Kotzebue, O Kotzebue

Kotzebue, AK was a very, very different moviemaking experience. This was for a film called "Salmonberries," which very few have seen unless you're a serious k.d. lang fan. Kotzebue is 30 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and well, it's cold. No, really, it's cold. You could put ice cream on a window ledge indoors, and it would be fine. Our group took over the only motel in town, and we had the true Northern Exposure experience. I got to take a snowmobile to the bank, which was pretty awesome, and we all went out to see the Northern Lights in the wee hours, which is an experience I'll never forget.

I met my best friend on this job, and one of her favorite moments is refered to as the Snowmobile Incident. We were riding a snowmobile around the tundra and we got stuck. I hopped off to see what was wrong, and hopped into snow up to my boobs. Yes, the snowmobile is on top of the snow, but I am looking straight into my friend's foot. She is laughing her head off and it was like the scene in "A Christmas Story," when the little brother can't get up with his snowsuit on. I could not get out of this hole. Yes, in case you were wondering, I eventually did. It took a while.

Another friend had her husband send care packages from Dean & DeLuca, so we would concoct pasta recipes in the dye pots on a hot plate and have black olive tapenade on water crackers. Alcohol would be sent on the plane from Fairbanks, but there was never really a schedule, so you got it when you got it. The craft service tray consisted of catsup packets, tea bags and mini-Snickers. The wardrobe trailer was a pink plastic sled from the hardware store. Playing Bingo with the locals, lots of parties and craziness that was simply one of a kind. I miss times and film experiences like this, and am afraid they are no more.

So, now it's getting cooler and I'm thinking about concocting again. Here is my take on White Chicken Chili, using a crock pot. It came out well, but was even better the next day. There are so many recipes on-line for this, so dear reader, I would check them out and use one that suits you. I also made Ensalada Rosaura, which is linked to the blog title. This was yummy, especially if you like a simple salad with Mexican flavors. Please try this, as it was easy to make and delicious.