Task 4: If you like Mexican food, treat yourself to your favorite dish and share a photo of it.

So here's my quick and easy version of nachos; we prefer our chips on the side.

For this batch we tried a light garnish of the dried chiltepin chiles our niece and

her BF gifted us when they visited from Tucson this past September. We felt the burn! :) The Saguaro chili grinder is made of ironwood.

Chiltepin chiles and info:  

As the only wild native chili to the US, the Chiltepin is sometimes called the "mother of all peppers.” Common names include Indian pepper, chiltepe, and chile tepin, as well as turkey, bird’s eye, or simply bird peppers, due to their consumption and spread by wild birds. This chili grows naturally in canyons from West Texas through southern Arizona. The perennial bush can reach up to four feet tall and grows under vegetation such as mesquite, ironwood and hackberry which proves shade, moisture and nutrients for the germinating seeds and mature plant.

The Chiltepin has a long history in the US/Mexico borderlands, and has been traditionally used as a food, medicine, and vermifuge and mythic icon. There is considerable folklore associated with these plants. Historically, no kitchen table of Sonorans, Opatas, O'odham or Yaqui rural homes would be without a bottle of dried chiltepines. The wild harvest is a seasonal ritual in many rural communities to this day, where families make chili-harvesting camps in the mountains during the heat of September and early October in order to harvest the wild chiles.

The Chiltepin is a very small chili in size with an extremely pungent flavor. It is rated very hot—8-9 on pungency scales—and has a quite distinctive smoky bite. The Chiltepin is eaten sun-dried, added to cheese and ice creams, fermented into sauces, and pickled with wild oregano, garlic, and salt as a tabletop condiment. The green or dried red fruit are often mixed with range fed carne machaca from cattle or deer to preserve the meat, or wild greens and onions as a typical Sonoran dish.

Thanks to the efforts of agricultural ecologist and ethnobotanist Gary Paul Nabhan and botanist Jack Kaiser, the U. S. Forest Service has designated a 2,500-acre stretch of rugged Tumacacori Highlands in the Sonoran Desert where Chiltepin is found as the Wild Chile Botanical Area. According to Nabhan, it was the first botanical reserve for a wild ancestor of a cultivated crop.

Sources:

https://www.slowfoodusa.org/ark-item/chiltepin-pepper

https://www.outsideonline.com/2168411/chile-chaser

Darwin Michaels is living his dreams in the Mile High City. While Denver offers the perfect job, scrumptious dining, and whirlwind dating options, Darwin is losing hope he’ll find the right man to spark his interest for more than a one-night stand—until he sets eyes on Cody Russell.

Cody has just accomplished his life’s goal—get the hell out of Kansas. In one fell swoop, he lands a job at Hamburger Mary’s and gets a newfound family and the chance to be with other gay people! All that’s missing is someone special. But when Darwin shows his interest, Cody is sure it’s too good to be true. After all, what can Darwin possibly see in the high school dropout serving him nachos?

As Darwin falls in love, Cody struggles to realize his worth. When his past threatens the fragile life he is building, Cody spirals into a moment of dark desperation. But Darwin is determined to show Cody that love and family and home are there for him… will Cody accept what is offered?

Reviews

 adore Darwin and I adore Cody. The yearning in each of them is tender. 

Darwin wants to find an man to love and Cody doesn't think he can ask for more than what he has. 

The courtship of this book is great as is the circle of friends.

We are moving through a sweet and sexy romance when the plot takes a dark turn with some internal struggles for one of the heroes. 

And while this turn is realistic and the issue (not to give spoilers) one that deserves attention especially in a series that look critically at issues within the gay community, the turn is sharp and a more developed understanding of the character would have enrich the book.

The aftermath is better handled and we end in a very loving place.

Darwin Michaels is living his dreams in the Mile High City. While Denver offers the perfect job, scrumptious dining, and whirlwind dating options, Darwin is losing hope he’ll find the right man to spark his interest for more than a one-night stand—until he sets eyes on Cody Russell. 

Cody has just accomplished his life’s goal—get the hell out of Kansas. In one fell swoop, he lands a job at Hamburger Mary’s and gets a newfound family and the chance to be with other gay people! All that’s missing is someone special. But when Darwin shows his interest, Cody is sure it’s too good to be true. After all, what can Darwin possibly see in the high school dropout serving him nachos? 

As Darwin falls in love, Cody struggles to realize his worth. When his past threatens the fragile life he is building, Cody spirals into a moment of dark desperation. But Darwin is determined to show Cody that love and family and home are there for him… will Cody accept what is offered?

Darwin has achieved nearly everything he's wanted - a great job, a fabulous career, money, a nice place to live - he's missing out on the romance part. He's been dating, but none of those dates have led to anything more permanent than a one-night-stand, and this latest date is simply another disaster.

However, things might be looking up - his waiter Cody is cute, and Darwin thinks there might be something there.

Cody dropped out of high school and hightailed it out of his hometown to escape the homophobia. His job as a waiter at Hamburger Mary's in Denver is enough to keep a roof over his head, and OMG, there are lots of gay people in Denver, so Cody feels much more at home. When one of his customers at the restaurant expresses interest in Cody, he's a bit reluctant to believe that someone as successful as Darwin could see anything other than a piece of ass in Cody.

But Cody is wrong.

Brandon Witt crafted a really cute novella here, and this being the first in a new series, I can hardly wait to see what more is in store for us. I liked how different Darwin and Cody were, but how their dreams and aspirations, while not the same, were very much alike after all, even if it didn't appear that way. Both wanted someone to love, to build a life with, to hold at night, to wake up with in the morning. While Darwin's overall dreams were perhaps a little bigger, Cody still wanted the same fundamental things as well.

Their relationship develops fast, with ILYs coming relatively soon after meeting, but it didn't feel unrealistic. I guess when you know, you know, and that was part of what made this book a great read. I believed their connection, I believed their romance.

The author explored Cody's issues with self-worth quite well, and it was rather obvious to this reader that what happened had to happen for Cody to move forward.

There is a bit of angst too, and I won't go too much into the cause of it, as it's for the most part outside of their relationship, and thankfully doesn't last long. The supporting cast was lovely and fiercely supportive, and helped Darwin and Cody along quite a bit in realizing their relationship potential.

My previous reads by Brandon Witt tended to be more angsty, and this book is a welcome departure from that. It's much more light-hearted, and fun. Also, drag queens! A great start to what seems to be shaping up to be a great series - can't wait to read more about Mary's Boys!


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **