The Chili is cooking!

It is a big job to make enough chili to serve at the Chili cook-off.  I had amassed my canned goods ahead of time and Tuesday morning we were off to Soriana’s for the fresh produce that I use. 

First a soak in the Mexican iodine wash.  I do this for all of our vegetables as I know that my hands, along with a lot of other hands have touched them.  I always thoroughly wash my veggies at home as well.

Wednesday morning was chopping day.  Peppers, onions, celery, garlic etc.  chopped and put in bags for the next day.  Spices were mixed up in a container and readied as well.

Today (Thursday) it was time to put it together.  It is a big job to make two huge batches in an RV and then cool it later in the day so that it can be reheated on Saturday.  Not whining….just explaining the process.

Bacon was fried, peppers cooked in a pan on the barbecue, onions/garlic sautéed and ground meat lightly cooked.  Cans of beans opened and drained, canned tomatoes and sauce opened and then ….put it all together.  Only took about 3 hours!  Now it will cook for the rest of the day and be checked for seasoning.  I cool it for a couple of days as it tastes much better (in my mind) reheated.

  

Tomorrow is a day of rest and then the fun begins on Saturday afternoon. 

Stay posted!

Pancho’s on the beach for lunch.

Time for lunch again!

This week’s choice for lunch was located in the Golden Zone.  Theresa joined the gals and I and Eric and J.J. headed off downtown on their own.  Sunday was a cloudy day with a little rain but today the sun had come out and it was warm and humid.

All aboard the green bus and we ladies got off at Panama’s which is a popular restaurant and bakery and continued down the street to Pancho’s on the beach for lunch.  I have eaten at Pancho’s before so I was sure we’d have a good food.

 

Heading down the street and that’s Theresa just ahead of me.

The group is way ahead.  The concrete is colorful with a shiny coating.  It is not slippery when it’s dry but when it’s wet….who knows!

We are all seated for lunch.  A couple of missing spots as we are never sure who’ll turn up. 

A very lovely restaurant with beautiful tile work and “objets d’art” on the the walls.

Theresa has beer and I had a piña colada.  I normally drink Pacifico lite but I splurge when we go out for lunch.

That’s Sharen on the right talking to her friend Connie.  Sharen and George just arrived a couple of days ago.  She and George live in Oregon like Connie and Manny.  Nice people!

First we have chips and salsa along with jalapenos stuffed with marlin.  On the house.

The meals arrived quickly and I had the Mexican plate which contains a large variety of food.  It was very large, very good and I couldn’t finish it!

Val had queso fondido I think. 

Marion had ordered the Mexican plate as well.

Sharen had the brochettes and she took home a doggie bag!

Looks delicious.

Theresa ordered the pork shank and she said it was also delicious.  I might add that she said that the food at the Riu is the best that they have had at any of the all inclusives they have stayed in. 

Eddie’s mixed fajita’s.  Good also.

Consensus on the lunch…..thumbs up!

Theresa and I along with Connie and Sharen wandered off to see what was available in the shops.  This pond full of fish was out front of one clothing shop.  Looks a bit crowded. 

Heading down the street.  The Golden Zone is quite perked up now that the cruise ships have returned and the drug wars have quieted down!  There is also extra traffic and people from Durango.  Good for the merchants.

Clothes shopping is done and we are heading back to Michael’s Gallery before we head home.  Beautiful glass, pottery, jewelry, artwork and much, much more. 

When we were done it was home on the green bus. 

Eric and J.J. arrived a short while later after their trip downtown.  They took the green bus to the end of the line down by the ferry dock and then walked back to Olas Altas for lunch.  They ate at El Shrimp Bucket and although it was very good it took forever for the food to come.  They were the only customers. 

Tonight a beautiful sunset.

J.J. and Theresa come to visit.

Theresa and Jim arrived at the Riu on Friday evening.  They are family in-law (our son in law Wade’s sister and her husband.)  We have spent many family dinners together over the years and we enjoy their company.  Jim speaks Spanish which is a plus and he and Theresa have travelled to many destinations in Mexico as well as the Dominican and Cuba. 

