Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen : Recipes

Good Eats at Home: Pizzettas Enfrijoladas

Rob Kinnon — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:29:00 GMT

As many of our loyal "Life's a Beach" readers will know (because they also follow me on Facebook) Rob and I are in a "crazy vegetarian phase". We have eaten no beef, chicken or pork since New Years. The good news is, we have never looked or felt better. We have had no trouble at all finding great vegetarian dining-out options and, as you all know, good grains, fruits and veggies are practically free here in Mexico. The bad news is, it's a lot more work for me to put together tasty interesting meat-free meals night after night when we dine at home....which is most of the time. The challenge is not coming up with meatless meals. The challenge is coming up with meatless meals that are healthy and packed with important nutrients. Pasta and pizza are good for a night or two a week but I'm really trying to manage our intake of refined carbs and be more creative with the limited time I have.

One thing I always keep in the house is a bean dip of some kind. On Mondays, I whip up a big batch of hummus or black bean dip to keep in the fridge for snacks. Tonight, the black bean dip doubles as the sauce for a dish I'm going to call Pizzettas Enfrijoladas. They are super easy to make and can make use of whatever combination of veggies you like which is perfect for the kids. Rob likes his with the cheese and corn hot and the rest of the toppings raw. I pile everything on at once and shred a bit of spicy arugula on top when it comes out of the oven. These are also great to bring to parties as an hors d'oeuvre. Here's how we made ours last night.

Pizzettas Enfrijoladas

Flour Tortillas
Simple Black Bean Dip (recipe below)
Shredded Manchego Cheese - (or any kind you like)
Frozen Corn - thawed
Red Onion - thinly sliced
Zucchini - thinly sliced
Red Bell Pepper - thinly sliced
Scallions - thinly sliced
Arugula - torn

Simple Black Bean Dip

3 cups Black Beans - cooked
1 small can Salsa Casera
1 tsp. Cumin

Combine all in a Cuisinart or blender and process until smooth. In a sealed container, this will keep nicely in the fridge for a week and can easily be jazzed up with whatever you like.

For the Pizzettas: Turn on your broiler. Spread a generous layer of black bean dip on a tortilla. Top with a second tortilla. Distribute cheese on top of the second tortilla. Top with frozen corn and whatever veggies appeal to you. Arrange Pizzettas on a cookie sheet and broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the edges of the tortillas are starting to crisp. Transfer to a cutting board, allow to cool slightly and cut into quarters. Allow at least 2 full Pizzettas per person. Serve with a nice green salad.

A New Cooking School in Playa del Carmen

Rob Kinnon — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:37:00 GMT

The list of reasons to visit the Riviera Maya just keeps getting longer and longer! Co.Cos Cocina Cosmopolita Cooking School has made a huge splash in Playa del Carmen, getting rave reviews from local residents and visitors alike! After hearing from friends and fellow foodies that a new cooking school was opening up in Playa, I knew I would have to try it out.

Co.Cos' owner/founder Coty Villarreal is an accomplished Chef and student of the world. After traveling extensively though Europe and Asia, including an extended stay in Thailand, she brought her collected knowledge back to her home country, Mexico, armed with a passion to share her experiences with like-minded home cooks. It is this passion and Coty's effervescent personality that is the heart and soul of Co.Co's Cocina Cosmopolita and what makes the learning experience unique.

This is actually my third visit to Coty's cooking school. My first class was in July, a birthday present to myself, and a wonderful evening spent with good friends learning about new cuisines! In August, Women with Wine brought me back to Co.Cos for cocktails and a dizzying array of tapas. Coty was a delightful and gracious host, eager to meet new friends and show off her fantastic facilities and the scope of her catering menu. It was the perfect setting for this monthly gathering and one I hope the event organizers will choose again! (Hint, hint.) When the invitation came up to join some friends for another evening at Co.Cos, of course I jumped at the chance.

