Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Today I begin a series of thoughts concerning peace......spiritual peace and financial peace are the two main ones. Travel and cooking and trading and learning have their place under both of these headings.
Today's devotion says it quite clearly:
Remember Whom You Serve

"Wouldn’t it be silly if a receptionist answered the phone and didn’t know the name of the company she was representing? Wouldn’t it be silly if a sales rep never mentioned the name of his company? Wouldn’t it be silly if an employee forgot that she was an employee and imagined that she was the owner?

Silly but believable. People do the same thing to God all the time. We all go through foggy stretches where we get confused about our mission in life. We forget that we’re all managers in God’s company, that our great purpose in life is to give God glory, receive and reflect his love, and act as his agents in bringing benefit to the lives of other people. That’s why you were created.

That’s why you were redeemed.

What is your life’s main purpose? Here’s one way to put it: “In all your ways acknowledge him” (3:6). Isn’t it amazing how much easier our daily decision-making gets when we begin the day by saying, “God, I am working for you today. Thanks for letting me into your company.”

I would like to add Matt 6:33 (look it up)

Let the riddle/puzzle continue.

JR

Pictured here is my modest pantry of 'spare' items. One of my motto's is: Never pay retail!

Extreme Coupon-ing! Ok, maybe just 'almost' extreme coupon-ing. A new addition to my blog, during the Spring-Fall months, when I'm not in Mexico. I will be adding a few examples of my extreme coupon-ing.
Pictured above is the small collection of just bathroom items of which I have saved tremendously by buying smarter. And how does this activity tie into earlier retirement? More to follow in future blogs.
Enjoy.

A few of my readers have asked for information about obtaining a new passport in Fond du Lac WI.

Passports (920) 929-3037
Passport applications can be obtained at the Clerk of Courts office. In order to apply for a passport, you will need to bring along a certified copy of your birth certificate, 2 passport photos, a check or money order in the amount of $110 for the US Department of State, a check, money order or cash in the amount of $25 for the Clerk of Courts, and a driver’s license or state identification card. Fees for anyone under the age of 16 are $80 for the US Department of State and $25 for the Clerk of Courts. Turnaround times can vary according to volume of passport applications filed.

Hint: bring two checks to the office when applying. You can't bunde the expenses onto one.

Joe Crow's 12 shot package.....yikes!
Sadly I write this entry from WI where I have returned....a bit prematurely as I stare out the the front window at a winter wonderland....the frozen tundra.....it appears that winter was not over. At least the house is well heated and 72 degrees is.....still 72 degrees. (jot down that bit of wisdom)
So if you can't lie on the beach, like I ever did, what do you do? Answer: Cook! And this weeks cooking challenges include my COWs (cranberry oatmeal walnut cookies), a Juan Marcos Huevos Benedict, a CCCC soup (creamy carrot curry coconut), and an Festival Italian chicken Alfredo over Trader Joes Garlic Basil Linguine.
With a fresh bottle of wonderful Mexican vanilla, the decision to make the cookies first was an easy one. The usual 48 cookies were baked but disappeared unusually fast. These are a treat that I don't make in Mexico. Welcome home.
My next food challenge was to make new version of Eggs Benedict......not so cleverly called the Juan Marcos Huevos Benedict. Several twists for my version are that I used a thinly sliced deli Cajun turkey instead of the traditional Canadian bacon and I substituted the hollandaise sauce for Bearnaise, because I love tarragon. But there's more to the challenge than two simple substitutions...1) make the dish in under 15 minutes and 2) make each generous serving for under $2.00 (2 eggs, English muffin, Bearnaise sauce, slice of cheese, turkey slices, and salt and pepper) And yes, it can be done.
But why would you put those restrictions on yourself? Answer: The Octagon House Preservation Society. (OHPS) More on that potentially resurrected project in my next blog. Along with the results of that CCCC soup.

Enjoy words.....enjoy.

Your sauce will have this color and consistency, thick.

Juan Marcos Rustic Marinara Sauce con Pollo Spaghetti Rigati.