JJ showed up at the rig door yesterday morning as he’d scoped out the lay of the land on Google Earth.  An amazing tool!  Eric took him out for a quick tour in the truck and I…..cleaned up the rig.  Later in the afternoon I walked north on the beach to the Riu (about 1/2 hr.) and Eric took the truck as his foot is sore right now. 

These pictures are from a different and cloudy day.  Still a pretty impressive structure with over 700 rooms.

Theresa and I had a nice catch up talk and the guys went up the beach to Bruja for a swim.  Eric said the waves were big and clean and the water was warm.  Bueno!

Jim and Eric conflabbing!  That’s Bruja up by the rocks.

Jim and Theresa.  Nice spot to lounge out in front of the Riu.  You need an arm band to get inside.  I’ll see if I can take pictures inside later in the week. 

We’ll get together a few times over the two weeks that they are here.  Nice to see people from home.

 

P.S. - 

I noticed this flower on the fence the other day.

The center of the flower becomes this gourd like pod that opens to become….

Pretty flowers filled with seeds.

As a jardinera (gardener) I would guess that this plant is highly invasive as it rapidly covers the chain link.

Today the “wild turkeys?” were busy eating the seeds and will disperse them far and wide. 

A problem ….I wonder.

Happy Birthday Eddie!

Thursday is Bingo night…..have I mentioned how much I hate Bingo!  Oh well, the company is good and usually so is the food. 

Anyway I was unaware that Thursday was Eddie’s birthday so I didn’t bring my camera to Bingo.  The following pictures are courtesy of Connie and Ruth.

Ruth had arranged a card,cake, flowers and “lovely crowns” for us to wear in honor of Eddie’s birthday.  

I told Eddie her crown was lovely and she offered to give it to me….no gracias!

Don’t we all look lovely….!

 

Val looks quite stunning.

Yes…I am a party pooper and wouldn’t wear it on my head but if you look closely it is around my neck.  Good enough. 

The birthday cake was as delicious as it looks.   Nice job Ruth!

Bingo was okay tonight and maybe because I actually daubed enough numbers to win.  Marilyn and I both called “Bingo” so we split the black out pot which meant we each got about 330 pesos.  Not bad!

Dinner however was another matter.  I ordered a chicken sandwich and when it came they had forgotten the chicken.  The sandwich went back to the kitchen to be chickened up and then I ran into a hunk of slimy chicken skin amongst the lettuce.   Yuck!  So no more chicken sandwiches for me. 

All in all a good evening.

Chili Cook Off Meeting, Hair and feet, Camera pick up and a little shopping.

These detailed headings allow me to find older posts if I want to remember something at a later date.  

Wednesday was a busy day that started with a pedicure and haircut at Gaby’s (Rosie’s shop.)  I teased Rosie about her big party which she said over 400 hundred people attended!  I told her that in every picture I’d taken of her “she was crying!”  I know she said….I was just so happy!  The whole party was a success and apparently it was her staff of lovely ladies who didn’t want her to hire waiters for the evening.  They didn’t think it was good to have people who don’t know us serving the food….so they did it.  How nice is that!   Thank-you!  Rosie had some glitches with the liquor cooling but it all seemed fine to us.  A lovely party. 

So feet were prettied up and my haircut was done at the same time (not my first choice as the hair can fall in the polish) but someone had no showed their 9am hair appointment.  How rude!

Hair and feet were done and I was off to pick up my Panasonic Lumix Camera downtown.  Unfortunately it could not be repaired.  The automatic lens cover was not opening and would not stay open if opened manually.  However it would stay shut and closed properly.  The camera repair man speaks very little English but I did get the jist of the whole thing.  He said the mechanism is attached to the zoom and he couldn’t take the lens covers off so he suggested I put a little silicone under it to keep it open all the time.  Not sure what I’ll do. 

