Taos On The Cheap

Just in time for Memorial Day Weekend BBQ’s:  Download a free copy of the Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Summer Grilling Cookbook. It includes color illustrated recipes from chefs and grilling experts Emeril Lagasse, Adam Perry Lang, Tim Love, Elizabeth Karmel, and Mike Mills.

Recipes range from Martha Stewart’s Favorite Turkey Burger, to drinks, desserts, appetizers, Fresh Cherry Horseradish Relish and Emeril Lagasse’s Grilled Banana Splits with Hot Fudge and Rum Caramel Sauce.

To get your copy: Go to the free book download of Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Summer Grilling Cookbook website.

You can either download the entire book PDF (it’s a big file, it takes a few moments)

OR choose a  chapter PDF to download:

• Salads & Sides
• Appetizers & Extras
• Main Dishes
• Drinks & Desserts

The free book is courtesy of SIRIUS / XM radio. Thanks to our friends at San Diego on the Cheap for the tip.

An online Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau auction offers staycation and vacation trips, plus dining, jewelry, sports, and more. Play golf in Arizona, or ride Amtrak to LA for a Dodgers game. The fundraising auction closes Friday May 14 at 8 pm Mountain Time, and judging by the bids, there could be some deals up for grabs!

ABQ CVB’s partners have donated around $50,000 worth of items and packages to go under the hammer. Here are some examples with bids at time of writing, but those prices may change fast…

• Albuquerque Old Town Staycation: 2 nights at the Best Western Rio Grande Inn with breakfast, admissions to several area attractions and an ABQ Trolley Co. ride for two. Value $350 – current bid price $75.
• Villa de Las Montanas Get Away: A night in a luxurious vacation home in the Sandias, featuring two master suites, Jacuzzi tubs, patios, etc. Value $500 – opening bid price $100.
• Tourist in Your Own Town: 2 nights Albuquerque stay with Heritage Hotels and Resorts, a luxury limo, Sandia Peak Tramway ride and dinner at Sandiagos or High Finance one night, dinner at Scalo Northern Italian Grill the other, plus admissions to Albuquerque attractions. Value $800 – current bid $200.
• Chef’s Table dinner at McGrath’s Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Albuquerque: Up to 6 people dine on multiple courses and wine pairings. Value $800 – current bid price $200.
• Amtrak to Kansas City & Marriott: Round trip for two on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief from Albuquerque to Kansas City plus 3 nights at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Value $834 – current bid $200.
• Two nights & two rounds of golf at Arizona’s Esplendor Resort at Rico Rico and Country Club. Value $500 – current bid $100.
• Lobo Football VIP Package: Four End Zone Club Outdoor Pavilion Tickets to a 2010 Lobo Football game with a parking pass. Value $375 – current bid $150.
• Photography session of you/your family with King & King Photography. Value $350 – current bid $100.

Other auctions include Amtrak tickets to Los Angeles with a stay at Hyatt Regency Century Plaza and an LA Dodgers game; a hospitality tent at the 2010 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta; jewelry, meeting room rental, flamenco, and more. See all the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau auction items, then register online and finish bidding by 8 pm on Friday May 14, 2010.

As part of KOA’s Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend, if you pay to camp this Friday May 14, you can camp free at the same site on Saturday May 15! New Mexico sites participating in the KOA free night offer are

• Santa Fe KOA
• Las Vegas, New Mexico KOA
• Albuquerque Central KOA
• Albuquerque North / Bernalillo KOA
• Carlsbad KOA
• Clayton KOA
• Grants / Cibola Sands KOA
• Lordsburg KOA
• Raton KOA
• Silver City KOA
• Tucumcari KOA

In addition to New Mexico camping, camp grounds in Colorado, Arizona, and Utah are also participating, and indeed all across the country. See the full list of Come Kamp & Care With Us Weekend locations. Spaces are limited so you must make a reservation in advance, and the ‘pay for one night get the second night free’ deal is ONLY valid on Friday and Saturday May 14 and 15, 2010. Let’s just hope this wind calms down by then!

It’s all in a good cause – participating camp sites will hold charity events and fundraisers to benefit KOA Care Camps for children with cancer. Thanks to our Happy Camper friends at Florida on the Cheap for the tip!

Deep discounts on magazine subscriptions in May only, on titles from Popular Mechanics ($7) to O The Oprah Magazine ($14 for two years.) Plenty of $5 subscriptions too, including Town and Country.

Amazon’s discounted magazine subscriptions through May 31 offer savings of an additional $5 or $10 on a number of bestsellers titles. Offers I’m seeing right now include:

• Town and Country – $5
• Seventeen – $5
• Marie Claire – $7 for two years
• Redbook – $10 for two years
• Harper’s Bazaar – $10.00 for two years
• Good Housekeeping – $10.00 for two years
• O The Oprah Magazine – $14 for two years
• Ladies Home Journal – $7
• Allure – $7
• Esquire – $9 for two years
• Wired – $10
• Yoga Journal – $10.95
• Popular Mechanics – $7 for one year/$10 for two… the list goes on. (Usual caveat: this list is accurate at time of writing, but details/availability can change).

Find all the Amazon May magazine deals – the sale runs through May 2010.

I’m renewing some of my existing subs now to lock in those prices… and maybe a couple of gift subs for friends. Happy reading!

Note: I’ve linked you to the deals via my affiliate’s link. If you feel like sending a little love my way, please use the link. Otherwise, just go to Amazon directly.

Get over 50% off  spa services at Wo’ P’in Spa at the Hilton Golf Resort & Spa, Buffalo Thunder, in this limited time deal: Pay only $60 to get $130 worth of spa services! But you must purchase the spa certificate this weekend. Buy this Groupon deal by midnight on Sunday May 9, 2010, and visit any time over the next year.

Choose from a menu of pampering spa services at the Wo’ P’in Spa, including massages, facials, wraps, manicures and pedicures, and a whole bunch more. Spa visitors have free use of the steam room, Jacuzzi, indoor and outdoor pools, and fitness center. If you want to stay over on your spa day, you’ll also receive a 10% discount on a one-night stay at the Buffalo Thunder Resort hotel.

• You must purchase this Groupon deal before the offer closes at midnight Sunday May 9.
  
• For $60 you’ll receive a Groupon certificate for $130 worth of services, redeemable for one year from purchase.

It would make a nice gift for someone too, if you aren’t the type who enjoys being pampered, primped and rejuvenated yourself 😉 Tips are not included.

Wo’ P’in Spa is located in the Hilton Golf Resort & Spa at Buffalo Thunder, 60 minutes south of Taos, 15 mins north of Santa Fe, at exit 177 off Highway 84/285.

FYI–I’ve linked you to the Groupon kick-back page. Translation: If you buy a Groupon for the first time, I’ll receive a small credit toward a future Groupon. I tell you this because a) This site’s rules require it. and b) The FTC requires it.  If you feel like sending a little love this way, use the link. Otherwise, just go to Groupon.com.

Two events at Metta Theatre this weekend are a steal at $5 – or pay what you can. If you don’t have Mother’s Day plans yet, the Jazz for a Sunday Afternoon is worth checking out.

• Saturday May 8, 2010 at 7 pm: Poetry from Ron Chavez, Sandra Russell, and Sonia Rodrigues.  $5 or pay what you can

• Sunday May 9, 2010 from 4 to 6 pm: Jazz for a Sunday Afternoon with the Al Sutherland Quartet playing  standards, bebop, and more.   $5 or pay what you can

Find Metta Theatre at 1470 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, El Prado. Coming out of Taos that’s on the left, 4/10 of a mile past Overland Sheepskin.