Bread, the Adobe Deli and the Museum in Deming

Boy have we been busy!

Well, not really, but it seems like it.

I continue to bake bread almost every day. I'm now working on a sourdough starter, and will soon be making some additions to the bread, possibly fruit or maybe garlic. I'm also trying different methods of baking. The pie pan of water in the bottom of the oven is an absolute, as is a good thirty minute preheat of the oven. These two things aside, I've been working with different shapes and sizes.

Since this dough is pretty wet, the loafs seem to spread out a bit. I've gotten great results every time as to crust, taste and texture but I've been a bit unhappy with the shape, hoping for a more rounded loaf. To that end, I decided to try baking the bread in a pan.

Now you may remember that the original No Knead Bread recipes called for you to bake the bread in a preheated cast iron pot, with a tight fitting lid. Well, I wasn't about to go that route, but I thought I might try putting the dough in some kind of a container, to help the loaf keep its shape. So I looked in my pans and found the next to the smallest of the nesting pans I use in the rig looked to be about the right size. It is a scant seven inches across, and about the size of the dough ball I get from 3 cups of flour.

And that seems to be the perfect size, because this is my result!


And here's a shot of the inside texture.

Boy do I love baking bread!

We also decided that another trip to the Adobe Deli was in order. We had heard that they had a buffet every Sunday so six of us decided we'd better give it a try, and were we ever happy we did.

If you are EVER in this area, don't miss this buffet. For once, every dish was exceptional, from the scalloped potatoes to the Cole slaw, the baked beans to the vegetable casserole (so good I had to ask for the recipe). And they have the incredible spare ribs on Sunday, Wahoo! We all decided it was so good, we went back two days later.

Unfortunately, we went for lunch with visions of their hamburgers dancing in our heads, only to be informed that they only serve deli sandwiches at lunch (they are a deli after all). We all looked at each other and decided that we would leave and come back for dinner, and so we did. Twice in one day but for only one meal), but once again it was well worth it.

Is this starting to be a habit? Looks like we may need to go to Adobe Deli Anonymous!

Yesterday we took a trip into Deming to visit the Deming Museum, officially named the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and Custom House. Have I written about the Deming Museum before? If I have, I apologize, but this place definitely deserves mention.

I took a lot of pictures, way too many for one blog entry so today I'll just show you a few of them and I'll try to do a couple more entries about this astounding little gem. If you care to visit, you only need to remember that it can be found in the old USO Armory building right across the street from the original Custom House.

Maintained and managed completely by volunteers, this amazing place consists of collections donated by residents of the area.

And what collections these are . . .

For starters, they have what seems to be the most extensive collection of Native American pottery we've seen since we've been in the southwest. All of it has been collected (at a time that such gathering was still legal) and the collection is truly something to see. I'd also like to note that the way they display their pieces is special. You are never too far from any display, so you can always get really close and study all the artifacts to your hearts content.

For now, I'll simply post some pictures, with the caveat that these pictures just aren't as sharp as I would like. Between the glass and the fluorescent lights, I just couldn't get really clear shots. That said, I'm posting pictures to whet your appetite for your own visit. Remember that you can always click on any photo for a larger version.

This is a lovely old piece of Mimbres pottery. This lovely quail design is still used in many modern pieces.

Isn't this a lovely pot? What you can't see in the picture is that this is probably fifteen inches high, an astounding piece.


Every time I visit the Museum, I'm always amazed at the wonderful restoration employed in these pieces.

Isn't the shape of this pot beautiful? The variety on display is impressive.

I LOVE this goat motif, reminds me of my two sweet goats at home in California.

Another large pot. Isn't this beautiful, even with so many pieces missing?


And this pot is another large beauty.


And now some photos of the beautiful beads they have on display. I really like the way they display these ancient artifacts.


I would wear this every day!


And here's a collection of assorted beads. Some of these are no larger than a grain of rice. Whoever created these beads was immensely talented and industrious.


Now for some of the arrowhead collections. Again, the way they display these pieces adds such a dimension to the collections, it's hard to explain.


More arrowheads and beads.

And even more beads and arrowheads.


I'm just including a few of my favorite baskets, but they have dozens on display.

Isn't this intricate design beautiful?


For my last picture for today, I had to include these beautiful beaded boots. Every time I see this kind of bead work, my heart sings. It takes me to places that speak to me of the kind of people who created such magnificent work.


What an amazing visit. I will try to post more pictures from the Museum, since these represent less than one tenth of the collections in this great Museum.

Life is very good here in Deming.