Never again will I be satisfied with that stuff labeled “salsa” on the grocery store shelf. Oh, no. We spent this morning in the cozy kitchen of Coci (Chef) Maria Ricaud, learning how to make five kinds of salsa. We learned about choosing fresh and dried peppers: which ones require soaking, which ones require cooking. After two fast-moving and wonderfully aromatic hours watching the energetic Coci Maria dart around the kitchen, chopping and simmering, we had a tasty lunch of all the completed salsas with tostados and, for the carnivores in the group, chicken taquitos. We also had our choice of traditional Mexican lunchtime beverages: hibiscus tea, tamarind juice or a sweet drink made of rice and cinnamon. Mmmmm.

Later in the afternoon, when we got hungry again, we had dinner at El Pegaso (Pegasus). One of our favorite restaurants, it has an eclectic menu of Mexican specialties and international cuisine… and a mouth-watering dessert selection that will stop you in your tracks. Val’s favorite El Pegaso dish: hot corn and chipotle soup. Mark’s favorite: chicken in mole’ sauce.

As San Miguel’s feast day celebration draws closer, there is something new and interesting happening each evening in the jardin (central square). Tonight, there was a procession of a St. Michael statue from a small outlying church. A tiny boy dressed as the archangel Michael walked in front of the shrine.