Thursday, July 12, 2007

Traveling to the Desert~dodging the rainstorms!

Somehow I was reminded of the old 70's America song lyrics: I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain....
Got to love those lyrics when they have clarity about 30 years later!! We weren't on horse back, but when we were out of the rain in the desert of Coahuila it did truly feel good!



We traveled back to Torreon this week & felt like we were surely in the midst of hurricane season right in the middle of the desert! We first encountered hours of rain & even hail on our way through Saltillo which pushed our trip to Torreon to a 6 hour trip. In Saltillo the waters on Blvd. Venustiano Carranza were rushing like a river as we tried to get gas & a quick lunch. That alone should indicate how crazy the weather was. During our second day in Torreon we experienced storms which dumped such huge amounts of rainfall; the water was washing under the wall our hotel & into the lobby!! Drainage in Mexico is not the strong suit of urban planning, especially in the arid, desert climates! Even Katerina's vet experienced some flooding at his clinic where she was lodging during our trip to town. The crazy & immense rain in a short time caused street flooding, quite a site for dry town in the desert. We practically swam to dinner that evening at Rincon de Befe but by the next day hardly a sign of rain showed other than the muddy areas in front of buildings & on the streets. We actually went about our business the next day as if the storms never happened...Just another day in Mexico!

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Barrio Antiguo~fun place to check out!

We visited Monterrey's Old District today & walked the old worn cobblestone streets of Barrio Antiguo. The district is known for more night life than daytime activities but we strolled the area checking out a local artsy flea market & looking at the wonderful old architecture, the vivid colors and old barred windows & doors. The area went through a revitalization program with local businesses buying up the old buildings & opening a whole host of Restaurants, small shops, Coffee Houses, Bars & countless clubs. It reminded us both of the French Quarter in New Orleans; the whole lack of parking aspect was right there as well!!


















The flea market street in Barrio Antiguo was much like the Renaissance market in downtown Austin, some things shabby & others kind of chic! We saw antiques, handcrafts, Beetles memorabilia & paintings being sold by local artists. I found some hip little earrings made by a local artist named Edgar Luna. They were quite cute with little miniature images of none other than Frida Kahlo!



















Tiny Fridas for the ears, que bueno!!!

Friday, July 6, 2007

¡cumpleaños feliz Frida de 100 años!


“I must fight with all my strength so that the little positive things my health allows me to do might be pointed toward helping the revolution. The only real reason for living." -Frida Kahlo



Mexico & the art world celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Frida Kahlo's birthday.

Mexico City is hosting the largest ever exhibition of Frida Kahlo's works this week at the Museo de Bellas Artes to mark 100 years since the birth of the artist.

Frida Kahlo was the first Latin American woman to have a painting in the Louvre. Her work caused a storm in Paris in 1939, and the surrealists claimed it as supremely illustrative of their ideas.

To the average person, her paintings may often appear to be very dark. But a deeper understanding of her life gives her imagery a wider dimension, reflecting the psychological & physical pain she endured through her tortured relationship & marraige with Diego Rivera and countless failed surgeries which lead to her early death in 1954.

If you want to know more about Frida Kahlo read: Hayden Herrera’s Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo.


There are untold numbers of tourista items & bric-a-brac with Frida's image today in Mexico making her more recognizable than most of the current Latin American politicians.

I am including one of Frida's recipes on my blog. It is very similar to the Chiles en Nogada which I have posted as a recipe previously on the old blog. She was a woman of great talents & gifts in the kitchen as well as the art world!

Cooking up one of Frida's Recipes~

CHILES STUFFED WITH PICADILLO
• 16 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and deveined
• Flour
• 5 eggs, separated
• Olive oil or lard
• Tomato Broth

Stuff the chiles with the Picadillo, then dust them with flour. Beat the egg whites until stuff. Beat the yolks lightly with a pinch of salt and gently fold together with the whites to make a batter. Dip the chiles into the batter and fry in hot oil until golden. Drain on brown paper. To serve, place the chiles in the Tomato Broth.

PICADILLO

• 3 lb. ground pork
• 1 large onion, halved
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 6 tablespoons lard (olive oil is fine)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 3/4 cup blanched almonds, chopped
• half cup raisins

Cook the pork with the onion halves, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste for about 20 minutes. Drain the liquid and discard onion. Heat the lard in another pan and sauté the chopped onion, carrots, and zucchini until the onion is translucent. Add the tomato, cabbage, almonds, raisins, pork and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has darkened and the tomato is cooked through.

