Isla- Sept 2010 - Begin the Beguine

Twas four days before Christmas and all 'round the net, folks yelled 'POST YOUR TRIP REPORT BEFORE YOU FORGET!' Okay, someone once told me (Hi Nancy) that I couldn't go on another trip to Isla until I'd done a trip report from the last one. Wise words. So grab a glass of wine and let's head South of the border! Our trip began with an extended stay at DFW Airport. We boarded our plane, only to be kicked off due to an A/C problem. (Can't we just open a window and go already??). Our estimated two hour delay turned into a five hour delay, but we amused ourselves with $3 Mimosas and made new friends at the bar. I used our $20 in lunch vouchers to buy everyone ice cream sundaes, so it was really pretty fun, all things considered. I figure if you're gonna be stuck somewhere, you might as well have fun. Apparantly not everyone shares this view. Finally we took off, arrived in Cancun and whizzed seamlessly through immigration and customs. I was a little weirded out about being stopped in customs with about 20 cookbooks, but they let me through. Yay! USA transfers had been tracking our flight and were ready for us. We watched the sunset from the van as we drove through Cancun. Not ideal, but could be much, much worse. The ferry is pretty at night. We sat atop and watched the ocean go by, all lit up by the blue ferry lights and saw our beloved island come into view and the stars come out to play. We arrived at Casa Sirena in time for happy hour. God Bless Steve!! Tio Bobby was there and a lovely couple who I believe were newlyweds, Lars and Christina. A margarita has never tasted so good. Gerald and I enjoyed a very late supper at Brisas and it was a beautiful quiet night. I enjoyed shrimp tacos and another margarita and Gerald feasted on blackened grouper and drank a rum and Coke. It hit the spot and we really liked the habenero oil that was offered on the table. It was a delicious blend of oil, habenero, garlic, onion and spices. Sorry a couple of these pics are really out of focus. It was very late by the time we finished dinner and we strolled slowly back to Casa Sirena. A breeze blew through the empty streets. It was like a ghost town. So quiet and serene. Off to bed. Buenos Noches! Friday was a beautiful day to sleep in while Gerald rummaged around. I was so happy to be on Isla after such a busy summer. I had just mailed out about a hundred cookbooks and Chloe had been in two plays back to back, so I was tired. And I mean like I've never been tired before. I was exhausted. Being at Casa Sirena was so peaceful, so comfortable and I was incredibly happy. Breakfast was delicious Chicken Enchiladas, a lush plate of fresh fruit, coffee and fresh squeezed juice. It was cool on the patio and we leisurely dined and chatted with Steve and Tio Bobby. After breakfast we ran around the island for a while, went to the beach and went hunting for sea glass at Playa Media Luna (there was a man in business attire sitting on a big chunk of concrete on his cell phone. Nice place to spend your lunch break!) and then over to Qubano to visit with Vivian and refresh with some of her wonderful Watermelon water. After a grocery store run, we hung out on our beautiful Casa Sirena balcony and then, in a sudden but short lived burst of energy, managed to make it up to the rooftop where we lounged the rest of the afternoon away. We were all set with Habenero potato chips, drinks, a plunge pool, lounge chairs and I was reading a new Alice Hoffman book - The Story Sisters (which I really enjoyed). All was right with the world as we relaxed in our own private heaven four floors above the world. There was nothing in my life that demanded to be cleaned, cooked, driven anywhere, processed or answered. Ahhh.... That evening Tim and Vee joined us at Casa Sirena for happy hour. It was so great to finally meet them, as Vee and I have been friends on the internet for years. They were so much fun! Vee and I were like long lost sisters. Tim and Gerald hit it off, too with their quirky senses of humor and the fact that they are both musicians. We were lucky enough to have Zina join us, as well and another cute couple, Josh and Emily. We all dined at Brisas (two nights in a row and no complaints from me). I ordered Tequila Shrimp, which was delicious and we dined, laughed, drank wine and basked in the glow of the beginning of our vacation and wonderful friends with our feet in the sand. A Blue Seahorse talking to a Pink Bunny Tequila Shrimp at Brisas Huge Plate O Fish! Josh and Emily Tio Bobby and Lars Zina is serenaded

