Getting creative with goodies from the Mexican grocery store...

Mexican Scramble ~ my low fat breakfast this morning, full of the flavors & colors of Mexico!  Made with scrambled eggs that were tossed with sauteed onion, jalapenos, tomatoes, spinach, cilantro & lime; fat-free refried beans; & the best brand of corn tortillas that I've ever had, toasted in a pan with a little Pam.  What a GREAT way to start my day!!  Real-time cooking in my kitchen today.  :)

These are the best corn tortillas I've ever purchased!

I recently discovered the most WONDERFUL Mexican grocery store.  I happened to notice it while I was sitting in a traffic jam.  I must have driven by it 100 times in the past, but had never noticed it before.  Thank you backed-up traffic!  I've had fun creating spicy Mexican dishes with my authentic ethnic food booty, and there are lots more to be created in the days to come.  The grocery store also has prepared hot food for sale.  I only bought the tamales this time, but I will be going back in a week to get another fix of their fabulous cooked and fresh food items.

Check out the comments below the tamale photos to see just what taking a bite of those tamales meant to me. It was along the lines of what happened to Anton Ego, from the Disney movie Ratatouille.  BAM!  Years disappeared and I was transported to a beach in Mexico...

Armchair traveling, or should I say kitchen-table-traveling, at its finest!  I wouldn't miss exploring ethnic grocery stores for the world, they can take you places ~ at least they do for me! 

My Mexican foodie treasures ~ The grocery store was super colorful, with lots of pretty piñatas hanging from the ceiling.  It was FULL of authentic Mexican grocery items ~ fresh/canned & a bounty of other items.  The meat case had the best looking items, as did the produce case.  I felt right at home there, it was like I was back in Mexico...or back in Los Angeles. (I forget sometimes how much I miss living in LA!)   The employees in the store had very limited English & I have very limited Spanish, but we were all able to communicate with a lot of laughs & smiles.  This is my new favorite speciality store!

They also had the most AMAZING tamales for sale.  They had 3 different flavors ~ chicken & green chile, cheese with chopped chile and shredded beef & red chile.  They are all SO good, I don't care how many calories are in them!  They are a comfort food to me and I'm going to keep a little stash in the freezer... just for me when I need a little TLC.  :) 

 Beautiful Mona

These fresh grocery store tamales were homemade, served in a HUGE tamale steaming pot, stacked up and piping hot.  I haven't had a tamale this good since I used to eat those made by my friend Lupe's mother, Mona. These store tamales were made with love, just like Lupe's mother's were.  With the first bite, I was taken back to over 20 years ago ~ vacationing with Lupe & her family.  We were at Rosarito Beach, in Baja Mexico, about 35 miles over the California/Mexico border.  (that was just before it became the beach holiday destination it is today)  Staying at a place right on the beach, with tile floors, sandy beaches, bright blue skies and blue-green seas.  The older women cooking in the kitchen, the younger adults & kids playing in the water.  The whole beach smelled of home cooking ~ drifting on the ocean breeze, coming from the small kitchens of all the seaside bungalows.  A simple day, where family memories are made...

I'd forgotten that memory, and these $1 tamales brought that happy day back in a split second.  To me, that is the subtle essence, the profound power of food ~ and one of the many reasons I think it's great to be a foodie!

My Club Med EXGO Reunion ~ Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico ~ June 2013

My son won a Club Med 'medal' for being part of the pool kayak race, he was thrilled!

I went to my second Club Med EXGO Reunion in June, this time to the Club Med Village of Ixtapa Pacific.  I took my son with me this time, and we spent two weeks soaking up the hot and tropical weather that is Mexico.  It was his first experience with Club Med, and I think I have planted the seed for him becoming a GO when he is old enough.  Ixtapa was my first village, waaay back in 1992. (see my original post about working for Club Med & the last reunion ~ HERE) It was so great to come back and see all the changes that 20 years brings!  The trees are bigger, the landscaping more lush, the room decor is better...but the same GO spirit is still there.  :)

I've put together another photo collage blog post, of food and fun, to show just how much Club Med still means to me.  To see a certain collage better, just click on it to enlarge.  Enjoy!

J & I had a blast hanging out with the Chief of Circus, Patrick, and his super fantastic Circus Team.  J got to fly on the trapeze, he climbed the rock wall, he bounced on the trampoline and he walked on the tight rope.  Doing circus tricks, under the palm trees, on a beach... Yeah, you could say he liked it...A LOT!  :)

La Playa ~ you get the picture!  All the kids loved playing, boarding, sailing and swimming at the beach.   Not to mention the treasuring hunt, the beach fiesta, the sandcastle contests... The fun just went on & on!

