Feliz Navidad!

December 27, 2008 Was the date of our Mexican Fiesta. Pete & Sharon and Cathy & I felt it was appropriate to celebrate Feliz Navidad in preparation for our Sayulita Adventure in Jan 2009.

Cathy hosted the party and her table was decorated with authentic Mexican blankets. The food was fantastic! The main entree was prepared by Cathy and consisted of a spicy Mexican lasagna. Before that and throughout the entire evening, we enjoyed 5 kinds of Fiesta style dips with tostada & nacho chips. The desert, thanks to a local Mexican bakery called Bryanna's, made an incredible Tres Leche cake. It was "incredibly delicious".

Nothing says Viva la Mexico like a nice bottle of tequila, a few bottles of Cervesa (Corona), some limes and some margaritas. A fun time was had by all. ole!

Marinated Chicken Breast in a Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce over Penne Pasta.

I bought the chicken already marinated at the local grocery store. At $1.97 pound, it was only 75 cents for a large serving. The wine was also on sale for about $9.00. On top of that, I got a $3.00 rebate for the purchase of any meat/chicken/seafood. So the chicken was free. Sweet!
I used a 2 jars of Classico Alfredo Sauce, one of my favorites if I don't feel like making the sauce from scratch. This is enough sauce for 4 huge servings, or 6 regular sized servings. A serving is one chicken breast.

1. Heat your pan, then add a tablespoon of olive oil. After it's hot, add some crushed/minced garlic and finely diced onion (optional) to the pan.

1a. So that you uniformly heat the chicken breast, pound your chicken, ( I didn't say beat it!) Place the chicken, one breast at a time, between a couple sheets of good plastic wrap. The press and seal Saran wrap works quite well. When you have a uniform thickness, you're done with this step.

2. After the garlic & onion is browned, add the chicken breasts.

3. Only cook/brown the chicken for about 2-3 minutes on each side. It will not be done. That's ok. Read the whole recipe. The key to a moist and tender chicken breast is not to overcook it.

4. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside, we are going to use the pan to heat the Alfredo sauce.

5. My favorite off-the-shelf Alfredo is made by Classico: Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo. Empty the contents and rinse the jar with an ounce or two of the wine you're drinking that evening. I like to add a few generous shakes of crushed red pepper. (optional heat)

6. While it's heating slowly, begin to boil the water for your pasta. I used penne, but you could use your favorite.

7. After the sauce has heated through, add the chicken breasts to the sauce. Don't cook it more than 5 minutes. Set aside if the pasta isn't done.

8. Drain the pasta. Do not overcook it. Al dente!!!

9. Spray your oven safe cookware with a light layer of olive oil. (it makes the clean-up easier)

10. Place a generous serving of cooked pasta in the dish. Place one chicken breast on top. Drizzle the sauce over everything.

11. Grate some fresh Parmesan, Asiago, and Mozzarella over the chicken.

12. Bake for 6 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until the cheese is melted and you can't stand waiting any longer.

13. Serve with that wine you opened up earlier, if there's any left.

Bon Appetite!

Happy Thanksgiving to ALL!

Ok, a week late, but nonetheless, Happy Thanksgiving. I tell you, you haven't lived until you've been to the town of Kloten, Wisconsin. The site of this year's Thanksgiving feast with a few of Sharon/Pete's family. Few=35 or so.

The speed limit of Kloten is 55 mph. It has one building, the bar/restaurant and a house across the street. That's it. Try typing it into your GPS. Not going to work.

Having said that, it was a great time and great food. The buns were to die for! I think I ate 6 of them before the meal. Shown in the top photo is my brother Pete and the desert tray. YUM!

The other two photos are from a typical Sunday Packer Game Day tradition hosted by Lynn Farr a good friend of mine, and many.

I was in charge of the main course which happened to be Sloppy Jane's. (I'm tired of Joe getting all the credit) A good time was had by all even though the Packers lost in the last minute. Soooo sad! Cathy, Pete who is sporting the cheese tie, Glenn, and Dave are attempting to cheer them on.

December 2, 2008

I must admit that I thought I had figured out the snow shoveling dilemma that I was having. You see, I don't like to shovel snow. (yeah, yeah, why did I move here) It's only December 2nd, and we've had two snow storms already. About a month before I leave for Mexico. Can't wait!!!

