Hacienda del Desierto

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Arizona Centennial Quilt Exhibit

January 31st, 2012 by tucsonbb

Oleander 9 PatchContemporary quilt makers throughout Arizona have created original quilts for the Arizona Centennial exhibit.  The opening is Saturday, February 18th at the Arizona History Museum, 949 E. 2nd St., Tucson, AZ.  Creative works of art in fabric display the landscapes, cultures, historical places and events unique to Arizona.  “100 Years – 100 Quilts” is a collaborative project between the Arizona Historical Society and the Arizona Centennial Quilt Project.  The result is a visually stunning collection of art and history.  The exhibition runs through December 31, 2012 and the Official Centennial Commemorative Quilt will be on display through March 3, 2012.

While there, take the time to see the wonderful exhibits in the rest of the museum which visualize and explain the history of Arizona.  There is even a section of the museum developed especially for children with hands-on activities.

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Professional Theater; Gorgeous Venue

January 15th, 2012 by tucsonbb

Buildings around downtown TucsonTop quality theater, Arizona Theater Company, is located in one of the most beautiful Spanish Colonial style buildings in Tucson. The Temple of Music and Art, located in historic downtown Tucson, is a refurbished 1927 theatre, in a style that flavors so much of our city. Its graceful courtyard is a wonderful place to gather before or after the show. Before and after a show, theater goes can also enjoy art exhibits in an upstairs gallery. For an extra treat, enjoy light fare, sweet treats and refreshing drinks at The Temple Lounge facing the courtyard. Inside, the intimate 627-seat theatre ensures a great view from every location – no seat is more than 66 feet from the stage.

Playing now through February 4 is “Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps” adapted from the novel by John Buchan and Alfred Hitchcock’s movie.  February 25th starts “The Great Gatsby”.  Look for great theater as a visitor to Tucson.

Buildings around downtown Tucson

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Barbershop Singing Event Close

January 9th, 2012 by tucsonbb

Barbershop Quartet Minus One

As part of the Tucson International Midwinter Barbershop Convention, the Arizona Centennial Tucson Chapter Show will be held January 19th at the Tucson Convention Center Music Hall.  Tickets for the combination dinner & show are $50 and show only tickets are $20.  Some of the performers will be the Tucson Barbershop Experience Chorus, the Spirit of Phoenix Chorus, and the Tucson & Phoenix quartet.   Some of the past years’ winners will also perform.  This sounds like a must-see for those of who love barbershop singing.  For more information, go to the website listed above.

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Sandhill Cranes Due

December 29th, 2011 by tucsonbb

A Siege of Cranes

Birders come in droves to Southern Arizona to see the Sandhill Cranes during the month of January.  They are visible by the hundreds or thousands in areas near Willcox during this next month.  Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival celebrates all things avian from January 12-15.  There is a free nature exposition, a variety of free seminars, tours of scenic landscapes and historic sites, Sandhill Crane and Raptor watching spots, and a banquet featuring the Editor of Birding Magazine.  For additional details, go to the website Wings Over Willcox.  We encourage birding guests at the Hacienda to participate in the festival.

 

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Dolly Steamboat Cruise

December 5th, 2011 by tucsonbb

Dolly Steamboat, Canyon Lake

We at Hacienda del Desierto just returned from a tour that included the experience of cruising beautiful Canyon Lake on the Dolly Steamboat in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona, just northeast of Phoenix.  The  captain was knowledgeable about the area and pointed out bighorn sheep right next to the lake and eagles up on the cliffs.  For 1 1/2 hours he pointed out the wildlife and geology of the lake area.  The Dolly steamboat provides protection from the sun or rain but also allows guests to walk outside on the open deck to experience the breezes and a better view of wildlife.  We like to point out to our guests what Arizona has to offer not only in Southern Arizona but in other parts of our state.  We’ve lived in Arizona since the early 50′s and never taken advantage of this lovely boating experience and will recommend it often.

Located on the historic Apache Trail (Highway 88) not far from Mesa, Scottsdale and Phoenix Arizona. Nature Cruises, Twilight Dinner Cruises and Astronomy Cruises are available year round.