The menu we were to prepare this evening was inspired by Asian/Thai cuisine, a favorite of Coty who spent years traveling through Thailand and south east Asia, falling in love with the culture as well as the cuisine.

Starting from back to front, in groups of four, we prepared the mix for the orange-ginger sorbet, a simple process of bringing water, orange juice, sugar and grated fresh ginger to a boil and allowing it to reduce just a bit. This syrup was then strained and put aside to cool to room temp. before going into the ice cream maker.

For the remaining courses, we would work in pairs. My partner (the only boy in the group thank-you-very-much) was Stefan, an experienced cook from Frankfurt Germany here in Playa to study Spanish at one of our many local Spanish Language Schools. He was more than happy to take the lead while I snapped pictures and documented our evening.

Our next dish, a salad of warm asparagus and tempura tofu over spinach with a sweet and sour Thai dressing, raised a few eyebrows around the table. It seems tofu is not exactly at the top of everyone's weekly menu!

I myself quite like tofu. I am alone in that regard in our household as Rob won't touch the stuff and the kids give it the stink eye unless it's swimming in a bowl of miso soup. While tofu is a staple in many Asian cuisines, it seems to have a limited audience in Mexico. You would be hard pressed to find tofu tacos or empanadas offered at your neighborhood food carts. We were all looking forward to seeing what application might make this nutritious yet intimidating ingredient a viable part of our diets. Divided up into pairs, we carefully measured our ingredients for the dressing and cubed our tofu.

To expedite the process a bit, our tempura batter was prepared for us by the handsome and able-bodied Chef Nacho. We all took turns coming in for a close look.....at the batter. ;-)

Despite the escalating wine consumption, everyone managed to coat and deep fry their tofu without incident.

Finally we were able to assemble our creations and enjoy the fruits of our labors at a long dinner table set up on the open air patio. The salad was bright and bold, a combination of ingredients and flavors I would have never thought to put together on my own! I can't guarantee that I will reach for tofu the next time I make this but battered and deep fried and covered with our Thai chile dressing it certainly was delicious. I can see this salad as the platform for grilled prawns or pan seared sea scallops coming out of my kitchen very soon!

For our main course, we were to prepare chicken and shrimp stir-fried with chili, basil and garlic and served with delicate jasmine rice. Using Coty's personal collection of exotic mortar and pestles, gathered during her trips far and wide, we ground the ingredients for the "marinade". With a little elbow grease, garlic, cilantro, chile serrano and ginger all melded together for a spicy fragrant base for our dish.

After mixing up a traditional Asian sauce, each pair stir-fried the chicken hot and fast, followed by the tender shrimp. The sauce, a combination of imported fish and oyster sauces, sugar and black pepper, was thickened with a bit of corn starch, added to the hot wok and allowed to reduce and intensify in flavor. I must confess, my rice cooking skills are below par, a fact only more strongly reinforced when I tasted the light, fluffy, toothsome rice that Coty effortlessly prepared to support our stir fry creations.

The result was sublime. As I looked around at all the smiling faces and the table stacked with plates nearly licked clean, I could see that dinner had been a success! Our orange-ginger syrup had been loaded into the ice cream maker while we ate and was now beginning to solidify into a soft sorbet. The aroma of fresh ginger cleared our senses knocking us out of our wine-induced haze as we savored the last course of the evening.

While Coty and her Chefs do add support to the class, taking a few of components into their own hands, the participants are definitely getting a hand-on experience. As with any class or workshop, each participant will come away with something different. Experienced home cooks will enjoy this class just as much as those who can't tell a cuisinarte from a cutting board. No skills are required to join one of the groups, just an interest in new cultures, new cuisines and new flavors!

Co.Cos Cocina Cosmopolita offers a variety of courses in a variety of cuisines. Coty herself leads classes in Asian, Thai and Mediterranean cuisines. Chef Nacho takes the helm, introducing students to the ingredients and techniques used in traditional and contemporary Mexican dishes. Chef Hector, rounds out the Co.Cos' offerings with his expertise in French/European cooking and its particular preparations and techniques.