TOMATO BROTH
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 10 medium tomatoes, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• half cup vinegar
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Cicadas, The Alien Invasion South of the Border!

The Cicadas are here!!! It seems to be raining bugs!!!


















Time & history tell us the Cicadas are here to stay. The Singing & Mystique of Cicadas was mentioned in Platos Phaedrus. Therefore the sound of Cicadas right now in Northern Mexico shouldn't be a surprise even if it is almost deafening around dusk. People have described their noise as singing, I doubt if I could call it such but it is very hard to ignore. One folk tail says that the sound of Cicadas is followed by rain~well, that explains the weather we have been having. We are ready for a change though:)
While the girls were here visiting we were rather shocked by how loud & invasive they were while we dined outside one evening. The large Cicadas here in Northern Mexico spend most of their lives underground & crawl out only every 17 years! There are some 2500 species of Cicadas around the world so I guess that is something so sing about if you are a big 4 inch bug with the aerodynamics of a Volkswagon!!!


















Our Green Flying Friend!
Green isn't just for bugs! Okay, so this drink might make the whining bug noise easier to bear!

The Mean Green Cicada Martini~Call it what you want!!
6 parts gin
1 part chartreuse
Almond-stuffed olive

Combine liquid ingredients in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice and shake well. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with an olive.


Salsa de Aguacate

3 Jalapenos (less if you want), blackened or raw, seeded & stems removed
1 -2 Avocados, diced
1 Tomatillo, cut into quarters
Cilantro, loosely chopped

Put all in a blender or molcajete then thin out with small amount Crema, or Sour Cream, salt & pepper to taste.
*Crema~ Crema Pura de Vaca is used in many dishes here. It just thins this recipe out, so it is easier to dip.
Garnish with Cilantro Sprigs & let those bugs sing on!!!
Enjoy this very green Appetizer & Cocktail Recipe!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Five favorite things! (some old & some new)

We made a mad rush home to Texas & back to bring one of the cars back to Monterrey. We had to take care of paperwork for the use of our vehicles in Mexico~alot of red tape in this excessively paper driven society, they surely must file all the documents somewhere & never to be looked at them again...

While home I had a few new discoveries of things that, in the words of Martha Stewart are: "Good Things".

1.) Family is the best balm for the spirit! (nothing new, just a favorite good thing!)



















2.) Texas & all the good things that single word captures both in spirit & mind! An eternal favorite. We miss it dearly this 4th of July!


3.) After living in Mexico for a year now I have decided that I should re-read Sandra Cisneros' good book: Caramelo. This is a novel by the author who wrote The House on Mango Street. Caramelo is a wonderful epic story about a family full of rich characters that moves through a century of history from Mexico to Chicago & San Antonio, Texas. Sometimes the best books are the ones we have already read once!










4.) Wonderful Mascara by none other than Maybelline: Volum' Express mascara~Jackie & Ashley (who have eyelashes to kill for)introduced this new product to me, since it is their new favorite. Great stuff!!!















5.) Mango Splitter, good item for splitting that wonderful fruit away from the huge seed pod! This new kitchen gadget gets 2 thumbs up from me:) Thank you John & Lauren!!!

Short visit over~


We loved our brief visit with the girls. Between the never ending rain showers they were hanging out, eating (alot of fresh Salsa), drinking, making a couple of quick forays to Santiago for sightseeing, shops, traditional Mexican food & the Palacio de Hierro in Monterrey! The girls found that shopping in Monterrey is something they might just be returning to Mexico for. Girls & Shopping~imagine!!




















Miss you mucho!!!

Villa de Santiago 1693

¡Vieja ciudad mágica hermosa!













The town of Santiago is actually where our house is located. Much history surrounds this area. The town was named, Villa de Sabinas, Hidalgo in honor of Miguel Hidalgo, the Mexican independence war starter. In 1971 it lost its villa status and is now considered a city. In Mexico people & maps tend to still refer to it as Villa de Santiago though. The little town has also acquired the designation of Pueblo de Magica. This status is something the government designates to few towns but most notably was given to San Miguel de Allende, the famed town of Tequila & Guanajuato. This title & status is given once a town has gained certain historical or tourism aspects. As we live very close John & I will probably become familiar with so much more in Villa de Santiago!



Another great place to explore~