As I prepare for the return journey (sometime later this month), I was driven by the refrigerator contents to make one last dish whilst in Mexico. Sure it can be made almost anywhere, but I especially like finding the chilies in the local markets. So today’s dish is a slight variation of a previous one. (this one has some added heat, juice, and vodka)

Shopping List:
1 kilo of locally grown Roma tomatoes. (about 2 pounds)
1 large Poblano Chili
2 medium sized Jalepenos
1 large white onion
4 cloves of garlic or a large teaspoon of minced.
1/2 cup plus more of Olive Oil for sautéing and for coating the tomatoes and chilies
Butter for sautéing the garlic and onion
Fagundes Seasoning or your favorite garlic/salt seasoning
2 ounces of Vodka
4 ounces of Clamato Juice
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of honey
200 grams of Puree deTomate (small can/jar of tomato sauce)
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Directions:
1. Quarter the tomatoes removing most of the core/stem.
2. Quarter the poblano chili and remove the top and seeds.
3. Into a plastic bag, throw the tomatoes and poblano chilies along with ½ cup of olive oil and a tablespoon of Fagundes seasonings. Shake for a minute until well coated.
4. Fill a lined dish or oven proof pan with the tomatoes and poblano chili and bake for about an hour at 350 F. Warning: the aroma is intoxicating.
5. Meanwhile, take the whole jalepeno chilies and blacken them over the stove. Gas works the best, but I’ve also burned them on an electric stove just as well. After they have cooled, I cut off the tops and do not remove the seeds. You want a mild sauce, remove the seeds. Set aside.
6. Meanwhile in a larger sauté or sauce pan, chop the onion and garlic and sauté in a little olive oil and butter. About 5-7 minutes for the onion, and 2-3 minutes for the garlic. Set aside.
7. After the tomatoes have been cooked for the hour, remove them and let them cool. I actually just turn off the stove and after another hour, remove them.
8. Now the fun part. Everything goes into the blender. If you have an immersion blender, you’re welcome to try that, but in Mexico, I did not. (this year) Tomatoes, poblano, whole jalepenos, onions, garlic, and any olive oil that might be left in the pans.
9. Add the tomato sauce, vodka and Clamato juice.
10. Pulse blend for several minutes and the sauce has blended uniformly. (it’s all moving)
11. Return this mixture to the stove. I had used a large sauce/sauté pan for the onions, so I simply put the mixture back into this pan. (less dishes)
12. Bring to a simmer and taste. Here is where I add the honey and sugar. Taste.
13. Add salt and pepper to taste. I typically taste every time I walk by or every 10 minutes for the following hour and add whatever I feel is lacking.
14. After about an hour of very low simmering, cover and remove to cool, before refrigerating.

Tomorrow this sauce will have blended nicely and be ready for the next steps. I plan on using chicken (pollo) for the meat, but you can use shrimp, beef, pork, or nothing to finish this dish and serve over your favorite pasta topped with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Food for Thought.

Following some quality internet time with one of my favorite Sunday morning orators, I thought, ‘no Sunday is complete without a stroll through the Bucerias outdoor markets’.

Regardless of the intended contents of my list, here is what I returned with: 2 DVDs containing 6 movies, one of which is El Avispon Verde (The Green Hornet); 60 Mexican Solar Dryer clips, 1 liter of leche, 1 kilo of jitomates, 1 poblano chili, and 2 jalepenos. What’s on your list?
Siesta time por Juan Marcos.

BBQ Sauce: Food for Thought

So what do you do for a sauce for leftover chicken? Mexico doesn’t yet sell a good bbq sauce!
Make your own with whatever you find in the fridge. Here’s what was in my wallet…………..
• 1 cup cola. Not diet. Dr. Pepper works if you can find it.
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Fagundes Seasoning or similar garlic seasonings
• ½ cup of chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons of Honey Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette (leftover from my previous recipe)
• Pinch of brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a rental blender and pulse blend until you’re tired. 1 minute or so. Then pour into a small saucepan and gradually bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly to obtain a gentle simmer. Simmer the sauce until reduced by a quarter, 6 to 18 minutes. Use right away or not. And transfer to a large jar or whatever you find in the cupboard, cover, cool to room temperature and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for several months. Not likely if it’s this good and you share.
This will improve overnight, so it’s best to make it the day before. (do the math) It is a bit tangy and has a South Carolina taste……vinegar which was used in the vinaigrette. Add another pinch of brown sugar to offset the taste if it doesn’t appeal to you.
Will work excellent with the Juan Marcos hamburgesa con queso or albondigas dishes. Does not work so good with coconut candy. Trust me.
Enjoy!