You and Your Paycheck

This is a public service announcement because I pay people for a living and it ain't always fun! Things you should know: 1) Death and Taxes - you know the saying...you can't get around 'em. No, I cannot pay your employees some mythical tax free bonus. Think for a minute...if I could do that, then EVERYONE would want to get paid that way ALL THE TIME. Right? 2) SUTA and FUTA are taxes. They are not Buddha's brothers. 3) I do not care how many allowances you claim on your W4. That's between you and the IRS. But if you claim 'EXEMPT', I will explain that to you. You won't like it, it's not good. Don't do it. In April you will call me and yell at me because I didn't take any taxes out of your check and you will want me to 'go back and fix that'. Now, Honey, if I had a time machine do you think I'd be sitting here? 4) Another note on that W4. You can't put a negative number in box #6 and get that amount added back into your check as a 'negative tax amount'. Nice try, tho. I like your style. 5) Yes, I'm brilliant, but I don't read minds. So, if you change your bank account, I don't magically know. Sorry. 6) I don't get to keep your tax deductions, insurance deductions or child support deductions. Again..would I be sitting here? And while we're talking about child support, when you call me and pretend you have no idea that you have a child, I don't believe you. I do, however say a prayer that you will never reproduce again. 7) I cannot make your check out to 'T-dog' if your name is Harold on your Social Security Card. Sorry, T-dog. 8) I've heard it all before. 9) Your Mexican Voter ID is not sufficient documentation to prove that you are an American citizen on your I9 form. I know...picky, picky. 10) Why have checked the 'Married' box and then listed your girlfriend as your emergency contact? Wait...I don't wanna know. 11) And about those Emergency Contacts? "John" with no phone number is not sufficient and '911' is funny, but this isn't a quiz.

Delusions of Sugar Plums Dance in My Head

I'm uncertain what it is about this time of year, but I always get delusional somewhere shortly after Thanksgiving. Maybe it's the beautiful Christmas displays in shop windows, maybe it's an overload of sugar lingering in my veins from the Pumpkin pie or maybe it's simply the arrival of cold weather that has frozen my brain. Whatever it is, it settles on me like an overnight dusting of Texas snow...it's CHRISTMAS DELUSION SYNDROME. I imagine myself about a week prior to the Christmas holiday, lounging on the couch in my black silk robe, sipping a cup of Kahlua spiked hot chocolate and admiring the festive surroundings of my holiday decorated (and clean) home while Christmas Carols play softly on the surround sound system. A fire is ablaze in the fireplace, the gifts are not only wrapped and under the tree, but properly tagged and within my set budget. I am leisurely leafing through a cookbook, deciding on what to lovingly create for the holiday meal. And even as I write this, I know it's insane. Oh, trust me...I know. But let me have my delusional perfection (did I mention that I look extremely thin and young as I am lounging on that couch?) because that dream? Probably not going to happen.

Secrets of Men at the Grocery Store-Revealed

As far as I can tell, men at the grocery store can basically be divided into three distinct categories. I have come to this conclusion because I spend an extraordinary amount of time there, let me tell you. All of the people at my local store know me, partly because my son works there and partly because they think I live back in a corner of the stockroom. Actually it may have been that big grape juice spill on aisle 10, but I digress. 1) Errand Boy for the Mrs. These men can easily be spotted by the cell phone glued to their ear and a wildy overwhelmed look in their eye. They have ventured into a strange land and are afraid to bring back the wrong thing. I've even seen one on the phone at the check out asking "Honey, paper or plastic?". I would categorize these men as more 'hunters' than 'gatherers'. 2) Lost Boys - These guys are lost, too, but instead of calling home, they ask random women at the store for directions. I have learned a lot about how people view me from these men and obviously, I look like a woman who knows where the Velveeta motherlode is kept. I've also been asked how to cook things and 'my wife sent me to get X, is this it?'. Being a good sport as well as a Grocery Goddess (Hell, I live there!), I always help them out. Kudos to them for asking directions. I know it's hard. 3. Man About Town - This man not only knows his way around the grocery store, but you can tell by the contents of his cart that he's got moves that put my cooking skills to shame. This, my Dear, is the man that you dream will say, "I would love to cook for you". The downside? He usually has another guy with him. BONUS GROCERY GUY: 'Mr. Friday Night' - He's a bonus category because he's like a super shopper special - only available for a limited time. I very rarely go to the store on Friday nights, but have had occasion to run by and pick up a few things. And I do mean 'pick up'. I had no idea, but apparantly (in my area) Friday night is Singles Night!! They're everywhere - nice looking men with shopping carts full of beer and frozen pizzas and that 'how YOU doin' look in their eyes. I counted once and had five guys said 'hello' to me. So, all you single ladies out there...now you know where they are. Get thee to a grocery store on a Friday evening! Since I'm happily married, I figured I'd pass this info on because I'm nice like that.

That's Italian!!

