October 2009 brought a lot of sun and a lot of rain! And early November brought a hurricane! Here are some scenes from the sunny beach days.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Another October
October 2009 brought a lot of sun and a lot of rain! And early November brought a hurricane! Here are some scenes from the sunny beach days.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Saturday Salad
I hope I'm not boring you more with Pinterest talk, but it's really become a handy tool for me, especially in the eats category. Last week while browsing, I noticed an Autumn Chopped Salad pin. Mmmmm . . . . I like pears, feta cheese, bacon and dried cranberries!
When we're on Isla, Vivian's Salad at Qubano is my island fave, but I have a hard time coming up with salads I like at home.
This recipe definitely falls in the love category! And it passed the Craig test. After all, it has bacon!
I think clicking on Espresso and Cream's photo above should take you to the website and recipe, but just in case, here's the link!
When we're on Isla, Vivian's Salad at Qubano is my island fave, but I have a hard time coming up with salads I like at home.
This recipe definitely falls in the love category! And it passed the Craig test. After all, it has bacon!
I think clicking on Espresso and Cream's photo above should take you to the website and recipe, but just in case, here's the link!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Random Slow Season Scenes
We discovered Isla Mujeres back in late April 2002 when the island was blissfully peaceful. After a lot of growth and development and a couple of subsequent trips during high season when the island streets were crowded with visitors and traffic, we decided to schedule our Isla trips in low season when it's peacefully slow. Here are some scenes from June 2012.
Sunset on Juarez.
Orange juice man's morning location.
Dog siesta on Juarez.
Cart vendor headed down Juarez to work.
Local ladies creating their own shade on a hot summer afternoon.
Sunset on Juarez.
Slow morning at the market.
Orange juice man's morning location.
Hidalgo corner store.
Evening at Poc Chuc
Dos Equis delivers.
Slow Hidalgo afternoon.
Dog day afternoon.
Vendor pedaling the empty malecon.
Muy tranquilo Playa Norte day!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Saturday Sketti Soup
If any of you have watched Honey Boo Boo, you may have seen the episode where Mama June makes sketti for the family. She takes about a half tub of butter and squirts a lot of ketchup on it, then microwaves. The finishing flourish involves mixing the vat of red grease with boiled pasta. Seriously?
And no, I didn't use Mama June's recipe for our Saturday spaghetti soup. Once again I found a recipe on Pinterest from Midwest Living that I altered slightly. We prefer some type of ground Italian sausage with pasta (as opposed to the hamburger in the recipe), so I substituted a pound of Italian sweet sausage along with canned tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano and pasta sauce with basil to spice it up a bit..
The basic ingredients:
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1/2 onion chopped
1 chopped green pepper
2 stalks chopped celery
2 sliced carrots
2 minced garlic cloves
1 jar pasta sauce (I use Classico tomato with basil because it's lower in calories)
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with Italian spices
2 1/2 cups water
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning (to taste)
dash crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 oz. spaghetti pasta broken into smaller pieces
Choice of cheese to top
Cook sausage and veggies in soup pot until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain grease. Add tomatoes, pasta sauce, water, sugar and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and bring back to a gentle boil for 12 to 15 minutes.
Top with cheese (I use a grated 5 cheese Italian combo) and you have quick spaghetti soup that is WAY superior to Mama June's sketti! Next time I may try adding chopped black olives and chopped mushrooms as a substitution for the chopped celery and carrots.
Click on the link above to see Midwest Living's colorful photo of the soup. I can't find my camera cord to download photos to my laptop. Told you I was feeling discombobulated!
And no, I didn't use Mama June's recipe for our Saturday spaghetti soup. Once again I found a recipe on Pinterest from Midwest Living that I altered slightly. We prefer some type of ground Italian sausage with pasta (as opposed to the hamburger in the recipe), so I substituted a pound of Italian sweet sausage along with canned tomatoes with garlic, basil, and oregano and pasta sauce with basil to spice it up a bit..
The basic ingredients:
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1/2 onion chopped
1 chopped green pepper
2 stalks chopped celery
2 sliced carrots
2 minced garlic cloves
1 jar pasta sauce (I use Classico tomato with basil because it's lower in calories)
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with Italian spices
2 1/2 cups water
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning (to taste)
dash crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 oz. spaghetti pasta broken into smaller pieces
Choice of cheese to top
Cook sausage and veggies in soup pot until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Drain grease. Add tomatoes, pasta sauce, water, sugar and seasonings and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti and bring back to a gentle boil for 12 to 15 minutes.