The classes can be conducted in English and Spanish to accommodate both locals and visitors to the area. The class size is limited to 10 students assuring that the Chef/Instructor can give the personalized attention required for a successful learning experience. Daily and monthly courses are available as well an intensive course for cooks who want to take their skills and knowledge to a higher level. Cooking classes for children have recently been added to the schedule and there is a cocktail and tapas class on Fridays for those of us who like to keep our drinking skills sharp! Discounts apply when you bring a friend!

Co.Cos Cooking School is located in the Aldea Thai complex on Calle Cozumel. For more information about cooking classes, Private Chef or in house catering services, contact Coty at info@cookInplaya.com or call (52) 984-803-0743. You can also get updates and find special offers on Co.Cos Facebook page. No matter what class you try you are sure to come away will new skills and new friends.

Don't forget to let Coty know you saw Co.Cos Cocina Cosmopolita on "Life's a Beach"!!

Good Eats at Home: Agua de Pepino con Jengibre

Rob Kinnon — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 16:08:00 GMT

Surprise, surprise. It is summer in Playa del Carmen and it's hot. According to the status updates in my Facebook news feed, it is not as hot as the summer our friends and family are experiencing in the northeastern United States, so I will try not to minge and complain too much. After 7 years living on the Riviera Maya, we have actually become quite acclimated to hot and sticky weather and have a wide variety of coping techniques to get through the occasional scorcher. Because we are all out working, playing and exercising in the heat, staying hydrated is always a top priority.

We have made huge strides over the past year to focus on our health and and quality of life and so, I do my best to avoid "sports drinks" and powdered drink mixes whenever possible. At home, I have been experimenting with different "agua de frutas" (literally translated as fruit waters) to keep our thirsts quenched. "Agua de frutas" or "agua de sabores" can be found in every restaurant, regardless of style or size, all across Mexico. A typical "comida corida" will come with your choice of "agua del dia" served in a pitcher to share. Aguas de jamaica, horchata, tamarindo and sandia have become very familiar to us over the years.

Over the past few weeks I have made a point of making my own "agua de casa" with the multitude of inexpensive fresh fruits we have to choose from in DAC and the grocery stores. I have had good luck with cucumber-lime, strawberry-mint and guayaba-mango to name a few. One of my favorites is this one, cucumber-ginger. It's easy to make and delicious and has to be better for you than Gatorade.

Agua de Pepino-jengibre

1 large cucumber - peeled and cut into chunks
2" ginger root - cut into chunks
Juice of 2 limes
2 liters of water
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Put the cucumber chunks into a blender.
Cover with water to 1 inch below the rim and blend until completely smooth.
Pour through a strainer into a large pitcher, pressing softly on the solids.
Clean the strainer.
Put the ginger chunks and lime juice into the blender.
Cover with water to 1 inch below the rim and blend until smooth.
Pour through the strainer into the pitcher with the cucumber water.
Add in the sugar and salt and stir until completely dissolved.
Refrigerate.

When chilled, stir and serve over ice!

If you have any favorite fruit waters or fun beverage combinations, please share them with me!

Have you discovered The Little Mexican Cooking School?

Rob Kinnon — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:30:00 GMT

Headed to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico? Then Puerto Morelos, midway between Cancun and Playa del Carmen, is worth a stop. One of this region’s best kept secrets with its world class snorkeling and a LIVE music nightlife to envy, has a new claim to fame that is putting Puerto Morelos on the map. A map that some visitors to Cancun may not discover.

