Just wanted to pop on here to explain that no, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth.  The past few weeks, I’ve had a lot on my plate (more on that later), and haven’t had time to post as often as I would have liked.

What have I been up to?

Well, I had the chance to eat at Saison again.  Blog followers will remember that I enjoyed Saison’s “Day of the Dead” luncheon as a part of Richmond’s Fire, Flour and Fork event last fall.  I was blown away by their food then, and my recent visit did not disappoint.  I had their “Kingslayer” cocktail to start:  blended Scotch, Aquavit, Cocchi Americano and Campari.  The tagline for the drink is that it is “more intricate than the politics in King’s Landing,” which is a true statement.

To eat, I chose a chicory salad with manchego, red onions, radish, croutons and anchovy dressing, and the carnitas rillettes, served with toasted billy bread, which were both delicious.  After I finished my cocktail, I also got to try an Ardent Dark Rye imperial stout.

I also made a truckload of Mexican food for the Super Bowl, starting with an old favorite:  Velveeta and Rotel in the crockpot.

Next, I marinated shrimp and chicken in a baja-style tequila lime marinade with cumin, chile powder and oregano, then sauteed the shrimp by themselves and the chicken with green peppers and onions fajita-style.  I made shrimp tostadas with refried black beans, guacamole, lettuce and the shrimp, and had all the fixin’s for chicken fajita tacos.

Then I made some guacamole from a recipe on the Rotel can – essentially the same guac recipe I normally make, but substituting the tomatoes and jalapenos for the Rotel.

The other thing I’ve been doing over the past few weeks is transitioning from a job I’ve had for fourteen years into a new job with Virginia ABC, the state’s liquor control authority.  I’m working in the relatively-new marketing department, and I’ve had a crash course in the alcohol industry and liquor marketing since I started there.  I’m looking forward to learning more, and to being able to use my passion for food, drinks and craft producers in my career there.