I decided that Chicken Little needed some exercise and preparation for her upcoming trip to Russia. So I equipped her with one of the best shovels that a person can buy and set her up. Slightly disappointed in her shoveling capabilities as they are not much better than mine.

As for the Russia trip, my daughter, Jamie, is flying to Paris, France on Christmas Eve to join my son, David for ........ Christmas. They she flies to Rome, Italy to join some friends for New Years Eve, then she flies to Helsinki, Finland for I don't know for what, and then to Moscow and then to Sankt-Peterburg, Russia as part of her master's program. She has benevolently agreed to take Chicken Little along on her travels. (OK, I bought her a new digital camera with a string attached...... take photos of Chicken Little while you travel)

I shall title this one, "ONLY IN WISCONSIN!" Taken at Kwik Trip in Fond du Lac.
November 2008

I had a request to post some of the recipes that I learned in my culinary classes this past month. This is by far my favorite and I'm drooling as I write it and planning to go get the incredients later today. Enjoy, I know I did.

Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup
1 pound ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped yellow onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 14-ounce canned plum tomatoes, with their juice
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart chicken stock
½ cup of heavy cream or half/half (optional)
1 bottle of your favorite wine
1 loaf of your favorite bread
1 favorite friend (optional)
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Toss together the fresh tomatoes, ¼ olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for up to 45 minutes. A convection oven will speed up this process, if you want to speed up this process.
2. In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, sauté the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons olive oil, butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes or until the onions start to brown.
3. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Next add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Your option to peel off the skins at this time.
4. Bring to boil and then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Open your favorite bottle of wine, and begin sipping it while enjoying the incredible aroma of this soup. Your house will smell like an Italian kitchen.
5. Pass through a food mill, not you, the soup, silly, fitted with the coarsest blade. I prefer to use a hand-held puree blender immersing it right into the stockpot.
6. For those that aren’t watching their hips grow, add the ½ cup of heaving whipping cream while blending.
7. Taste for seasonings, and add appropriately. (not sure what that means or how to measure, but have another glass of wine, and figure it out) Serve hot or cold.
8. This only yields 4 servings, so you might want to double it and then simply refrigerate or freeze any extras. However, most likely, if your friends taste this, you won’t have any leftovers.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Last week Saturday we (Cathy, brother Pete & Sharon) were sitting at my first Camp Randall Badger Football game freezing our arse's off but having a great time. But let me back up to the start of the day. The Great Dane Brewing Company was our kick-off spot with some delicious Bloody Mary's and IPA chasers. What a great micro-brewery and the location was perfect......100 feet from our car and 120 feet from the Bucky Badger Shuttle Bus.

Our seats were in row 22 section Q, which happens to be right next to the 'rowdy' student section of thousands that did not sit while the game was being played. Jumping and yelling and screaming was done by all. (along with the student section)

With a dismal looking half-time score of 21-7, a few fans retreated to the warmth of the local pub. Not us! We braved the sub-zero climate (Celsius that is) and of course stayed for the infamous 5th quarter. The Wisconsin band has become nationally famous for its post-game celebration called the Fifth Quarter. Win or lose, fans sing, dance and cheer the band as it plays traditional favorites like "On Wisconsin", the Bud song, and "Varsity".

Those that braved the cold were not disappointed because the Badgers came roaring back scoring two safeties, a field goal and 3 more touchdowns in the second half for an exciting 35 to 32 win over the Minnesota Gophers.

Our chartered limousine, the Bucky Bus, returned us to The Great Dane where more beverages and food was enjoyed by all. It was truly a memorable experience that might best be summed up with a song: On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, Plunge right through that line, Run the ball clear down the field, boys, Touchdown sure this time. On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, Fight on for her fame, Fight fellows, Fight! Fight! Fight! We'll win this game.

