The Fork

Hey y'all!

The twilight months of the year—October, November and December—are easily the most lit. We spend the rest of the year going months without a good holiday, until BAM, it's Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's, all within two months of each other. It's such a busy, special time of year that my family has come to affectionately call the season HallowThankMasYear.

The most festive months of the year mean one thing: parties out the wazoo. This punch is a favorite of mine—it pairs with everything from light party snacks to a full-blown Thanksgiving dinner, and it's easy to double (or even triple) depending on crowd size.

Cinnamon Sangria

Yields about 30 8-ounce servings

Ingredients:

• 6 Apples
• 2 Oranges
• 750 mL cinnamon whiskey (I use Fireball)
• 750 mL bottle cheap chardonnay, chilled
• 2 liters (about 2 bottles) sparkling apple cider, chilled
• 1 liter club soda, chilled
• Cinnamon sticks (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop apples and oranges into 1-inch cube
2. Place apples and oranges in 1-gallon container
3. Pour cinnamon whiskey over fruit and stir. Let set in refrigerator for 2-4 hours (longer is fine, but be forewarned: it will get strong).
4. Add wine, cider and club soda and stir.
5. Garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.

The fruit steeped in cinnamon whisky is delicious (and deadly), so I try to serve in a punch bowl to give easier access to the fruit. If you plan to leave it out all night, freshen it up after a few hours with more cider or club soda to keep it from getting flat.

Forkin’ Around

New Mexico has a Moveable Feast of our own now, thanks to Edible Santa Fe magazine and Thoughtfully Produced, a nonprofit focused on helping small businesses source locally. Not to be confused with Hemingway's Parisian memoirs, this event helps Santa Fe restaurants celebrate New Mexican farms' harvests.

Wednesday-Saturday Oct. 25-28, check out the local $20 prix-fixe lunch at RASA Juice Bar (815-B Early St., 989-1288), nightly specials at Il Piatto (95 W Marcy Ave., 984-1091) or all-day specials at Dulce Bakery and Coffee (1100 Don Diego Ave, 989-9966).

Also happening this weekend: Estancia's best cheesemakers and Santa Fe Farmers Market Staple Old Windmill Dairy (52 Paso Ranch Road, Estancia, 384-0033) is hosting their last movie and goat-cuddling night of the season. Snuggle up (read: be bitten by) goats while watching Halloween classic Hocus Pocus. Popcorn is included in ticket prices, which range from $10-$26, with s'mores and other snacks available for purchase. Dress warmly; this event is outdoors.

Just what the doctor ordered: Tonic (103 E Water St.) has opened. Stop by for affordable (for Santa Fe) craft cocktails, creative bar snacks and swingin' tunes on the weekends. I highly recommend the Cactus Coke ($11), which features an otherworldly house-made spicy ginger syrup and a healthy serving of tequila.

Y'all already know how I feel about brunch, so I'm super pumped about this next bit of news. Paloma (401 S Guadalupe St., 467-8624) will start serving every white girl's favorite meal this Saturday and Sunday from
11 am-2 pm. No word yet on the full menu, but it's sure to include breakfast tacos on their house-made, locally sourced tortillas.

Halloween's coming up soon, which has set my sweet tooth off. I love a Reese's as much as the next girl, but I feel like I should step up my game some. So I gotta ask: Where has the best candy in Santa Fe?

That's all for this week!

Later,
Eli