 

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New Baby This Week

November 28th, 2011 by tucsonbb

Baby Javelina with Mom

Guests at the Hacienda are always intrigued by the javelina herd that come every day to our property.  The herd maintains a size of between 15-18, and this week a new baby was added.  Usually twins are born, but sometimes a new baby is too weak or gets pneumonia and dies.  The entire herd protects any new babies from danger, so we must keep a safe distance at that time.  Last week one of the herd came right up to our back door and stood there, not allowing us to leave.  We didn’t understand why until we looked further out in the yard and saw the new baby.  We don’t know why this week we have only one baby, but he is a real cutie.  The javelina are particularly drawn to the area around our bird feeders because the birds are messy and seeds drop to the ground where the javelina can easily munch.  Another favorite are Palo Verde tree or Mesquite tree seeds that drop to the ground.  When they chew on the seeds, it sounds like the javelina are chewing on gravel.

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Artists in the Courtyard

November 15th, 2011 by tucsonbb

Save the date!  Saturday November 19th, 11-3 in the La Cocina Garden Courtyard, 201 N. Court Ave.  Three demonstrations will be given by local Tucson Artists: Pottery by Catherine Orrantia, water colorist Jeff Mott, and custom beadwork by Carlos Levya.

Entrance to Old Town Artisans

La Cocina will also be selling fresh flour tortillas made on their grill and will have special menu items on their Garden Restaurant menu.  After enjoying the art, take a look at the many unique shops in the complex, one of the oldest buildings in the city of Tucson.

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Tucson Professional Ballet

November 6th, 2011 by tucsonbb

Those visiting Tucson as well as residents may not realize there is a wonderful local professional ballet company,  Ballet Tucson.  This weekend we attended a performance of three ballets which showcased not only the talents of the resident professionals but also the teen ballet group in training and the Children’s Ensemble.  Not only is the choreography  well done, often by the director with or by one of her artistic associates, the artistry is outstanding as well.

After attending the San Francisco Ballet last spring and sitting in the far reaches of the balcony where we had to use binoculars, it was a pleasure to be able to sit close to the dancers at the Stevie Eller Dance Theater on the U of A campus.  The prices of performances is also more affordable than the large cities.  We salute Many Beth Cabana, the founding artistic director, for establishing and nourishing such a special dance company.

They will also perform three more times this year.  “The Nutcracker” in December, Dance & Dessert XV this winter, and Cinderella in the spring.  Well known restaurants in Tucson serve to-die-for desserts during intermission at the Dance & Dessert evening so get your tickets early as this is a popular event.

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Almond Crunch Cookies

October 30th, 2011 by tucsonbb

These cookies are a guest, and innkeeper, favorite.  Rosemary & David steal them from the freezer which makes it difficult for Shanna, our cookie baker, to keep enough for guests.

Almond Crunch Cookies

Ingredients: (Makes18 cookies)

1/2 cup        softened salt free butter
3/4 cup        sugar
1                  large egg
1/2 tsp         pure almond extract
1/4 cup        ground almonds
1 cup           all purpose flour
1 cup           chocolate chips
1 cup           sliced almonds

Glaze
1/4 cup        half & half or heavy cream
2 tsp            light corn syrup
1 cup           white chocolate chips

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl  blend butter and sugar with an electric mixer until mixture forms a greasy paste.  Scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and almond extract.  Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
2.  Add the ground almonds and flour and blend at low speed until combined.  Do not overmix.  Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll in sliced almonds, coating each ball thoroughly.
3.  Place balls on 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cookies are slightly brown along edges.  Immediately transfer cookies to a cool surface covered with waxed paper.
4.  To make chocolate glaze, scald cream in a small saucepan. Then remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips and corn syrup. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.  With small wire whisk or wooded spoon, gently mix glaze until smooth being careful not to create bubbles in the chocolate.  When cookies are completely cool, drizzle patterns on them with the warm chocolate glaze.
5.  Repeat the process with the white chocolate chips.
6.  Refrigerate the cookies on the waxed paper until the glaze has set, about 10 minutes.

 

 

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New Baby Chicks

October 23rd, 2011 by tucsonbb

Two years ago David decided to build a chicken house down at the barn area of Hacienda del Desierto Bed & Breakfast so we could have fresh eggs.  Since he had raised chickens back in Ohio as a youth, he decided to buy Twelve Road Island Reds.  One of them turned out to be a handsome rooster which gave the hens such a bad time, we had to boot him out.  One eventually died which left us with ten aging hens.  Last week he went to the feed store and found they were trying to get rid of their chicks to make room for Christmas displays so, of course, he wanted to help them out by taking a dozen home with him.                                               

We now have four breeds of chicks three of which lay brown eggs and one which lays blue or green eggs (a first for us). The chicken in the video is a Brahman and lays the blue or green eggs.  In about six months we should have more eggs than we know what to do with and will end up giving some away to family and friends.  As part of our continental breakfast, we provide  hard boiled eggs in a glass hen dish for guests who need a protein.

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