Top with cheese (I use a grated 5 cheese Italian combo) and you have quick spaghetti soup that is WAY superior to Mama June's sketti! Next time I may try adding chopped black olives and chopped mushrooms as a substitution for the chopped celery and carrots.
Click on the link above to see Midwest Living's colorful photo of the soup. I can't find my camera cord to download photos to my laptop. Told you I was feeling discombobulated!
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Thursday Shades of Blue
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
A Memorable Mexican Feast
I am hungry. The fact that our favorite Mexican restaurant in the area is still closed is putting us over the edge. Craig calls Casa Blanca every few days for the update and when someone's there to answer the phone, the reopening date keeps getting rolled forward a week. Their cover story is kitchen remodeling because they wouldn't want to admit to their mostly right wing customers that they were closed down by one of Sheriff Joe's illegal immigrant raids.
Back to my story. My craving for Mexican food has me dreaming about the most memorable meal I've had in Mexico. It involved a two hour drive from Bucerias, Mexico in an old Ford Explorer up into the mountains to a lovely hotel restaurant in San Sebastion del Oeste. I'll talk more about the journey in a later post, but here are some snapshots from that mouthwatering lunch.
When Gustavo, our driver and partner in crime, pulled up to the restaurant, I made Craig check his wallet to make sure we had enough pesos. I thought -- this is not going to be a cheap lunch. Is there an ATM in San Sebastion?
The waiter led us out to the gorgeous garden on the back of the restaurant. When he saw us admiring the birds in their cage, he brought one over to me. And Pedro didn't even scratch me with his claws.
Soon, Gustavo was arranging for appetizers to be sent to our table. He was back in the kitchen talking with friends. In the meantime, the waiter arrived with drinks.
Gustavo also insisted we MUST try his other favorite. The grilled panela appetizer. The what? At that point, I had no idea what panela was. I soon discovered it was a wonderful grilled cheese served with some type of tomato-y dipping sauce. Yum!
Soon the waiter brought menus for us to choose our main courses. By this time, I was almost full, so I decided on a bowl of soup. I also got a look at the menu and was relieved that the food was extremely reasonable. The sophistication of the setting was not indicative of the pricing.
After taking a quick tour of the rooms and admiring the outside courtyards, we were soon hiking up and down the cobblestone paths of San Sebastion. I hope the restaurant's still open in this little hotel at the top of San Sebastion because we fantasize about going back someday! Next time, we'll stay overnight!
Back to my story. My craving for Mexican food has me dreaming about the most memorable meal I've had in Mexico. It involved a two hour drive from Bucerias, Mexico in an old Ford Explorer up into the mountains to a lovely hotel restaurant in San Sebastion del Oeste. I'll talk more about the journey in a later post, but here are some snapshots from that mouthwatering lunch.
When Gustavo, our driver and partner in crime, pulled up to the restaurant, I made Craig check his wallet to make sure we had enough pesos. I thought -- this is not going to be a cheap lunch. Is there an ATM in San Sebastion?
I told you he was our partner in crime!
The interior of the old hotel was absolutely stunning with antique furniture and original tiles.
The waiter led us out to the gorgeous garden on the back of the restaurant. When he saw us admiring the birds in their cage, he brought one over to me. And Pedro didn't even scratch me with his claws.
Soon, Gustavo was arranging for appetizers to be sent to our table. He was back in the kitchen talking with friends. In the meantime, the waiter arrived with drinks.
Soon, fantastically fresh guacamole arrived at the table. I was getting a little nervous because we still hadn't seen a menu.
Gustavo also insisted we MUST try his other favorite. The grilled panela appetizer. The what? At that point, I had no idea what panela was. I soon discovered it was a wonderful grilled cheese served with some type of tomato-y dipping sauce. Yum!
Soon the waiter brought menus for us to choose our main courses. By this time, I was almost full, so I decided on a bowl of soup. I also got a look at the menu and was relieved that the food was extremely reasonable. The sophistication of the setting was not indicative of the pricing.
Hands down BEST chicken tortilla soup I've ever had in my life!
Craig decided to go for the gusto and ordered the baked chicken in pumpkin sauce. OMG! The photo doesn't do the smoky pumpkin flavor of the dish justice.
Soon, we were stuffed and anxious to start our tour of San Sebastion. La cuenta por favor! I can't remember exact details, but with the drinks (Craig had two beers), appetizers, soup, Craig's entree, and tip, the total came to a little over $30 U.S. And it was the best meal of the entire two week trip!
After taking a quick tour of the rooms and admiring the outside courtyards, we were soon hiking up and down the cobblestone paths of San Sebastion. I hope the restaurant's still open in this little hotel at the top of San Sebastion because we fantasize about going back someday! Next time, we'll stay overnight!
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