The Little Mexican Cooking School has been awarded the designation of #1 Attraction on the entire Yucatan Peninsula by popular travel website TripAdvisor.com, topping the charts of over 600 attractions offered in this area. But, some visitors to the Cancun area won’t find out. That’s because, oddly, the destination is unable to be listed on Trip Advisor's Cancun listings page. There’s something about the geographical delineation between Cancun and it’s ‘next door’ neighbor, Puerto Morelos.

For those in the know, The Little Mexican Cooking School offers a one day, in-depth introduction to authentic Mexican cuisine, 5 days a week. Dishing up recipes for original dishes with a modern touch, it gives tourists the opportunity to try their hand at some Mexican staples, like tortillas and tamales, while demonstrating many recipes per class in a 4 menu rotation. You laugh, you learn, you taste, you sip, and you eat. There’s an abundant feast that caps the day.

Since launching in December 2009, The Little Mexican Cooking School has quickly become a ‘must do’ tourist experience. Food and Travel writers are flocking there and Rough Guide’s Zora O’Niell has promised to boast about it in her next edition of Rough Guide to the Yucatan. Students are raving about the knowledge and enthusiasm of Mexican-born chef Pablo Espinosa. Pablo’s passion took him to Canada’s West Coast, a hot bed for foodies and the organic farming movement. After the rave reviews for his novel “Café Maya” in Squamish BC, he was eager to share the love for “what a Mexican really eats”, with tourists, here. Pablo says: “I am proud to show people that Mexican food is not just about American franchises. The food and culture of the Mexican people is fascinating, and I just love surprising our students”.

Catriona Brown and Patti Murphy, the founders of the school, are proud of their unique concept. “We wanted to create an experience like we seek out when we travel. A place where one can learn about an intriguing culture through their intellect and their senses.” Murphy says. On the key to their success, Brown says “We give people more than what they expect. Tourists in this region are fatigued with the hard sell. We take a more elegant approach, do our homework and deliver the goods.”

To book a class go to: www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com

For more info contact: Patti Murphy, teatimetango@gmail.com

Looking for Riviera Maya real estate? Contact BuyPlaya.com!

The Little Mexican Cooking School Begins Season 2!

Rob Kinnon — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:43:00 GMT

After a nice break for the hot summer months, The Little Mexican Cooking School in Puerto Morelos is back in action with a new Chef, a new curriculum and lots of new recipes! Recently, I invited myself to sit in on one of the first classes with Chef Pablo Lopez Espinosa and a group comprised almost entirely of media representatives and travel and food writers. Last year's Chef/Instructor had set the bar pretty high and I was a bit anxious to see what this new Chef would bring to the table. With an award winning restaurant under his belt and accolades from top food critics, he looked good "on paper" but would he have the passion and personality to keep the attention of this audience of seasoned professionals? Turns out, I had nothing to fear. After admitting that we DID in fact intimidate him, Chef Pablo laughed it off and settled into his presentation. He was charming and engaging and presented the information very well. Pablo has a smile that positively lights up the room. If he was nervous, we certainly did not see it.

We started with an in depth look at the many chiles, both fresh and their dried counterparts, that are a staple of Mexican cuisine. We had a chance to pass them around, feel and most importantly smell the subtle, and sometimes, not too subtle variations. As mole poblano was on the menu for the day, a dish that, when done properly can take many days to create, some of the components had been prepared in advance. We did a review of each of the individual ingredients which included, in this recipe, mulato, pasilla and ancho chiles, Mexican anis seed and good Mexican chocolate. We passed around a wide array of homemade spices, seasonings and pastes, many of which were provided by the family of Lucy, one of the cooking assistants who had returned after season 1. Again, we were offered the unique opportunity to smell and actually taste each of these ingredients, some of which I had never seen before in their raw form.