If your travels ever take you to Madison in the fall, a Badger Game Day experience is a must-do. You will not be disappointed in the pre-game, post-game, and game.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Let’s talk about Food! One of my favorite subjects. Some of you know that I have been taking some culinary classes, and last night I attended a fantastic 4 hour class on Soups & Sauces. Loved it.
Those that know me, know that I love to make bacon wrapped beef tenderloins and what goes with that? Béarnaise Sauce. Last night, while learning how to make hollandaise sauce, I asked the Chef about Béarnaise sauce. Using fresh tarragon, we then put a twist on it, using a burgundy wine to enhance the flavors.
We (plural because there were 12 of us in class) also made three kinds of soups: French Onion, Mushroom Sherry, and Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup. The T&B was clearly my favorite and fun to make. We roasted some of the tomatoes, and even used some canned tomatoes. One of the lessons we learned was to create something with what you have on hand. If you can’t get fresh tomatoes in Wisconsin in February, you make do with your pantry stock.
We also made a cranberry chutney, an excellent alternative to canned jellied cranberries you might find on the Thanksgiving table. I wanted to learn alternatives, so I added diced apples to my concoction. Pineapple, mango, raisins, dates, and many other fruits can be used. Once you learn the base, you can let your imagination fly. That’s my style.
Another cool thing about the class was to learn culinary terms such as chinois, bain marie, emulsions, and sharp knives. A spotted the first aid kit as soon as I entered the kitchen. Moraine Park Technical Institute in Fond du Lac has a really incredible culinary program. A recent addition allows up to 20 students to learn/cook at the same time. It’s that large. Video cameras capture those things you don’t want captured. (while cooking)
Oh, the pics. Wisconsin is known for its Friday Fish Fry’s. I think it’s a law that you have to eat cod, haddock or perch on Friday, and I have no problem with that. This particular photo was taken at Wendt’s On the Lake, an excellent place for perch, a few weeks ago. Pete, Sharon, Cathy, and myself are seen enjoying the condiments that compliment perch. (aka: Bloody Mary’s with a beer chaser)
The other photo is one of my favorite meals at home: Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin on the grill served with ….. Béarnaise Sauce, before I knew how to make it from scratch.

Guten Tag mein Freund Herr Stenz!
Ich nahm dieses Foto an einer meiner Lieblingsbars in Zärtlichem du Lac, Dem Hinterhof-Grill. Im Foto sind mein Freund-Don, John, Kay (der schöne Barmann) und natürlich ich selbst.
Passieren Sie bitte dieses Foto zu Sigi und Marrianne und bedanken Sie sich bei ihnen außerordentlich für die schönen Bierkrüge. Ich genieße sie außerordentlich. Ich kann nicht genug für Ihre großzügige Gastfreundschaft Ihnen danken, während ich in Obreheim war. Es war ein großes Vergnügen, Ihre Freunde, besonders Sigi zu treffen.

Herr Rosenauf

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Dollars & Sense.
On a recent trip to Baltimore, I noticed how many people bought a $2.00+ bottle of water only to learn they had to dispose of it as they attempted to go through security. Not sure what part of “NO LIQUIDS” they didn’t understand. (that’s another issue)
So what can the “smart investor” do in such a travel situation? Answer: It’s ok to carry an empty 0.5 liter bottle. I have to thank a young friend of mine who showed me a ‘new’ product. Crystal is one of several of the makers of individual Kool-aid like mix. It’s a small package of a drink mix that costs less than 10 cents for a 0.5 liter serving. Just add water once you get through security. I recently found a similar product called Wyler’s Light for about 6 cents a serving. Now that sure beats over $2.00 for airport water. And it tastes pretty good. It’s one of many ways to save that $1.50/day that you need to retire.

Sunday, October 12, 2008
Erica Lynn Cirincione (the gorgeous bride) & Aaron Christopher Speight (USC fan) exchanged vows today and I had the pleasure of attending this event in Fallston, Maryland.
What a fantastic East coast day with temperatures around 70 plus degrees and gorgeous views from the reception overlooking the changing leaves on a golf course. Amazing!
One of Erica’s relatives, Michael, sang “Amazing Grace” and it was awesome. I also was most pleased to see Ray & Jeanne Diberardo at the wedding & reception and got to catch up on 5 years of life. (Ray was the project manager in England on the EDS project) It was a short & sweet trip for me, flying in on Saturday and returning to Wisconsin on Monday. Thanks to Robin for putting me up or putting up with me. (both)
Thanks to Erica & Aaron for the pint glasses that every guest received. Cool gift and one that will be used, daily. I wish A&E the best and hope they solve my German based wedding gift.