The Main Pool was a big part of our day.  Juan, the GE (local employee) pool bartender/beach boy was just wonderful!! He was sincerely friendly, he always had a big smile for all the guests, and he made the BEST Sangrita ~ EVER!  He gave me pointers on how he makes his secret recipe.  This Mexico City-style recipe is similar to his.  This juice chaser is my new way to drink tequila.  I can't say enough good things about Juan, he is such an asset to the Club!  Juan ~ YOU ROCK!  :)

One afternoon, Chef Saul presented a cooking class.  He showed us how to prepare the freshest shrimp ceviche I've ever had.  His secret is to use a splash of Clamato juice to enhance the dish.  Genius!  I'll be making it his way from now on.  Thanks so much for the class, Chef!

The food was excellent, as always.  So much to choose from!  The seafood was exceptional, as was the service from the chefs. 

The Restaurant Manager, Hugo, and his staff, do a fine job of presenting three colorful and enticing food services a day, with an abundance of food and flavors to choose from.  I don't know how they accomplish it ~ but I'm so glad they can!!  There is a great terrace, just outside the main restaurant, where you can enjoy your meals al fresco.

The Pastry Chefs just kept the beautiful desserts coming, meal after meal...

The Main Bar is colorful and at the center of the village.  My favorite GO Bartender, Basti, is just amazing!!  He can mix drinks like no other, he dances like Michael Jackson in the evening shows and he's just so friendly ~ to adults and children alike.  He takes just as much care with a child's fruit smoothie, as he does with an adults order ~ now, that's service.   Both my son and I just love him! Basti, you are truly the BEST!!  :)

Me & Hoshi (top left).  She is a Mini Club GO and she was with my son's age group for the 2-weeks we were there.  She is so beautiful ~ both inside and out.  She has the old-school GO spirit that I remember from my days of working for the Club.  I can't say enough nice things about her, I sincerely hope we may meet her at another village in the future, both J & I just LOVE her!!  Hoshi, thanks so much for all the fun and care that you gave J & for making me smile!!  The Mini Club Chief, Tom-Tom, & his team helped us celebrate my son's 9th birthday.  We had a special cake, balloons, songs & gifts ~ all you could ask for.  :)  Thanks to all the GO's that helped to make his day extra special!  ~~  Some photos from around the village, having fun in the sun!

More beautiful views from around the village...

EXGO Family & Friends Reunion ~~~ Club Med Ixtapa Pacific, Mexico ~~~ June 2013

If you're ever looking for a great family vacation, check out Club Med Ixtapa Pacific.  Trip Advisor loves it as much as we do!  It's their #1 ~ Traveler's Choice 2013 Award Winner ~ for best hotel for families in Mexico.  I couldn't agree more!  :)

Homegrown goodies from Cheryl's garden ~ Meatless Monday

Our neighbor, Cheryl, has been kind enough to share the bounty of their backyard garden with us.  She gave me a few bags of homegrown veggies the other day, and I copied how she prepares them.

   

Cheryl likes to take whatever veggies are ripe and turn them into a ~ Fresh Chopped Salad ~ tossed with Italian dressing.  Sometimes her husband, Bill, will find a salad dressing recipe online that sounds appealing and he will made her a homemade salad dressing to use instead.

She also sometimes likes to simply cook the green beans in a little water, with onions and a few spices until they are just tender, and then toss them in a little butter. YUM!  Super quick, super simple and super tasty.

Add your favorite meatless protein, some homegrown veggie side dishes, some buttered noodles and you've got the perfect Meatless Monday summertime meal!

Jiffy Mix Cupcakes ~ super cheap & cheerful baked goodies!

Nothing beats a box of Jiffy cake mix for making a dozen cupcakes, they make for a super cheap and cheerful sweet baked treat.  And at only about 50 cents a box, you can't get more economical than that!  I decided to jazz up the basic yellow cupcake recipe with some vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon and a few chocolate chips.  The cupcakes turned out good ~ but...I did not expect the chocolate chips to take the express elevator to the bottom of the cupcake batter.  They sunk right to the cupcake liner...Sigh... See what happens when this challenged baker starts to color outside the lines! :)

I found a can of white frosting hiding in the pantry (left over from Christmas baking), as well as some leftover Wall-E birthday cupcake liners (from a few years ago) ~ so these were truly cheap, quick and easy to throw together.  Making faces with more chocolate chips was a silly way to add more chocolate...more chocolate is always a plus in my opinion!  These little gems were just the right ending for the impromptu summer evening's barbecue we were invited to.

Good friends, playful kids, hot dogs, sausages, homegrown salads, drinks, cherry pie, cupcakes, a sultry summer evening with fireflies lighting up the night...all the things that make summertime so special.