As we listened, took copious notes and snapped pictures, our host Catriona served us traditional "aguas frescas" of tamarindo, jamaica, and, my son's favorite, horchata. These were made from the popular and convenient concentrates readily available in any grocery store and certainly kept us well hydrated on this hot day. Each student learned to press their own tortillas and cook them on the hot comal. Chef Pablo showed us some fabulous, fresh homemade salsas to eat with our tortillas and the warm quesadillas with cheese and epazote prepared for us by Lucy and Daisy. The salsa pepitas made with ground pumpkin seeds was a big hit! Of course, we were treated to a complimentary shot of tequila, a little something to raise our already high spirits!

The final segment of our foray into the culinary world of Mexico? Lunch! We dined on a fresh spinach salad tossed with jicama, oranges and olives followed by a rich mole poblano over roasted chicken with Mexican rice and oven roasted chayote. Cat was quick to provide a big pitcher of tangy homemade sangrita to accompany this delicious meal and keep the conversation flowing. For dessert, Chef Pablo's irresistible Key Lime Pie!

If you are here on vacation and have grown weary of sitting on the beach, I can't think of a better way to spend a day. Not only are the classes fun, they are informative and give you something unique to bring back home rather than just a nice tan. Armed with a little knowledge and a healthy dose of inspiration, there is no doubt in my mind that you will be looking for some of these newly discovered ingredients in your local grocery stores and coming up with your own recipes in which to feature their bold bright flavors. Gourmet chefs and home cooks alike will find something to love about these casual yet educational classes and I have been recommending them to local friends and travels looking for something new and fun. Classes are held three times weekly so chances are good you can find an open seat and some time in your schedule. I know I'll be back again soon!

Come visit The Little Mexican Cooking School on Facebook and be sure to visit their table in the Marketplace at Taste of Playa 2010!

Rainy Day Recipes - White Chicken Chili

Rob Kinnon — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:49:00 GMT

With the rain coming down in buckets all around us, it feels more like a spring day in New England than a summer day in Mexico! In our house, days like this call for something warm and comforting and a family favorite of ours is White Chicken Chili. This is another recipe that came out of our kitchen back in Mystic Connecticut. It is one of my childrens' very favorite foods, one that they request time and time again. Truth be told, it came off of the back of a McCormick's can and I adapted it over the course of a summer to suit our tastes. Now, before you scroll down and think "No way, that's way to many ingredients and way too much work!" take a breath and remember - If I can do it with Rob hovering over my shoulder, the dogs begging underfoot and two children getting into who knows what, then so can you. The key to making this chili easily is "mis en place". You must have all of your ingredients prepared, measured and ready to go before you turn on the burner.

2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 stick unsalted butter
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1.5 tbsp. chili powder
2.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
pinch of ground clove
6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
32 oz chicken broth, heated
3 lbs. boneless chicken b.reast, cubed
4 cans white beans, drained , rinsed
2 cans chopped green chilies
2 cups plain yogurt (no sweetener added)
2 tsp. kosher salt

Over medium high heat cook onion and butter in a large stockpot until onion is soft. Add garlic, cook an additional 2 minutes. Lower heat, Add chili powder, cayenne, cumin, clove and flour. Cook, stirring for 5 min. Turn heat up and slowly add warm chicken broth, stirring. Bring to a boil and simmer 3 min. Add raw chicken cubes and cook thoroughly, about 7 min. Lower heat, Add green chilies, salt, beans and yogurt. Simmer 5 min. Remove from heat, cover, allow to rest 15 min. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve it up!!! Yummy.

The Little Mexican Cooking School - A Review

Rob Kinnon — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

When I received the email last week from Catriona Brown in Puerto Morelos, I really wasn't sure what to expect. An empty seat had come available in her interesting new endeavor, The Little Mexican Cooking School and she invited me to sit in on the class. I had been receiving information about these classes from the founders Cat and Patti Murphy since the inception of the school last Fall and, on paper at least, it looked very promising. On the other hand, I have been in Mexico long enough to see a lot of poorly conceived but well-meaning enterprises go up in smoke, so I was a bit skeptical. I have also attended a few "cooking classes" in the United States, most of which eventually degraded into a catered cocktail party with the guests all getting soused and forgetting everything about the meal. What if this class was just another hair-brained scheme designed to milk money out of unsuspecting tourists? What would I say to my friend and fellow blogger? What kind of a review could I possibly give if it totally stunk? So, as I made the drive to Puerto Morelos last Friday, I was excited but my emotions were understandably mixed.

