claiming to offer "Santa Fe Style Mexican food," but they're just not the same. You can export the chili from Hatch to anywhere but you can't seemingly prepare it the same way???

San Antonio footnote ... the Fajitas in San Antonio, particularly several restaurants in the historic Mexican Market Square (Mercato), are better than any we can get anywhere in New Mexico.

Another case in point ... you can get Key Lime Pie anywhere but it's just not the same outside of the state of Florida!

Also BBQ ... good in Texas (usually beef) and great in many places across the South (almost always pork) and even in Kansas City but elsewhere in the country, not so much.

And finally, Crawfish Etouffee (and other Cajun dishes) ... great in New Orleans (try Brennan's, Commanders Palace or many others in the French Quarter) but this style of cooking just doesn't migrate very well elsewhere in the country.

Finally, in New Mexico, you can get a green chili/cheese Lotta Burger. You have no idea how jealous we that can't get them are!

Bon appetit!

Rex Booth

Paula asked for this to be posted!

Paula's  Sopaipilla  Recipe!

How many sopaipillas will this make approximately?

Hat's off to Paula for contributing!! 

Paula Carl (Cowee Miller)

I don't remember how many sopapillas this recipe will make but it easily fed the 6 Carl's and we ate a lot. I would cut it in half. (2-1/2 cups flour makes 2 pie crusts so this would roll out to 4 pie crusts. Cut each into 6-8 triangles and you have 24-32 sopapillas). When you make these drop them one at a time into the oil. Hold them under the oil until they puff up and then drop another into the oil. Yummy!  Enjoy.