Oh, the photo has little to do with this recipe, but I'm about to make some of my marinara sauce and.....it doesn't have to make sense!

Buenos Tardes

Now here's a sailing team consisting of Gilligan, Silvia as MaryAnn, and the Skipper 2. Peter's last night at The Shamrock as he plans to embark on his world sailing journey. Careful with those cattle grates when crossing the highway.

It appears that Peter is approving of tonight's entertainment. No, not Silvia, who can often be found dusting the bottles at The Shamrock. Cheers to you Peter!

At Your Service: Omar, Silvia, and Gil are always prepared to make you welcome at The Shamrock.

Sharon y Silvia don the latest in St. Patty's Day head 'ornaments'. Less than 2 weeks and counting till the big day!

The one and only Smiling Saint Silvia shairing her sassy and scintillating smile at The Shamrock!

Peter Forrest, a most interesting chap from South Africa pops in for a 55 peso litre x 2. Having recently purchased a 'new vessel' in San Francisco, he is intending to sail solo back home. Best Wishes and Safe Travels. Tamra and her husband, Mario, from MN begin their farewells as their plane leaves on Saturady.

Bec finds her 2nd most favorite color.

The real Sandman caught in action. Did you ever find this bag, Bec?

It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

Our snorkeling trip takes an unexpected turn as we head towards the Lybian coastline.

Talk about a wet barstool. The Vista Vallarta pool was very welcoming!

All we need now is a donkey to move the wheel and crush the agave fruit. Any volunteers?

A Puerto Vallartan cowboy rides high on the Malecon.

Outside of Casa Sharon, Bec reads a naptime story to Len. Book #28?

Day 9 of 9 for Bec/Len visit. Sunday, February 27, 2011.

It was time to say our good-byes and head to the airport. Today's blog is a random sample of the past 9 wonderful days of their visit.

Paella (Valencian: [paˈeʎa], Spanish: [paˈeʎa]) is a Valencian rice dish that originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century near lake Albufera, a lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. Many non-Spaniards view paella as Spain's national dish, but most Spaniards consider it to be a regional Valencian dish. Valencians, in turn, regard paella as one of their identifying symbols.
There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (Spanish: paella valenciana), seafood paella (Spanish: paella de marisco) and mixed paella (Spanish: paella mixta), but there are many others as well. Valencian paella consists of white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit, chicken, duck), land snails, beans and seasoning. Seafood paella replaces meat and snails with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables. Mixed paella is a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables and sometimes beans. Most paella chefs use calasparra or bomba rices for this dish. Other key ingredients include saffron and olive oil.

Tapas del Mundo Paella for six. (more on this dish on tomorrow's blog)

Jorge, the owner/chef, explains the tapas choices to Pedro y Sharon. Remember Jorge from our cooking class on Feb 8th? One of the same.

With overcast skies all day, the sunset was sure to be spectacular. We were not disappointed.

Pedro, Len, Bec, and Juan Marcos enjoying the moment. Awesome!

Commonly known as Gartman Blue, Len and Bec find the perfect door which also happened to be Pablo's front door of his temporary bungalow here in Bucerias.

The evening would not be complete with a quick stop at The Shamrock for a national drink. Diet coke, wine, cervezas, aqua, and even a margarita represent the variety of tastes. Does anybody know the Irish word for bathroom?

Day 8 of 9 of Bec/Len visit. Saturday, Feb 26,2011

The day was highlighted with a paella dinner at Tapas del Mundo. But several events happened before that, one of which was The Shamrock.

And this is how you sample tequila....breathe in...then exhale. Kinda like normal life supporting activity.