I had no trouble finding the school as there is a very clear map printed right on the school's website. I pulled up to an adorable side by side Mexican duplex, one side I was to learn was Cat's current home, and the other housed the school with several bedrooms above, designed to accommodate visiting chefs. The other students, eight of us in total, were already in attendance and taking their places in the "classroom" as I arrived.

Chef Claudia welcomes the group.

I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a clean, bright well equipped kitchen with long tables set up from which the students could observe the Chef/Teacher and her assistants as they prepared the selected menu for the day. The far end of the kitchen was open to the back patio which has a lovely pool, a storage bodega for all the various ingredients we would require for our class and an area for the "anafre", a traditional charcoal "grill" of sorts, topped with a "comal" for everything cooking tortillas and searing meat to boiling beans and roasting vegetables. In some regions the "anafre" is used to heat the home. The room was just spacious enough to accommodate all of us with room to move around a bit and take pictures.

Lucy toasting tortillas

Our Master Chef for the day was Claudia Garcia Ramos de Celis and she was not what I was expecting. In my mind I had envisioned a nice old Mexican "abuela" from the puebla, hired to cook a variety of traditional meals while Cat gave commentary and provided translation. I could not have been more wrong. Chef Claudia is a young, well-spoken, energetic mother of three who is passionate about passing on the authentic Mexican cuisine to foreigners and countrymen alike. Originally from Mexico City, Claudia first developed her love of cooking while standing at the side of her grandmother preparing the daily meals for the family. Her grandmother taught her the importance of using fresh ingredients, employing traditional cooking methods and tools and putting care and love into every dish. Educated at both the Universidad Motolina and the Universidad Cedim Monterrey in Nuevo Leon, she later refined and expanded her culinary repertoire at the world renowned Culinary Institute of America in New York.

Learning about chilies

We began our day with an explanation of the various ingredients common to all authentic Mexican cuisine. The class was introduced to various chilies, both fresh and their dried counterparts and told in what dishes each might be used. A discussion of important citrus fruits followed including an introduction to Yucatecan Limes! Next, we covered the various spices and dried herbs, many of which were cultivated by the parents of Lucy, one of the two girls prepping the food for the day and assisting Claudia. We discussed the various pastes unique to Mexican cooking all the while receiving a history of food in Mexico including the introduction and assimilation of ingredients from far off lands which contribute to today's "Nuevo Mexicano" cuisine. There was a lot of information to absorb and the participants had many questions as we continued through the day.

Daisy and Lucy hard at work

Our menu for the day was printed for all of us and included the ingredients and cooking instructions for each dish we would prepare. We were given the opportunity to make and cook our own tortillas. Some of the "masa" was used to create the most delicious "sopes" filled with refried beans, a particular canned meat called "Chilorio", white onion, cilantro, "queso fresco", "crema" and a salsa made on the spot from vegetables roasted on the "comal". I have had many sopes in my five years in Playa. None were as fresh and flavorful as these. As we moved from menu item to menu item, Claudia described the ingredients and the best way to handle and prepare them. She taught us how to cure a "mocajete", the stone mortar and pestle ubiquitous in Mexican kitchens and how to prepare the beautiful earthenware pots used to cook soups and beans. We learned to clean and cook zucchini blossoms and "nopales", how to tame the heat from fresh chilies and what spices, if cooked with beans, will reduce gas. All the while, our hostess Cat served refreshments, Agua de Jamiaca, "Horchata" and small glasses of tequila and "Xtabentun".