I'm not Italian and I don't even play one on tv, but I love Italian food. We often eat at a wonderful locally owned Italian restaurant, owned by a Kurdish family, so I don't cook as much Italian as I should. The basil in the backyard was once again begging to be harvested and I have a really good bottle of red wine that some friends gifted me, so I was inspired. By my herb garden and a bottle of wine. And THAT is what make me a real chef. (Yes, I know that I am farrrr from a chef, much less a real one AND my herb 'garden' is just really pots of herbs, but play along, please). So, today I made Roasted Garlic, Marinara Sauce and Pesto. I have previously posted the recipe for the Pesto, so let's get to the others. ROASTED GARLIC This is amazingly easy and delicious (my fave two things). All you need is heads of garlic and olive oil. Cut the tops off of the garlic and peel away most of the papery skin. Make sure you cut enough off the top so that the individual garlic cloves are exposed. Place each garlic head in the cup of a muffin tin and drizzle with a couple of tablespoons Olive Oil per head of garlic. Pour it on slowly so that it gets all down in between. Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. Let cool. Pop the cloves of garlic out. Mash and spread on bread or mash with butter and a little parsley and make Roasted Garlic Butter. Mix with sour cream as a topping for baked potatoes or use in pasta sauce. Delish! Jana's Marinara Sauce This sauce has a lovely consistency and is very inexpensive to make. This recipe makes about three dinners worth of sauce and freezes well. It tastes MUCH better and is cheaper than storebought. 3- 28 oz cans of Crushed Tomatoes 3- 6 oz cans of Tomato Paste 1/2 cup chopped fresh Parsley 3 teaspoons Salt (or to taste) 1 teaspoon Black Pepper 1 White Onion finely chopped 3 teaspoons Oregano 1/4 cup Olive Oil 1 cup White Wine 4 - 6 cloves minced Garlic (depending on how much Garlic you like. I like a lot) 1 Tablespoon Splenda 1 Bay Leaf 6 - 10 leaves of fresh Basil or 2 Tablespoons dried Basil In a small amount of Olive Oil, sautee the Garlic and Onion in a large pot until Onion turns translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and store in the freezer in zip bags or Tupperware. I love to chiffonade Basil. First of all because it looks pretty, like green ribbons and secondly because it is a French word and it makes me feel all sexy. Here's how (this works with any leafy item, spinach, herbs, etc) Take about five leaves and stack them on top of each other. Now, roll the leaves up And slice ribbons! This is really a pretty garnish for Garlic bread or a Caprese Salad or anything Italian.

A Fabulous Adventure

Want some good reading? Check out my friend, Margaret's blog. http://www.flitflitter.com/ In her own words:

This blog is a collection of stories from my life as a nomad, flit flitting all over the world. For the past six years, I have been changing locations every two years. There’s no magic to that number; it’s just when I typically get the urge to pick up and see & do something new. Newspaper reporter in Virginia. English language teacher in Spain. Hotel manager in Mexico. I didn’t really start documenting any of it till my last stop in Mexico, though, which you can read about here, in the Notes series. Now I am back in the country and more on the move than ever as I try to visit as many Facebook friends as I can in a year, traveling throughout the U.S and Canada in my 1977 Toyota camper, Roxanne, with my dog, Rennie. It’s called The Facebook Project but that’s probably just a temporary name, and it started Aug. 16, 2010. If all goes well, it will end Aug. 16, 2011, and you will be able to follow my progress through my posts. If you want more background on the planning that preceded the actual journey, you might read Notes No. 65 and No. 76, as well as these pre-trip posts. I am hoping that by the end of it all, I have a more focused idea for a book but until then, I am just writing about my adventures as they happen and without much analysis. Feel free to comment as I go. Maybe together we can come up with a theme.

I find this experiment fascinating and enjoy 'going along' with Margaret to visit many out of the way places in her travels. She's witty, fun and an excellent writer and I think you'll enjoy her blog. I look forward to seeing Margaret when she travels through Texas! Rock on, Margaret! We miss you when we're on Isla!

Best Friend ~ Country Style!

My friend, Dale, and I have so much fun together. We are both 'artsy' and like to create things and we've even done a couple of ill fated art shows together. (It wasn't OUR fault that it rained/the temperature dropped 50 degrees/people didn't 'get' our art). We hang out at the pool in the summer and pretend to be on a tropical isle. We go to Watter's Creek and shop, drink and dine while scattering glitter throughout. We get together with our families and have Saturday night dinners. We laugh a lot. One of the weirdest things we do is talk 'country style'. You know, like hillbillies (which comes frighteningly natural to us both). She and her daughter and her sister started it and for some reason it really amuses us. So, you can imagine how excited I was last weekend when Dale presented me with the 'Best Country Style Friend' award. I should have had an acceptance speech ready, oh, I know I should've. But all I could do is laugh. And drink more moonshine. Love you, Dale (Country Style)!!!!!