About a 1000 ft. elevation, in the middle of almost nowhere, our bus driver and guide find a small tequilla 'factory' where after 5 minutes of lecture we were able to sample almond, mandarin, reposado, anejo, and a coffee/chocolate blend of this wonderful nectar. Sweet.

Here we have Len making sure that the bus was in full compliance with WA DOT regulations.

Bec had the bbq chicken, while Len and I devoured the shrimp kabobs and bacon-wrapped camarones. Excellent. A bit pricey at 160-200 pesos per meal, but worth it.

The name says it all! Not sure what it says, but this cool restaurant in the mountains was awesome. You also get to enjoy the Zip liners as they zoom past you.

A totally different view of Los Arcos.....from the closest land point. See Day 4 for the previous pics.

Just south of Playa Mismaloya, is this gorgeous beach which is called Boca de Tomatlan. Breathtaking!

Juan Marcos standing on the bridge on the south end of the Malecon in PVR.

Bec with a look of fear as we cross the swaying bridge located next to the large 2-story market called The Mercado in PVR.

One of the famous landmarks in PVR.......Our Lady of Guadalupe.....a very interesting doom and story that goes with it. Gotta book your tour for next year.

Miguel, our tour guide, briefs us on proper shoplifting techniques next to the Malecon.

Day 7 of 9 of Bec/Len visit. Friday, Feb 25, 2011

8:45am We arrive at the pick up spot, The Decamoron Hotel on the very south side of Bucerias.

Today was going to be a new one, as I have never taken the City Tour. We returned about 9 hours later. A long but interesting and fun day. Cost of tour itself: free Lunch: 600 pesos. Memories: priceless.

Our friend, Alaskan Pablo joined our table and we all feasted well tonight.

Captain Pablo's restaurant fileted and served the tuna to our table. How cool was that! A very dark fish meat and absolutely wonderful. Cheers to the fisherman. Oh look! A saved chicken!

Juan Marcos still waiting on the beach. A very tough job, but 'one for the team'.

Wow! Four nice sized fish. (only 3 shown here) Yellow fin tuna! Great job you two. There is going to be a lot of fish tonight. I believe the largest fish was 9000 pounds. Slightly up every time they tell the story. Although it began about 8 kilos or 20 pounds.

Finally at about 1pm, the fishermen returned. Was it going to be chicken or fish tonight? The big question.

Juan Marcos decided not to join them and was forced to wait on the beach. I constantly searched the horizon for their boat. Gotta love the horizon.

Captain Pablo operates a restaurant and charter service out of Sayulita and at dark-thirty, I got Len on a bus pointed in that direction.

Day 6 of 9 for Bec/Len visit. Thursday (yes I am) Feb 24, 2011

Today was long awaited by Len who together with Pedro, were going to take a fishing charter and catch dinner for 6 of us.

Tonights menu included the Juan Marcos Signature hamburgesa con queso. Without a grill, a person has to be a bit creative. I made up the burgers with egg, bread crumbs, horseradish, Worcestershire, and Fagundes seasoning. I then pan seared them in garlic, butter, and olive oil. I finished them in the oven topping them with some Manchego. (Mexican cheese) Enjoy.

One never knows what might happen at Joe Crows: Bartenders Ty and Courtney along with a regular, attempt the boot skoot boogie.

Len and Juan Marcos discuss their dance steps at Joe Crows, or was it fishing thoughts, or politics?

A Mexican commute after a tough day. A whole lot better than mine was.

This was the site of most of today's activity: The Mezzo Giorno Beach Club. A fantastic place to relax while they bring you their oversized beach towels, beverages, and some awesome food.

Since Sister Bec said she would eat almsot anything, I just thought that maybe chicken claws were included. They weren't. Quite affordable by the kilo!

A small sample of a typical bakery departement in Mexico. Grab a pizza pan, some bbq tongs, and start wandering through the department. Bring your selections to the counter where they bag and mark them for checkout. Very cool.

Day 5 of 9 of Bec/Len visit. Wed. Feb 23, 2011

This is my 2nd home when it comes to buying groceries. I first try to get them at the small local ma/pa stores in town, but when that fails, I head to MEGA. There are also 5-6 banks, ATMs, and money exchanges located in this complex. A 50 cent bus ride from my condo.