Preparing salsa in a mocajete

Sopes

Once we had made our way through all eight of the menu items, following along on our recipe sheets as the ladies cooked, we retired to the dining room to a prettily set table. Here we were finally able to taste the wonderful meals we had been taught to prepare! Each dish was delicious, and the group finally fell silent as we all tucked into our meals.

Lunch time!

A delicious meal.

At the end of the meal, Cat presented each guest with two wonderful takeaway gifts, a Little Mexican Cooking School apron, made by one of the girls, and a spiral bound cookbook chock full of wonderful recipes. Chef Claudia signed each of our books and gave us her email address and website, inviting us to contact her at anytime with questions or for clarifications on what had been covered during the day.

As I mentioned earlier, I came into this class with a healthy dose of skepticism. In the end, I could not have been more pleased with the entire experience. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be and actually far exceeded my expectations. The cost, $90 per person plus tax, is well worth it and you can easily see just how much of these fees goes right back into the business. They have an excellent and engaging chef, two capable assistants and the best and freshest ingredients available. The apron and cookbook are just icing on an already splendid cake. Everything is so well thought in this intimate cooking class.No detail has been overlooked. Congratulations to Cat and Patti! They have really put together something special in Puerto Morelos, an excursion I will recommend highly to local friends and visitors alike.

Our hostess, Catriona Brown.

Classes are held at The Little Mexican Cooking School every Tuesday and Thursday and most Fridays. Several guest Chefs are scheduled over the next few months to be sure to check the Riviera Maya Events Calendar for upcoming dates and details.

Good Eats at Home: Sangrita Anyone?

Rob Kinnon — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 13:00:00 GMT

In my opinion (and on this blog it is really the only one that matters) the best way to really enjoy a top quality tequila is with Sangrita as an accompaniment. Sangrita, literally, means "little blood" and is the traditional aperitif enjoyed with a good tequila. It is served on the side (mixed together,this is known as a "Vampira") and is sipped alternately as a chaser to sooth the fire of the booze. Since moving to Mexico five years ago, I have had the opportunity to try many wonderful tequilas with just as many wonderful (and some not so wonderful) variations on Sangrita. While you can find it pre-made and bottled in the grocery stores, no self respecting bartender in Mexico will serve the stuff nor do I recommend you drink it.A good bartender will have his own well-guarded secret recipe, that may have been passed down from generation to generation.

One evening, at our house in Mystic, Connecticut, a few months before we made the big move to Playa del Carmen, Rob and I cracked open a bottle of Patron Silver and went to work concocting the perfect Sangrita. In all honesty, I have no idea how I was able to keep track of all the variations but when I came to my senses the next morning (or was it afternoon) the chicken scratch that remained in my notebook revealed a damn good house-made Sangrita recipe, one that can just as easily be made in your home kitchen as it can behind the bar in your preferred Mexican watering hole.

2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
3 tsp. minced onion
8 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. seasoned salt
2 tsp. celery salt

Combine ingredients, shake well, strain, chill and serve cold with shots of good tequila. In the end, Sangrita should resemble blood, and a dash of grenadine, if you have it on hand, will do the trick. Sangrita can and should be made to suit your particular taste. It can be made quite spicy or, if you like it a bit sweeter, add a bit of grenadine syrup or more orange juice. Then settle in with friends and a selection of your favorite tequilas and enjoy an authentic Mexican experience!

To Grandmother's House We Go

Rob Kinnon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:30:00 GMT

Birdie and Cole and I have been staying at Grandma's house for the past few days, relaxing and having fun. Sunday night, the kids helped Grandma bake homemade granola bars. They came out warm, chewy and delicious! Here is the recipe and a few pictures.

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup powdered, non-fat dry milk
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Place all ingredients except the maple syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. In a large bowl combine and wisk the eggs and maple syrup. Add this to the food processor and pulse until well combined to form a coarse paste. Evenly spread the granola mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish and press flat. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and cut into bars.