Food can be a transformative experience. I've been to Ireland twice so far and always enjoy the feeling of walking into an Irish pub whether there or in the U.S. There's something to be said about the Irish hospitality, the food, and, of course, a well-poured Guinness. And that's what you'll find at Albuquerque's Two Fools Tavern.

While Two Fools Tavern is nearly 5,000 miles away from Dublin, Ireland, it certainly brings a piece of the Emerald Isle to Albuquerque.

If you like Irish cuisine, you'll love the food here! Pictured here is Jester's Pot Pie filled with chicken, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes, peas, and green chiles, topped with a flaky crust.

There's a whole list of sandwiches on the menu including a roast beef sandwich called "The Bookmaker." Pair with a Smithwick's red ale and you'll have yourself a wonderful Irish meal!

Of course, you can't go wrong with a heaping plate of ale-battered fish and chips or the Irish nachos.

And at a place like Two Fool Tavern, you can't beat a well-poured Guinness!

You will feel like you're in Ireland with each sip!

The Range Café has been around since 1992 with its first location in the town of Bernalillo. Quickly becoming a local favorite, it expanded its business and opened several additional locations over the years.

Open 7 days a week at each of its six locations in and around Albuquerque, the Range Café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But, more importantly, it also serves dessert!

But before we get to the dessert, let's talk about all the incredible entree options here at Range Café! Breakfast is served until 2 p.m. every day and the menu offers an array of deliciously unique dishes like a Kitchen Sink Omelet, Green Chile Chicken Egg-chiladas (pictured here), and Huevos Con Queso.

Whatever you order for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it's in your best interest to save some room for dessert. While there are tantalizing treats like the Chocolate Roadhouses Cake and Amaretto Bread Pudding, you may want to try something a bit different this fall season.

Have you ever had a slice of green chile apple pie? Green chile is a major staple in New Mexican cuisine so it's no surprise that some places offer desserts that feature them.

And you will certainly want to try the green chile apple pie here at the Range Café! Baked fresh and from scratch, this pie is made with fresh apples and green chiles. It's sweet yet offers up a bit of heat with every bite.

If you'd like, you can order an entire green chile apple pie to take home. Share with friends and family, or keep it all for yourself -- we won't judge!

For a small-town harvest festival like no other in New Mexico, head to the community of Mimbres, home to just over 400 people. The annual Mimbres Harvest Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the grounds of the San Lorenzo Elementary School.

Hosted by the Mimbres Valley Health Action League (MVHAL), this small-town festival brings the entire community together. to celebrate the bountiful supply of crops grown in the area.

Throughout the event, you can enjoy arts and crafts from local vendors, locally-grown food, food vendors, live music, children's activities, and a health fair.

As strange as it may seem, you can check out a solar cook-off. During the cook-off, contestants will cook a dish in the sun. A special device is used to achieve this feat and it's a highlight of this festival!

Another highlight is the pie contest. Community members compete to see who makes the best pie. Sounds like a delicious event to me!

This one-of-a-kind festival is fun for the whole family and supports the local community.

There's no other event quite like it in the state!

With a pumpkin patch of over 50 acres, McCall's Pumpkin Patch may just be the biggest pumpkin patch in New Mexico. The pumpkin patch will be open from Sept. 23, 2023, through Oct. 29, 2023, on Fridays from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.

How would you like to visit McCall's Pumpkin Patch this fall season to pick out the most perfect pumpkin - whether it's for decoration or making pies?

However, it's not all pumpkin-picking fun at this pumpkin patch! In fact, there are more than 60 activities to keep families busy and entertained throughout this exciting fall festival.

There's a 15-acre corn maze, a pile of corn kids will love digging through, a ropes course, a sports barn, a candy cannon, apple cannons, a jumping pillow...

...train rides, hayrides, a petting zoo, a playhouse, bounce houses, duck races, food, and so much more! This pumpkin patch is a must for families in New Mexico this fall.

From Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, until Sat. Oct. 28, 2023, McCall's will start hosting its Haunted Farm on Friday and Saturday nights from 7 p.m. until midnight. With its Haunted Barn and Haunted Corn Field, it's a frightfully good time!

There's something for autumn lovers of all ages at McCall's Pumpkin Patch. If you haven't yet added it to your itinerary for this year, what are you waiting for?