Then it was off to the Dulceria or candy shop for some sweets.  Val brings candies to cards on Tuesday and since Eric likes them I was on a mission to find them.  The shop that sells them is one street off of Calle Aquiles Serdan which runs in front of the market and I actually remembered where it was.  We also like the very sweet milk caramel candies so we are now all sweetened up.  Very sweet!

A few veggies in the market and home on the bus. 

Our chili cook off, cooks meeting was at 1:30 that afternoon and most of us attended. 

Quantities to cook (at least six quarts), table set up, number identification and ladle size along with a number of other questions were answered.   At this point we have between 18 and 20 people committed to cook.  There was also some concern voiced by a few cooks from outside the park at the increase in our donation entrance fee for chili tasting.  We have increased the cost of entrance from 50 pesos to 100 pesos and some thought it was too much.  Personally I don’t see it as an issue as at about $8 Canadian or just under $7 American it seems minimal.  We also offer a 50/50 draw, a very extensive raffle and will be selling beer, wine, tequila, pop and water.  A live band will also be playing.  The raffle is set up with a jar at each item so you can enter your ticket for something you want to win.  Lots of very nice items as well as donated gift certificates.  Aprons and t-shirts will also be sold. 

Last year we had over 300 hundred people in attendance and everyone had a great time. A huge amount of time and effort goes into this event….especially from Frank who has done a great job of organizing everything.  Thanks Frank!

We hope to see you on Saturday, January 31st at 1pm and that people will remember it is “All for the children!”

Ladies Lunch at El Molcajete Loco.

 

Today’s lunch location was just off the malecon where the green tourist bus turns left and leaves the malecon on it’s way downtown.  Right next to the Oxxo.  Easy to find and see.  It is facing the side street but close enough to the ocean that you get that nice breeze.  

Heading in to eat.

Some of our group were already waiting so we had to spread out for all of us to be seated.  A large group of 12 that makes the restaurant happy!

The menu is in Spanish but they speak some English.  The dishes on the menu are shown on this large colorful mural.

First we need drinks…..

That’s the kitchen in the back….ready for action.

Most people had beer and they turned out to be the pequeño or small ones so….we all needed two!

This young man had just given us a run down on the menu and what they would provide.  This is a seafood restaurant and since we are very close to the Pescadaria’s (fish shops) everything is very fresh.  He had just passed his little boy to Marion and now the little guys was wailing!  Funny!

He was passed from one family member to another and finally calmed down.  Lots of gringo grandma’s did not make him happy!  I tried a little peekaboo later and although he was suspicious, he didn’t cry!

Shrimp wrapped in bacon with salad and rice.  Looks delicious.

Coconut shrimp.   Nice  presentation.

We eat.

Anita looks suspicious!

I ordered Fillete de Pescado Gordo.  Dorado stuffed with shrimp, wrapped in bacon in a poblano cream sauce.  Salad and tasty rice came with it and it was as delicious as it looks.  Marion, Eddie, Ruth and Diane had the same.

Valerie’s filete de pescado empanizado or breaded fish fillet.  Valerie gave it a medium rating.

I am making an attempt to order dishes that are a bit different and also what I wouldn’t cook at home.  I might also add that I am not fussy and will eat pretty well anything as long as it is well prepared.  I am fussy about poorly prepared, generic food. 

Good!

In the end the meals were well received.  I know that some of us are not interested in having a seafood meal hence the thumbs down.  I love seafood.   Plus you can’t please all of the people, all of the time.  The service was good, the food was prepared quickly and although Marion had to wait as her meal was wrong the wait was not huge.  No problemo!  The extra, wrong meal, was left for us to sample.

Everyone had a choice of restaurants, the slips went into a bag and each week a new restaurant is drawn.  Luck of the draw!

Would I return….you bet! 

Connie gazing at the water. 

We walk one block north to where the green bus returns to the malecon and heads back to Cerritos and Trailer Park Las Jaibas. 

A lovely day and a lovely view! 

The bus arrived just as we got there, we all boarded and home we went.

There was even time left when I got home for an hour on the beach.  Eric got a swim in and the weather was just lovely.  The clouds have left us and the sun is shining…..Bueno!