Isla Food Porn Blowout

 As always, we ate with wild abandon on our June 2012 trip to Isla Mujeres.  I didn't come home with the usual number of food photos because we dined with friends quite a few meals.  When that happens, I get engrossed in conversation and just forget to pull out the camera.  I'm also hesitant because I'm sure acquaintances think it's  weird when I insist on photographing the food.

I often read posts on message boards where visitors choose A.I. options when visiting the island and eat all their meals onsite.  I wonder if it's fear of eating outside the hotel?  It's a shame because the restaurant choices and local food on Isla are outstanding.  If there's any doubt as to whether the food on Isla Mujeres is safe to eat, I can honestly say I've never experienced a food-borne illness in the ten plus years we've habitually traveled to the island.

I should play the name that plate game with readers, but this sampling wouldn't be a challenge for frequent visitors.

A cazuela and omelet from M & J's Cazuela.

The Shrimp/Avocado Salad from JAX.

A BLT Avocado Bagel and Mexicana Omelet from Bally Hoo.

Mojito and guacamole at El Veradero.  A usually avoid alcohol, but those mojitos are good!

I will play name that plate with readers here.  These are dishes from Basto's and for the life of me, I can't remember what the dishes are called.  I think the plate above is an huarache de arrachera.  The dish below eludes me. Anyone know?

Watermelon liquadas and a gorgeous burrito at the Mango Cafe!

Both of these tasty selections are from Monchi's.  Once again, I need someone to name that plate because I always struggle with the menu there. Ramon has to translate when we order. 

The fruit plate and Huevos Mexicana from Alex and Giovanni.  Great way to start the day!

The Hawaiian Burger and fries from JAX.  Craig and I split it because it's huge and muy tasty!

I almost needed a phone a friend with this plate.  Then I realized it's the breakfast tacos from JAX.  A friend wanted to eat breakfast there, and we'll definitely make a repeat visit on our next trip!  They were so good!

 Fish tacos and a shrimp cocktail at Bally Hoo!

Two huge platters of fish and fixin's from Victor's Havana Cafe on Juarez.  We dined on the malecon that night!  I dream about that fish!

A Philly Steak Sandwich at Bahia Tortuga!  I ordered a hamburger and it was also delish!

Vivian's watermelon liquada at Qubano on Hidalgo.

The Cobb and Vivian's Salad at Qubano.  Those are fried goat cheese croutons on top the salad below and they are to die for!  Vivian's now open for lunch and dinner at the new location!

Enchilada Suizas at La Lomita on Juarez.  OMG!  I ate it and I felt guilty afterwards, but I'm sure I'll do it again -- many times.

 

This wonderful Mediterranean fish dish on couscous is from Comonos.  Yum!

We ate all this and so much more on our last trip.  Fredy's was closed, so I missed his baked shrimp.  I forgot to take pictures when we ate at Mama Rosa's, Brisas Grill, Barlito, and some of our other usual haunts.  

Right now my stomach is growling!  What to eat . . . what to eat!  I haven't started a countdown yet, but we'll be back again soon!  

 

The Dog Ate My Homework

Life has been intervening lately with blog posting time, not to mention we're currently not traveling and I don't have anything novel to write about.  And here's the dog ate my homework excuse -- my former laptop crashed in the late spring and destroyed all my photo files prior to our last Isla trip in June.  That's made posting very time-consuming and difficult.  I do have most of my photo files on a backup device, but I'm reluctant to risk this laptop because who knows what's lurking there. 

I could tell you about the recent books I've read that I loved (The Thread, In the Kingdom of Men, Cuba Diaries, etc...), but you can catch that down on the sidebar.  I've also been mulling whether I want to continue posting on any kind of regular basis, or just occasionally when I have trip stories and photos to share.

As you can tell, I'm befuddled and bamboozled at the moment!  : )  For now, instead of declaring a total departure, I may post the occasional rerun until our next adventure in November.   Or maybe I could just show filmstrips everyday like my son's seventh grade science teacher!

Hope I'm forgiven for my current slacker attitude!  This too shall pass!




Here's a video from our 2011 November/December trip to Isla Mujeres.  I'm hoping our upcoming trip will be just as much fun (without any dental complications)!

Another October

Another year -- but October!  2009 to be exact!  People frequently ask what the weather will be like in October on Isla Mujeres.  Well, it could be sunny, it could be cloudy, or it could be rainy.  Perhaps all three in one day. The best way to get an accurate prediction is to ask a local expert -- a fisherman or boat operator!

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 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!

Source: espressoandcream.com via Becky on Pinterest

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!  


 

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.

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!

Roja Monday

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!

Thursday Shades of Blue

 We've been really busy lately with silly details of life that I won't go into, and frankly, I'm feeling too discombobulated to organize my thoughts on the screen.  So here's to Blue Thursday -- shades of blue from our last trip to Isla Mujeres!