Our Second Cooking Class

Today we had our second cooking class with Pilar.

What a treat to learn from such an accomplished chef.

She learned from her Grandmother how to cook
for her family while she was growing up.

Her mother worked as a nurse and didn’t

have much time to cook.

Now she runs her own restaurant The Olla
next to the Bed and Breakfast her sister Auorora

and husband Don own and run.

(where we are staying)
This is the second time we have stayed here,

but the first time we have had cooking
Classes with Pilar. Well worth the trip to Oaxaca!.
Today we made:
Sopas, Salsa Verde, Mexican Black Rice, tortillas and Vanilla Flan. YUM!

Cutting up cactus leaves for the sopas

Russell sauteing the cactus leaves with garlic and onion

I am making tortillas with the tortilla press


We got help cooking the tortillas

Pilar is quickly frying the Red Snapper

for the Vera Cruz fish recipe

Pilar is adding the cherry tomatoes, tomatillas,

and sauted onions, chilis and garlic

to the fish.

Lunch is ready

the last Sopa

Vanilla Flan...we had the wine with our meal.

Black rice with fish......delicious.

Day 10- a trip to Zaachila and lunch at La Capilla

Today we went to Zaachila with Arnulfo. He showed us the ancient
tombs of the Zapotec royalty. We were able to go down into two
of them. Afterwards we walked the village and then went to La Capilla
for a tasty lunch. We met Ivonne Kennedy and her husband Hector.
She is a painter and has exhibited in Portland and Hector is
a biologist working on a project not to far from here to protect a type
of parrot that is endangered . His project is 2 1/2 hours from here
up in the mountains above Teotitlan de Valle.
Really interesting and nice people. Another great day.

Zaachila's Market

Frieze outside entrance to tomb
Interior of tomb-niches were for gifts for the dead

Owl
Flying God

Another God or image of dead King

View from the top of the hill where the tombs are

Town church

Kathe and Arnulfo walking up towards the tombs

Statue of the Feather Dancer

Frog in the pond at La Capilla Restaurant

Tortilla maker

Huge tortilla oven

Day 9-Cooking class

Today after our wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, yogurt ,orange juice ,
coffee and mango omelets - we went up the street just a few blocks to
Pilar’s Cooking School “La Casa de los Sabores”. What a absolute treat
for us. There was only one other student, Lucy from NYC, and we all got
along like peas in a pod. First off we went to the little market not too far
away and purchased all the items we would need.

Our menu today was:
Squash Blossoms filled with Requeson Cheese
Salsa Verde - smoky tomatillo sauce
Tortilla Soup seasoned with Avocado leaves
Poblano chilies filled with chicken in a nut sauce
and Coconut Flan
I will be happy to share all the recipes once we get back!
Pilar was a great teacher and we all had a good experience making all the
dishes together. After we were done cooking-we sat down and had a delicious meal!

Our beautifully set table for the feast

Russell and Kathe showing off their stuffed squash blossoms

Making Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for Tortilla Soup

Roasting tomatoes, tomatillos, chilis, garlic and onion

for the Tortilla soup and Green salsa

Smash those tomatillos for the salsa

Roasting Poblano peppers

for the Chili Rellenos

Finished Chili Rellenos with Nut sauce

Ingredients for Coconut Flan

Swirling carmelized sugar in pan for flan

Ahhhhhhhhh....so good!

Some folks don't sit down to a lunch like ours....

Day Eight- the Zocolo

Today was a slow day after all we did yesterday in Teotitlan. We had a great
breakfast and then went off to the Zocalo for a few hours of people watching.
I brought my drawing supplies with me and did warm up my fingers making
a very simple drawing with my watercolor pencils.
The Zocolo is for everyone to sit, eat, chat or be still. It’s everyone’s backyard.

But first-a delicious breakfast!
The Zocolo Cathedral

Lots of balloon vendors

A few days ago this statue wore a blue mask...

Cool shady spaces

Private places for private conversations

Shaved ice with fruit juices...

Later that evening we walked by Santo Domingo just a few

blocks from our Bed and Breakfast

Interesting night shadows

A Memorable Day in Teotitlan de Valle

Today we had an extraordinary and wonderful day.

A few days ago we went
Into the Galeria La Mano Magica to look at the beautiful art -

especially the tapestries woven by

Master Zapotec Weaver Arnulfo Mendoza.
http://www.lamanomagica.com/arnulfo.html
These are not rugs for the floor, but tapestries for the walls.
We met Arnulfo and he invited us to come to his house this past Sunday
on Mothers Day. What a magical day. To be welcomed into his home
and his mothers home. We were picked up by his brother Tomas and
we first went to meet his mother and all the family that were there. Then
we went up to the top of the hill above Teotitlan where he has his house.
Amazing space - large areas of verandahs for sitting and relaxing. He
even has horses. Then we went back down to his mothers house for
a Zapotec breakfast. First a variety of fruit filled jellos, then orange juice, cocoa,
And a hot drink called Atole that is made from corn.
After that Tomas took us to Tlacolula. A village famous for it’s Sunday market.
We spent a few hours there and then returned to Teotitlan where we walked
around the village with Arnulfo. The church is quite beautiful and was finished in 1717.
We returned to his mother’s house where we ate again! This time we had the
special Yellow Chicken Mole made especially for Mother’s Day.
Now we are really stuffed! We are like rellenos!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Thank you Phillip and Paul!!!

What a surprise to have flowers

delivered to me in Mexico! Wow!

Love, Mom

Day Six

It’s hard to believe how fast the time is going.

We are having a good time
and only occasionally making the stupid tourist mistakes. For example-
last night we decided to have pizza and wine for dinner. A few days ago
we had spotted and checked out a likely place for this meal.

So, off we go and we get a nice little table on a little balcony

so we can watch the world by as we eat and drink.

The big mistake is they don’t take credit cards.
They had a little sign posted (in Spanish only) and we just didn’t see it.
Fortunately Russell had enough money to pay the bill.

Yikes. I was seeing us washing dishes or me held ransom

while Russell went to find an ATM !
We now have a new rule “Ask first before ordering”
Here are a few pictures from our day:

Our beautiful breakfast. First a dish of fresh cantalope

and tuna (fruit from cactus). We haad bought the

tuna fruit the day before at the Ocotlan Market

The second course of our breakfast was a pyramid of

Mexican scrambled aggs with a frijole sauce. Yum.

Zapotec women leaving the Abasto Market.
This market is beyond huge. Too big for me.
We spent some time here looking for the ever
elusive butter dish!!!

Chilis, onons,and string beans



Russell and I became this Zocalo mime's stooge's...


Russell was a good sport! And the mime was hilarious.

Pizza place had a great view.....

Street sweepers...

Last view from the restaurant balcony...