“I thought I’d be a chef by night and paint by day. Now I just have fabulous dinner parties.” Kehinde Wiley, Nigerian-American portrait painter

Want to feel intimidated? Then invite for dinner the chef and husband team of your favorite restaurant and the doyenne of the area’s top cooking school … no pressure. What to prepare for Gloria and Ricardo from Teocintle Maiz, our new friend, Lezlie and the locally famosa, Linda from Abuelinda’s Cusine?

On the menu: ​Bacalao a la Vizcaína​, an old Spanish/Portuguese delicacy of salted cod in a rich, flavorful Iberian-inspired tomato sauce with the added piquancy of red pimento stuffed olives. This is a favorite dish from my childhood growing up in Cuba. To make this meal involves an elaborate and time consuming preparation. Armed in apron, I was up for the challenge.

I remember my mom serving the bacalao with a side of tostones (fried green plantain). You eat plantains either when they’re a vibrant green or totally blackened. It was challenging to find them here in the local markets, but eventually found some perfectly ripe ones in Jocotepec. They caramelized beautifully during frying … a perfect marriage of sweetness to accompany the bacalao … a melody to your tastebuds … served up beautifully in one of the new cazuelas recently purchased in Michoacán.

David was on the fence about eating the fish, so there was roasted chicken on the menu, too. However, one taste of my bacalao and he became a convert. It’s too bad I can’t convince him to like yucca. “Yucky yucca,” is what he calls it.

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My flan making skills have been disastrous due to the high altitude, so I basically gave up baking it. It was only after having a previous conversation with Chef Gloria and her tips on making a few adjustments to the recipe = SUCCESS! Tonight’s flan turned out perfect and was devoured by all. Ricardo even tried placing an order for the restaurant! Happily, I’m back to baking flan despite the initial struggles. Watch out Lakeside ~ I’m coming after your waistlines!

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Dinner was a success. The intimidation was met and conquered. Mouths were fed. Good wine enjoyed. Conversation (in English and español) flowed. A good time was had by all.

David and our friend, Cheryl, attended the Ajijic Society of the Arts’ annual Studio Art ​Walk​ on a gorgeous Saturday. Upwards of one hundred artists in town open the doors to their homes and studios to peruse and buy artwork. 50 pesos gets you a booklet with a detailed map and artist description. Festive balloons mark the entranceways on the street.

It was a chance to not only meet and greet artists, but also socialize with fellow townsfolk. David and Cheryl easily clocked ten thousand steps over their two and a half-hour walk. I met up with them after horseback riding and we all devoured a well earned big lunch.

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Each bully in time gets their due … seems our dominant hummingbird has been displaced by a big, beautiful, yellow chested oriole who’s discovered the hanging feeder. His screeching cries keep away any potential intruders. I spent more than a few minutes admiring his balancing act as he was feeding; while David acts like the paparazzi, clicking away on his camera for closeups. It’s a marvel to witness the oriole’s attempts at sucking up the sugary nectar from the tiny holes.

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We took a day trip into the city of ​Tonalá​ along with Cheryl and our tour guide extraordinaire, Arvada. Guadalajara has greatly expanded over the decades and has incorporated it into its metropolitan area. Tonalá has been a great ceramics center since before the Spanish arrived. It’s also well known as a major artisanal center for Jalisco, especially in pottery. There’s a very large Thursday and Sunday street market dedicated to handcrafts. We avoided those immensely crowded days and instead got to enjoy and experience the shops in a more quiet manner.

Street after street overflow with all types of wares. It helps to have a strategy to focus on particular items. Our first stop, La Puerta de Mezquite Muebles, a multi-generational family emporium where wood, leather and clay become art. You wander through the many rooms and courtyards filled with furniture, sculpture, crafts, lighting, and pottery. One of the young sons guided us through this wonderland of creations explaining this and that. One’s mind conjured up ideas – custom work is easily arranged here. I fell in love with a few pieces for future contemplation.

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The shopping expedition continued … stopping here and there soaking up the myriad of product. Finally, our stomachs were wondering where their next meal was coming from. So we asked a vendor where to dine. “Turn right at the corner, walk down a few blocks and turn into a long, narrow courtyard to El Jardín.” There we ate a delicious Mexican meal in a garden oasis. Satisfied, we returned back to the streets for some final browsing. The day was a success; picking up a few treasures and future Tonalá trips are definitely on the agenda.

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​On the Menu …​ Chicken Milanesa, Spanish rice, roast baby tomatoes with asparagus, a Tortilla ​Española​. David made a lemony garlic orzo and shrimp dish ~ now you know I’m going to let him cook more often … it was delicioso.

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