Monday, October 6, 2008
The big travel day from Frankfurt to Chicago! Now those that know me, understand that I get to the airport early. I don’t run in airports, I read and relax. Now that’s exactly how the morning began. Rick had me to the airport in plenty of time, 4 hours early. Perfect. The ticket counter for Air India wasn’t even open, yet. When they did open, I was near the front of the line. I checked in and proceeded toward the gate. After the usual passport and security checks, several times, I arrived at the waiting area, calm , relaxed and prepared to continue the book I was reading. Oh, it would have been so good if the day continued with such a pleasant pace. But, oh, I was wrong.
When they called a dozen of us to the podium, I felt a knot in my stomach. Then the dreaded words to any frequent international flier, “We regret to tell you that your plane has been cancelled.” Oh, it gets better. “The next flight isn’t until tomorrow and you have to go back to the ticket counter to pray.” (not pay, pray)
Now I’m not sure how many of you have had to go through security in reverse, internationally, but it really isn’t fun. How do you tell the passport person who asks how long you are going to be in the country, “Hopefully for less than an hour!” They don’t enjoy humor, believe me.
I arrived at the ticket counter to find that there were about a dozen others waiting in a line that would make a snail proud. Rumor swept through the line growing behind me that American Airlines had a flight leaving in less than an hour, direct to Chicago. Cool was my first thought, and almost my last.
The woman in front of me was also intending to get to Chicago and the agent put both of us on the transfer ticket and told us to hurry in order to catch the plane which we learned was boarding. To get from the ticket counter in Frankfurt to the gates, is quite a process filled with many obstacles. One of them was the fact that the woman on my ticket did not have the sense of urgency that I did. Second, when we rounded the corner, near security, 100 other people were in line in front us. They also did not have any sense of urgency. Did I mention that I absolutely hate to run in airports? (rhetorical)
With a few minutes to spare, I arrived at the gate which fortunately was still boarding. As the gate agent checked my boarding pass, she asked “Where is your ticket?” My response did not impress her. “Some other strange lady has it and I have no idea where she is!!”
OK, I did get on the plane and was grateful, for a few minutes. Did I mention that one of my pet peeves is sitting in a middle seat for 9 hours? (rhetorical) Augh! It’s times like these when you discover that perhaps you lack a valuable trait called patience. Severely. But I survived and arrived safely in Chicago within 20 minutes of my original flight.
Was the long week in Germany worth such an airport adventure? Absolutely!!!
I hope you have enjoyed these recent additions to The Travels of Juan Marcos!

Sunday, October 5, 2008
Ok, we were determined to make another attempt to get into the big tents, so after some breakfast and packing, we headed back to the festival and were pleasantly surprised. We were able to easily get into three of the tents and the photos I show are examples of these tents. What an atmosphere! One culinary delight of the festival was the 19 inch sausage/bratwurst seen in one of the pics above. We had to sample one last Oktoberfest Beer before heading to the airport in Frankfurt, which we thought was only 4 hours away.
We were wrong. Seven + hours later and numerous traffic jams, we arrived at the Hahn airport, to drop of Robbie and David, only to learn that we had just missed Robbie’s flight by 10 minutes. Robbie got another flight, but it didn’t leave until 6am the next day, so Rick and I said our good-byes to David, and with Robbie found a hotel a few minutes away.

Saturday, October 4, 2008
After a nice German breakfast, we put together a game plan for the day. Rick was headed out to meet a friend of his. Robbie and David were headed back to the festival to see if they could get into a big tent, and I planned to do nothing. (are you surprised?) I did some Wall Street homework and added some thoughts and pics to my blog at a local internet café.
I then headed towards the town center to check out the sights and the infamous Glockenspiel. Oh, and the Hofbrauhaus, the world’s largest bar/restaurant. Hitler held some of his meetings there.
The lines were huge, even at noon-thirty. I called Rick and let him know my location and sat down to people watch. When Rick arrived we decided to have a beer at Munich’s Hard Rock Café, across the street from the Hofbrauhaus. When David and Robbie showed up they were intent on getting into the Hof. They returned a short time later and said they found a back entrance. We jumped at it and indeed we got into a fantastic place. I will attempt to capture a bit of the atmosphere with my pics, but you really have to be there. Enjoy.