Mi Casita is a restaurant that is tucked away in the town of Silver City, New Mexico down a short and bumpy dirt road. It doesn't even have its own website. But what it does have is incredible cuisine.

This is a spot that locals love, and it's not hard to see why when you dine here. And if locals (not just tourists) flood a place, you know it's good!

What people absolutely rave about is the chili relleno. And who doesn't love a good chili relleno? It's certainly one of my favorite dishes!

And if you don't know what a chile relleno is, it's a stuffed green chile pepper that is battered and fried. So good!

The Sopapillas are nothing short of spectacular as well. Not only are they delicious all drizzled with honey but pretty big as well.

This place is the epitome of a hidden gem. If you don't know where it is, it's actually quite hard to find.

Use your GPS to guide you. And don't be surprised if it takes you a short way down a dirt road because that's where you'll find Mi Casita!

Do you dread winter or do you embrace it? Well, you can decide what you want to do after we discuss the Farmers' Almanac predictions for the 2023-2024 winter season.

While it may be unsurprising to many of you who have lived in New Mexico for a while, we will have to brace ourselves for another cold winter. And it's predicted to be even colder than normal.

It is predicted that El Niño will be the cause of the added chill to the air and its effects will last from the end of 2023 through the 2024 winter season.

Many parts of New Mexico, especially in the higher elevations, may experience plenty of snow, sleet, and ice this winter. Rain is also a possibility in some areas.

With the potential of colder-than-normal temperatures and stormy weather, we may be in for a great ski season!

What do you think of the 2023-2024 winter predictions? Will you be planning an escape to somewhere warm this winter?

Set in the Rocky Mountains, the village of Angel Fire is a popular ski destination in the winter. However, it's also a wonderful spot for ziplining and hiking.

One enchanting hike here in Angel Fire you may want to try, if you're able, is along the Enlightenment Trail. It's a lightly traversed trail so you may have it all to yourself and the scenery and views are nothing short of spectacular!

Now fair warning about this hike -- it's rated as hard. And it's no wonder as it's 7.9 miles with an elevation gain of over 2,000 feet.

Of course, you don't have to do this lengthy out-and-back trail in its entirety. You can hike as much as you can. In fact, the first couple of miles are relatively easy. The closer to the summit, the steeper it becomes.

Along the Enlightenment Trail, you'll hike through an old-growth forest...

...past a bridge that was built over the trail...

...and take in some of the most enchanting views in the area!

1. Oppenheimer House

2. Civilian Women's Dormitory

3. Fuller Lodge

4. Lamy Train Station

5. Ghost Ranch

1. Mesilla Valley Maze -- Las Cruces, NM, Sept. 30 to Oct. 29, 2023

2. Graves Farm & Garden -- Roswell, NM, select dates in October

3. Galloping Goat Pumpkin Patch -- Rio Rancho, NM, Sept. 30 through Oct. 31, 2023

4. La Union Maze -- Anthony, NM, Sept. 23 through Nov. 5 (weather permitting)

5. McCall's Pumpkin Patch -- Moriarty, NM, Sept. 23 through Oct. 29

6. Heirloom Acres Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch -- Artesia, NM, Oct. 1-29, 2023

Located in the Rocky Mountains, Angel Fire is a village that's best known for its skiing in the winter. However, a visit here during the fall should not be overlooked. in fact, it's an ideal location to spend a crisp fall day, especially during peak fall foliage.

Another trail you may enjoy if you're a hiker is the 4.7-mile Deer, Coyote, Bear, Bobcat Loop. This trail will take you through the alpine forest and you can enjoy some solitude along the trail. Add in the scenery and you've got yourself the perfect hike!

While the Angel Fire Resort is busiest in the winter months due to the ski season, visiting during the fall gives you access to hiking trails and a scenic ride on the ski lift.

Imagine taking Angel Fire Resort's ski lift to view the fall foliage? You'll be in awe of how gorgeous everything looks from this vantage point.

After taking in the fall foliage around the small picturesque village of Angel Fire, be sure to stop by Enchanted Circle Brewing Company. This award-winning craft brewery first opened in 2015.

If you enjoy a good craft beer, you'll love what Enchanted Circle Brewing has to offer including its classic bar food.